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These baked apple cider donuts are soft, warmly spiced, and packed with real apple flavor from a reduced apple cider base. No deep frying, no fuss, just fall bakery vibes at home. We reduce fresh apple cider on the stove, mix it into a tender donut batter with warm spices, and bake instead of fry. The doughnuts come out golden brown with a buttery cinnamon sugar coating.
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I’ve been missing those warm orchard donuts lately, the cozy cinnamon sugar, that soft cake texture, and the real apple flavor you only get fresh from the farm stand. So I brought that fall feeling home, and two things make it work: use the right donut pan for those big, bakery-style rings, and reduce your apple cider properly so every bite tastes like actual apple cider, not just cinnamon. If you want the other half of that orchard experience, my easy mini apple pies are what I make right alongside these. Want something larger and more impressive? Try my apple cider donut bundt cake!
Quick Look: Baked Apple Cider Donuts (With Real Reduced Apple Cider)
- 🍩 What it is: Baked cider donuts made with cider reduced on the stove, buttered and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
- ⭐ Why it works: Reduce 1½ cups of cider down to ½ cup and cool it fully. That’s the orchard flavor.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: Real cider taste without a pot of frying oil. Nine donuts, pantry ingredients.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Treat it like muffin batter and stop mixing early. Coat while warm or the sugar slides off.
- 🍳 Pan notes: A deep-well donut pan gives the bakery rise. Shallow pans and muffin pans both work, just flatter.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Freeze uncoated up to 2 months. Thaw, warm, then butter and coat right before serving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Real reduced apple cider for deep apple flavor
- Uses both oil and melted butter for moisture and richness
- Baked donuts, not fried
- Comes together quickly with pantry staples
- Freezes well for fall make-ahead baking
- Works in muffin pans if you don’t have doughnut pans
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need (and Why)
- Reduced apple cider – Simmering store bought or homemade apple cider until it thickens is the key to flavor. This step concentrates the apple notes and keeps the donut batter from tasting flat, unlike versions that skip the reduction.
- Brown sugar + granulated sugar – Brown sugar adds moisture and warmth, while the granulated sugar keeps the crumb light.
- Melted butter + a little vegetable oil- Butter adds richness, and oil keeps the texture soft and tender even after cooling.
- Warm baking spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom create that classic cider donut flavor profile.
- Buttermilk – Acidity helps with tenderness and keeps these donuts soft instead of cakey-dry.
Full ingredient amounts in the recipe card.
Substitutions
- No buttermilk: mix whole milk with a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar
- No doughnut pans: bake in muffin pans and roll in sugar
- Want glaze instead of sugar coating: mix powdered sugar + a splash of cider for a drizzle
- Want the fried version instead: try my Krispy Kreme style apple donuts.
How to Make Apple Cider Donuts
- Whisk the egg and sugars. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and lightened.
- Add the fats. Whisk in the melted butter and vegetable oil until fully combined.
- Add the reduced apple cider. Whisk in your cooled reduced apple cider, buttermilk, and vanilla. The mixture will look dark and syrupy.
- Mix in the dry ingredients and fill the pan. Whisk the flour, leavening, salt, and spices in a separate bowl, then gently stir into the wet ingredients just until combined. Do not overmix. Transfer to a piping bag and fill each well of a greased donut pan about three quarters full. I like using my nonstick cake goop here.
- Bake, then brush with butter. Bake at 350°F for 14 to 16 minutes until golden brown and set. While still warm, brush the donuts all over with melted butter.
- Coat in cinnamon sugar. Toss the buttered donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then set on a cooling rack so the coating sets without going soggy. Serve them with a warm cup of cider, or go all out with apple cider mimosas.
Texture note: These are soft, cakey, and moist with the perfect crunch from the cinnamon sugar. They taste just like classic orchard donuts but slightly lighter since they’re baked.
About the donut pan
For that thick, bakery-style rise, a deep-well donut pan makes a big difference. Shallow pans work too, they’ll just be a little flatter. I actually used it in my viral baked pumpkin donuts and they turned out AMAZING too!
Tip: Fill each cavity about ¾ full for that perfect puff + clean donut hole. (I’ll link the pan I use in the recipe card.)
Tips for the Best Baked Cider Donuts
- Bake on a sheet pan if using silicone doughnut pans for even heatin
- Reduce apple cider fully for intense flavor (this technique is also used by King Arthur Baking as well!)
- Spray donut pan well to prevent sticking
- Use a piping bag for the cleanest, easiest way to fill pans
- Do not overmix the batter, treat it like muffin batter
- Coat while warm so the cinnamon sugar coating sticks perfectly
Baked Apple Cider Donuts FAQs
Yes. Reduced cider is what gives these donuts that strong apple flavor and authentic cider-mill taste.
Yes, the batter bakes well in muffin pans. Bake slightly longer and roll in cinnamon sugar after brushing with butter.
Yes, but warm sugar coating sticks better and gives the traditional texture most people expect in an easy baked apple cider donuts recipe. One thing I love to do is coat them in cinnamon sugar then drizzle some homemade caramel sauce on top! Total show stopper.
Yes! You can freeze them after baking, thaw, rewarm, and coat with a layer of melted butter and cinnamon sugar right before serving.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep in mind the cinnamon sugar coating softens the longer they sit, so these are best the day you make them.
Yes, and this is my favorite make-ahead move. Freeze them uncoated in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to 2 months. Thaw, warm lightly, then brush with melted butter and coat in cinnamon sugar right before serving.
Other Favorite Fall Recipes
If you tried this Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you it goes in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Apple Cider Baked Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Cider Reduction
- 1 ½ cups apple cider reduced to ½ cup
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 & 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice or apple pie spice
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup neutral oil canola, vegetable, or light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons apple butter
- ½ cup reduced apple cider from above
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Reduce the cider:
- Add 1 ½ cups apple cider to a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until it reduces to ½ cup and becomes slightly syrupy. Cool completely.1 ½ cups apple cider
Make the donuts:
- Preheat oven to 350°F . Grease a large silicone donut pan well.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1 & 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp allspice or apple pie spice, ½ tsp ground cardamom
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg and sugars until smooth.1 large egg, ½ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Add melted butter, oil, vanilla, buttermilk, and apple butter. Whisk in cooled apple cider reduction and whisk one more time to combine.¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup neutral oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoons apple butter, ½ cup reduced apple cider
- Add dry ingredients to wet and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pipe or spoon batter into the donut mold, filling each cavity ¾ full.
Bake:
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt.1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of salt
- Working one at a time, Brush the warm donuts generously with melted butter. then immediately toss each donut in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated. Repeat until you coated all of them.5 tbsp unsalted butter
- Transfer to a wire rack to set so the bottoms don’t get soggy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make these every single fall and they never disappoint! Living in Vegas means I can’t always make it down to an orchard when the craving hits, so being able to get that exact cinnamon sugar, soft cake, real apple cider flavor out of my own oven is everything. The cider reduction is the whole trick. Don’t skip it!!
could we put those cider donut in cooking oil instead of a baked oven.
I wouldn’t recommend frying this particular batter, it’s made for baking and is way too soft to hold up in hot oil. It would fall apart and turn into a greasy mess.
If you’re craving fried cider donuts, I would recommend using a specific fried apple cider donut recipe!