last updated on October 29, 2026
For day 3 of my series “12 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes” we are making apple cider donuts with a cream cheese glaze! These donuts have a great apple taste and are a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving party.
These donuts are a little different than your typical apple cider donuts. The most common apple cider donuts are rolled in cinnamon and sugar. These, however, are dipped in a cream cheese glaze! The glaze is smooth and pairs so well with the apple flavor. Also, the donuts aren’t overly sweet, so the glaze is a perfect match.
what ingredients do i need for these apple cider donuts?
- flour
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- brown sugar
- apple sauce
- apple cider
- milk
- vegetable oil
- maple syrup
The batter is simple and straight forward — mix the dry ingredients, then the wet, then combine them! The apple cider gives us the apple flavor we want, and the apple sauce helps keep the donuts moist!
what ingredients do i need for the cream cheese glaze?
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- apple cider
- cinnamon
This glaze is really simple as well. All these ingredients are added to a bowl and then mixed until smooth!
no donut pan? no problem!
I love my mini donut pans, but if you don’t have donut pans you can still make these donuts! They can also be made in a muffin pan and instead of donuts, they’ll be glazed muffins! I think the donut shape is more fun, but either works.
I couldn’t find a link to my mini donut pans, but here is a similar donut pan that would work great.
other recipes you will love
- apple pie cookies
- apple crisp cookies
- banana bread donuts with brown butter icing
- gluten free donuts with icing
apple cider donuts
Ingredients
apple cider donuts
- 3 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 2/3 cup milk any type will work, i use almond
- 2/3 cup neutral oil like vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
cream cheese glaze
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temp
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp apple cider
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a larger bowl combine the brown sugar, apple sauce, apple cider, milk, neutral oil, and maple syrup. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them in until just combined. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into a greased donut pan or muffin pan. Only fill each about 2/3 full.
- If using a mini donut pan, bake for 8-11 minutes, until donuts are just set. If using a normal sized muffin pan, bake for 11-13 minutes.
- While the donuts are baking, make the glaze. Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl. Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) and mix for 2 minutes. Add apple cider and cinnamon and mix again. Glaze should be runny enough to drizzle. If it is too thick, add another splash of apple cider.
- Dip the donuts / muffins in the cream cheese glaze and enjoy!
Can’t wait to make these! How many does this recipe yield? Thanks!
Hey! It makes about 24 mini donuts or muffins. Can’t wait for you to try them!
Can’t wait to make these! How many does this recipe yield? Thanks!
Hey! It makes about 24 mini donuts or muffins. Can’t wait for you to try them!
Is 3 tbsp of baking powder correct? I made them and I feel like the muffin itself doesn’t taste like apple or cinnamon. Tastes very much like flour and I’m wondering if the baking powder is a typo?
Hey, I’m so sorry you had an issue with these donuts. Confirming that 3 tbsp of baking powder is not a typo. I have made these donuts a couple times and that is how much I added! Was the consistency of the donut strange? I’d love to help figure out what went wrong!
Okay! Well my mix did have small clumps in it but, in your video, it seemed that yours did as well. Maybe it wasn’t mixed enough! Sorry, I didn’t realize I could reply without rating. I shouldn’t rate because I’m sure I just did something wrong. The glaze is 10/10! ?
Yes, you definitely don’t want to over-mix the batter, but you don’t want any large chunks of flour either! Also, these donuts aren’t super sweet so they won’t have a strong sweet apple flavor. I’m sorry again you had issues with these the first time. But so glad you loved the glaze!
Hi, I wonder if maybe your baking powder isn’t fresh? I know they have expiration dates but I always restock mine after 3 months. Just a thought 🙂
After your comment I retried the recipe using a lower amount of baking powder. I tried using 1 tbsp instead of the original 3 tbsp. I’ve made it with 3 tbsp a few times and it worked great. When I used 1 tbsp the donuts turned out similar so I reflected this change on my recipe. I think if you’re not using fresh baking powder the high amount can make the donuts taste bitter. I changed it, so hopefully no one else will run into the problem you did!
Is 3 tbsp of baking powder correct? I made them and I feel like the muffin itself doesn’t taste like apple or cinnamon. Tastes very much like flour and I’m wondering if the baking powder is a typo?
Hey, I’m so sorry you had an issue with these donuts. Confirming that 3 tbsp of baking powder is not a typo. I have made these donuts a couple times and that is how much I added! Was the consistency of the donut strange? I’d love to help figure out what went wrong!
Okay! Well my mix did have small clumps in it but, in your video, it seemed that yours did as well. Maybe it wasn’t mixed enough! Sorry, I didn’t realize I could reply without rating. I shouldn’t rate because I’m sure I just did something wrong. The glaze is 10/10! ?
Yes, you definitely don’t want to over-mix the batter, but you don’t want any large chunks of flour either! Also, these donuts aren’t super sweet so they won’t have a strong sweet apple flavor. I’m sorry again you had issues with these the first time. But so glad you loved the glaze!
