These Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Donuts combine pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice into a delicious, crispy doughnut treat!
When it’s time for everything Pumpkin Spice, you just can’t get much better than these Pumpkin Spice Donuts made with buttermilk! They’re flavorful, crispy on the outside and extra delicious!
I’ll be honest and say up front that I am NOT a Pumpkin Spice Latte kind of gal. BUT, that has everything to do with not liking coffee and nothing to do with pumpkin spice. I looooove pumpkin spice. I’ll eat Pumpkin Butterscotch Pancakes, Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream or Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars any day!
Along with that pumpkin spice love is a big love of donuts, so combining the two is perfect for the fall season – – or actually ANY time of year!
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❍ Before You Begin:
Not only do these donuts have pumpkin spice in them, they have actual PUMPKIN too. You can simply use canned pumpkin puree, or if you want to make these even more homemade, you can use this easy recipe to make your own pumpkin puree in the Instant Pot.
The reason these pumpkin donuts are easier than some raised donuts is because they don’t use yeast and you don’t have to wait to let them rise.
You just make the dough, cut out the donuts and cook. It’s nice to not have to wait around for that rising step!
Instead of yeast, they use baking soda and baking powder. This combined with that heavy pumpkin in the dough means that these pumpkin spice donuts aren’t super tall or fluffy donuts, but they are super delicious.
Another of the ingredients in the doughnuts is buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk available or you don’t feel like heading to the store to buy it, it’s easy to make your own buttermilk. All you need is regular milk and either lemon juice or vinegar.
For these donuts to live up to their name, Pumpkin Pie Spice is a must! You can either buy it from your supermarket or choose to use our pumpkin pie spice recipe, which is super easy. It only needs four ingredients!
To top off your finished pumpkin donuts, we have a yummy icing or glaze. While you can serve your donuts without it, we love the sweet touch and the pretty finish it offers.
🔪 Equipment Needed
The only tools you really need to make your donuts are a donut cutter, rolling pin, and pastry mat or cutting board for rolling out the donuts.
I think the nonstick silicone rolling pin looks super helpful and I’m adding it to my cart now!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
I’ve made notes below on some of the ingredients needed. Look them over as I offer substitutions where possible.
- Flour – Opt for all-purpose aka regular flour.
- Granulated Sugar – We use white granulated sugar (You can opt for light brown sugar if you like.)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – You can buy this right at the supermarket or mix up your own cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice in our pumpkin pie spice mix recipe.
- Buttermilk – Buy this in the dairy section of your supermarket or make your own buttermilk using regular milk plus vinegar or lemon juice.
- Pumpkin Puree – Be sure to use 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. You can also use our homemade pumpkin puree recipe.
- Melted Butter – We use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, reduce the amount of salt by 1/8 teaspoon. if you need a non-dairy option, melted plant-based butter or melted coconut oil will work.
📌 Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with quantities and step-by-step instructions!
🔁 Variations
If you prefer not to make a glaze for your fried donuts there are a few other options. You can leave them plain. You can toss them in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon or you can dust them with powdered sugar.
🥣 How to Make
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin, white sugar, and eggs.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together in another large bowl.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, and stir or knead with your hands until combined.
5. Add melted butter and knead until the dough is soft.
6. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface, to 1/4-inch thick.
7. Use a donut cutter to cut the donuts.
8. Carefully add donuts to the pan of oil, using a slotted metal spoon. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute, then carefully flip over, and cook for an additional minute on the other side. Transfer to a cooling rack with a baking pan underneath.
9. Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk in a bowl until smooth.
10. Dip the donuts one by one into the glaze, then set back on the cooling rack.
📝 Recipe FAQs
These donuts are best eaten right away, but you can store them tightly covered in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
🧡 More Pumpkin Spice Recipes to Try
If you tried this Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Donut Recipe or any other recipe on my site, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing your about your results and thoughts!
📖 Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
For Donuts
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- Canola Oil for frying donuts
For Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin, white sugar, and eggs.
- Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together in another large bowl.
- Add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, and stir or knead with your hands until combined.
- Add melted butter and knead until the dough is soft.
- Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface, to 1/4-inch thick.
- Use a donut cutter to cut the donuts.
- Carefully add donuts to the pan of oil, using a slotted metal spoon.
- Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute, then carefully flip over, and cook for an additional minute on the other side.
- Transfer to a cooling rack with a baking pan underneath.
- Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk in a bowl until smooth.
- Dip the donuts one by one into the glaze, then set back on the cooling rack.
Nutrition
Cynthia Brooks says
I have a donut pan for the oven. Can these be baked instead of fried ?
Chrysa says
I would think baking them would work, but I haven’t tried to make them as baked donuts so unsure of the temperature or baking time.