Yep, you read that right! Gluten-free AND Vegan Doughnuts that you can make yourself at home with just 5 ingredients! Plus, they’re far healthier than the regular donuts you’ll find at the donut shops. On top of being gluten, dairy, and egg free, they are also sugar free doughnuts! You’re going to absolutely LOVE these! They are fluffy, quick, perfectly sweet, and family-friendly. And the best part is they’re so simple to make!
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
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Why this recipe works
These vegan gluten free donuts are great at any time of the year! This batter is also very versatile for use in other recipes such as muffins, cinnamon rolls, etc. The Vegan Chocolate Sauce is versatile as well! For those with Coeliac disease or on a vegan or Gluten-Free diet for other reasons, it is so nice to find fresh gluten-free baked doughnuts that taste like the real thing!
Incredibly light and fluffy inside and they totally look the part if you’re trying to impress family or friends! These are by far the best healthy baked doughnuts I have tried. Ready to try this delicious recipe?! I am so excited to hear what you think.
This recipe was inspired by my Gluten-Free Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts. If you need a variety of desserts, it pairs well with my Vegan Rocky Road and Chocolate Almond and Coconut Balls.
Ingredients to make Gluten Free Vegan Doughnuts
- Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour – is one of my favourite gluten-free products. It is different from regular gluten-free flour blends because it also includes some baking powder and salt.
- Almond Milk – is my preferred milk of choice in these vegan chocolate donuts, but any plant-based milk will do the job.
- Maple Syrup – adds a deliciously sweet flavour to these homemade gluten free doughnuts. If you have some spare then use it in my Puff Pastry Apple Tart.
- Coconut Oil – should be melted for this recipe. You can do this by microwaving it for 15 seconds at a time and stirring in between.
- Cacao Powder – is the hero ingredient in this recipe to create the chocolate sauce! It will level up your gluten free doughnuts and leave everyone asking for more.
- Salt – Just a pinch of salt will do. While salt is not the flavour one associates with homemade doughnuts, it brings out all of the other flavours in the recipe.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Gluten-Free Self-Raising Flour – Like I mentioned earlier, the self-raising flour has some baking powder and salt in it, so if you replace it, you’ll need to add a little more of those. You can use your favourite flour in this recipe – white rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, or even wheat flour or all purpose flour if gluten-free isn’t a concern for you (just note they will not be as light and fluffy inside without using self raising flour).
- Coconut Oil – You can use vegan butter, olive oil, or another oil in place of coconut oil.
- Almond Milk – As I said before, you can use any milk in place of almond milk in this recipe.
Variations
- Kid-Friendly: If you have kids, then definitely get them to make these easy homemade doughnuts with or for you! They will have so much fun AND you get to eat them! That’s a win-win!!!
- Cinnamon Sugar: If you want a cinnamon sugar mixture rather than Vegan Glazed Doughnuts, try my Baked Spiced Pears. They are just as easy and just as delicious!
- Double Chocolate: Add some vegan chocolate chips sprinkled on top for some extra chocolatey goodness!
- Donut Holes: Rather than using a donut pan, plop dough into a muffin pan for some yummy donut holes!
How to make Baked Gluten Free Doughnuts
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (360 degrees F).
Combine the gluten free flour, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and the milk into a large bowl and mix well until it becomes a smooth batter.
Step 2: Use coconut oil to grease your doughnut mould and spoon the donut dough into the donut pan. Be sure to smooth the top of each gluten free donut.
Put the doughnut pan into the oven and allow them to cook for 12-15 minutes.
Step 3: Now onto the really fun part – adding the vegan homemade chocolate sauce! While the gluten-free donuts bake, prepare the chocolate topping. Add melted coconut oil, a small pinch of salt, maple syrup in a Bain Marie (a glass bowl over boiling water). Slowly stir in the cacao powder until it reaches the consistency that you want.
When the vegan donuts are finished baking, dunk them into the chocolate sauce and set them on a cooling rack to dry. Add toppings while the chocolate sauce is wet.
Hint: For best results, I like to use silicon doughnut moulds. They make a great donut shape, they’re easy to get the doughnuts out of, and really quick to clean!
