Pumpkin Yeast Donuts with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze

Homemade fried pumpkin spiced yeast donuts with a sweet brown sugar maple glaze. A fun addition any Fall brunch or gathering.

Homemade fried pumpkin yeast donuts with a sweet brown sugar maple glaze recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Years ago I used to love watching the cooking and food competition shows. At some point I stopped watching them, probably in part to how awful some of them can be. But this weekend we caught one of the Halloween challenges. In the past I loved watching the carving competitions, this one was along the lines of Cupcake Wars but giant Halloween displays. The contestants were tasked with creating spooky Halloween scenes using pumpkins and other gords, as well as cake and other edibles. Seriously impressive to be able to imagine and execute these huge scenes out of food. I like playing with food and creating fun things, but that’s a whole other level right there. I can’t even begin to imagine putting something like that together myself.

In other news… more rain! We’ve been unlucky for the last 5 years or so with wet Falls. One of the classic Fall things to do is leaf pile jumping and yet we’ve had constantly flip flopping weather between wet and dry. Such a bummer. But I’d rather have a wet Fall than a wet Summer. So I guess it’s a acceptable tradeoff.

Homemade fried pumpkin yeast donuts with a sweet brown sugar maple glaze recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Love donuts. Who doesn’t? I firmly believe they should always be fried. Real donuts are fried, not baked. No cake-y donuts for me thanks.

I do limit my donut frying to a few times a year at most because they’re so hard to resist. I definitely don’t need a ton of donuts lying around taunting me regularly. And since it had been quite a while since my last batch, I knew a seasonal batch of donuts was a must!

Fluffy homemade fried pumpkin yeast donuts with a sweet brown sugar maple glaze. A fun treat to share with friends and family!

Add these must make homemade pumpkin donuts to your Fall breakfast and brunch plans!

Homemade fried pumpkin yeast donuts with a sweet brown sugar maple glaze recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Pumpkin Yeast Donuts with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze

Homemade fried pumpkin spiced yeast donuts with a sweet brown sugar maple glaze. A fun addition any Fall brunch or gathering.
Prep Time1 hour 25 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Donut, Pumpin
Servings: 14 donuts

Ingredients

Donuts:

  • 3/4 C milk
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp and 2Tb granulated sugar divided
  • 2 1/2 C all purpose flour
  • 2 Tb maple syupr
  • 1/2 C pumpkin puree
  • 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Glaze:

  • 1/2 C light brown sugar
  • 3 Tb unsalted buter
  • 3 Tb milk
  • 2 Tb maple syrup
  • 1 C powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Heat milk to 115°F. Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm milk. Allow to proof for 5-10 minutes. 
  • Add remaining dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. With mixer running on low, pour in yeast mixture. Increase speed and mix until dough comes together and forms a ball. 
  • Transfer dough to a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, roughly 1 hour. 
  • Preheat vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep fryer or large stockpot. 
  • Prepare a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper, sprinkle well with flour.
  • Flour a silicone counter mat or work station well with flour. Sprinkle top of dough with flour. Roll out to 1/4 and 1/2-inc thickness. Use a 3-4-inch donut cutter. A biscuit or cookie cutter may be used in place of a donut cutter. Transfer cut donuts to prepared baking sheet. 
  • Fry donuts in batches until golden brown. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Drain and cool on paper towels. 
  • Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir well to combine. Add in maple syrup and milk. Whisk well to combine. Bring to a low boil. Whisk in powdered sugar, cooking until fully combined and thickened. Carefully tops of donuts in warm sauce. Transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining donuts, whisking sauce as needed between donuts. 
  • Allow glaze to cool and harden before serving. 

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

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41 Responses to “Pumpkin Yeast Donuts with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze”

  1. #
    1
    Sophie Loves Food — October 26, 2015 at 6:13 am

    Oh wow, these sound perfect!

    • #
      1.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:17 am

      Thanks Sophie!

  2. #
    2
    Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor — October 26, 2015 at 7:23 am

    I can never turn down a donut, especially with that maple glaze! These would definitely make my Monday morning much better.

    • #
      2.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:17 am

      Thanks Ashley! :)

  3. #
    3
    Amy Stafford — October 26, 2015 at 8:02 am

    Oh lordy, that glaze topping is calling my name!

    • #
      3.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:17 am

      Thanks Amy!

  4. #
    4
    allie @ Through Her Looking Glass — October 26, 2015 at 9:10 am

    Anything with maple, Rachel! Love these donuts!!! These are at the top of my “wanna make this fall” list!

    • #
      4.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:17 am

      Thanks so much, Allie!

  5. #
    5
    Ambar — October 26, 2015 at 10:18 am

    its a sweet fun treat indeed! I am in Miami so only imagine how flip floppy the weather is over here! You don’t even know how to dress in the morning because you never know what to except!

    • #
      5.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:18 am

      Send me some of your warm weather!! Surely you have plenty to spare ;) And thank you Ambar!

  6. #
    6
    Catherine — October 26, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    Dear Rachel, your donuts look PERFECT! I would love one with my coffee…such a treat! xo, Catherine

    • #
      6.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:18 am

      Thanks Catherine!

