Eggless Baked Apple Cider Donuts

There is something special about the smell of warm spices and apple cider baking in the oven. It instantly makes the whole house feel cozy.

Today I want to share my recipe for eggless baked apple cider donuts. They are soft, cakey, and coated in sweet cinnamon sugar.

A lot of traditional donut recipes rely on eggs for moisture and structure. This version is completely egg free, which makes it perfect if you have an egg allergy or simply choose not to eat eggs.

The secret to getting a strong apple taste is simmering real apple cider on the stove until it concentrates. That little step makes a huge difference in the final flavor.

Since these are baked instead of fried, they are also much easier to make at home without any messy oil.

Why You’ll Love It

Concentrated Apple Flavor – Boiling down the cider packs real, vibrant orchard taste right into the dough without thinning it out.

Incredible Soft Texture – Buttermilk and applesauce keep every bite tender and moist without needing any eggs at all.

No Frying Required – You get all the classic bakery style flavor simply by baking them in the oven.

Sweet Cinnamon Coating – A buttery dip followed by cinnamon sugar creates that familiar, irresistible crunch on the outside.

Ingredient List

For the Donuts

• 1 1/2 cups Apple Cider
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter, Melted
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Coating

• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, Melted
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Directions

Step 1

Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

This concentrated cider is the secret to deep, true apple flavor in every bite.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 6-cavity donut pans well.

Step 3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar and melted butter. Add the reduced cider, buttermilk, applesauce and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Step 5

Add the dry ingredients and fold until just combined into a thick batter. Spoon it into a large zip-top bag, snip off one corner and pipe the batter into the donut cavities, filling each about 2/3 full.

Step 6

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Cool them in the pans for 5 minutes, then gently turn them out onto a wire rack.

Step 7

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush each warm donut all over with the melted butter, then toss it in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated.

Tips

Measure the Reduced Apple Cider

When you simmer the apple cider down, I recommend pouring it into a heat-safe measuring cup to make sure it actually reduced to half a cup. If you have too much liquid left, the batter will be too thin and the donuts will turn out gummy.

If you accidentally boil it down too much, just add a splash of fresh cider or water until it reaches the half-cup line.

Also, make sure you use cloudy, unfiltered apple cider from the produce section rather than clear apple juice. You’ll get the best results and a much deeper autumn flavor this way.

Use Room Temperature Buttermilk

I’ve found that cold buttermilk will cause your melted butter to harden into tiny lumps as soon as you whisk them together. This keeps the fat from mixing evenly into the batter, which can make your donuts bake up with a heavy texture.

Take your buttermilk and applesauce out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start baking so everything blends smoothly.

You also want to make sure your reduced apple cider and melted butter have cooled down a bit before mixing so they are lukewarm, not hot.

Fold the Batter Gently

Because this is an eggless recipe, the applesauce and buttermilk do all the work to keep the crumb soft and tender. If you stir the flour in too much, you will develop gluten and end up with tough, rubbery donuts.

Switch from a whisk to a silicone spatula as soon as you add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.

Gently fold the mixture just until the dry streaks of flour disappear, then stop right away. A few small lumps in the batter are completely fine and will smooth out while baking.

Try These Next

• Eggless Apple Cinnamon Cake
• Eggless Boston Cream Donuts
• Eggless Glazed Apple Fritters
• Eggless Glazed Chocolate Donuts
• Eggless Pumpkin Muffins

Questions You Might Have

Can I skip reducing the apple cider to save time?

Skipping this step will leave your donuts with a very weak apple flavor and too much liquid in the batter.

Simmering the cider boils off the excess water, concentrating the sweet apple flavor so it shines through every bite.