Leftovers
These are the best gluten free donuts, so don’t expect leftovers! If you do happen to have some left over, store them in an airtight container for a couple of days. They do become denser the longer you leave them out.
Recipe FAQs
No need for hot oil and deep frying to end up with some delicious homemade donuts! Simply put them in a donut mould and bake them in the oven!
Nope! Simply grab a donut recipe (like my gluten-free donut recipe) and get to work! The first time it may seem a little daunting, but it is actually a very simple process!
All you need to do is decide which topping you want to go for! The choices are endless! I personally love crushed pistachios for texture and colour or desiccated coconut. Some other great options are sprinkles or your favourite crushed cookie, candy, or cereal!
Add 2 teaspoon of baking powder per 200g of plain flour to make it self-raising. It’s a simple change and will do the same thing!
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Tried this Gluten Free Doughnuts (Vegan) recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
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Recipe
Gluten Free Doughnuts (Vegan)
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Large Spoon
- Bain Marie (glass bowl over boiling water)
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 200 g gluten free self raising flour
- 120-130 ml almond milk other plant-based milks will work
- 6 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 3 tablespoon cacao powder
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 180C / 360F
- In a large mixing bowl add the gluten free flour, 4 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoon melted coconut oil and the milk and mix well into a smooth batter
- Grease your doughnut mould with coconut oil and add the batter into each mould making sure to smooth over the top
- Add to the oven for 12-15 minutes (depending how hot your oven runs)
- Meanwhile prepare the chocolate topping. To a Bain Marie add 2 tablespoon melted coconut oil, small pinch of salt, 2 tablespoon maple syrup and then slowly stir in 2 or 3 tablespoon cacao powder until desired consistency
- Finally dunk the doughnuts into the chocolate sauce and place on a drying rack. You can now top with whatever you want. Leave to lightly set for 10-15 minutes
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that Nutrition information is a rough estimate
Love all your easy to follow simple recipes
Thank you Julie 🙂
Hi James, thanks for this recipe. It’s tricky to find decent gf and vegan bakes recipes. The first batch were very hard so I added more liquid in the next batch. I thought I’d cracked as they were lovely on the day I baked them but went really hard by the next day. Any ideas?
Thanks for your help.
Mandy
Hi James, these donuts were awesome.. just one clarification, I made these for my friend’s birthday. The donut was little dense. Any idea what could have gone wrong? I just followed your recipe fully. Is the batter has to be left for rest sometime before pouring to the mould?
These are AMAZING!!!
Thank you so much James for creating and sharing these delicious treats with us!
You are my hero!
For anyone who is dubious about trying this recipe and wondering if they are anything like a donut… Get whipping up a batch now! They are so so good! I never thought I would get this texture and had given up on the possibility of a vegan & gluten free (& baked) DONUT!
I hugely appreciate you sharing which brand of flour you used here also as the different brands vary so much and this obviously impacts on the results – it was really exciting that you use Doves Farm too as it’s so easy for me to get hold of.
Simply Delicious. It’s just going to be hard not to make these every day given how quick and easy they are! Haha!
Thanks so much for the lovely review Rae 🙂 so happy you enjoyed them!!
So so simple and delicious!!!
Made these with my daughter… topped them with icing and sprinkles so didnt stay refined sugar free. My partner was delighted to be able to have vegan and gluten free doughnuts! He asked when i am making another batch as its been years since he’s had such a good one. Thank you James for once again another allergy friendly recipe.
Yay I am so pleased Char 🙂 glad I am able to help out. Love hearing those stories!
Do you use xantham gum when using gluten free flour or is it not necessary?
Not necessary 🙂
Hello James, I have the United States. I am having trouble even converting grams to cups and ml to cups. What are your suggestions? Can’t understand google covert. Thank you James
Do you have any recipes using Cassava flour?
I don’t unfortunately Fran, never used it myself (yet)
Hi James, could these be adapted to make filled donuts? Am thinking that I’d need to cook them in a muffin tin, half fill with batter, add a spoonful of filling, and then top up with batter?? Do you think I would need to adjust the cooking time?? Thanks
Hey Rachel, hmm not sure this would work that well. Not sure, maybe give it a try and let me know 🙂
I think that would work as the batter is quite thick 🙂 going to try that myself
With some sugar free jam
Great recipe. Is there any alternative to coconut oil that can be used in the recipe?
