Looking for an easy donut recipe but hate frying? These Cinnamon Cardamom Mini Donut Muffins are baked to perfection, tender inside and coated in a spiced sugar topping. Try them today for the perfect bite-sized treat.
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These Cinnamon Cardamom Mini Donut Muffins are tender little bites of joy. Baked instead of fried, with no need for a donut pan, they are rolled in a warm spiced sugar topping for an irresistible flavor and texture. They combine the nostalgic flavor of a donut hole with the cozy aroma of cinnamon and cardamom, making them the perfect anytime treat.
This recipe is one I first shared years ago, but I recently baked a fresh batch and remembered just how much I adore these little mini muffins. They are easy to make, disappear quickly, and are a fun way to bring donut-shop flavor right to your kitchen without the fryer. Let's just say my family was very happy to rediscover them with me.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Bite-sized - Perfect little muffins that taste like the softest donut holes you can imagine.
- Spiced sugar - A cozy cinnamon-cardamom topping\ makes them irresistible.
- Easy prep Simple batter that comes together quickly with pantry staples for an easy breakfast.
- Baked, not fried - All the donut taste without the hassle of deep frying.
- Crowd-pleasing - Everyone loves a warm, sugary muffin bite.
Once you try these tiny little puff balls, you will want to keep a batch on at all times for breakfast, brunch, or for grabbing as you walk through the kitchen.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This uses most of the same ingredients as my other muffin recipes. Here is what you will need to make these doughnuts, along with a few substitution ideas to make them work for everyone:
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour for these doughnut muffins. Whole wheat flour can be substituted for half of it, but the muffins will more dense.
- Brown sugar - Adds moisture and depth of flavor. You can use granulated sugar if needed or you can mix granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses to make your own brown sugar.
- Milk - Whole milk gives the best richness, but 2 percent will work. Nondairy options like oat or almond milk are fine too. You can also replace the milk with plain yogurt (not Greek) or buttermilk, but you may need a few tablespoons more.
- Butter and oil - This combo gives both flavor and tenderness. You can use all butter or all oil, but I find the mix is best.
- Cornstarch - Helps create a softer, more tender crumb by reducing the overall protein in the flour, which means less gluten.
- Spices - Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom give warmth. The nutmeg really makes these taste like donut shop donuts, but you can leave it out if you like. If you don't have cardamom, you can leave it out and just make the most delicious cinnamon donut muffins.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Yeastie Boys Want to jump into the world of yeasted dough? Try one of my super simple buttery brioche donuts. Start with my easy homemade yeast donuts or bring a little zing with my blood orange glazed donuts. Both are great choices and easy enough for beginners!
Variations
There are so many ways to make these muffins your own. Here are a few fun ideas:
- Pumpkin spice - Replace the other spices with 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice in the batter and roll in pumpkin spice sugar.
- Chocolate sugar - Swap the spiced sugar topping for cocoa and sugar for a chocolaty twist.
- Nutty crunch - Stir in finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Glazed - Skip the sugar dip and instead drizzle with a simple glaze made of powdered sugar and milk.
Cynthia's Recipe Review
These muffins are better than the ones I made in the bakery and not just because I can make them in my pajamas. The texture is soft and fluffy on the inside, with the perfect spiced sugar crunch on the outside. The cardamom really elevates the flavor beyond a basic cinnamon donut, and they are honestly dangerous to keep on the counter because they disappear so fast.
Equipment
I use a mini muffin pan for this recipe, which gives you bite-sized donut muffins in just a few minutes. You can also bake them in a standard muffin pan (increase the bake time to about 18 to 20 minutes) or transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it into a donut pan for perfectly spiced cinnamon cardamom donuts.
Quick Recipe Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow along with my simple steps and you won't go wrong. The batter comes together in minutes and the muffins bake up quickly. With process photos, you will see just how easy they are.
- Start by preheating your oven to 375°F and spraying a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray, wiping off the excess from the surface of the pan.
