With the help of frozen yeast rolls, these Easy Pumpkin Creme Donuts are so simple, you’ll be making them every weekend this fall instead of heading to Krispy Kreme!

I know what you’re thinking. “Easy Pumpkin Creme Donuts, yeah right.” Hear me out. No mixing. No kneading. No rolling. Sound too good to be true? It’s true! Keep reading to find out how!

For some reason, homemade donuts can be really intimidating for people. I can see why, yeast dough in general freaks people out, but lucky for you, I’ve found a hack around that…. frozen yeast dinner rolls.

All you have to make from scratch is the pumpkin custard filling and that’s a breeze. These are the most perfect fall breakfast there was. If you love any kind of custard-filled donuts or creme-filled donuts, you’ll adore these. 

To me, donuts just scream ‘Fall’. My absolute favorite thing is going apple picking and getting fresh, hot cider donuts. I’m actually drooling right now. My Baked Apple Cinnamon Powdered Donuts hit that craving so I might have to make those soon!

Between those and these Easy Pumpkin Creme Donuts, I think I’m set. These are tossed in cinnamon sugar and filled with the most perfect pumpkin pudding ever. Have leftover filling? We’ll call that a snack for the chef 😉

Ingredients & Subs

• Rhodes Yeast Rolls — The trick to the easiest donuts you can make is to use Rhodes Bake-N-Serv® Yeast Dinner Rolls. Did I just blow your mind? They’re perfectly portioned and ready for you to use straight from the freezing. No messing with yeast or anything. I’m seriously never making donuts the same way again. You’ll need to set aside some time to allow them to rise, but other than that, this recipe takes so little time, you’ll be astonished. 
• Vegetable oil  
• Sugar  
• Cinnamon
• Whole milk
• Light brown sugar
• Cornstarch
• Egg
• Pumpkin puree
• Nutmeg
• Salt 

** You could use pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg if you like! 

How to store

These donuts have a 24hr life, max. The good news is, they probably won’t last that long anyway. After a day or so the cinnamon sugar sinks into the dough and the whole thing just gets kind of soggy. Since you use frozen dinner rolls, though, they’re super easy to make whenever you like! 

My family has had one go-to brand for rolls for many years, Rhodes Bake-N-Serv®. I know you’ve seen that orange bag in the freezer aisle of your grocery store a thousand times and thought about picking it up on many occasions. Now’s the time to see what you’ve been missing!

You have enough to do when it comes to the holiday season. The last thing you want to do is slave over the kitchen counter kneading the dough and making equally sized rolls. The same goes for donuts!

With Rhodes, you get the convenience of store-bought rolls with the homemade flavor you want on those special occasions.

Hot Tip

I love that Rhodes is a family business that’s dedicated to creating quality products. Not only do I adore the Thaw, Rise & Bake! Dinner Rolls that I used for today’s recipe, I’m obsessed with the Warm-N-Serve Artisan French Rolls, which I used for meatball sliders the other day, and the Anytime!® Cinnamon Rolls, which are perfect for brunch when you have company for the holidays!

Check out their store locator to see where you can purchase Rhodes products near you!

More Fall Dessert Recipes You’ll Love!

Candy Corn Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Easy Pumpkin Creme Donuts

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Apple Layer Cake with Bourbon Butterscotch Buttercream

Check my post for Easy Brunch Tips with a recipe for Bourbon Brown Sugar Bacon to go alongside!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Take a browse around the site and please let me know if you make anything by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or requests!

Continue to Content

Yield: 12

Easy Pumpkin Creme Donuts

Prep Time: 5 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes

With the help of frozen yeast rolls, these Easy Pumpkin Creme Donuts are so simple, you’ll be making them every weekend this fall!

Print

Ingredients

• 12 Rhodes Yeast Rolls, thawed, but still cold
• vegetable oil, for frying
• Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pumpkin Filling
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Begin by placing your balls of dough out on a greased surface to thaw.
   
2. Let your dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 5 hours. Be sure to space your dough out far enough that when they rise, they don't touch.
   
3. Heat your fry oil over medium heat until shimmering. You want the oil to be about 350ºF. Fry your donuts for about 30 seconds to a minute on each side until golden brown. Adjust your heat as necessary between batches.
   
4. Place your donuts on a paper towel to drain and cool.
   
5. In a bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Coat each donut with cinnamon and sugar once cooled.
   
6. Place the milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture has thickened, quickly whisk 1/3 cup of the mixture into the lightly beaten egg, then whisk the mixture back into the saucepan. Lower heat to low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.
   
7. Place mixture over an ice bath and allow filling to cool completely about 1 hour. Refrigerate until ready to use.
   
8. When you're ready to fill your donuts, carefully use a paring knife to make a small slit in the donut. Scoop the filling into a piping bag fitting with a small piping tip. Insert the piping tip into the slit and fill with about 1 tablespoon of filling. Repeat until all doughnuts have been filled.
   
9. Serve immediately.
   

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 3gSugar: 31gProtein: 6g

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