Baked Pumpkin Donuts (Gluten-Free)

Name: Baked Pumpkin Donuts (Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: Non-stick cooking spray; 1/2 cup chopped raw pecans; 1 cup pure pumpkin ((pumpkin purée, not pie filling)); 1/2 cup unsweetened nut milk; 1/4 cup cashew or almond butter (room temperature); 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1 large egg (room temperature); 1 1/4 cup gluten-free oat flour; 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 3 tablespoons dairy-free dark chocolate chips; 1/2 tablespoon virgin (cold-pressed coconut oil)

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2026 by Leanne Combden

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Baked Pumpkin Donuts are a healthy treat for fall with pure pumpkin, warming spices, chopped pecans and dark chocolate. They require just 10 minutes prep time and come together in one bowl. They're also gluten-free and dairy-free and can easily be made refined sugar-free.

*This post was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated to include adjustments to the recipe, as well as new text and photos.

Up-close overhead view of baked pumpkin donuts with melted chocolate on top.

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As a kid, I loved donuts. Nothing fancy, just a plain old-fashioned donut with chocolate glaze. Our local grocery store sold them from their bakery and supplied our elementary school with donuts every Tuesday for "donut day". We would place our orders with the teacher in the morning (one hand for one donut and two hands for two) and donuts would magically appear at recess time.

Unfortunately, as an adult, donuts don't magically appear. But they can come together pretty quickly if you're making these baked pumpkin donuts.

Other baked donuts to try

Overhead view of chopped pecans arranged in the cavities of a donut pan.

Ingredients

Raw pecans
Pure pumpkin
Unsweetened nut milk
Natural nut butter
Maple syrup
Egg
Gluten-free oat flour
Pumpkin spice
Cinnamon
Baking soda and salt
Dairy-free dark chocolate
Coconut oil

Collage of images demonstrating how the batter for the pumpkin donuts is mixed together.

How to make healthy baked pumpkin donuts

Start by pre-heating the oven to 350F and greasing a 12-cavity mini donut pan. I usually just use a non-stick cooking spray. Divide the chopped pecans into the bottom of each donut cavity. Once the donuts are baked and flipped out of the pan, the pecans will be baked into the tops.
In a large bowl, whisk together your pumpkin, milk, nut butter, maple syrup and egg. Then add your dry ingredients and whisk until combined. You may need to sift your oat flour if it's lumpy.
Divide the batter into each cavity of the donut pan. They should be filled to the top. I like to spoon in the batter and spread it around carefully so it doesn't disturb the pecans too much. If you find it easier, you can add the batter to a piping bag and pipe the batter into the donut cavities. (Personally, I find this messier, but I'm always a bit awkward at piping).
Bake for 15-17 minutes, then let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. For the final touch, melt some dark chocolate and drizzle it on top of the donuts.

Two images - one of the batter in the donut pan and the other of the baked donuts in the pan.

Tips and substitutions

To keep the donuts gluten-free, make sure your oat flour and spices are certified gluten-free.
If you can't find oat flour, you can make your own by adding rolled oats to your blender or food processor, and pulsing until they're a fine texture.
This recipe uses pure pumpkin (also called pumpkin purée) not pumpkin pie filling, which is seasoned with spices and normally sweetened. Pumpkin pie filling will not work in this recipe.
I like to use cashew butter in these donuts, but you can also use almond butter or peanut butter. Whichever you choose, make sure it's natural (just nuts with no added ingredients) and bring it to near room temperature so it whisks into the other wet ingredients easily.
These donuts are made in a mini donut pan. You can use a full size donut pan and get six large donuts but you will need to bake the donuts for a few minutes longer.
These donuts are not overly sweet, so I enjoy them with the chocolate drizzle, but if you want to go completely refined sugar-free, these donuts are great without the chocolate.
If you prefer your donuts on the sweeter side, try using sweetened or chocolate nut milk in the batter as a substitute for the unsweetened nut milk.

Make them protein donuts

Each mini donut has about 4 grams of protein already. If you'd like to increase this and make them a little bit more filling, you can replace two tablespoons of the oat flour with two tablespoons of protein powder. I use a plant-based vanilla protein powder that is dairy-free and gluten-free.

Recipes to use up leftover pumpkin purée

Overhead view of baked pumpkin donuts arranged on parchment paper with melted chocolate drizzled over them.

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