Make Gourmet Doughnuts in 30 minutes with this easy recipe. Using a can of biscuits as a base, these Apple Pie Donuts are decadently sweet, with a tangy creamy cheese frosting and lots of caramel!
You can’t go wrong with caramel and apples. This Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake is another breakfast treat to add to your rotation.
Breakfast or Dessert
Some might call doughnuts topped with caramel, frosting and peanuts a little over the top. I call them perfection. If you’re going to eat doughnuts, you might as well go all in, right?
These Apple Pie Doughnuts are inspired by doughnuts sold by a well known donut shop in Austin, Texas. Only these are made with refrigerated biscuits and ready in just 30 minutes.
Buttery, rich, and soft, these apple pie pastries are a perfect special occasion breakfast. With all that caramel sauce and cream cheese frosting, they’re an obvious choice for dessert too.
One bite of these incredible apple doughnuts and you’ll understand why I became obsessed!
Ingredient Notes
- Pillsbury Grand Biscuits. These get super big and puffy when fried, making them ideal for doughnuts.
- Cream cheese frosting. The frosting here is based on my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, made by beating cream cheese with butter and powdered sugar.
- Apples. Any variety of apples will work! I like to use a combination of sweet and tart ones like Honeycrisp and Fuji.
- Caramel sauce. Any bottled or jarred caramel ice cream topping will taste delicious drizzled on your finished doughnuts.
- Peanuts. I recommend salted, dry-roasted peanuts to complement the sweetness of the caramel.
Tips and Tricks
- In a hurry? Use canned apple pie filling instead of making it from scratch.
- Give the biscuits a more doughnut-like appearance by poking a hole in the center with a 1-inch circular cookie cutter. I used a cannoli tube!
- Fry the biscuits for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they’re golden brown and puffy.
- While the doughnuts are cooling, make the apple pie filling and frosting. By the time they’re done the doughnuts will be ready for frosting and topping!
Recipe FAQs
No deep fryer needed for this recipe! These apple pie doughnuts are fried on the stove top. Any large skillet with a heavy bottom and rimmed sides will work.
The amount of oil you need for frying doughnuts depends on the size of your pan. Add enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about a half inch of oil.
Baking these apple pie doughnuts won’t produce the same results. They’ll taste more like sweet biscuits than true doughnuts. Still delicious if that’s what you’re going for. If you’re looking for a baked donut recipe, try my Apple Cider Donuts or these Pumpkin Streusel Donuts.
Fried doughnuts are best served fresh the same day they are made. You can make the cream frosting and apple pie filling in advance and store them in the refrigerator until ready to use. Then all you have to do is pop open the biscuits, fry ’em up and add the caramel apple toppings. Quick and easy!
More Apple Recipes
- Apple Crumble Recipe
- Apple Pie Poke Cake
- Easy Apple Blondies
- Applesauce Recipe
- Apple Hand Pies
- Butter Pecan Apple Skillet Cake
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Apple Pie Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the Doughnut:
- 1 package Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
- vegetable oil for frying
For the Frosting:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 ounce cream cheese softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk
For the Apple Pie Filling:
- 1 ½ cup sliced apples
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch of nutmeg
- ¾ cup water
For the garnish:
- ¼ cup caramel ice cream topping
- ½ cup dry roasted peanuts salted
Instructions
- In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat oil about 1/2-3/4 inch high. Depending on your size skillet will determine how much oil is necessary. Bring oil to a sizzle when you drop a couple drops of water into it.
- Separate biscuits and using a one inch circle cutter (I used a cannoli tube) pop center hole out of each biscuit so it resembles a donut. Fry each biscuit for 2-3 minutes each side. Allow to cool and dry on paper towels.
- While donuts are cooling, prepare apple pie filling (or use jarred/canned to save time). In a small saucepan, bring sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and water to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add apple slices (or diced) and reduce heat to simmer.
- Cover and simmer for about 6-8 minutes, until apples are fork tender. Remove from heat and cool.
- For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and milk and beat an additional 3-5 minutes.
- To assemble, frost cooled doughnut with cream cheese frosting. Top with cooled apple pie filling, peanuts and caramel sauce (divide evenly among the 8 doughnuts). ENJOY.
Notes
- For a quick substitution, swap out the homemade apple pie filling for canned pie filling.
- Give the biscuits a more doughnut-like appearance by poking a hole in the center with a 1-inch circular cookie cutter. I used a cannoli tube!
- Fry the biscuits for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they're golden brown and puffy.
- While the doughnuts are cooling, make the apple pie filling and frosting. By the time they're done the doughnuts will be ready for frosting and topping!
Nutrition
Caramel apple doughnuts are easy to make in 30 minutes! Delicious for breakfast, dessert or anytime of day.
I love the idea of using Pillsbury to make donuts! Some recipes can be so intimidating but this one looks easy. Not to mention that your photos are amazing so these ones are definitely calling out to me. 🙂
Thank you Tina. Pillsbury Grands Biscuits make delicious donuts. Give it a try, seriously! Thanks for the sweet compliment on my photos too 🙂
That apple pie filing and toppings!! Oh my 🙂
Oh my goodness – I’m totally dying over this one!
Oh my stars, Aimee! Apple Pie? In doughnut form? I am SO there! Just gorgeous and love that there is caramel and peanuts on top, too! Love, love, love. Most excellent post, girl! xo
So impressed that you made these with biscuits! Irresistible!!
Thanks Julie, shortcuts that taste great are so awesome!
I have found my true love in doughnut form 🙂
Stop it… this looks so good and I bet tastes just as good (if not better) as the one we shared in Austin!
It was only lacking in company!
How yummy do these look?! And I LOVE that you can make them so quickly. There are so many good doughnut recipes in this round up that I’m going to need to start going to Barre 7 days a week instead of 3.
You’ve outdone yourself…AGAIN. These look so incredible — they’re very photogenic! I saw them on Foodgawker before I saw them here and oh boy do they look great.
Thanks Marcie. You’re too sweet!
I need one of these for lunch. 🙂 YUM!
Anything with apple pie is fine by me! Love this!
I wanted to have this one so bad at Gourdough’s but ended up trying 4 others instead. I really have to make this at home now!!
Oh you only tried 4? LOL 🙂
Love the shortcut! I am in love with all of these donuts, it is making me sad I missed Austin all over again!
Next year 🙂
Heaven in a doughnut!! I’m speechless 🙂
Well it’s about time! ha. Kidding 🙂
Oh my gosh, Aimee!! Your doughnuts look perfect!! Loved getting to know you in Austin!! 🙂 xoxo
Thanks Amanda! right back at ya!
Hellloooo beautiful! These look incredible, Aimee!
Oh these apple doughnuts were amazing!!! You recreated them so perfectly!!! Now I seriously need to make these ones….love the apples and peanuts on top of cream cheese frosting!!!
I love how easy these seem and how AWESOME they look!!
Thanks Sues! they really are easy with all the shortcuts!
You had me at apple – seriously – in love.
Holy moly Aimee! I never got to try this one but it looks amazing! Anything with cream cheese frosting is alright with me 😉
Oh Trish, it was the best one!! 😉