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Apple Cider Donuts: The Cozy Fall Treat You’ll Want All Year

: A close-up of cinnamon sugar-coated apple cider donuts with one donut cut in half, revealing its soft, spongy interior.
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Apple cider donuts are a cake-style donut infused with real apple cider, warm spices, and a cozy, slightly tangy sweetness. Unlike yeast donuts, they have a denser, softer texture—think somewhere between a classic cake donut and a muffin top

Ingredients

Scale

For the Donuts:

  • 1 ½ cups apple cider (reduced to ½ cup)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp butter, melted (for brushing)

Instructions

1. Reduce the Apple Cider

Simmer one and a half cups of apple cider in a medium saucepan for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it reduces to half a cup, stirring occasionally. This is going to strengthen the flavor of apple, so please do not discard it! Allow it to cool down a bit first prior to using it.

2. Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together:

  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg

Set it aside.

3. Mix the Wet Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk together:

  • Brown sugar & granulated sugar
  • Melted butter
  • Eggs
  • Reduced apple cider
  • Buttermilk
  • Vanilla extract

4. Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients

Gently add the dry ingredients into the mixture until just combined. The batter will be thicker than pancake batter but not as dense as cookie dough.

5. Fill the Donut Pan

Spoon or pipe the batter some way or the other into a greased donut pan. Fill each mold up to ¾ full.

6. Bake at 350°F

Pop them into your preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 10 to 12 minutes.

7. Coat in Cinnamon Sugar

While the donuts are still warm:

  • Brush each donut with melted butter
  • Toss in cinnamon sugar until fully coated

Boom. Your kitchen now smells like a fall festival.

Notes

Use fresh apple cider. Skip the apple juice—it’s not the same. Look for unfiltered cider for the best flavor.

Don’t overmix the batter. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing = tough donuts.

Reduce the cider properly. If you don’t let it reduce, your donuts will lack that deep apple flavor.

Bake, don’t fry. Traditional cider donuts are deep-fried, but baking keeps them lighter and easier to make at home.

Nutrition

Keywords: apple cider donuts, homemade apple cider donuts

Find it online: https://recipesandchill.com/apple-cider-donuts-recipe/