  7. #
    7
    Shashi at RunninSrilankan — October 26, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    I agree, a wet fall is way better than a dry one and rainy weather is perfect for binge watching ALL the food shows and eating donuts as tastebud-tantalizing as these are!

    • #
      7.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:18 am

      I agree… rainy weather is perfect for comfort food and binge watching for sure!

  8. #
    8
    Des @ Life's Ambrosia — October 26, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    I don’t think it gets much better than this. These look perfect!

    • #
      8.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:19 am

      Thanks so much!

  9. #
    9
    Leslie @ flora foodie — October 26, 2015 at 5:06 pm

    Oh goodness, these look incredible. Plus that brown sugar/powdered sugar glaze is just GENIUS. Nom.

    • #
      9.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:19 am

      Thanks Leslie!

  10. #
    10
    Laurie — October 26, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    I love your baking sheet. Where did you get them?

    • #
      10.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:20 am

      It’s vintage actually so you’d have to do some antique shopping to find them.

  11. #
    11
    Mary @chattavore — October 26, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous! Please box these up and send them to me. Thanks. :)

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:20 am

      Wish I could! Thanks Mary :)

  12. #
    12
    Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven — October 27, 2015 at 8:34 am

    That maple glaze totally takes these pumpkin beauties over the top in the temptation department! I have no doubt that would eat them all. ;)

    • #
      12.1
      Rachel — October 28, 2015 at 7:38 am

      Thanks Sarah!

  13. #
    13
    Malinda @ Countryside Cravings — October 27, 2015 at 11:40 am

    These look and sound amazing!! And I would gladly take the rain off of your hands for a few days!! We are sooo dry. Plus I would have a rainy day excuse to make a batch of these!

    • #
      13.1
      Rachel — October 28, 2015 at 7:38 am

      Yes! Rain is always a good excuse for donuts ;)

  14. #
    14
    Jessica @ Sweetest Menu — October 27, 2015 at 6:11 pm

    These donuts are just beautiful! Pinned!

    • #
      14.1
      Rachel — October 28, 2015 at 7:35 am

      Thanks Jessica!

  15. #
    15
    Nicole — December 20, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    I’m a bit late to this party but wanted to let you know that I think I’m going to attempt making this on Christmas morning for our family, they look delicious and I’m always on the hunt for a good donut recipes (not that I need it!) Thanks for sharing :)

    • #
      15.1
      Rachel — December 21, 2015 at 7:20 am

      I hope you enjoy them! :)

  16. #
    16
    Sarah — September 18, 2016 at 10:03 pm

    AMAZING! Made 2 batches tonight for some friends tonight and everyone loved them. Here in FL, it’s hard to get into the fall spirit with temperatures still in the 90’s, but man, the spicy, sweet aroma and taste of these donuts really set the tone. Thanks for the recipe!

    • #
      16.1
      Rachel — September 19, 2016 at 7:20 am

      So glad to hear you enjoyed them, Sarah! Thanks for sharing :)

  17. #
    17
    Patty Stone — May 19, 2017 at 1:26 am

    Has anyone made the glaze using browned butter?

  18. #
    18
    Linda Jennings — September 30, 2017 at 12:13 pm

    I have been searching for a raised pumpkin donut recipe! Guess my problem was the wrong terminology…..doesn’t the term “raised donut” exist in culinary language? My sister searched for yeast pumpkin donuts and found many recipes. I think I will try yours, but leave off the maple glaze and use just plain ol’ glaze. That’s how they were prepared at a now defunct small town bakery back in the 1970’s when I fell in love with Raised Pumpkin Donuts! Have a nice day.

    • #
      18.1
      Rachel — October 2, 2017 at 11:44 am

      I hope you enjoy them! :)

  19. #
    19
    angela mcneal — November 23, 2018 at 8:38 am

    hi! we made these for thanksgiving morning and loved them!!! mine didnt end up big like yours, so i was looking at other recipes and it said to let them rise for 30 min before frying. will try that next time-thanks for the recipe!!

    • #
      19.1
      Rachel — November 24, 2018 at 7:49 am

      Whether or not you need to allow for extra rising time may depend on your yeast (how fresh it is) and how drafty your room is at the time. It certainly never hurts to allow for a little more rising time. I’m glad you enjoyed them! :)

  20. #
    20
    Cynthia Toledo — November 20, 2019 at 3:02 pm

    Hello! I made these donuts tocar and they were delicious. I was wondering though, did you notice a texture difference between these and regular yeast donuts? Is this because of the pumpkin?

    • #
      20.1
      Rachel — November 22, 2019 at 7:15 am

      So glad you enjoyed them! Pumpkin will almost always change the texture of whatever it’s been added to. It’s a more cake like consistency usually.

  21. #
    21
    Jeanette — October 17, 2021 at 11:36 am

    So im about to make my pumpkin pancakes with homemade cinnamon syrup (milk based syrup because water based syrup just lacks flavor) and decided I needed to do something else with the remaining pumpkin. I am so glad to have found this recipe. I can’t promise to make it exactly as written, but I am definitely using it to get going. Thank you so much for sharing it.

    • #
      21.1
      Rachel — October 18, 2021 at 9:22 am

      Enjoy!

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