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Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

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Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts that are soft, fluffy, and sweet. The crackly sugary glaze makes them extra perfect…so perfect, you’ll want to make them over and over again!

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Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts on a white plate on the left, two doughnuts are on a blue tablecloth and two glasses of almond milk sit behind the doughnuts with two paper straws in front of the glasses.

I’ve been curious about baked doughnuts for quite a while. What do they taste like? What’s the texture like? Are they like fried doughnuts? (mmm…fried doughnuts…)

The problem was, I didn’t have a doughnut pan to get answers to my questions. See, I’m picky with my bake and cookware.

When I shared my easy vegan gluten free waffles recipe with you, I told you about my lack of love for Teflon cook and bakeware. All the doughnut pans out there were coated in Teflon.

However, last fall, I found one that I liked. Finally, I’d have answers to my baked doughnut questions! So I got to work on my first recipe, Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts.

Dry mix for Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts in a glass bowl with a wire whisk in the bowl.

Easy Baked Vegan Doughnuts

I had never made doughnuts, baked or fried, so I tested this recipe thoroughly. Four times to be exact! I got the vegan version on the second try and the vegan gluten-free version on the fourth try.

So for those of you who are vegan and not gluten free, I’ve got you covered. For those of you who are vegan AND gluten free, I’ve got your back, too.

It took me a while to get the vegan gluten free version because I couldn’t figure out the right type of flour to use.

On the first try, I used my regular, go-to blend and…nope. The taste was off.

On the second try, I went with an oat flour/almond flour blend and that wasn’t quite right either. So on the third try, I tried a new-to-me gluten free flour (details below), one that I had only used a few times and it was a winner.

Note that I’m using all-purpose flour in the video that’s included in this post.

Six Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts just out of the oven sitting on a wire cooling rack.

Both the vegan and the vegan, gluten free versions of this recipe are soft, fluffy, sweet, and the crackly sugary glaze on top makes them extra…YUM.

What’s the best doughnut pan to buy?

I mentioned at the top that it took me a while to find a non-teflon coated doughnut pan. I posted a picture of it on my Instagram account a while back, you can see it here. And this is the pan I bought (in case you’re in the market for one too!)

It’s definitely more pricey than mainstream bakeware but this pan is heavy duty, it’s made really well, and I know it’s going to last a long time. Definitely worth the money since I know it’s going to be heavily used as I test all the new recipes floating around in my mind. (Click here for more of my doughnut recipes!)

Six Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts on a light blue table cloth.

Back to the doughnuts.

Curious about the answers to my questions from above?

What do baked doughnuts taste like? And what is the texture of baked doughnuts like?

Baked doughnuts are delicious. They’re like mini, doughnut-shaped cakes. They’re fluffy like cake (these doughnuts are, anyways), and they whip up really fast.

Are baked doughnuts like fried doughnuts?

No, they’re not quite like fried doughnuts. The fried, non-yeast, counterpart to my vegan gluten free baked chocolate doughnuts are heavier and more dense. Still delicious, but these are a lighter version that are just as delicious.

Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts on a light blue table cloth, a white plate with three doughnuts sits to the back left, and a doughnut with a bite taken out of it is in the foreground with a glass of almond milk on the right.

Bake up a batch for Valentine’s Day, a birthday, or any day you feel like having a treat, it doesn’t have to be a special occasion! Share with family, friends, co-workers, classmates…no one will know they’re vegan or vegan and gluten free.

I hope you enjoy these amazing, baked chocolate doughnuts. Be sure to pin them on Pinterest and if you make them, share a pic with me by tagging me on Instagram. I’m @delightfuladventures over there and my hashtag is #delightfuladventures. I love seeing your remakes!

