Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Cider Donuts are filled with flavors of Fall! Filled with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg loaded with chunks of apples and topped with an apple cider glaze.
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There is nothing better than fresh, warm apple cider donuts! Crunchy on the outside, cakey and tender on the inside. So GOOD and perfect for breakfast or dessert! Making homemade donuts is not hard just a little time-consuming. Trust me these apple cider donuts are the real deal and about to be your latest food addiction! If you prefer baked donuts try my Baked Glazed Donuts or Air Fryer Donuts.
Why this recipe works
These warm donuts taste like they are straight out of a bakery. Boiling the apple cider down until it becomes a syrup-like texture gives these donuts an intense apple cider flavor combined with sweet diced apples.
Ingredients needed
Notes
- Apple cider: Use real apple cider located in the refrigerator section of your grocery store.
- Flour: All purpose flour.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg
- Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Sugars: Both brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Buttermilk: Creates a tender donut, you can make your own buttermilk but add 2 teaspoons white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Apples: I prefer to use a sweeter apple for these apple cider doughnuts like Fuji or Gala.
How to Make These Apple Cider Donuts
- Step 1: In a small saucepan add the apple cider and simmer until reduced, let cool.
- Step 2: In a medium bowl sift together the dry ingredients.
- Step 3: In a large bowl add the butter and sugars and mix using an electric mixer until combined.
- Step 4: Add in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and cider and mix.
- Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the wet and mix.
- Step 6: Fold in the diced apples.
- Step 7: Place half of the batter onto a well-floured surface, add more flour on top of the sticky dough and gently roll around until it becomes less sticky.
- Step 8: Roll the dough out using a rolling pin.
- Step 9: Using a doughnut cutter cut the donuts out.
- Step 10: Place the donuts on a baking sheet until.
- Step 11: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and add a few donuts into the hot oil to fry until golden brown.
- Step 12: Flip and fry the other side.
- Step 13: Place the fried donuts on a cooling rack to drain.
- Step 14: In a small bowl add the powdered sugar and remaining reduced apple cider and mix.
- Step 15: Dip each donut into the glaze.
- Step 16: Place the donuts back on the cooling rack to dry.
Recipe Tips
- Using a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil is important. You can use a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer.
- If they start to get brown quickly check the temperature and turn down the heat a bit.
- Dont overcrowd the pot, 3-4 donuts at a time.
- I highly recommend a donut cutter, but you can use two separate circle cookie cutters or a glass and then you'll have to cut out the center circle.
- If you don't have a Dutch oven use a large pot.
- If you have a bit of leftover donut dough just make some balls out of it for extra doughnut holes.
Recipe Faq's
Vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil all have high smoke points and are food for deep frying.
Yes once cooled wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Apple cider is fresh and the real deal, it's the unfiltered juice of the apple. Apple juice is filtered and lasts longer and usually contains sugar.
Fresh apple cider doughnut is at their best right after frying, and glazed and served warm. But they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
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Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups apple cider (divided) see notes
- 5 cups all purpose flour plus more for rolling out
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large apples peeled cored and chopped (Gala or Fuji)
Apple Cider Glaze
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup reserved apple cider
Instructions
- Add apple cider to a medium, saucepan over low heat. Let apple cider simmer for about 20-25 minutes until reduced, (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Remove from heat to let cool.
- In a medium bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add in 1 cup reduced apple cider, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix.
- Add the flour mixture a mix until combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped apples with a spatula just until combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Turn half the dough out onto a well-floured surface, this dough is sticky. Gently roll the dough around until it becomes less sticky.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a lightly floured donut cutter, cut out the donuts and place them on the baking sheet. Scoop up the dough scraps and repeat. Then repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet or over some paper towels.
- Add about 3 inches of oil into a heavy bottom pot.
- Check your oil with a thermometor that it has reached 325 degrees.
- Drop 3-4 donuts in the pot at a time (you don't want to crowd them) Cook for 1-2 minutes then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove the donuts and place them on the wire rack to cool.
- Mix powdered sugar and remaining apple cider in a small bowl until combined. Dip the donuts in glaze and place them back on the cooling rack.
Since many of us want to know whether this recipe can be used to make baked donuts, please try it and let us know how it worked for you. My guess is, giving the batter a bit more of the liquid so that it's a thick batter and not a sticky one, it may work well, The ingredients are certainly high quality.