Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Donuts (Easy Baked Donuts!)

Satisfy your donut cravings with this simple Cinnamon Sugar Donut recipe! Learn how easy it is to make homemade baked donuts, the different ways you can adapt this recipe to make it your own, and how to store donuts. You’ll love this healthier donuts recipe! This recipe for cinnamon donuts yields 6, but is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd.

Written by former contributor Erin of Texanerin Baking. This recipe and post has been edited for clarity and to include additional information.

Making this Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe

I love all kinds of doughnuts, with the fried yeasted type being my favorite.

The problem with making homemade fried doughnuts, at least when you don’t live with several people, is that you’re left with at least a dozen not very fresh doughnuts the next day. And that’s where baked doughnuts come in.

Most recipes for baked doughnuts, including this one, yield 6, which is just the right amount for two or three people. If you have kids, double the recipe and you’ll be set.

What I Love About these Delicious Donuts

I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much from these doughnuts. I often make cake doughnuts and although I enjoy them, the texture seems to be a little off most of the time. However, these doughnuts have a wonderfully tender crumb and are nice and light, which isn’t something I’ve experienced with most baked doughnut recipes.

If you’ve made baked doughnuts before, you know that texture usually changes on the second day. That isn’t a problem with this simple recipe as they’re almost as good and fresh on the second day as they are on the first.

Healthier Whole Wheat Baked Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar

Doughnuts, whether fried or baked, aren’t exactly healthy, but whole wheat flour adds a little nutritional value to this recipe. But don’t worry, the whole wheat flour doesn’t compromise the taste at all, as the cinnamon covers up any traces that these have been made in a healthier way.

Tools Needed to Make these Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts

This whole wheat donut recipe uses a few specialty tools to prepare. Here are the kitchen tools that I recommend having on hand before preparing this recipe:

• Large Bowl – a large mixing bowl is best to combine the dry ingredients.
• Medium Bowl – you’ll combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl before adding them to the bowl with the flour mixture.
• Wire Whisk – to mix the wet ingredients.
• Wooden Spoon – to combine the wet and dry ingredients together.
• Silicone Spatula – to scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix the donut dough.
• Large Piping Bag – the easiest way to fill the donut pan is to add the donut batter to a disposable piping bag and pipe it in. A large ziplock bag will also work.
• Donut Pan – you’ll want a donut pan to bake these whole wheat donuts with cinnamon sugar.
• Cooling Rack – wire rack works well for cooling the baked donuts.
• Silicone Pastry Brush – to brush the tops of the whole wheat baked donuts with melted butter before adding the cinnamon sugar.
• Small Bowl – to combine the cinnamon sugar mixture; a wide shallow bowl works well for dipping the donuts.

Can I Make this Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe without a Donut Pan?

If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you can use a regular sized muffin pan to make muffins that taste like donuts. For baked donut holes, use a mini muffin tin. Mini donuts are great for bite sized treats!

You’ll need to keep an eye on the bake time as that will vary based on the size. Bake until golden brown and done when a toothpick is inserted into the center.

Ingredients in this Recipe for Homemade Donuts

This whole wheat baked donut recipe has super simple ingredients ingredients in it. Here’s what you’ll need, though if you’re a regular baker you probably have almost everything on hand already!

Dry Ingredients

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• All-Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Nutmeg
• Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients

• Egg
• Greek Yogurt
• Milk
• Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
• Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• Ground Cinnamon
• Granulated Sugar
• Melted Butter

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make these cakey donuts, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

What is a Good Substitute for Greek Yogurt in this Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe

If you don’t have any Greek Yogurt on hand, you can substitute full fat sour cream in place of the Greek Yogurt in this cinnamon sugar donut recipe. Sour cream donuts are tasty!

Can I Make this Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe without Whole Wheat Flour?

Yes. Feel free to use all-purpose flour in place of the whole wheat flour in this recipe for baked donuts.

How to Make this Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe

Instead of a yeast donut recipe, this is a baked donut recipe. The donuts come together very quickly. There’s no dough rise time, no kneading, and no frying. In the morning, almost instant gratification is a huge plus, especially if you’re in a rush to get out the door!

First, combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until well sifted. Then, combine the wet ingredients in another mixing bowl. After that, stir the two mixtures together until combined.

Transfer the mixture to a donut pan and bake. Then, dip baked donuts into the melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture.

The above is simply a quick summary of this cinnamon sugar doughnuts recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

How to Adapt this Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donut Recipe

These baked donuts are highly adaptable and there are tons of ways you can make this recipe your own. If you’re not a fan of cinnamon sugar, skip the cinnamon and try a different version. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Add citrus zest to the batter – lemon, orange, or lime would all taste great. I recommend eliminating the cinnamon if preparing this way. Dust with powdered sugar, dip in melted butter and lemon sugar, or dip in a glaze, such as this lemon glaze.

Use pumpkin spice seasoning – swap the cinnamon for pumpkin spice seasoning for a pumpkin spice baked donut. You could also try swapping the Greek yogurt out and using pumpkin puree instead.

Add berries – fresh or dried berries would work well added to the batter. For fresh berries, make sure you cut strawberries into smaller pieces, like the size of a blueberry. Dust with powdered sugar after baking or dip in melted butter and then granulated sugar.

Use applesauce – substitute apple sauce for the Greek Yogurt use apple pie spice instead of cinnamon.

What is the Best Way to Store these Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

If you plan to eat the leftover donuts within a day or two, they’re best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Make sure to cool them completely first. Otherwise condensation will develop in the container and will cause them to be mushy.

If stacking multiple donuts in a container, place a sheet of paper towel or parchment paper in between each layer.

Can You Freeze this Recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Yes! You can definitely freeze these baked donuts. Let them cool completely. Then, transfer them to a baking sheet and freeze. After frozen, place in an airtight ziploc bag. The steps are similar to my method for How to Freeze Muffins.

Try this Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donut Recipe!

Next time you’re looking for a healthier recipe for donuts, give these Cinnamon Sugar Donuts a try!

Did you think they were super easy to make? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this great recipe.

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