With a texture and flavor similar to cake donut holes, these Donut Muffins are seriously easy and so delicious. Start to finish, you can be enjoying these with the kids in under 30 minutes!
Donut Muffins
I make so many mini muffins, but when I heard about something called a “donut muffin,” I couldn’t resist. This one-bowl recipe is so darn easy to make, and the result is tender muffins that have a flavor and texture similar to cake donut holes.
We love them best with the cinnamon-sugar topping, but they are delicious without the topping, too.
The beauty of this recipe is that the batter stirs up so easily in one bowl and they work well for toddler snacks (or as an easy toddler breakfast) for days to come. We usually have them with diced fruit, but just a cup of milk or a smoothie for kids works, too!
(You may also like my Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins, Yogurt Muffins, and my Cinnamon Muffins.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this recipe so you know what to have on hand.
- Applesauce: The base of the muffin batter is applesauce, which contributes to the incredible tenderness and the subtle sweetness. (If you do not have applesauce, you can use my easy Apple Puree.)
- Milk: I cook and bake with whole-dairy milk, but you can use your preferred type here.
- Unsalted butter: Using unsalted butter allows me to control the salt in my muffin recipes. If you only have salted butter, that is fine. Just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Egg: I bake with large eggs, so that’s what I use here. (Larger or smaller eggs may impact the texture very slightly.)
- Vanilla extract: You can use pure vanilla extract or artificial extract in this recipe.
- All-purpose flour: I like to use all-purpose flour to ensure these muffins are super tender and cake-donut-like. (To make with a whole grain flour, whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour are your best options. Add 2 tablespoons milk with either of those.)
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar in this recipe because it works best with the other ingredients to make an incredibly tender crumb. (If you change the sugar to honey or maple syrup, the texture may be drier.)
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds flavor to the donut muffins.
- Baking powder and soda: A combination of these ensures the muffins bake through and rise properly. Be sure yours are fresh and active.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is an overview of how to make this Donut Muffin recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full information, including the amounts and timing.
- Stir together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine.
- Portion out into a greased mini muffin pan.
- Bake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Add optional topping if desired.
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
To make these taste most like a donut hole, I like to dip the top of each Donut Muffin into melted butter and a cinnamon-sugar mixture. It’s best to do this right before serving, or on the day you plan to serve. (It adds moisture, so if they sit for days after this step, they can get a little too moist.)
Best Mini Muffin Tin
I like to use the Wilton Mini Muffin pan with nonstick spray to ensure my muffins don’t stick to the pan. This is a better option than using paper liners, which are likely to stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use a batter similar to what you’d use to make donuts and bake it in a muffin pan. Traditional donuts are often fried in oil, but baking the batter as I do here is easy, less messy, and creates a wonderful texture.
You can bake this recipe as either mini muffins or standard size muffins. The difference is in the amount of batter in each cup and the length of time for baking. Everything else remains the same.
You can use any other fruit puree that you have on hand or prefer.
How to Store
Store cooled Donut Muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or about a week in the fridge. You can also freeze muffins for longer storage.
Best Tips for Success
- Dairy-free: Use vegetable, avocado, or coconut oil in place of the butter and nondairy milk.
- Gluten-free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg. Add 2 tablespoons additional milk. Proceed with the recipe. (The muffins may be a little more tender than with the egg.)
- Standard-size Donut Muffins: Use about ¼ cup batter in each of 12 standard-size muffin cups and bake for 14-16 minutes.
- You can lower the sugar in the muffins to ¼ cup, though I have found that the ⅓ cup listed in the recipe is my preference for both flavor and texture.
- This recipe has the best texture when made with granulated sugar, rather than maple syrup or honey.
- Try some of my other donut muffins including Baked Apple Donuts, Sweet Potato Baked Donuts, Chocolate Pumpkin Baked Donuts, and Baked Raspberry Doughnuts.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, so please comment below to share!
Favorite Donut Muffins
Ingredients
Donut Muffins
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping (optional)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. (I do not recommend using paper liners with this recipe as they are likely to stick.)
- Add the applesauce, milk, butter, egg, and vanilla to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Whisk to combine into a thick batter.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, using about 1½ tablespoons batter in each cup.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed up, golden brown, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a minute or two. Run a knife around the edges to loosen, as needed, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional: Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Dip the top of each muffin first in the melted butter, then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. This makes them taste like a cake donut hole!
Notes
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or about a week in the fridge.
- Dairy-free: Use vegetable, avocado, or coconut oil in place of the butter and nondairy milk.
- Gluten-free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg. Add 2 tablespoons additional milk. Proceed with the recipe. (The muffins may be a little more tender than with the egg.)
- Standard-size muffins: Use about ¼ cup batter in each of 12 standard-size muffin cups and bake for 14-16 minutes.
- You can lower the sugar in the muffins to ¼ cup, though I have found that the ⅓ cup listed in the recipe is my preference for both flavor and texture.
- This recipe has the best texture when made with granulated sugar, rather than maple syrup or honey.
These are yummy plain and SO good with the cinnamon sugar topping!
Just made these with King Arthur 1:1 gf flour… SOOOO GOOD. my family of 4 polished off the pan after dinner!!
So yummy! I made with all purpose GF flour – Turned out great!
So excited to take these to a play date!! If my daughter doesn’t eat them all before!
These donut muffins are so incredibly tasty and easy to make! My husband, toddlers and I ate almost the whole batch in one day!
This recipe is easy, so delicious, and uses ingredients we always have on hand! I added a little ground flax and made them with all purpose GF flour. My daughter asked for some to have chocolate chips and no cinnamon sugar on top so I split the batter–all are the yummiest!
I skipped the sugar topping for my 2 year old and he still ate the muffin in 2 seconds flat and has been requesting a second every 15 minutes since. Definitely a win!
So easy and so good! Not too sweet. Very easy to make! Highly recommended.
So easy to make with the kids and they loved them!
These are absolute perfection! My toddler and I ate a third of the batch in the first 30 minutes. They’re so soft and delicious!
These are incredible! Sweeter than other muffin recipes you have which is much appreciated. Thank you!
I made these in the morning before work and daycare dropoff. I would say that it took me longer than 20min to make, but I was wrangling a hangry 3yo and making daycare lunches.
That said- it was definitely worth it!! These were SO good!! I might even make another batch tonight, even though I just made them 2 days ago!!
also how I started my morning today–worth being a couple minutes late to Kindergarten!
Woot! And totally understandable!
These were delicious and such a huge hit for breakfast this morning!!
Tastes just like a real donut!!
Delicious! I am so excited to have such an easy cake donut type recipe that I can make with gluten free flour! I have missed donuts since being diagnosed with Celiac disease and this is such a treat! Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose GF flour worked great. The cinnamon sugar topping is the perfect extra!
I made these delicious muffins today. I used some apple cinnamon applesauce with regular applesauce. I also used about 3/4 scoop of Just Ingredients vanilla bean protein powder as part of the flour total. (It has a hint of cinnamon too.) My daughter and husband approve! Thanks for your recipes!