Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts (Printable)

Soft, fluffy baked donuts coated with fragrant cinnamon-sugar for a delicious quick treat.

# Ingredient list:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 3/4 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar)
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Coating

11 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
13 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

# Cooking steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard donut pan.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
04 - Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity about three-quarters full.
06 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed.
07 - Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
08 - Mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush each warm donut with melted butter, then dip into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat thoroughly.
09 - Serve the coated donuts warm or at room temperature.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • They're ready in under 30 minutes, which means you can have warm donuts before your coffee gets cold.
  • No messy oil splatters or complicated techniques—just straightforward mixing and baking.
  • The cinnamon-sugar coating tastes indulgent but the donuts themselves are surprisingly light and fluffy.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the most common mistake—it turns these soft donuts into dense, tough ones, so resist the urge to keep stirring once the flour disappears.
  • Coating them while they're still warm is what makes the cinnamon-sugar adhere and taste like a glaze; cold donuts won't hold the coating as well.
03 -
  • Room-temperature ingredients mix more smoothly and create a more tender final product—pull your eggs and buttermilk out of the fridge 20 minutes before you bake.
  • If your donut pan has deep wells, fill them to only three-quarters full; overfilled donuts bake unevenly and stick.
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