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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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.
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.
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!)
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.
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:
- Vegan Baked Lemon Doughnuts
- Chai-Spiced Baked Vegan Doughnuts
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Doughnuts
- Vegan Maple Doughnuts
- Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
- Old Fashioned Cake Doughnut Mini Muffins
How to Make Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts
Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts
Ingredients:
For the Doughnuts
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup gluten free flour OR all-purpose flour (see notes below)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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:
Wendy says
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!!!!
Gwen says
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 🙂
Jen says
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!
Gwen says
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!
Ashley says
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!
Gwen says
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!
Nicole says
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?
Gwen says
Hi Nicole! Any neutral flavoured oil will work. I hope the kids love the doughnuts 🙂
Elizabeth says
These turned out ok, but my donuts were flat and more like pancakes after cooling….any ideas what went wrong?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
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 🙂
Wa nda says
Hi, I am excited to try this out, can you use regular milk?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Wanda, yes, you can 🙂
Brenda Boucher says
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.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
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 🙂
Elizabeth says
Easy to make. I subbed carob. They’ll probably taste good still. I won’t know until breakfast tomorrow.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I hope they work out well with the carob, Elizabeth! 🙂
Renee says
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.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Renee! I’m glad that the recipe turned out great with your substitutions! I love cacao nibs, I think they’re a nice addition to the doughnuts. Thanks for your message! 🙂
Kimberly says
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!)
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
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! 🙂
D says
Loved this recipe! Thank you! Going to make it for the 2nd time tonight 😋
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
So happy to hear you like it! Thanks for your note! 🙂
Aileen says
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😊
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
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!
Doug says
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.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
It’s the perfect recipe for National Donut Day, isn’t it? I’m so happy to hear you like them, Doug 🙂 Thanks for your note!
Bridget Brown says
I made these then made a double batch to freeze, delicious!!!!!!!!!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Yay! So happy to hear you like them, Bridget! Freezing to have them for treats to enjoy later is a great idea! Thanks for your note 🙂