Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts

Name: Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 382 grams all purpose flour; 113 grams dark brown sugar ((packed)); 57 grams cane sugar; 43 grams blackstrap molasses; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoons fine sea salt; 1 large egg; 1 cup milk; ½ cup vanilla yogurt; 85 grams salted butter ((melted)); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; olive oil cooking spray; 355 grams powdered sugar ((sifted)); ¼ cup milk; India Tree Nature’s Colors White Sprinkles ((optional))

Soft and cakey gingerbread baked donuts are topped with a sweet glaze and natural white sprinkles. These Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts make the perfect holiday breakfast or even dessert treat!

If you are looking for more holiday brunch recipes, check out Frosted Gingerbread Banana Bread, Eggless Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake, or Hot Chocolate Sweet Rolls.

frosted gingerbread baked donut with a bite taken out on a white plate on a marble counter.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts
Ready In: 30 minutes
Makes: 12 donuts
Main Ingredients: butter,
Flavor Profile: warm spices, sweet glaze baked to perfection
Dietary Info: no seed oils
Difficulty: Easy!
Why You’ll Love It: like gingerbread cookies and donuts had a baby

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Glazed: Adding a glaze on top of homemade donuts just makes them complete to me. I don't think these gingerbread donuts would be complete without glaze! And just because it’s the holidays, I also add some naturally colored sprinkles too!
One Bowl: I made these baked donuts with hand mixer. If you don't have a hand mixer, you can make these gingerbread donuts with a stand mixer, or even just a bowl and a whisk. They are quick and easy to make in just one bowl.
Perfectly Spiced: I know you’ll love these Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts. They have warm notes of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves – with a dark and rich flavor thanks to the molasses and dark brown sugar.
Moist and Cakey: Their texture is soft and moist. These cake-like donuts make a special morning treat or even a delicious holiday dessert!

Jump to:

A Quick Look At The Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Baker’s Tips
How to Make Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts
Recipe FAQ’s
What to Serve with Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts
More Christmas Recipes
Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts
The Bake Shop

Ingredients

Brown Sugar: I always use Homemade Dark Brown Sugar in gingerbread for more flavor.
Molasses: Make sure to use blackstrap molasses here. You can read more about the Difference In Molasses and Blackstrap Molasses.
Spices: I use organic cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. But, you can also use Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix in place of all three spices. Just be sure to use the total amount of spices.
Baking Powder: I use baking powder, not soda. Read more about the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder and why they are not interchangeable!
Yogurt: I use organic vanilla yogurt here, but Greek or plain also works too.
Sprinkles: Because it's the holidays, I used India Tree Nature's Colors naturally colored white sprinkles!

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker's Tips

Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
You can use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or even just a bowl with a whisk or spatula. This recipe is super flexible.
I always prefer using a cooking spray for greasing donut pans as I feel they just release so much better. But, if you don't have a cooking spray, you can use some melted butter or oil, but wipe it with a paper towel.
Let the donuts cool completely before frosting, this ensure the glaze will not melt into the donuts.
Sprinkles are optional, but they make them fun!
High Altitude — Bake at 400°F for 10 to 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

How to Make Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2

To make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, dark brown sugar, cane sugar, molasses, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and sea salt and stir to combine the dry ingredients.

Add the egg, milk, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined into a thick batter. Transfer the batter to a piping bag.

Step 3

Spray the donut pans with canola oil cooking spray. Pipe the batter into the pans, or if you don’t want to pipe, you can also just spoon it into the pans too!

woman mixing glaze in a glass bowl at the kitchen counter using a hand mixer.

woman frosting gingerbread donuts at the kitchen counter wearing a holiday sweater.

Step 4

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pans. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).

Step 5

To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and milk and whisk (or use a hand mixer) until you have a smooth glaze.

Using a butter knife of spatula spread glaze on top of each donut and top with white sprinkles.

frosted gingerbread baked donuts on a cooling rack on a white marble counter.

Recipe FAQ's

What if I only have light brown sugar?

If you only have light brown sugar, and you have molasses (which you need for this recipe anyways) you can make my Homemade Dark Brown Sugar! I highly recommend using dark brown sugar in this recipe, as you want that darker flavor as that is what makes gingerbread so good!

Can I use another kind of yogurt?

Yes, you can use Greek yogurt or plain yogurt if you prefer!

How do you store homemade donuts?

These are baked donuts, so they are soft and cake-like. They are best stored under a cake dome or in an airtight container to retain their soft and moist texture.

What to Serve with Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts

These make such a fun addition to a holiday brunch! Add some protein like Fluffy Scrambled Eggs With Sour Cream or Bone Broth Sausage Mushroom Frittata.
Make a side of breakfast sausages like Maple Turkey Breakfast Sausages, Everything Bagel Turkey Breakfast Sausages, or Homemade Pork Breakfast Sausage Patties.
Add some more gingerbread spice with Healthy Gingerbread Granola With Olive Oil for another holiday option.
Add Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes to your brunch spread too!
Also, check out 15 Easy Christmas Brunch Recipes for more ideas.

More Christmas Recipes

Chocolate Peppermint Olive Oil Granola

Pink Peppermint Ice

Easy Christmas Present Brownies

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