Baked apple cider donuts are a delicious treat that are perfect for the fall season. These donuts are made with fresh apple cider, which gives them a sweet and tangy flavor that is sure to satisfy your taste buds.
Since my baked pumpkin donuts are really popular on this site, I’ve had a few requests to make baked apple cider donuts. Been putting it off for a few years and now here you go. You’re welcome. In case you love apple recipes I have a few planned out for this month that look really good. Apple season is the best!
Air Fryer Donuts
I really wanted to bake these in my air fryer oven but my donut pan was too large to fit inside my Ninja Foodie Air Fryer. If you own an air fryer oven like the Kitchenaid KCO124BM Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry, Black Matte you can definitely cook them in there using a donut pan.
What Ingredients do I need?
- Flour – is a type of wheat flour that is commonly used in cooking and baking. It is versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes, including bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries.
- Sugar – Or regular granulated sugar, I do not use sugar substitutes in any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so
- Cinnamon is a spice that comes from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – I use this in place of oil to help lower the calories and fat. Use my recipe for Slow Cooker Homemade Applesauce No Sugar.
- Apple Cider – When I entered the apple cider in the WW app it came up as 4 points for 1 cup. I’m assuming it’s the 100% freshly pressed apple cider that has been pasteurized. You can also use organic 100% apple juice. Got mine at Aldi.
- Vanilla – It is made by macerating and soaking vanilla beans in a mixture of water and Vodka. Use a good pure vanilla instead of the imitation vanilla extract.
- Egg – The best type of eggs you can buy at the store are organic or free-range eggs, while others may prefer eggs from specific breeds of chickens
- Butter Spray – instead of using regular butter I used cooking spray to make the sugar stick. Take the donuts right out of the pan when they are warm with a fork. Then spritz each side of the donut before dipping it in sugar.
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 2 (6-slot) silicone doughnut pans (¼-cup capacity each) with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, cider, vanilla, and egg. Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture; stir until well combined. Scrape batter into a large zip-top plastic bag. Snip a hole in 1 bottom corner of bag; pipe batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake at 350°F until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in pans 2 minutes; remove donuts from pans.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoon sugar and the remaining ¾ teaspoon cinnamon. Lightly brush tops of doughnuts with butter; dip each doughnut, butter side down, into bowl of cinnamon sugar to coat.
Serving size: 1 doughnut
Recipe FAQS
Yes, you can use apple juice instead of apple cider in most recipes as they are very similar in flavor and texture. However, you may need to adjust the amount of sugar or spices used in the recipe as apple juice is usually sweeter than apple cider.
Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The type of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic, whatever! Make sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Yes, apple cider donuts can be frozen and stored for later consumption. To freeze apple cider donuts, simply place them in an airtight container or a zip-lock bag and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
Other Recipes to Try
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Prep Time: 7 min
Cook Time: 12-15min
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Total Time: 18 minute
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Yield: 12 1x
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Category: Easy
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Method: Bake
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Cuisine: Aamerican
Description
Low Calorie Baked Apple Cider Donuts with Air Fryer Instructions
Ingredients
- Cooking Spray
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup sugar, divided
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 2 (6-slot) silicone doughnut pans (¼-cup capacity each) with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, cider, vanilla, and egg. Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture; stir until well combined. Scrape batter into a large zip-top plastic bag. Snip a hole in 1 bottom corner of bag; pipe batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake at 350°F until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in pans 2 minutes; remove donuts from pans.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining ½ cup sugar and remaining ¾ teaspoon cinnamon. Spritz each side of the donut with Butter Spray when it is warm. Dip each doughnut, butter side down, into bowl of cinnamon sugar to coat.
- Serving size: 1 doughnut
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 27g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 7g