Apple Cider Donuts
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Reduce apple cider to a concentrated syrup, then mix it into a spiced cakey donut dough. Roll, cut and fry at 350 F until deep golden, about 1 minute per side. Toss the warm donuts in cinnamon sugar and serve the same day. Makes about 12 donuts.
Apple Cider Donuts are fall in fried form. A cakey, spice scented dough built on real reduced apple cider gets fried to deep golden and rolled in cinnamon sugar while still warm. They taste like an orchard visit, crisp leaves underfoot, cider in hand, and they never last past the afternoon they are made.
Why you’ll love it
- Real apple flavor from reduced cider, not extract or wishful thinking.
- The crackly cinnamon sugar crust against the tender crumb is pure joy.
- Ready in about an hour, most of it hands off chilling and frying.
- A dozen donuts from one batch, perfect for sharing or not.
- Tastes like the farm stand, made in your own kitchen.
Ingredient notes
Apple cider: fresh, unfiltered cider reduced to a syrup. This is the entire recipe in one ingredient; do not skip the reduction.
Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in classic fall ratio. Freshly grated nutmeg makes a noticeable difference here.
Buttermilk: keeps the crumb tender and reacts with the soda for lift. The slight tang balances the sweet coating.
Cake flour alternative: all purpose flour gives a sturdy cakey donut that holds up to frying. Do not use bread flour; the donuts turn chewy.
Cinnamon sugar: mixed fresh and applied generously while the donuts are warm so it clings. Warm donuts, cold sugar, perfect crust.
The reduction and temperature rule that makes or breaks it
Two rules decide cider donuts, and both are about concentration and heat. First, reduce the cider all the way down. A half hearted reduction leaves watery dough that fries up tasting like any cake donut; a proper syrup gives you apple in every bite. Second, hold the oil at 350 F, not roughly, but actually, with a thermometer. Oil temperature is the difference between a crisp golden crust and a greasy sponge, and guessing is how batches get ruined. Reduce hard, fry at temperature, and the donuts come out like the farm stand, only fresher.
Variations
- Baked cider donuts: pipe the batter into a greased donut pan and bake at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Maple glaze: skip the sugar toss and dip warm donuts in a glaze of powdered sugar, maple syrup and a spoonful of cider.
- Apple butter filled: pipe a teaspoon of apple butter into each warm donut with a filling tip.
- Donut holes: roll the centers and scraps into balls and fry 45 seconds for instant snacks.
What we learned testing it
- Reduced cider beat unreduced in a blind taste test by a landslide. The unreduced batch tasted like plain cake donuts; the reduced batch tasted unmistakably of apple.
- Chilled dough cut cleaner and fried rounder. The room temperature batch spread in the oil and came out lopsided.
Read how we test recipes.
Apple Cider Donuts
Makes 12 donuts · 1 hr total · Medium
Ingredients
Equipment
Small saucepan · Large mixing bowl · Rolling pin · 3 inch donut cutter · Heavy pot or deep fryer · Thermometer · Slotted spoon
Instructions
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Reduce the apple cider
Pour the cider into a small saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup of dark, syrupy concentrate, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. This reduction is the whole trick; unreduced cider waters down the dough and the apple flavor disappears in the fryer.
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Mix the spiced dough
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, both sugars, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and the cooled cider reduction until smooth. Fold the wet into the dry just until a soft dough forms. Chill 30 minutes; cold dough cuts cleanly.
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Cut and fry golden
Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 F. Roll the chilled dough 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface and cut 12 donuts, re rolling scraps once. Fry 3 at a time, about 1 minute per side, until deep golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a rack. Keep the oil at temperature between batches.
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Toss in cinnamon sugar
While the donuts are still warm, brush lightly with melted butter and toss generously in the cinnamon sugar until coated all over. Serve within hours; cider donuts are at their peak the day they are fried, with a crackly sugar crust and a tender apple crumb.
Notes
- Reduce the cider all the way to 1/2 cup. This concentrated syrup is the difference between donuts that taste like apple and donuts that just taste sweet.
- Chill the dough before cutting. Warm dough sticks, stretches and fries up misshapen.
- Hold 350 F on the oil. Cooler oil makes greasy donuts; hotter oil burns the outside before the center cooks.
- Fry the donut holes too. They take 45 seconds and they never survive to the cooling rack.
- No protein claims here; these are a treat, and an honest one. Serve them warm and enjoy every bite.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Fresh apple cider
- Use unfiltered apple juice in a pinch, reduced the same way. Avoid spiced cider; the extra spices throw off the balance.
- Buttermilk
- Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1/2 cup of milk and rest 10 minutes.
- Frying
- Bake at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes in a greased donut pan for a lighter, cakier donut, though you will miss the crackly fried crust.
Storage and make-ahead
Apple cider donuts are best the day they are made. Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days; refresh 10 minutes in a 300 F oven. Do not refrigerate; it stales them faster.
Frequently asked questions
Why reduce the apple cider?
Raw cider is mostly water, and that water thins the dough and steams out in the fryer, taking the apple flavor with it. Reducing 1 1/2 cups to 1/2 cup concentrates the apple taste into a syrup that survives frying.
Can I bake apple cider donuts instead of frying?
Yes, in a donut pan at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes. They will be cakier and lighter, more like a muffin in donut shape. For the classic crackly crust, frying is the way.
Why are my donuts greasy?
The oil was too cool. Keep it at a steady 350 F and let it recover between batches. An overloaded pot drops the temperature fast, so fry just 3 at a time.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. The dough rests well overnight in the fridge, tightly wrapped. In fact the chill improves it. Roll, cut and fry straight from the fridge.
How do I store apple cider donuts?
Room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, though they are never better than the first few hours. A quick warm up in a 300 F oven brings back the crust.
