Apple Cider Doughnuts

Fresh, warm doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with apple flavour. These Apple Cider Doughnuts melt in your mouth and will make you want more.

This recipe was originally posted in November 2020.

This Apple Cider Doughnut recipe has been a family favourite for years. We created this recipe after tasting doughnuts at an apple orchard. Our kids begged to go back to the orchard just for the doughnuts.

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Ingredients For Apple Cider Doughnuts

To make these doughnuts, a total of 12 ingredients are needed.

• Apple Cider.
• All-Purpose Flour.
• Brown Sugar.
• Baking Soda.
• Cinnamon.
• Nutmeg.
• All-spice.
• Salt.
• Egg.s
• Butter.
• Vegetable Oil.
• White Sugar.

Apple Cider vs Apple Cider Vinegar

Don’t confuse apple cider with apple cider vinegar. They are two different things.

We only mention this because we have been asked if they are the same or if apple cider vinegar can be substituted. That is a big NO!

If you don’t have apple cider, you can use apple juice and add a large, shredded apple to the juice while it is simmering to help thicken it. The apple will also add more apple flavour to the doughnuts.

Equipment For Making Apple Cider Doughnuts

These doughnuts are easy to make, but there are a few items that make it easier.

• A thermometer. To get the oil to the right temperature, we use a thermometer to ensure the oil is hot enough before adding the doughnuts.
• A cooling rack. When removing the doughnuts from the oil, we place them on a cooling rack for about 30-45 seconds before coating them in cinnamon sugar.
• A heavy-bottomed pot for frying the doughnuts. We like using an enamelled cast-iron Dutch Oven.
• A rolling pin. The dough has to be rolled before being cut. Our favourite rolling pin is a wooden French rolling pin.

Does The Dough Have To Be Refrigerated?

We highly recommend that you don’t skip this step. Chilling the dough before rolling it allows all the flavours to come together.

It also makes the dough easier to handle because the chilling process makes the dough less sticky.

Serving Apple Cider Doughnuts

These doughnuts are best served warm. We like to eat them straight out of the bowl of cinnamon sugar, while they are still piping hot.

Doughnuts can easily be heated in the microwave. If you plan to reheat them later, skip the coating of cinnamon sugar until you reheat them, or the sugar will melt when reheated.

Storing Apple Cider Doughnuts

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in freezer bags in the freezer for up to one month.

When freezing, we skip the cinnamon sugar coating because it doesn’t hold well in the freezer. We reheat the thawed doughnuts in the microwave for a few seconds and toss them in the cinnamon sugar coating while they are warm before serving. 

Sharing is Caring

Since this recipe makes such a large batch, we like to share it with family and friends. These doughnuts are also perfect for an after-school study group or a workplace potluck.

If you are looking for more apple recipes, check out my Spiced Apple Jam recipe.

Have you tried these doughnuts? Leave a comment below to let us know.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Fresh, warm doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with apple flavour. These Apple Cider Doughnuts melt in your mouth and will make you want more.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Resting Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apples, Doughnuts

Ingredients

• 4 cups apple cider
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⅓ cups brown sugar, packed
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp all spice
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• ¾ cups butter, melted and cooled
• vegetable oil for frying

Coating

• 1½ cups white sugar
• 1½ Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, heat apple cider to boiling, then simmer for about 10 minutes or until reduced to half.
• Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together cooled apple cider, eggs and cooled butter.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together until a sticky dough forms and all the flour has been incorporated. 
• Cover and refrigerate 1-½ hours or overnight.
• Place 3 to 4 inches of oil in a large heavy pot and heat to 325°F. 
• Remove from the fridge and working with ¼ of the dough at a time, roll out on a clean floured surface to ½” thickness.
• Cut into doughnuts using a floured doughnut cutter.
• Once oil is heated, place 3 or 4 doughnuts in the oil and fry 2-3 minutes per side.
• Remove from oil and place on a cooling rack over a baking pan or paper towel lined pan.
• Cool slightly before coating in cinnamon sugar. 
• Repeat with remaining doughnuts. 
• Serve warm.
• Store cooled doughnuts in an air-tight container.

Coating

• Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a flat bottomed bowl. Set aside for covering hot doughnuts.

Notes

*The doughnut holes take only about 1-1-½ minutes per side to cook.

Another way to coat the doughnuts is by placing the cinnamon and sugar in a paper bag. Then toss the warm doughnuts in and shake.