There’s nothing quite like biting into warm, freshly made apple cider doughnuts on a crisp autumn day. The combination of sweet, tangy apple cider and cozy fall spices makes for a treat that perfectly captures the essence of the season.
Easy to Make Apple Cider Doughnuts
These apple cider doughnuts are easy to make. They have a fine cake-like texture and are delicious! I didn’t expect them to be so tasty when I first made them. Maybe it is the brushed butter, the cinnamon sugar, or the fact that they are served warm.

Cider Reduction in the Doughnuts
These doughnuts are made with 1/2 cup of apple cider. To intensify the flavor, I suggest boiling 1 1/2 cups of apple cider until it reduces to 1/2 cup. Do this before you start the recipe. Let it cool before adding it to the batter at the end of the recipe. You can also reduce the cider a day before and keep it in the refrigerator. Set it out about an hour before you need it so it can come to room temperature. However, you can make this recipe without reducing the cider and still have a tasty doughnut.

Nutmeg in Apple Cider Doughnuts
This recipe calls for a pinch of nutmeg. If you love the taste of nutmeg, add 1/16 teaspoon to this recipe.

Piping Bag
Use a piping bag to fill the doughnut cavities quickly. Fill it with batter and then cut off the tip. If you do not have a piping bag, make one using a resealable plastic bag. Fill the bag with batter, sealing it as you squeeze out most of the air. Then, snip off one small corner. Squeeze batter through the cut corner to fill the doughnut cavities with batter.


Doughnut Pans
Use a silicone doughnut pan to bake these apple cider doughnuts. The baked doughnuts easily pop out of these pans, and the cleanup is easy. Pop them in the dishwasher or handwash with soapy water. They also store easier than metal pans because they can be folded to fit a small space.
Place them on a baking sheet to fill them and bake the doughnuts.

Sugar-Cinnamon Coating on Apple Cider Doughnuts
The sugar-cinnamon coating is highly recommended for these doughnuts, but you can leave it off if you want to cut back on the sugar.

Serving Warm Apple Cider Doughnuts
These doughnuts are best served warm. However, sometimes they have to cool to get them out of the pan in one piece. You can reheat a doughnut in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Other Apple Recipes You Might Enjoy
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.




Apple Cider Doughnuts
Equipment
- Doughnut pan with (12) 3-inch cavities (or two 6-cavity pans)
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided, and at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup apple cider, room temperature (See note below about cider)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray the doughnut cavities with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream 10 tablespoons of butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat until mixed well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until mixed.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the cider using a steady stream. Scape down the sides of the bowl to mix well.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan, filling the cavities about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a doughnut comes out clean. Rotate the doughnuts after half the baking time.
- Let the doughnuts cool for approximately 10 minutes, and then turn them out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
- Mix together the leftover ½ cup of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Brush melted butter on the cooled doughnuts and dredge them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.