You can keep up with all of my new recipes! Sign up for my newsletter that will deliver all of the latest recipes to your inbox, so you never miss a thing 🙂

If you like these vegan gluten free baked chocolate doughnuts, you’ll probably also like these recipes:


How to Make Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Looking for Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts? Your search has ended. This recipe makes perfectly soft, chocolaty, sweet doughnuts you'll love!
Print Recipe
5 from 19 votes

Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Looking for Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts? Your search has ended. This recipe can be made vegan OR vegan and gluten free and the result is perfectly soft, chocolaty, sweet doughnuts you'll love!
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Total Time:25 minutes
Author: Gwen
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Keyword: donuts, doughnuts
Calories: 205kcal
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

For the Doughnuts

For the Glaze

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons warm non-dairy milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Grease your doughnut pan (if needed).
  • Prepare your flax egg by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coconut sugar.
  • In a small bowl, mix the milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and flax mixture together.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
  • Using a piping bag or a large Ziploc bag (see note below), pipe the mixture into each cavity of your doughnut pan.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let the pan sit for a few minutes before removing the doughnuts.
  • Remove the doughnuts from the pan and place on a cooling rack.

While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze:

  • Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl and add the warm milk, and vanilla.
  • Mix until everything has combined into a liquid glaze.
  • When the doughnuts have fully cooled (they don't take long!), dip the tops of each doughnut into the glaze. Repeat with all the doughnuts.
  • Place the doughnuts back onto the cooling rack for the excess glaze to drip off and for the glaze to firm up. (Place a piece of parchment paper under the rack to catch the drips!)

Recipe Notes:

  • Note that I'm using all-purpose flour in the video that's included in this post.
  • This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
  • If you are making the vegan gluten-free version, it's important to know that every gluten-free flour blend uses different ingredients and ratios. Results will always vary when different flours are used. I tested with several different flours and the only one that worked well for me was the Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour (the one with the blue label, not the red label) so please know that your results may not be the same as mine if you substitute with a different gluten free flour.
  • If you are making the vegan gluten-free version, the batter will be very thick. That's OK! Just pipe it into the pan as-is.
  • A piping bag is recommended for getting the batter into the pan. If you don't have a piping bag, use a large Ziploc bag and snip off the end to stand in for a piping bag. If you don't have either, carefully spoon the batter into each doughnut cavity.
  • It's best to eat the doughnuts the same day they were made. The glaze does not hold up well. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them but know that the glaze may melt into the doughnut if kept for too long.
  • Nutrition info listed is for the vegan gluten-free version. Calorie count for 1 doughnut using the vegan only recipe (using all-purpose flour) is approximately 189 calories.
  • Nutrition info is to be used as a rough guide only, learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.

Nutrition Info:

Serving: 1doughnut | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1% | Calcium: 6% | Iron: 5%

Looking for Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts? Your search has ended. This recipe can be made vegan OR vegan and gluten free and the result is perfectly soft, chocolaty, sweet doughnuts you'll love! #vegandoughnuts #veganglutenfree #glutenfreevegan #glutenfreedoughnuts #vegandonuts #glutenfreedonuts
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Comments

  2. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and made these yesterday for my family. They were gone in no time. You mentioned that it’s best to eat in the same day, we had no problem doing that! We loved them and I will be making these again and again! Thanks for a such a great vegan gluten free recipe!

    Reply

  3. Gwen, you KNOW I’ve been drooling over these donuts since… like forever! Okay, fine they didn’t come out that long ago, but still! When you’re drooling this bad, it feels like the recipe’s been out for an eternity. I love everything about this recipe–the glaze, the texture, the gorgeous presentation and more. 🙂 Pinned and sharing, of course. Have a great week, friend! <3

    Reply

  4. My kiddos gobbled these up this morning. I didn’t even get to try one (although the batter was tasty:)! Made according to your recipe and used white whole wheat flour and substituted and egg for the flax egg (although have used flaxseed as an egg replacer many times with good success). I have a feeling I’ll be making these again soon so that I can try one too!

    Reply

  5. These are so good! So many GF recipes call for way too much vanilla and that’s all you taste. Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply

    • My pleasure, Denise! I think the reason for the large amounts of vanilla in some gf recipes is to cover up the taste of the particular GF flour being used (some of them don’t taste so great 😉 ) I’m so happy you tried the recipe and that you like it! Thanks for your note!

      Reply

  6. These are absolutely amazing. I substituted the coconut sugar for 1/4c. regular sugar and they are fantastic. Great recipe, thank you!!

