Cozy, Delicious Fall Baked Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
I LOVE getting creative in the kitchen come fall, especially when the crisp morning air calls for warm spices and fresh-picked apples. While heating a pot of hot oil for traditional frying has its place, I prefer keeping things simple on cozy mornings with these baked sourdough apple cider donuts.
Rich with brown sugar, tender with sour cream, and made with your sourdough discard, they bake up quickly in a donut pan, no messy frying required! They have a tender cakey crumb, a deep apple flavor from reduced cider, and a golden cinnamon-sugar crust.
Serve them warm alongside morning coffee or on a fall breakfast spread with my Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Sourdough Discard Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls.
Quick Look: Baked Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
⏱️ Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes cider reduction)
🍩 Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
🕰️ Total Time: ~45 minutes
🧁 Yield: 12 regular donuts (or 24 mini donuts)
🍎 Main Ingredients: Reduced apple cider, sourdough discard, flour, brown sugar, sour cream, and warm spices
🔥 Baking Method: Baked (No hot oil or messy frying!)
👩🍳 Skill Level: Easy / Beginner-friendly
✨ Texture & Flavor: Tender, cakey crumb with deep apple flavor and a crunchy cinnamon-sugar crust
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Baked Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
- Why Reduce the Apple Cider?
- Ingredients Breakdown
- How To Make Instructions:
- Variations & Reader Substitutions
- Equipment
- Storage & Reheating
- Top Tip
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts from the Homestead
- Explore more apple recipes from the homestead:
- Baked Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
Why Reduce the Apple Cider?
If you've ever made apple cider baked goods that turned out bland, it's usually because straight apple cider contains too much water and not enough concentrated flavor.
By simmering 2 cups of fresh apple cider down to ½ cup, you boil off the excess water and create an intensely rich, sweet apple syrup. This concentrated reduction locks a deep, authentic apple flavor into the donut batter without making it overly wet or dense.
Ingredients Breakdown
- Apple Cider: Fresh local orchard cider or homemade cider works best. (Avoid using standard clear apple juice, as it lacks the necessary spice and depth).
- Sourdough Discard: Room temperature or unfed discard straight from the fridge adds a subtle tang that balances the sweet sugar coating.
- Sour Cream: Adds rich fat and moisture to keep these cake-style donuts melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Brown Sugar: Provides a warm, caramel-like sweetness.
- All-Purpose Flour: Spooned and leveled for an accurate, light crumb.
- Leaveners: A combination of baking powder and baking soda gives these donuts a high, fluffy rise in the pan.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and optional apple pie spice marry perfectly with the cider.
- Egg & Butter: A large room-temperature egg holds the batter together, while melted butter is brushed on the warm donuts to help the cinnamon sugar stick.
How To Make Instructions:
Reduce the Cider: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer 2 cups of apple cider for 15-20 minutes until reduced down to ½ cup of thick syrup. Set aside to cool slightly.
Prep Your Pan & Dry Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 12-cavity donut pan with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Whisk the Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the cooled reduced cider, brown sugar, sour cream, room-temperature egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula just until combined-do not overmix, or the donuts will become tough!
Pipe & Bake: Transfer the batter into a piping bag (or a gallon zip-top bag with the corner cut off). Pipe the batter into the donut cavities until ¾ full. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes (8 to 10 minutes for mini donuts) until golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
Coat in Cinnamon Sugar: Allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. While still warm, brush each donut generously with melted butter and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Eryn's Coating Hint: You can brush your warm donuts with either melted butter OR your reduced apple cider syrup before rolling in cinnamon sugar! The trick is to keep it to a light brush-do not fully dunk or submerge the donuts in the cider syrup, as excess liquid can soak into the crumb and dissolve the sugar coating. A light brushing gives you amazing flavor and that classic golden crunch!
Variations & Reader Substitutions
Dairy-Free Adjustment: Swap the sour cream for full-fat canned coconut milk or a dairy-free plain yogurt, and use melted coconut oil or dairy-free butter for the outer coating.
