These Donas (Mexican donuts) are baked instead of fried, so they’re lighter but still super delicious. They’re ready in under 30 minutes, and that warm cinnamon sugar coating is hard to pass up!
🗒️ In This Post
Mexican Baked Donuts
Baked donas are incredibly easy to make, requiring fewer steps than their fried counterparts. No messy frying or dealing with hot oil means less cleanup and less hassle.
Brushing them with melted butter and then dipping them in the sugar cinnamon mix is what makes them taste like a fried donut. Mr. Delish even said that they taste ‘almost’ as good as the amazing mini donuts we had in Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Baking donuts saves a few calories since they’re not deep fried in oil as traditional donuts are. These donuts are only 97 calories per donut! In comparison, fried donuts are about 190 in average…and that’s without toppings!
♥️ xo, Ana
**This post was originally published on May 2013. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Recipe Notes
| Prep ⏰ | Cook ⏲️ | Cool ⏱️ | Total Time |
| 10 mins | 20 mins | 5 mins | 35 mins |
🍽️ Servings: 22 donuts
⭐️ Difficulty: Easy
♥️ What’s to love: There’s no electric mixer involved, which means quick prep and minimal cleanup and they taste just like classic fried donuts, just baked and a little better for you.
🛒 Featured Ingredients: All-purpose flour, white sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg, salt, egg, milk, unsalted butter melted and vanilla extract.
**You’ll find the complete recipe and ingredient list in the card at the end.**
How To Make Baked Donas
Making baked donuts required a few simple steps. Make sure to have all of your ingredients ready because the process goes fast!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a donut pan with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, then stir them into the dry mixture just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the donut molds, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden, then let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.
Make The Topping:
- In a small saute pan, melt the butter, removing the white foam from the butter with a spoon as it forms.In a small bowl, combine the sugar & cinnamon.
- Brush each donut (not all at once) with the melted butter or dip each donut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, on one or both sides. Your choice 😉
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- The recipe calls for 1 extra large egg. Since I only buy large eggs (and they seem to be getting smaller & smaller), I added 1.5 large eggs instead. How do you do half an egg you may ask? Well, the first egg I add in a bowl, whisk it, then remove half of the mix just by eyeballing it. Just do the best you can and will still turnout alright.
- When mixing the melted butter with the egg & milk, make sure the butter is cooled off. If you add it when it’s hot, the egg will turn into custard and you definitely don’t want that!
- Baking time always vary depending on the oven so start keeping an eye on it starting at the 17 minute mark.
How to Store
Storing baked donuts properly is essential to maintain their freshness and prevent them from becoming dry or stale. Here’s how to store baked donuts.
But Before storing your baked donuts, ensure they have cooled completely to room temperature. Placing warm donuts in an airtight container can create moisture, leading to sogginess or mold growth.
- Store in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag.
- If you need to stack the donuts in the container, place a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper between the layers to prevent them from sticking together.
- They are best when consumed within 1-2 days of baking. If you plan to enjoy them within this time frame, you can keep them at room temperature. Just keep them in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight or heat sources.
- If you want to extend the shelf life of your baked donuts beyond a couple of days, you can refrigerate them for up to a week.
- For longer-term storage, you can freeze baked donuts. Wrap each donut individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in a freezer-safe container or resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Donas – Baked Cinnamon Donuts
Equipment
- Donut pan
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 extra-large egg - lightly beaten
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter - melted
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the topping
- 8 Tablespoon unsalted butter - 1 stick
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Making the donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray donut pans with the baking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined and dissolving all lumps.
- Add the batter into the donut baking molds, filling each one about three-quaters full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the donuts are lightly browned.
- Cool for 5 minutes on donut pan before removing them.
Making the topping
- In a small saute pan, melt the butter, removing the white foam from the butter with a spoon as it forms.In a small bowl, combine the sugar & cinnamon.
- Brush each donut (not all at once) with the melted butter or dip each donut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, on one or both sides. Your choice 😉
Notes
- The recipe calls for 1 extra large egg. Since I only buy large eggs (and they seem to be getting smaller & smaller), I added 1.5 large eggs instead. How do you do half an egg you may ask? Well, the first egg I add in a bowl, whisk it, then remove half of the mix just by eyeballing it. Just do the best you can and will still turnout alright.
- When mixing the melted butter with the egg & milk, make sure the butter is cooled off. If you add it when it’s hot, the egg will turn into custard and you definitely don’t want that!
- The best part of this recipe is that there is no electric mixer involved! Clean up is a breeze!
- Baking time always vary depending on the oven so start keeping an eye on it starting at the 17 minute mark.
This was my first time making donuts and these turned out amazing! I love that they are baked and not fried, so much healthier and easier to make.
Yes! I feel like I can eat an extra donut and not feel guilty about it lol! Thanks for the comment!
I love how versatile this recipe is! So delicious!
These baked donuts are a crowd pleaser for sure! Thank you!
Added a dash of allspice too and was so good. Easy to switch out the glazes too.
Thanks for the feedback and stopping by Justin!
I made these donuts for breakfast today and they turned out perfectly! They were light and moist, and packed with cinnamon flavor!
yay! I’m glad you enjoy them Anjali!
This recipe is the best! We love baked donuts, add cinnamon and you have a real winner.
Thanks Anji for making them! These donuts are truly a treat!. Enjoy!
Can almond flour be used instead of all purpose?
Hi Audrey! I haven’t made them with almond flour but it should be okay. Fast bread and delicate cakes are more suitable for baking with almond flour, which is more similar to wheat flour. They may rise less due to being gluten free but it will have a great flavor.
How much should you use? Because of its high fat content and lack of gluten, almond flour cannot be substituted for all-purpose flour in a 1 to 1 ratio. So use ¾ cup of almond flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. Please do try and let me know how they turn out.
xo, ana
The BEST and most simple donut recipe we have tried!
Pretty darn good for a baked donut!
we would like to publish your article on Baked sonuts to our on line newspaper donuttimes.com
Hi Ted! What a cool site you have!!! Of course you may include these donuts. I look forward to seeing it there!
Have a great day,
Ana
What if we want to use a mini donut pan? Cooking time?
Thanks!
Baked donuts have become a special food tradition in our house.
That’s awesome Belgian! I need to make some chocolate ones next time 😉
Love this recipe! I’m 16 and love baking for my family, and they love the recipes I get off your site! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Hi Mandi! Wow you’re 16 and love baking? That’s awesome! You have a bright feature ahead of you my friend 🙂 It makes me happy to hear that you enjoy the recipes here! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂 xo ana
These look so delicious and your photos are stunning!
Hi Rosie! Thank you sooo much! 😀
These look amazing! I’m picturing them warm out of the oven, with all the crusted cinnamon sugar, and I’m pretty much drooling. Yum!
That’s right Deanna!! Thanks for stopping by! Xo
Hi , doughnut looks perfect. Can u suggest me a replacement for egg ? I want to try this recipe.
Hi Chitra! You could use 1/4 cup of vegetable oil instead of the egg or 1/3 cup of applesauce but that may change the flavor slightly. I have no doubt it will still be delicious!! Let me know if you make and and how it worked! Thanks!
These look yummy. I don’t have a donut pan and I’m wondering if a mini muffin pan would work. What do you think?
Hi Rebecca! Definitely! The baking time will probably be about 17 minutes as well depending on your oven. Enjoy!