Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

These Cinnamon Toast Crunch donuts are the easiest and coziest nostalgic recipe that have the cereal baked in and on top of the donuts!

These Cinnamon Toast Crunch donuts are fluffy, filled with a cinnamon sugar flavor, and look so cute despite being really easy! If you love Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, then you will be obsessed with these baked donuts. They have the cereal include in the donut batter, as well on top of the finished glazed donuts, so the flavor of the cereal really comes through! The cinnamon flavor is so cozy and perfect for fall. These would be great for having in the morning with coffee, or a late night treat with some hot chocolate.

We've made different flavor combinations of our donut recipe used here, and the donuts come out perfectly every time! They're baked which means the mess is very minimal and they're super easy. If you've never made homemade baked donuts before, you'll be amazed at how simple and foolproof they are to make. Decorating them with the cinnamon glaze and more of the cereal is also so easy, but they end up looking so impressive and cute.

If you're looking for another cozy cinnamon recipe, you'll love our Cinnamon Bread Pudding, or if you're looking for another easy baked good, be sure to try our Strawberry Snacking Cake.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love these Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts
• Ingredients for the Donuts
• Ingredients for the Cinnamon Glaze
• Step by Step Instructions for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts
• Tips for Making these Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts
• FAQs
• Storing and Freezing
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love these Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

They taste just like the nostalgic cereal! Not only do these donuts look like Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, the flavor of the cereal also comes through so well making them a great recipe for the favorite cereal.

They look so cute but are really easy. If you love the fun and impressive looking donuts from bakeries, then you'll be amazed how easy these at-home donuts are and how cute they turn out with the glaze and toppings.

It's a quick recipe! Making the donuts and the glaze is very fast, and decorating them doesn't take too long either. This makes them perfect to whip up for a cozy breakfast or brunch, or whenever you're craving a soft, cinnamon, treat!

Ingredients for the Donuts

The donuts have a simple list of ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand. Some crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is used, (of course!), to ensure the donuts themselves also taste like the cinnamon cereal!

• Flour - Make sure to accurately measure the flour using preferably a kitchen scale, or the scoop and level method. Too much flour will make the donuts dense and dry.
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal - Some finely crushed cereal is included in the donut batter to ensure that the donuts themselves also taste like the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. I like to finely crush the cereal in a food processor to ensure it's very fine and evenly crushed.
• Sugar - Of course, but not too much that they're overly sweet.
• Light brown sugar - Some brown sugar in place of all white sugar adds a little extra richness which pairs so well with the cinnamon.
• Baking soda - Just a little which is activated by the sour cream.
• Baking powder - Also a little to ensure the donuts are perfectly puffy.
• Salt - Helps to bring out the flavor of all the ingredients.
• Cinnamon - Also ensures the donuts will have the classic flavor of the cereal!
• Milk - Helps to ensure the texture of the dough is light and not too dense.
• Sour cream - Helps to make the donuts tender and a bit richer.
• Melted butter - Using melted butter makes these donuts even easier because they don't require a stand mixer. You just want to make sure that the butter isn't hot when combined with the other ingredients.
• Vanilla extract - Just a little so it's not overpowering.
• Canola oil - Helps make the donuts extra moist, and since it has a neutral flavor, you won't be able to taste it at all in the baked donuts.
• Eggs - Just 2 in this recipe.

Ingredients for the Cinnamon Glaze

The cinnamon glaze couldn't be easier, and only requires 3 ingredients! You'll also just need additional Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to top the donuts and make them extra fun.

• Powdered sugar - This glaze uses a bit more powdered sugar than you might see in other glazes because it helps to thicken it up and ensure that the glaze sticks to the donut and isn't runny.
• Milk - To thin out the powdered sugar and create the glaze! I like to add the milk a teaspoon at a time as if you accidentally add too much it can quickly make your glaze too thin. If this does happen though, just mix in a bit more powdered sugar.
• Cinnamon - Adds a cinnamon flavor to the glaze and also turns it a pretty light brown color! If you love cinnamon you can also add a dash more.
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal - I like to crush up some additional pieces to sprinkle on the donuts once they're glazed, and I also think it makes them look extra cute if you stick on a few whole pieces as well.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Step by Step Instructions for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

The donuts and the glaze are super simple and quick to make, and decorating them doesn't take too long either! Since this recipe also only makes 12, it's not a super daunting task to glaze and decorate each of them.

STEP 1: Preheat oven and prepare pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two 6-cavity donut pans with cooking spray.

STEP 2: Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, finely crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

STEP 3: Whisk wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, sour cream, butter, vanilla extract, and canola oil. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition.

STEP 4: Combine dry and wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix with a spatula until just combined, being sure not to over mix.

STEP 5: Bake donuts. Scoop or pipe batter into greased donut pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not over bake.

STEP 6: Cool donuts. Once donuts are done baking, let cool partially in the pans until they're no longer hot but still warm (about 10 minutes), then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 7: Make the cinnamon glaze. While donuts are cooling, combine powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon in a small bowl and whisk to combine. If the glaze seems too thin add additional powdered sugar until slightly thickened.

STEP 8: Finish the donuts. Once cool, dip each donut first in the glaze, dunking the top side of the donut fully. Immediately sprinkle with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal crumbs, then top with additional whole Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces. Repeat with remaining donuts.

Tips for Making these Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donuts

• Don't over mix the donut batter or over bake the donuts, as this will lead to dense and dry donuts that aren't as fluffy! I recommend using a toothpick to test the donuts right at 15 minutes, and then removing them as soon as the toothpick comes out mostly clean.
• Make sure not to add too much milk to the glaze as this will make it too thin and it will run off of the donuts. If you add too much milk it will also be more translucent, and won't give that glazed donut look.
• Let the donuts cool in their donut pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack. If you try and remove them right away it may cause them to break and for parts of the donuts to stick to the pans.

FAQs

What's the best way to add the batter to the pans?
It makes it so easy if you add the batter to a piping bag with either no tip or a large circular tip. Pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling it pretty well but not all the way to the top. The donuts puff up quite a bit in the oven, and if you want a nice circular hole in the middle of each, you don't want to overfill the cavities.

What if I don't have donut pans?
I definitely recommend purchasing them as they're pretty reasonably priced and work like a charm. I have silicone ones which make it super easy to pop out the donuts. If you don't have a pan though you should be able to try using a muffin pan! I haven't personally tried it but I'm fairly sure it would work, you might just need to adjust the cooking time slightly.

What is the best way to decorate the donuts?
My favorite way to glaze donuts is to put a wire rack over a baking sheet, dip the donuts in the glaze, then place them on the wire rack. This allows some of the excess glaze to drip off without making a mess. You can also add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal topping while they're on the wire rack.

Storing and Freezing

The donuts can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days. If you want to make them ahead of time, I would recommend adding the glaze and toppings the day you plan on serving them, but they can be completely made in advance if you want to snack on them for a few days!

The unglazed donuts can also be frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months then thawed in the refrigerator overnight before topping with the glaze. I don't recommend freezing them once they're glazed and decorated.

If you make this recipe we would absolutely love if you left a star review and/or comment! Also, make sure to tag us on Instagram @doublethespoonfuls so we can see what you create.

📖 Recipe