'Tis the season for all things gingerbread including these Baked Gingerbread Donuts! These donuts are topped with a Cream Cheese Frosting and festive sprinkles that will make any holiday morning even better!
These Baked Gingerbread Donuts are the perfect holiday breakfast or a sweet treat. They are festive, easy to make, and delicious. Who could ask for more? Add some holiday-colored sprinkles and Christmas morning is done. Did I mention these are also delicious with coffee?
Ingredients For Easy Gingerbread Donuts
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- sugar
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- fresh ground nutmeg
- molasses
- vanilla extract
- sour cream
- milk
- vegetable oil
- egg
How to Make Baked Gingerbread Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350° and prepare the donut pan with non-stick spray.
- Put the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
- In another mixing bowl, add the wet ingredinets and whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan. Bake for 14 minutes and then remove to cool on a rack.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the frosting ingredients and whisk until fully combined and smooth. Decorate and enjoy!
Other Ways to Top These Donuts
If you don't want or like cream cheese frosting, here are some other ideas for finishing these Gingerbread Donuts.
- Roll each cooled donut in melted butter and then in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
- Make a simple glaze with 1 cup of confectioners powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla.
- Add Candied Ginger to the batter or on top!
Tools for Baking Donuts
It's always a good idea to have the right tools for the job. Below are a few of my favorite things when it comes to making donuts.
Donut Baking Pans
I personally have a silicone donut pan and I like it a lot. It's easy to remove baked donuts and it's easy to clean. The only downside is the silicone starts to change color over time. Another option is a non-stick metal pan. The one below is nice because it has 12 slots.
Mixing Bowls
You can never have enough mixing bowls in my opinion. Here are a few sets that make baking so much easier when you have a clean bowl ready instead of searching and cleaning the only one you have (you know who you are 😉).
Whisks
Yes, there is such thing as a bad whisk. If you have an inexpensive whisk, it will probably lose shape over time or bend while whisking (been there done that). A metal whisk is a must-have in any kitchen. I also love a silicone whisk because it scrapes the side of the bowl as it mixes.
More Fun and Easy Desserts to Try
- Easy Cake Bites
- Instant Pot Strawberry Cheesecake
- Easy Passion Fruit Bars
- Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread with Caramel Apple Glaze
- Easy Cherry Crumble Bars
Baked Gingerbread Donuts
Equipment
- 3 medium/large mixing bowls
- donut baking pan
Ingredients
Gingerbread Donuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used freshly grated or you can use pre-made)
- 3 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- ½ cup confectioners powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- festive sprinkles
Instructions
Gingerbread Donut Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the donut pan with non-stick spray.
- Add the flour, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and whisk to fully combine. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, add the molasses, vanilla, sour cream, milk, vegetable oil, and egg and whisk together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't overmix or your donuts will be dense and tough. The batter may be a little lumpy and that's ok.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan. Bake for 14 minutes and then remove to cool on a rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk and whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Spread on top of each cooled donut, add some sprinkles and enjoy!
Notes
- Baked donuts don't always end up with a traditional hole in the middle based on your pan, how the batter rises, etc. Don't worry, they still taste amazing and the only one who will really notice is you!
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you make these Baked Gingerbread Doughnuts?
If you make this recipe, don't forget to leave a comment below. You can also snap a pic and tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
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Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
I absolutely LOVE baked donuts. Your gingerbread version looks amazing!
Emily says
I love baked donuts too and these gingerbread donuts are sure to delight!
Leslie says
Definitely a recipe worth trying!
Alena says
Love these festive donuts!
Emily says
Thanks, Alena!
Rosario Arecco says
So delicious!
Kristina says
We love gingerbread and these donuts taste great, especially with my usual gingerbread latte.
Emily says
Wow, gingerbread times 2??? I like where you are going with this!!
Audrey says
I LOVE that these are baked!
Emily says
Baked donuts are THE BEST!!
Jessie says
I love baked donuts and that frosting looks amazing!
Emily says
Thank you! There are not a lot of things that are better than frosting IMO.
Sondra Barker says
The perfect holiday treat! Yum.
Tara says
Oh how fun! My kids love baked doughnuts and these are so perfect for the holidays. They sound amazing with those spices and the sprinkles on top.
Emily says
Tara, your kids will definitely love them, I finally had to tell my son "no more!"...LOL!
Shashi says
I so love baked donuts and these would have the house smelling marvelously festive! So delicious - can't wait to try these soon!
Emily says
You're right, Shashi, the house does smell good while these are baking. I hope you give them a try!
Michelle says
Does it get any more festive than this?! I will be eating these from now til Christmas
Emily says
I might do the same thing...they are so easy to make and so good!
Catherine says
Oh my goodness this looks so incredible! Can't wait to try. 🙂
Emily says
Thanks, Catherine, I hope you do!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
This is absolutely the perfect time to bake these donuts, though I wonder why I can't I eat them year around. They look so festive!
Emily says
That is a great question because they are REALLY good! LOL!
Mahy says
These gingerbread donuts made my mouth water immediately! you made this recipe so well - perfect and just in time, too! 🙂
Emily says
Thanks, Mahy!