    Reply

    • Hi Theresa, yes, you can use a liquid sweetener such as the honey you mention or maple syrup. You would have to reduce the amount of milk by the same amount though. So for example, if you use 1/4 cup of maple syrup, reduce the non-dairy milk by 1/4 cup. I have not tried this recipe with a liquid sweetener so I can’t say how much to use. Sorry! I hope this helps.

      Reply

  8. I finally ordered a donut pan thanks to your recommendation of one that didn’t have teflon. It didn’t hurt that there was a warehouse deal / cheaper price. 😊
    I will be trying this recipe once I get the box from Amazon.

    Reply

  9. I’ve been meaning to comment on this recipe for a while. I’ve made these donuts a bunch of times and each time, they get devoured. Thank you for sharing this, my vegan gluten free family loves them!

    Reply

  10. My 12 yr old son just made these and they were delicious!!! He ate 4 of them before I noticed and claims it’s ok because they’re healthier! I was only going to have half of one, but couldn’t resist the second half. I’ll lose weight next week! Great recipe. Easy and delicious. Thank you!

    Reply

  12. SO SO unbelievably good! I used neat egg rather than flaxseed. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

    Reply

  13. Hi. I just wanted to ask if it was possible to omit the cocoa powder, would the wet ingredients still be the same? Thank you!

    Reply

  14. It is possible to change cocoa powder for raspberry sauce, maybe if I add it in the liquid ingredients?? Just to make it different flavor

    How low they stay good ? they should be in the fridge or room temperature?

    Reply

    • Hi Roxana! I have not tried to make this recipe that way, so I would be hesitant to tell you that it will work. As you said, there will need to be adjustments to the liquids and to the dry ingredients to account for the lost cocoa powder and the additional sauce. I have a baked lemon doughnut recipe very similar to this one that you may like instead? https://delightfuladventures.com/vegan-baked-lemon-doughnuts/

      The doughnuts will stay fresh for about 2 days and I keep them in the fridge. If you keep them out, the glaze will melt and end up being a wet mess on top of the doughnuts. The glaze will also melt a little in the fridge, but not as quickly as if you leave them out, so best to eat them up as soon as possible. Any other questions, let me know! I hope all of this helps 🙂

      Reply

    • Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry the recipe did not turn out for you. Without knowing more details, I would say that you filled your doughnut pan too much. Did you use a pan with 6 spots? If you followed the recipe exactly, as it is written, and didn’t make any ingredient substitutions, it should have turned out fine (I tested this recipe extensively as mentioned above 🙂 ). Have a look at the video above so you can see me making them, maybe it will help if you decide to try again.

      Reply

  16. These went over wonderfully with kids, vegans, vegetarians, gluten free, gluten eaters and the omnivores! There were even requests for the recipe! Thank you!

    Reply

  17. I made these and they were wonderful, I don’t have a donut pan, so I used my mini heart shape cake pans.

    Reply

  18. I had to avoid the Bob’s 1 to 1 because of the xanthan. I used Anthony’s Almond Flour. I also added a little maple syrup to r sweeten. The taste was great, but I got zero rise as I expected. For next time, have you experimented with guar gum? I have no idea how much to try

    Reply

    • Hi Matt! I haven’t used guar gum but the likely reason for getting so little rise is the almond flour since it is a little heavier than a gf blend. When testing this recipe, I tried using a mix of oat flour + almond flour and that version turned out well, it just didn’t rise as much as I had wanted it to. My suggestion would be to try out with another gf blend that does not contain xanthan or if you do experiment with the guar gum, let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  19. I really love this recipe! I have made it quite a few times. I started out making donuts but lately make them into cupcakes and add vegan chocolate chips. I have to bake them for a few more minutes. This is such a great recipe. I think I want to try to bake a mini layered cake. Endless possibilities.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Bridget! So happy that you like them so much! I have never put them in the freezer because they never last that long! Ha! BUT, I do think they will freeze well. Just don’t glaze them before putting them in, save the glaze for after they have defrosted and you should be fine 🙂

      Reply

  22. Just whipped up a batch of your vegan chocolate donuts for National Donut Day. They are amazing. Can’t believe how light and fluffy they are. It’s a keeper.

