Donut Muffins
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Sweet, cake-like and scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, these muffins taste remarkably like donuts.
Sweet, cake-like, and scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, these muffins taste remarkably like donuts. Kids love them because they’re deliciously plain, and adults love them because they’re just plain delicious. Unlike donuts, they’re baked not deep-fried so you can feel more virtuous eating them. They’re a perfect accompaniment to coffee, tea, or milk and if you need one more reason to try them, they’re easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand. If these are a hit with your family and you want to mix things up a bit, give this powdered donut cake a try. It’s sure to vanish in no time.
Table of Contents
“These muffins were perfect! Loved how easy they were to make and that they taste like a doughnut and a muffin at the same time!”
What You’ll Need To Make Donut Muffins
- Milk: Provides moisture and richness to the muffins’ batter. Low-fat milk is fine.
- Lemon Juice: Adds acidity to react with the baking soda, helping the muffins rise.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the muffin batter, providing structure.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavens the muffins, causing them to rise and become light and fluffy.
- Nutmeg: Infuses the batter with warm, aromatic flavor reminiscent of classic donuts.
- Butter: Incorporates richness and flavor into both the batter and the topping.
- Sugar: Sweetens the muffin batter and creates a delicate, slightly crisp topping.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent, holding the muffin batter together and providing structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor profile with its aromatic sweetness.
- Cinnamon: Adds a warm, spicy flavor to the muffin topping, reminiscent of cinnamon-sugar donuts.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the milk and lemon juice. This is essentially making your own buttermilk (since you only need 1 cup), which reacts with the baking soda in this recipe to give these muffins a nice, open crumb.
Next, combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. All that nutmeg is what makes these muffins taste like donuts.
Whisk to combine and then set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Add a third of the dry ingredients.
Mix well, then add half of the milk mixture.
Continue alternating the dry and wet ingredients until the batter is well combined. It will be quite thick.
Scoop the batter into a greased muffin pan, filling the tins to the rim.
Bake until firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings: melt the butter and whisk the cinnamon and sugar together.
When cool enough to handle, brush the muffins with melted butter and roll in the cinnamon-sugar.
Serve warm out of the oven or reheated in the microwave. I especially love them slathered with jam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, these would be great as minis! The baking temperature will remain the same, but the baking time shorter. Start checking them for doneness at about 12 minutes. All ovens are different though, so keep a close eye on them.
Definitely! The donut muffins will work with any kind of non-dairy milk like soy, almond, or oat milk.
For sure — the muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
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Donut Muffins
Sweet, cake-like and scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, these muffins taste remarkably like donuts.
Ingredients
For Muffin Batter
- 1 cup milk (low-fat is fine)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
For Muffin Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a standard muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the milk and lemon juice in a measuring cup or bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla.
- Add a third of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix on low speed to combine. Add half of the milk mixture and mix well. Mix in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and finally the remaining flour mixture. Mix until evenly combined but don't over-mix. The batter will be very thick.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to the rim. (I like to use an ice cream scoop with a wire scraper for this.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
- In the meantime, prepare the toppings: Melt the butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, whisk the cinnamon and sugar together.
- When the muffins are cool enough to handle, working one by one, use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar. If you have cinnamon-sugar left over, sprinkle muffins again. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store at room temperature. Reheat muffins briefly in microwave for that fresh out of the oven taste.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: the muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 342
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Sugar: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 234 mg
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These turned out kind of dry for me, especially once the cooled all the way 🙁 The flavoring on top though is delicious!
This is a recipe that I had made with my children when they were small. Now I make them with my Granddaughters. I like the addition of the lemon! The texture of the muffin is wonderful and the taste is one that is hard to beat! They are best right out of the oven but can be warmed up and still taste great! Give this recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed!
Super wonderful recipe. Defiantly are something you don’t want to serve cold as they tend to be a little drier. When we are out an about and don’t have the opportunity to heat them up we serve with a little butter! mmmmmm!
I’d been waiting for an occasion to make these with my three year old. Rainy Saturday morning was the time. The texture was outstanding – moist and light, fluffy crumb yet deliciously crisp top – but I found them super rich. There were pools of butter in each of the muffin compartments, under the muffin liners, which made me wonder: is all that butter really necessary? Still, a quite good recipe.
These look delicious except I am not a fan of nutmeg. Can I substitute cinnamon for nutmeg in this recipe? Or will it really change the whole doughnut concept?
Hi Lissa, they’ll taste slightly different but will still be delicious. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I made a version of these when my kids were little. We loved them! When I saw this recipe I decided to make them to bring back memories. These are so good! I followed the recipe and like the addition of lemon juice. The only thing I do differently is I roll the entire muffin in butter and the sugar mixture. Yum!!
I made these and they were fantastic! I brought them to work and within seconds they were gone! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
These were rather bland. The texture was amazing, but the only thing that kind of saved them was the sugar topping. I only added 1/2 t nutmeg and it felt a bit too strong (this is a personal preference). It seemed to me these muffins are a vehicle for jam, but don’t shine on their own.
These muffins were perfect! Loved how easy they were to make and did taste like a doughnut and a muffin at the same time! This recipe is also very easy to cut in half if you only need a half dozen. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Easy to make, lovely light sponge, we devoured them! Lovely for a cooler and rainy weekend, thank you 😊