These pumpkin cottage cheese donuts are soft and fluffy. The donuts need just 4 ingredients and don’t require any eggs, refined sugar, butter or oil. The donuts are also baked instead of fried. The donuts are ready in less than 30 minutes.

These donuts are easy to prepare. They have a naturally festive orange color and are a fun and unique way to enjoy pumpkin and cottage cheese.

Ingredients

  • Pumpkin
  • Cottage cheese
  • Maple syrup
  • Self-rising flour

Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin puree is used to give the donuts their pumpkin flavor.

Cottage cheese: I recommend using a high protein 4% cottage cheese so the dough is not too wet.

Maple syrup: Maple syrup is used to lightly sweeten the donut dough.

Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is a flour blend that already includes a leavening agent and sodium, saving a few extra preparation steps. You can also make a homemade self-rising flour blend using all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.

How to Make Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Donuts

  • Add pumpkin, cottage cheese and maple syrup to a small high powered blender and blend until smooth.
  • Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add in the flour and fold it in with a spatula. Be careful not to overwork the dough. It should look airy with pockets of air in the dough.
  • Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Using slightly wet hands, shape the dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  • You can bake the donuts or cook them in the air fryer. The donuts need about 16 minutes in the oven and about 10 minutes in the air fryer.
  • If desired, you can glaze the donuts or coat them in cinnamon sugar. If you want the donuts to be refined sugar-free you can use coconut sugar or a sugar substitute in place of sugar for the cinnamon sugar coating.

Expert Tips

  • The donuts turn out well both in the air fryer and the oven. I did find the donuts spread out a little more in the oven and stay more round in the air fryer. The air fryer version also has a crispier exterior.
  • The donuts do brown and crisp up without any oil, but if you want the outside to be a little more crispy, you can lightly spray the tops with oil before cooking them.
  • The donuts are lightly sweet on their own. If you don’t wish to coat them or glaze them, you can increase the maple syrup by 1-2 tbsp.

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4 Ingredient Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Donuts

These 4-Ingredient Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Donuts are soft, fluffy, and easy to make. No refined sugar, eggs, butter or oil. Cottage cheese adds a boost of protein while pumpkin purée keeps the donuts tender and moist, and maple syrup adds just the right amount of sweetness. They’re easy to make in the oven or air fryer.
Servings: 26 donuts
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (175g) 4% high protein cottage cheese, see note before starting
  • 1/3 cup (86g) pumpkin puree
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) maple syrup
  • 1 1/3 cups (185g) self-rising flour, see note before starting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If using air fryer, you can either grease the inner air fryer insert or line it with parchment paper.
  • Add the cottage cheese, pumpkin, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice (1/2 tsp if using) to a small blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed
  • Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the self-rising flour and fold in the flour with a spatula until the flour is incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overwork the dough. The dough should look light and airy, with plenty of air pockets. See photo for reference.
  • Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Using lightly wet hands, gently shape the dough into a ball and place onto your prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Space dough balls about 1 inch apart. Optional step: If you want the exterior of the dough to be crispy longer, you can lightly spray the tops of the dough balls with oil. This is optional. The dough balls do crisp up and brown without any oil but they will stay crispy a little longer with oil.
  • Oven instructions: Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown and cooked through.
    Air fryer instructions: You will likely need to cook the donuts in smaller batches. Preheat your air fryer to 325°F (160°C) and cook the donuts for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
  • Let donuts cool slightly before serving. Donuts are best served warm while the outside is crispy and the inside is very fluffy. Because the donuts are not fried in oil, they don't stay fluffy as long and will become more dense when they are cooled which is why they are best enjoyed soon after they are made. If desired, you can also coat the donuts in glaze or cinnamon sugar coating or a cinnamon sugar substitute coating. If coating in cinnamon sugar, you will need to brush the donuts with melted butter or a little water to help the cinnamon sugar coating stick. See notes section for the cinnamon sugar coating I used.
  • Store uneaten donuts in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Reheat them before eating.

Notes

  • If you want to use pumpkin pie spice, I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon to the dough.
  • It helps to use a small high powered blender to blend everything smooth. I use a personal NutriBullet.*
  • Pumpkin note: Try to use a brand of canned pumpkin that makes a thick puree. Avoid ones that are watery. I used Libby's pumpkin puree* and Whole Foods 365.*
  • Cottage cheese note: This recipe works best with 4% cottage cheese. Lowfat cottage cheese will make the dough too wet. You also want a high protein cottage cheese (between 13-14 grams of protein per 1/2 cup.) I used Good Culture.*
  • Self-rising flour note. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill, which will not work well for this recipe. Measure out 1 1/3 cups for the recipe.
  • Optional Cinnamon sugar coating: Donuts can be eaten plain or they can be coated in glaze or a cinnamon sugar coating. If you want to keep these refined sugar free, you can also coat them in coconut sugar or a sugar substitute. To make cinnamon sugar coating, combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon. Pour into a bag big enough to fit a few donut holes. Add a few donuts holes, seal the bag and shake until the donuts are coated. Remove the coated donuts and repeat with remaining donuts. If you are coating the donuts, this is best done while the donuts are still warm. The steam from the donuts helps the cinnamon sugar coating stick. If the coating is not sticking, lightly brush the surface of the donuts with a little water or melted butter and then coat in the cinnamon sugar.
  • Estimated nutrition does not include the cinnamon sugar coating.
Serving: 1donut, Calories: 34kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Sodium: 89mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 2g, NET CARBS: 6
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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