    Reply

  23. Hi Gwen! Thank you so much for this recipe. Tried this 4 times already, the first 2 with improvised donut pans (with foils at the center) and the next 2 with donut pans and my son- who is on diet -loved it!😊 The donut itself is not that sweet like the usual donut -the glaze gave it a finishing touch with just the right amount of sweetness. I myself loved it😊

    Reply

    • Hi Aileen! Yay! I’m so glad you and your son love the recipe! I don’t tend to lean towards recipes that are overly sweet, so that is one of the things I love about these doughnuts. The sweetness is just right 🙂 Thanks so much for your note!

      Reply

  25. I made these today and they were my best baked donuts to date!!! I subbed apple sauce for the coconut oil, used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, and King Arthur sprouted wheat flour. Thank you so much for the recipe, and can’t wait to try your others (the maple and lemon are next!)

    Reply

    • Glad to know that the applesauce sub worked well, Kimberly! I have been asked about that before but haven’t tested it, so thanks for reporting back! And let me know how the maple and lemon recipes go. I just published a new Chai doughnut recipe not long ago, too! 🙂

      Reply

  26. This tastes great! I substituted the flax egg with real egg, and I even tried a bit less sugar. Ran out of cocoa powder, so I put half that and half unsweetened baking chocolate. Just reduced 1 tablespoon of coconut oil for every 1 ounce of baking chocolate. Turned out great!

    Also would suggest adding some cacao nibs or something in the donuts if you want another texture.

    Reply

  28. I love this recipe but I can’t use the Red mill flour mix. The rice flour & potato starch don’t agree with me. What other flour mixes did you try that you mentioned? I saw the comment about the oat & almond flour. Did you try cassava and coconut? Thanks for your help!
    I’m going to make the regular ones for my kids. Also I just saw that doughnut pan is available also in BB&B and you can use a coupon for it too.

    Reply

    • Hi Brenda! When testing, I tried with oat and almond flour together but was not able to make it work. I also tried with the other Bob’s Red Mill blend with the red label, but neither worked as well as the one I ended up using. I did not try with coconut flour, but it will likely not work due to how absorbent it is and I did not try cassava flour. I have had readers tell me that they’ve had luck with other gluten-free flour blends, so it may be worth a try to use the gluten-free blend you usually use. Let me know how it goes and get that doughnut pan with your coupon! You won’t regret buying it 🙂

      Reply

    • Hi Elizabeth, sorry that they turned out flat. There are quite a few things that could have caused this…the first and most important question…did make any ingredient substitutions? Is your baking powder and baking soda fresh? Let’s start there and figure it out so your doughnuts turn out perfect next time 🙂

      Reply

  31. I want to make these for Monday for my kids’ school for national donut day, but we have a nut allergy. Will any oil work in place of the coconut or what should I use?

    Reply

  32. Hey! These look amazing! I was wondering if I could substitute the coconut sugar with anything else? Also, how do you measure the flour? Spoon method or packed method? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Ashley! You can replace the coconut sugar with brown sugar, and I measure using the spoon and level method. Hope this helps! If you make the recipe, I hope you love it! Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  33. Oh my these were amazing!! I used cane sugar, an actual egg, and original almond milk. I should have doubled the recipe!!! This will definitely become a regularly made treat!

    Reply

    • Hi Jen! I’m glad the recipe was a hit! It’s for sure a regular here, too (I just made another batch this past weekend 🙂 ) Thanks for your note!

      Reply

  34. Is the oil an absolute necessity and if so, is there something I can substitute for it? We are a no oil household. Other than that I desperately want to make these!!!!

    Reply

    • Hi Wendy! I have had readers tell me they substituted the oil with plain, unsweetened applesauce and the doughnuts turned out perfectly. I haven’t tested it myself, so I can’t say from experience if they are much different from the oil version, but I think the applesauce would be good to try. Let me know how it goes 🙂

      Reply

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