These flavorful pumpkin cheesecake donuts are the perfect fall treat! Made with pillowy soft donuts that are coated in pumpkin spice sugar and filled with a creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling, each bite of these donuts is pure deliciousness!
Why You Should Make this Recipe?
- Fluffy, soft yeast donuts
- Fragrant pumpkin spice sugar coating that adds a nice, slight crunch to the donuts
- Perfectly sweetened, creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling made with actual pumpkin puree for the best natural pumpkin flavor
Easy Yeast Donut Recipe
This recipe for pillowy, soft yeast donuts is a keeper. These donuts literally taste like biting into a cloud and serve as the perfect base for the richly decadent and creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. To make this donut recipe, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Whole Milk (may substitute with milk of choice or water)
- Unsalted Butter
- Neutral Flavored Oil (for frying donuts)
Tips for Making the Best Yeast Donuts
- Measure Out Ingredients Correctly – this is particularly important for the flour as adding too much flour in the dough will result in dense instead of light and airy donuts. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients in this recipe.
- Properly Activate the Yeast – for perfectly risen donuts with a fluffy, soft texture, fully activated yeast is a must. The yeast has been properly activated once it takes on a bubbly appearance after being mixed in a mixture consisting of warmed milk and sugar. This activation can take anywhere between 8-10 minutes.
- Use a Kitchen Thermometer – to ensure that the donuts are fried correctly without appearing done on the outside but raw on the inside, using a kitchen thermometer is a must. The goal here is to maintain the temperature of the oil between 350-375F.
- Use a Good Frying Oil – when it comes to frying donuts, all oils are not created equal. You are going to want to use an oil that has a high smoke point. Some great options are vegetable, avocado, peanut (if not allergic), and safflower oil.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
I cannot express enough how good this pumpkin cheesecake filling is! It is packed with so much pumpkin flavor thanks to the use of actual pumpkin puree. Requiring just 6 ingredients, here is what you will need to make this recipe:
Key Ingredients
- Full-Fat Cream Cheese
- Pumpkin Puree
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Vanilla Extract
To make the cheesecake filling, mix the cream cheese, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Next, mix in the powdered sugar followed by the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Keep the filling refrigerated until ready to use.
Recipe Tips and Notes
For the best outcome, I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients in this recipe, especially when it comes to the flour. If you do not have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method for measuring out the flour.
For perfectly fried donuts that are golden brown on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside, use a kitchen thermometer to help monitor and maintain the temperature of the oil between 350-375F.
The cheesecake filling calls for pumpkin puree. If using store-bought puree, make sure the can reads pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. I used this brand.
Looking for More Donuts Recipes, Checkout the Links Below:
PrintPumpkin Cheesecake Donuts
These flavorful pumpkin cheesecake donuts are the perfect fall treat! Made with pillowy soft donuts that are coated in pumpkin spice sugar and filled with a creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling, each bite of these donuts is pure deliciousness!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 Donuts 1x
Ingredients
Yeast Donut Dough
- 3 Cups (390g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Plus More as Needed
- 3 Tablespoons (38g) Granulated Sugar, Divided
- 2 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Large Egg (50g)
- 3/4 Cup (177ml) Whole Milk, Warmed to 100-110F
- 1/4 Cup (57g) Unsalted Butter, Softened
- Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil for Frying
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 12 Ounces (170g) Full-Fat Cream Cheese, Softened
- 1/2 Cup (122g) Pumpkin Puree, Room Temperature
- 6 Tablespoons (45g) Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Cup (59ml) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Coating
- 1/2 Cup (100g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions
Yeast Donut Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warmed milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Next, whisk in the yeast and cover the bowl with a large plate or clean kitchen towel. Set aside for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture has a foamy, bubbly appearance with a fermented aroma.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and remaining sugar. Set aside. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, mix in the egg into the activated yeast at medium speed to combine.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix all of the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture until a shaggy-looking dough starts to form. At this point, mix the softened butter into the dough 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead the dough for 6 minutes. The dough will be soft and smooth to the touch.
- If the dough is too soft and difficult to handle, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is more manageable to work with. For light and airy donuts take care to not add too much flour.
- Transfer the dough into a large greased mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap/clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm part of the kitchen to rise until it has doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
- Gently deflate the dough with a fisted hand, cover the bowl with plastic wrap/kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Cut a large sheet of parchment paper into 12 squares.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface, lightly sprinkle the top with flour, and use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place on pre-cut squares of parchment paper before transferring to a large baking sheet. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in a warm part of the kitchen allowing the dough to double size, about 30-35 minutes (this timeframe may vary depending on the warmth of your kitchen).
- Line a cooling rack with two layers of paper towels. Heat the oil in a medium-deep bottom pan to 350F. In batches of one or two, carefully place the risen balls of dough into the oil. Use kitchen tongs to remove the parchment square.
- Fry the dough for 1 – 2 minutes per side or until golden brown in color. Use a slotted/spider spoon to transfer the donut to the prepared cooling rack. Continue this process until all the donuts are fried.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract together at medium speed until smooth.
- Next, mix in the powdered sugar followed by the heavy cream, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, just until fully incorporated. Keep the filling refrigerated until ready to use.
Assembly
- Make sugar coating by whisking together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small mixing bowl to combine.
- Individually coat each donut in the sugar mixture. Use a skewer/chopstick to make an opening at the top of each donut pushing the skewer/chopstick about 2/3 the way down into the donuts to create a space for the filling.
- Transfer the filling into a large pastry or Ziplock bag. Cut off 1/2 inch from the tip of the bag and fill the donuts with the filling. Pipe an extra dollop of the filling on top of each donut before serving.
Notes
- Donuts are best eaten the day it is prepared.
- For a sweeter pumpkin cheesecake filling, you can use 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar.
- I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients in this recipe, especially when it comes to the flour. If you do not have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method for measuring out the flour.
- For perfectly fried donuts, use a kitchen/candy thermometer to help monitor and maintain the temperature of the oil between 350-375F.
- The cheesecake filling calls for pumpkin puree. If using store-bought puree, make sure the can reads pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix.
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