Maple Cider Glaze: Want a glaze instead of cinnamon sugar? Whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of warm reduced apple cider and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup. Drizzle over cooled donuts!
Donut Holes / Muffins: Don't have a donut pan? Pipe the batter into a greased mini-muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes for easy sourdough "donut bites."
Equipment
- 12-Cavity Donut Pan: Ensures classic donut shapes with light, even baking.
- Piping Bag / Zip-Top Bag: Makes filling donut cavities neat, quick, and even.
- Small Saucepan: For simmering and reducing the apple cider syrup.
- Wire Cooling Rack: Keeps the bottom of warm donuts from steaming and getting soggy.
Storage & Reheating
- Room Temperature: Store coated donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezer Instructions: Bake and cool the donuts without the butter/cinnamon-sugar coating. Freeze in a single layer in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, warm in the oven for 3 minutes at 350°F, then brush with melted butter and roll in fresh cinnamon sugar!
Top Tip
Pipe the batter, don't spoon it! Spooning sticky batter into narrow donut rings creates uneven donuts with air pockets. Transferring your batter to a zip-top bag with the tip snipped off takes 5 seconds and gives you smooth, picture-perfect baker-style donuts every single time.
FAQ
I don't recommend standard clear apple juice. Apple juice contains higher sugar content and lacks the deep, unfiltered spiced flavors of real apple cider.
Tough donuts happen when the batter is overmixed after adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently until the flour streaks just disappear.
Baked sourdough donuts taste best fresh on day one! If making ahead, store uncoated donuts and apply the melted butter and cinnamon sugar right before serving to keep the coating crisp.
Final Thoughts from the Homestead
These sourdough apple cider donuts are my ultimate fall baking love language. Rich, warmly spiced, and effortless to whip up on a cool morning, they make the whole farmhouse smell like autumn harvest. They pair perfectly with a steaming mug of morning coffee or a midday cup of warm cider, and they're even lovelier when shared around the table with family and friends.
As always, these posts may contain affiliate links, which help support small commissions at no extra cost to you (full disclosure). If you bake up a batch of these cozy donuts, I'd be tickled to see your pictures-tag me on Instagram so I can share in your kitchen joy!
Explore more apple recipes from the homestead:
Baked Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
Apple Cider Reduction (use with concentrated apple flavor)
- 2 cups Apple Cider 2 cups of apple cider, reduced in a small saucepan over medium heat to about ½ cup (Or double to use to dip donuts in before adding cinnamon sugar)
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ Cup Reduced cider Down from 2 cups
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 4 tablespoon melted butter Or Reduced Cider Syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Reduce the Cider: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer 2 cups of apple cider for 15-20 minutes until reduced down to ½ cup of thick syrup. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Prep Pan & Dry Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 12-cavity donut pan with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the cooled reduced cider syrup, brown sugar, sour cream, egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Combine Batter: Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula just until combined-do not overmix.
- Pipe & Bake: Transfer batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe into donut cavities until ¾ full. Bake for 12-14 minutes (8-10 minutes for mini donuts) until golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
- Coat & Cool: Let donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. While still warm, lightly brush each donut with melted butter (or a light brushing of reduced cider syrup) and roll generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Definitely will make again.
Delicious and good use for discard sourdough. Made exactly as recipe. I might make a glaze next time.
These sourdough apple cider donuts are the definition of fall baking! They’re soft, warmly spiced, and full of that deep apple flavor that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible. The sourdough discard adds just the right touch of tang, and the cinnamon sugar coating gives that perfect crunch. I love that they’re baked instead of fried—it makes them so easy to whip up on a cozy morning. I’ll be making another batch this weekend to share with friends!
We loved these! However, I don't recommend using the Apple Cider to dip the donuts in after they are baked. I did half with the apple cider and half with the butter, and the butter is by far the better option! The apple cider made the donuts slightly soggy, and the sugar absorbed completely due to the extra moisture. But otherwise, we loved them! Thanks for a great recipe! I'll be making these all season!