Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cottage Cheese

A dozen baked pumpkin cottage cheese donuts on a white serving platter on a countertop.

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These baked pumpkin cottage cheese donuts are soft, tender, and perfectly spiced, with real pumpkin and cottage cheese blended into the batter. A buttery cinnamon sugar coating makes them extra delicious.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: donuts

Author: Jamie N, Registered Dietitian

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour white whole wheat flour, regular pastry flour or all purpose flour also work
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

¾ cup cottage cheese
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
2 eggs
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar coating

2 tablespoons melted butter
¼-⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prep a donut pan with by spraying with nonstick cooking spray or wiping with a small amount of oil. Note: I prefer a silicone donut pan, the donuts pop right out without sticking.
In a blender, add cottage cheese, pumpkin, eggs, honey, avocado oil, and vanilla extract. Blend on high until smooth.
In a medium bowl. combine the flour, pumpkin spice, ground cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Fill the donut pan ⅔ - ¾ full. If you over fill them, they won't bake in the donut shape. If you under fill them, they'll be dry. I like to use a muffin scoop and then smooth the top of the batter.
Bake for 14-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs and tops are lightly golden brown. Cool in the donut pan for 5 minutes and then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for about 30-40 seconds. In another shallow bowl or plate, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
To coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture, brush each donut with the melted butter and then dip in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You can also add the cinnamon sugar to a gallon-sized bag and shake each donut in the mixture after coating with butter.

Notes

Blend the cottage cheese well. Blending it until smooth keeps the donut batter creamy with no noticeable curds.
Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until everything is combined to help keep the donuts soft and tender.
Don’t overfill the donut pan. Leave a little room for the donuts to rise as they bake.
Add the cinnamon sugar while the donuts are still slightly warm. Brush or dip them in melted butter first so the coating sticks well.

Nutrition