Gluten Free Doughnuts (Vegan)

March 23, 2023

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!

4 doughnuts on a white marble background with pistachio and coconut toppings

Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy

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.

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Ingredients to make Gluten Free Vegan Doughnuts

ingredients to make doughnuts on white chopping board

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.
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 at the bottom of this page for quantities.

How to make Baked Gluten Free Doughnuts

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.

batter in transparent mixing bowl on grey surface

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.

doughnut batter being transferred to orange silicone mould

Put the doughnut pan into the oven and allow them to cook for 12-15 minutes.

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.

Let them set for 10-15 minutes before digging in.

doughnuts being dipped into a bowl of chocolate sauce

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!

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 Gluten-Free Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts. 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!

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Large spoon
Doughnut mould
Bain Marie
Cooling Rack

stacked doughnuts on white plate with bite taken out

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.

FAQ’s

Do you have to fry donuts?

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!

Do you need to use donut mixes to make donuts at home?

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!

What toppings are good on homemade doughnuts?

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!

I only have plain gluten-free flour. How can I make it self-raising?

Add 2 tsp of baking powder per 200g of plain flour to make it self-raising. It’s a simple change and will do the same thing!

chocolate covered doughnuts on white chopping board

Are you ready to try this delicious recipe?! I am so excited to hear what you think.

Tried this 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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