Hi, I wonder if maybe your baking powder isn’t fresh? I know they have expiration dates but I always restock mine after 3 months. Just a thought 🙂
After your comment I retried the recipe using a lower amount of baking powder. I tried using 1 tbsp instead of the original 3 tbsp. I’ve made it with 3 tbsp a few times and it worked great. When I used 1 tbsp the donuts turned out similar so I reflected this change on my recipe. I think if you’re not using fresh baking powder the high amount can make the donuts taste bitter. I changed it, so hopefully no one else will run into the problem you did!
So excited to make these! How do you recommend storing the donuts? Or are they best served fresh?
Thanks!
Hi! They are best fresh, but if you have extras, store them in a sealable container! Since the glaze has cream cheese, any leftovers should be kept in the fridge. So excited for you to try them!
So excited to make these! How do you recommend storing the donuts? Or are they best served fresh?
Thanks!
Hi! They are best fresh, but if you have extras, store them in a sealable container! Since the glaze has cream cheese, any leftovers should be kept in the fridge. So excited for you to try them!
I made these for a potluck and they were definitely the favorite! I have an automatic donut maker which made the baking process simple, I ended up with a total of 99 donuts (I did double the recipe), yet they were gone within the day, ha! These were a great fall treat and I definitely recommend it!
Amazing! I’m so impressed you made 99 donuts! And so glad they were all eaten within the day. Thank you for the review!
I made these for a potluck and they were definitely the favorite! I have an automatic donut maker which made the baking process simple, I ended up with a total of 99 donuts (I did double the recipe), yet they were gone within the day, ha! These were a great fall treat and I definitely recommend it!
Amazing! I’m so impressed you made 99 donuts! And so glad they were all eaten within the day. Thank you for the review!
I cannot recommend these ENOUGH. As someone who gets burnt out with everything pumpkin, these donuts are the perfect fall treat. Not overly sweet and I don’t feel guilty for eating two. 🙂
EEK thank you!! I also love that they are not too sweet — and I’m right there with you eating at least two 🙂 so glad you enjoyed these!
I cannot recommend these ENOUGH. As someone who gets burnt out with everything pumpkin, these donuts are the perfect fall treat. Not overly sweet and I don’t feel guilty for eating two. 🙂
EEK thank you!! I also love that they are not too sweet — and I’m right there with you eating at least two 🙂 so glad you enjoyed these!
Hi, I made the donuts and the flavor is awesome, but I have a problem. The donuts don’t hold together when I pick them up. They just crumble in my hands, I did use the 3 tbsp baking powder which I see you changed to one and since I didn’t have any apple cider I substitute with the same amount of milk. Do you think this is the reason they fall apart?
Hey! Yes, changing the apple cider to milk definitely would cause problems. Milk is an extremely different liquid than apple cider so this is most likely what caused the donuts to crumble. The only thing I would substitute the apple cider for is apple juice because they are very similar!
Thanks so much for your quick response 🙂 I’ll male them again the right way;)
Hi, I made the donuts and the flavor is awesome, but I have a problem. The donuts don’t hold together when I pick them up. They just crumble in my hands, I did use the 3 tbsp baking powder which I see you changed to one and since I didn’t have any apple cider I substitute with the same amount of milk. Do you think this is the reason they fall apart?
Hey! Yes, changing the apple cider to milk definitely would cause problems. Milk is an extremely different liquid than apple cider so this is most likely what caused the donuts to crumble. The only thing I would substitute the apple cider for is apple juice because they are very similar!
Thanks so much for your quick response 🙂 I’ll male them again the right way;)
I just made these today as muffins and they turned out beautiful! I had to bake for closer to 16 minutes, but I’ll definitely be using this recipe again.
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these today as muffins and they turned out beautiful! I had to bake for closer to 16 minutes, but I’ll definitely be using this recipe again.
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed them!
Should I dunk the donuts in frosting when hot or cooled down? Will the hot donuts make the frosting run?
Wait until they’ve cooled a bit! If you dip them while they’re really hot the frosting will melt off. I would wait at least 10 min!
Thank you!!
Should I dunk the donuts in frosting when hot or cooled down? Will the hot donuts make the frosting run?
Wait until they’ve cooled a bit! If you dip them while they’re really hot the frosting will melt off. I would wait at least 10 min!
Thank you!!
I loved this recipe! Was wondering if I could add cut up apple pieces to the recipe and it still hold together well?
hey! chopped apples would definitely add some extra moisture, so i’m not sure if they would still be a great texture. it may be just fine, though! i haven’t tried that with this recipe!
I loved this recipe! Was wondering if I could add cut up apple pieces to the recipe and it still hold together well?
hey! chopped apples would definitely add some extra moisture, so i’m not sure if they would still be a great texture. it may be just fine, though! i haven’t tried that with this recipe!
These are so delicious and not too sweet! They are a hit with my entire family and I make them for thanksgiving every single year.
yay so glad you and your family enjoy these!!