Baked Carrot Cake Donuts

These Baked Carrot Cake Donuts are warmly spiced, moist, sweet, and way better for you than traditional fried donuts. Made using simple ingredients and real carrots, this delicious treat can turn any morning into a reason to celebrate!

Glazed carrot donut recipe

Some of my all-time favorite homemade donuts are lightly spiced, bright, and tangy. Just take my Baked Sugar Donuts, Chocolate Chip Frosted Donuts, and Baked Strawberry Donuts for example! Each of these desserts has punchy flavors and light and fluffy textures.

These Baked Carrot Cake Donuts are no different, as they’re made with the flavors of fall and fresh and sweet carrots. I find they’re the perfect middle ground between carrot muffins and carrot cake. With every bite, you’re sneaking a few veggies into your diet while still enjoying a sweet treat!

Since these carrot donuts are baked and not fried, they’re way healthier than what you’d find at a donut shop. I recommend baking them in a donut pan for the true donut experience, however, it isn’t completely necessary. You can always use a muffin tin if you’re not picky about the shape.

With a sweet and simple vanilla glaze on top, you won’t be able to resist this easy carrot dessert!

How to bake carrot cake donuts

These 20-minute carrot donuts are moist, delicious, and incredibly easy to make. Why spend your money at the donut shop when you can stay home and make these instead? All you need to get started are a few pantry staples and a donut pan:

Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Next, add the orange juice, melted butter, vanilla, and sugar and whisk until everything is combined. 

To the wet ingredients, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Gently mix to combine. 

Use a spatula to fold the shredded carrots into the batter. Pour the donut batter into a greased donut pan.

Bake the carrot donuts until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While your donuts are baking, make the vanilla glaze by heating the milk and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. When it’s warm, slowly whisk in the powdered sugar until it dissolves. Take the glaze off the heat. 

To glaze the donuts, dip the top of each donut into the glaze, place them on a wire rack, and leave them to set. Once the donuts are cool and the vanilla glaze is set, go ahead and dig in!

Can you make these without a donut pan?

If you don’t have a donut pan, you can make this carrot cake donut recipe in a standard muffin tin instead. Pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake in a 350°F oven for 18-20 minutes. You’ll know your donut muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Decorating ideas

Think of these baked carrot cake donuts as a blank canvas—perfect for getting decorative and creative! You can dress these yummy donuts up or down depending on the occasion and time of year:

• Different frostings: Ditch the vanilla glaze and try topping these warmly spiced baked donuts with chocolate brownie frosting, a maple syrup glaze, cinnamon cream cheese frosting, or a classic vanilla frosting. 

• Fun toppings: Candied orange peel, sugared cranberries, toasted pecans, or fall-themed sprinkles would add a nice pop of color to the top of these baked donuts. 

Tips for the best baked donuts

• Sift your dry ingredients – This will free to donut batter of any lumps and help the texture stay light and fluffy.
• Remove any excess moisture – I recommend patting the shredded carrots dry before adding them to the batter to ensure there’s no excess moisture (which can lead to soggy or underbaked donuts).  
• Adjust the thickness of your glaze – If your vanilla glaze seems too thin, try adding more powdered sugar. On the flip side, thin out a thick glaze by adding a splash of milk at a time. 
• Don’t forget to grease your pan – You can always count on a mixture of softened butter and flour to keep your carrot donuts from sticking to the pan.

Storing and freezing carrot donuts

To store, place the cooled and unglazed carrot donuts into an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

To freeze, let your unglazed donuts cool completely before placing them in a ziploc bag. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

To reheat, simply pop one of your frozen or refrigerated donuts into the microwave in 30 second increments until it warmed through. Add fresh glaze if desired. 

Hungry for more carrot desserts?

• Chocolate Chip Carrot Bread
• Carrot Souffle 
• Cinnamon Carrot Fries
• Carrot Baby Cookies

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