A simple recipe for perfectly spiced vegan apple cider donuts that are baked, not fried and then dipped in cinnamon sugar to take them over the top! These doughnuts can be made just vegan or vegan AND gluten-free, it’s up to you, instructions for both versions are included. Add this recipe to your list of easy vegan donut recipes to make.
Prepare your flax egg by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a small bowl, mix the apple cider, oil, vanilla extract, and flax mixture together.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Don't over mix.
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 sugar topping:
Add the sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl and mix together.
When the doughnuts have fully cooled, one at a time, brush the tops with a little of the melted coconut oil (or butter) and dip each one into the sugar topping until the top is coated. Repeat with all the doughnuts.
Notes
Please read all info above and below before making this recipe.
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 have never used any other brand of flour to make these doughnuts, other than Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour in the blue bag, NOT the red bag, so please know that your results may not be the same as mine if you substitute with a different gluten free flour. The gluten-free flour weight shown above is for this specific brand.
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.
Make sure you use plain unsweetened apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar, hard, sweetened, carbonated, or spiced apple cider. The ingredient list should just have one ingredient: apples.
If you cannot find apple cider, apple juice can be used in its place, however, you will need to double the spices since apple juice is not as flavourful as apple cider.
Any type of oil can be used for the batter, use something neutral flavoured like avocado, safflower, or vegetable etc.
Coconut sugar can be used instead of regular sugar in the doughnut batter and the topping, they will just be a little darker than the doughnuts in the pictures above. I do not recommend using any liquid sweeteners in this recipe.
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 since the sugar topping does not hold up well. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container, but know that the topping may melt into the doughnut if kept for too long.
Nutrition info below is based on 1 vegan gluten-free doughnut with the sugar topping and is only to be used as a rough guide. Calorie count for 1 doughnut using the vegan only recipe is 180 calories. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.