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Donut muffins are soft and fluffy, with cinnamon-sugar flavored goodness that melts in your mouth! They are delicious enough for anyone to want to devour them the moment that you put them on the table!
Breakfast muffins are one of our favorite things to eat around my house! Try out these strawberry cheesecake streusel muffins, these lemon poppyseed muffins, or these yummy pumpkin muffins!
What are Donut Muffins?
One of our favorite things to do on a Saturday morning is to load up the family in the car and drive to pick up our favorite donuts for breakfast! But… that was before this recipe came along! We now can wake up, stay in our pajamas and make some of these delicious donut muffins for ourselves! These are so much better than any store-bought muffin or donut that you can find. PLUS, it’s a combination of 2 of my favorite breakfast foods, so it’s a win-win!
These donut muffins have the consistency of a donut. They are light and airy on the inside, and then they are topped with cinnamon sugar on the outside. But instead of being shaped like a donut and fried in a pan, they are shaped and cooked like a muffin! You just pop them in a muffin tin and bake them up in your oven! Such little mess (no frying, sign me up!) with such a delicious reward! You must try out these donut muffins. They are the best of both worlds!!
Ingredients You Need to Make Donut Muffins
These donut muffins have common ingredients that I bet you already have in your kitchen! So get them all out and start making these donut muffins. They are so delicious; you may even want to double the batch! All of the exact measurements are on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Flour: I used all purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sugars: A combination of granulated and packed brown sugar will giive them a deep, sweet flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These will help your muffins to rise and have that nice and airy texture.
- Salt: The salt will enhance all of the flavors in the muffin.
- Cinnamon: Not only is there cinnamon on top of the muffins but I capture that delicious flavor on the inside too!
- Nutmeg: The secret ingredient to making the taste turn out just right.
- Egg: This will bind all of the ingredients in the batter together.
- Vanilla: Adds a splash of sweetness to the muffins.
- Buttermilk: You can use store bought or this Homemade Buttermilk.
- Vegetable Oil: This will keep the donut muffins moist so that they don’t dry out.
Topping
- Granulated Sugar: This adds that sweet taste and delicious texture to the top of the muffins.
- Cinnamon: Mix this in with the sugar.
- Butter: I used salted butter! This will be used to dip your muffin in so that your toppin stocks to the top.
How to Make Donut Muffins
Donut muffins are so easy to make! They take less than 40 minutes from start to finish, including baking time! Plus, there is no frying or grease involved, so you will walk away from your kitchen without a mess in sight!
- Prehat Oven and Spray the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Add Wet Ingredients to Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just fully combined.
- Bake: Scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling the cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Whisk Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Melt the butter in another small bowl.
- Dip Muffin: For the topping you can dip just the top of the muffin in the butter and cinnamon sugar or you can dip the whole muffin in both for a little extra cinnamon sugar.
Variations
You can easily switch a few things up with these donut muffins and make them different every single time! I’ve put together a few ideas for you to try.
- Mix-Ins: These donut muffins are perfect as is but… My kids will never say no to a fun mix-in in any recipe! Try some walnuts, mini chocolate chips, pecans or even some dried cranberries to kick these muffins up a notch.
- Toppings: You can really level up by drizzling on a vanilla glaze to these muffins. They are delicious as is but adding in a sticky, sweet texture on top will really set them apart!
- Cinnamon Sugar: You don’t need to stop with the cinnamon sugar on the top! Dip the entire muffin in your melted butter and then get that cinnamon sugar over the entire muffin. Then, you get that incredible, sweet flavor in every single bite!
Can You Freeze Donut Muffins?
Yes! These donut muffins freeze up great, which is why I always double the batch so that I can freeze some for later! Wait for your muffins to cool and then place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Label it with the date! They will last in your freezer for 3-4 months. When you are ready to eat one, set it out on your counter to thaw.
More Sweet Breakfast Recipes
Sometimes, you’ve just got to satisfy your sweet tooth first things in the morning! I have rounded up some more sweet breakfast (or brunch) options that you MUST try. There is a wide variety but they are so good that you will want to try them all!
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Donut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ Cup All-purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar (packed)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¾ Cup Buttermilk
- 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
Topping
- 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1/3 Cup Salted Butter Melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl whisk, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just fully combined.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling the cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Melt the butter in another small bowl.
- For the topping you can dip just the top of the muffin in the butter and cinnamon sugar or you can dip the whole muffin in both for a little extra cinnamon sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