Many Thanks
Try sunflower oil 🙂
Made these for the first time today with my 7 year old daughter. We subbed the coconut oil for 60g mashed banana, reduced the maple syrup to 1 tbsp and increased the milk from 120ml to 170ml to get a smooth batter consistency that looked like the picture. Made them in muffin cases as we don’t have a doughnut mould.
So ridiculously easy and fast to make – super light and fluffy and tasted amazing. Dipped the top in just melted 80% dark chocolate and a sprinkled a little coconut on top. Will definitely be making these again soon…
Awesome Phil! So pleased to hear the adjustments worked and made nice muffins 🙂
Completely out of maple syrup so used 100g banana and a bit more water to the 170ml coconut milk. Added some 80% dark chocolate chunks to the batter and dipped tops in melted chocolate.
Best donuts ever is the feedback we’ve had from everyone. Still can’t get over how simple and fast they are to make – already a regular recipe in our house – thanks James!!
The kids adore and so quick and easy to make up, thank you for sharing.
Hi James
What do I use for a white chocolate R-sugar free of course topping? I want to give this a go but I used to love white chocolate when I ate diary so would love to try it with that flavour
Thanks T
Hey Trina, I don’t know of any R sugar free white chocolate unfortunately.
Hello. How can we substitute the maple syrup to sugar? Thank you
Unfortunately I am not sure as I don’t use sugar. Sometimes coconut sugar but this will change the consistency of the mix due to losing liquid from the maple. I would suggest adding more milk to counteract the lost liquid and then add sugar to taste! Let me know how you get on.
I not have self raising flour. What will be the proportion of the leavening agents to gluten free flour?
Hey, I would use the same amount of normal gluten free flour and add 1 or 2 tbsp baking powder 🙂 enjoy!
Oh my gosh. These are the most amazing doughnuts I have ever tasted. Never knew you could even make gluten free vegan doughnuts.
So quick and easy to make and taste absolutely scrumptious!
Definently a recipe I will do again.
I was bought the doughnut mould you recommended for my birthday last weekend which I have been wanting for ages
Aww thank you Henriette!!! So pleased you found them easy to make and tasty 🙂
Would mind posting the American measurement amounts? Would so appreciate it! These look amazing!
Hi Lisa, I don’t really know much about American measurements ( I googled the answers) so let me know if I miss something.
7oz of flour
0.5cup milk
Assume the Tbsp measurements are the same.
Hope that helped 🙂
Hi James, when I tried to make these my batter turned out more dough-like than “smooth-batter-like”. Has this ever happened to you?
Hey Vicky, sorry that happened for you. This could be a down to differences in brands of products used. If thats the case I would just add more milk until it becomes a more liquid batter (don’t add too much though)! let me know how it goes next time!
Hay James I made this the other day and I too had the problem of more of a dough then batter, I did add a bout a 1/4 cup more almond milk did thin out a bit more going to try again soon.
I did just noticed when reading the recipe here on your blog to use gluten free flour, I did not notice this reading the recipe in the Vegan Food & Living New Year 2019 cookbook next time I will use it.
I do have to say even tough the batter did not come out as planed they sill were the best home made doughnuts I have ever had not to mention being vegan makes them even better.
Thanks for the recipe.
Hey George, sorry that happened. It could be a combination of using a thicker “milk” I use rude health which is quite a thin almond milk and also using normal flour could potentially change it. Try a thinner milk next time and see how you get on. Glad you still enjoyed the taste 🙂
Just found this comment hehe
It would be 3/4 of a cup of flour
1/2 cup of milk
Thank you
Could these be adapted to make chocolate flavour doughnuts?
Hey Charlotte,
100% you could. Just add cacao powder into the batter mix 🙂 let me know how you get on!
James
So simple and quick to do! I love seeing them rise in the oven! They work amazing, and have a lovely texture, in my recipe book as I’m sure I’ll be making them a fair bit. Thank you for posting!
Hi Hayley, so pleased you enjoyed them and thanks for sharing your great feedback 🙂