Step 1: Add all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Step 2: Melt the butter and add vegetable oil to cool to room temperature and add to all the other wet ingredients and whisk thoroughly.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Mixed together just until the last of the dry ingredients disappear. If you have time, allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes so the flower can fully hydrate and the baking powder can start doing its job.
Step 5: Use a small cookie scoop, a couple of spoons, or a piping bag, to place about one and a half tablespoons of batter into each mini muffin well.
Step 6: Bake in your preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Let cool in the pan for five minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 7: Melt your butter and mixed together your cinnamon cardamom sugar topping. Brush each mini muffin with melted butter (or just give it a dip and shake off the excess).
Step 8: Toss them in your spiced sugar and place them back on the rack while you dress up the rest of them.
Hint: Finish with an extra toss in the sugar bowl if you want them extra coated, and serve warm or at room temperature. You should probably taste one for quality control. Like anyone's gonna count them 🙄
Cynthia's Helpful Tips
- Piping bag trick If you don't have a tiny cookie scoop and want to make life easier, use a piping bag or a ziptop bag to pipe batter neatly into muffin cups.
- Cool slightly - These muffins are extremely tender. Let muffins cool a bit before rolling in butter and sugar so they hold their shape.
- Do not overmix - Mix just until flour disappears to keep that tender texture.
- Batch baking - If you have a smaller mini muffin pan, wipe out and recoat your muffin tin with nonstick spray between batches for easy release.
- Double coat - Roll muffins twice in sugar if you want a more decadent spiced layer.
Serving Suggestion
As easy as it is to grab one of these off the platter and pop it into my mouth every time I walk through the kitchen (which is a lot), sometimes I like to and make myself a nice French toast latte, sit down with a plateful of donut muffins and a just breathe. 10 out of 10. Highly recommend.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Bake, sugar coat, and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Just pop a couple in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
Absolutely. Freeze uncoated muffins in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Reheat, brush with butter, and roll in spiced sugar when ready to serve.
Yes. For a lighter version, roll the mini donut muffins in spiced sugar without brushing them with butter first.
Did you try this recipe?
Please consider leaving a comment with a ⭐️ rating below and tell me all about it! It helps me to continue to improve my content and lets others know what you think!
I appreciate it so much!
-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Cardamom Mini Donut Muffins
Recommended Equipment
- Optional: Piping bag and donut pan to make donuts instead of muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (183 g) whole milk room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cinnamon-Cardamom Sugar Topping
- 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks) melted
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- In a small pan, melt butter and stir in vegetable oil. In a bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla, then add butter-oil mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Fill muffin cups two-thirds full, about 1 ½ tablespoons per muffin. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until puffed and springy and a toothpick or skewer and started it in the center comes back clean.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
- For the topping, melt butter in a pan. In a bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Dip or brush muffins in melted butter, then roll in sugar mixture. Repeat until all muffins are coated.
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Video
Notes
- For a lighter version, skip the butter dip simply roll your mini muffins in the spiced sugar after baking.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave.
- Uncoated muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat, brush with butter, and roll in spiced sugar before serving.
- You can also bake these in a standard muffin pan (increase the bake time to about 18 to 20 minutes) or transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it into a donut pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes
I eat these and they're good
The perfect testimonial!
This recipe checks all the boxes for me. Saved it on Paprika, and will be making soon!! Thanks Cynthia
Thanks Doris! I love having a collection of go to recipes that I can make whenever I’m in the mood!
These are my absolute go-to dessert to make for company (and myself). Lots of people don’t know what cardamom tastes like, but it’s so delicious in this recipe with the cinnamon and hint of vanilla! You get hooked. People always ask me for the recipe after they eat these, and the best part is that they’re SUPER easy to make! Today, I made a double batch for the staff at the school I work at, and they finished all 72 of them. Make these! You won’t regret it. Even if you eat 72 of them.
Yay!! I’m so glad all of you love them so much!!