If you have 10 minutes, you can make these baked cinnamon sugar donuts! The baked donuts are dipped in melted butter and coated in the most delicious cinnamon sugar topping. Jump to the recipe card, preheat the oven to 350, and bake these today!

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe

What’s your perfect breakfast in bed meal? For me, it’s coffee and donuts! Specifically, cinnamon sugar donuts! I love them so much, but rarely have the time to make them the old-fashioned way anymore. Between making the dough, letting it rise, and deep frying, it’s a daylong project!

Which is why I love recipe for baked cinnamon sugar donuts. It’s so easy and takes about 20 minutes start to finish. And the results are incredible! The donuts are soft, fluffy, and covered in a finger-licking crunchy cinnamon sugar coating. We make these almost every weekend!

Ingredients for Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

• Unsalted Butter: You’ll brown the butter for the donut batter, and simply melt the butter for the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• All-Purpose Flour: I have had several readers say that 1 for 1 GF flour also works well. I do not suggest subbing almond flour or coconut flour.
• Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances all of the other flavors in the donuts.
• Baking Powder: Gives our donuts their rise, do not replace this with baking soda.
• Ground Nutmeg: Just a pinch adds the most delicious flavor to the donuts.
• Ground Cinnamon: Adds richness and spice.
• Granulated Sugar: We use this for our crunchy and sweet cinnamon sugar coating.
• Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and sweetness to the donut batter.
• Egg: Bring it to room temperature before use.
• Vanilla: You’ll love the flavor pure vanilla extract adds to this recipe!
• Milk: I suggest using whole milk, but in a pinch, a plant based milk will work.

Special Equipment for Cinnamon Sugar Donuts:

• A donut pan is required for this recipe. Click here to check out the one I’ve been using for the past 5 years! It’s a workhorse and very affordable.
• Non-stick baking spray is the best way to grease your donut pan. If you can’t find non-stick spray, you can butter and flour the mold the old-fashioned way. Just be sure to get every little nook and cranny so your donuts don’t stick to the donut pan.
• Ziplock Bag or Large Piping Bag is the easiest way to fill the donut molds. Although you can technically spoon the batter into the molds, it’s much easier and neater to pipe.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

1. Prep the Pan: You’ll want to generously spray a 6 mold donut pan with non-stick spray. This is also a good time to preheat the oven to 350.
2. Make the Donut Batter: Brown the butter, then set it aside to slightly cool. In a one bowl combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, being sure not to over mix. Over mixing the donut batter will cause dry donuts!
3. Fill the Donut Molds: Spoon or pipe the donut batter into the prepared pan. The donut batter will be thick, this is normal.
4. Bake the Donuts: They’ll be ready in about 10 to 11 minutes, or when they spring back when lightly pressed.
5. Cool the Donuts: Let the donuts to cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes. Then gently flip the pan over and unfold them. Place them on a cooling rack while you make the cinnamon sugar coating.
6. Make the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Melt the butter and pour it into a wide shallow bowl. In a separate bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

How to Store Cinnamon Sugar Donuts?

These baked donuts are best served and eaten within 24 hours of baking! But they will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature, for 3 days. They might be a little dry by day 3, but that just makes them even better for dunking in coffee or tea!

More Donut Recipes:

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
• Brown Butter Churro Donuts
• Baked Coffee Cake Donuts with Vanilla Glaze
• Blueberry Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
• Nutella Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts
• Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Brown Butter Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Ashley Manila

Baked, not fried, these Brown Butter Cinnamon Sugar Donuts are ready in 20 minutes! Full of flavor and perfect with a cup of coffee.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 6 baked donuts

Ingredients

 

For the Brown Butter Donuts:

• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk but reduced-fat varieties should work fine)

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

For the Brown Butter Donuts:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Generously spray a 6 mold donut pan with non-stick spray; set aside.
• Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium-heat. Cook butter, stirring frequently, until it's turned golden brown and smells slightly nutty. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg; set aside. In a separate medium-sized bowl combine the browned butter and sugar; beat well. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the milk.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, being sure not to over mix.
• Spoon or pipe the donut batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until the doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently unmolding them and transferring them to a cooling rack.
• In the meantime, make the cinnamon sugar coating.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-heat. You can also melt it in the microwave, if desired.
• Once melted, transfer the butter into a wide, shallow bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

Assembly:

• When the donuts are cool enough to handle, dip them in the melted butter, being sure to coat both sides and the edges, then roll the donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Notes

Donuts are best eaten the day they're made.

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