These chocolate or vanilla glazed gluten free donuts come together in under 30 minutes, are soft, fluffy and smothered in a simple chocolate or vanilla glaze. This foolproof recipe is sure to be a favorite!
Gluten free donuts (or do you say doughnuts?) are hard to come by in a bakery these days, but they’re such an easy recipe to make at home so I figured it was time to share it with you!
Seriously, I thought donuts would be much more complicated, but after just two attempts, I perfected this recipe.
This is definitely a cake-like donut and not a yeast donut recipe, since there is no yeast involved, which not only makes it much easier to make, but faster too!
With a vanilla donut base, luscious chocolate sauce or vanilla glaze and finished off with some rainbow sprinkles.
No long cool time, no dough kneading, just a simple, fool-proof recipe that can be yours in about 20 minutes! If you love this recipe, try my gluten free birthday cake next!
How to make gluten free donuts
Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease your donut pan and set aside.
Whisk ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk all wet ingredients, then whisk in the dry ingredients. Easy, right?!
Add to pan. Use a spoon to add the batter to the prepared donut pan or transfer the batter to a ziplock bag, cut off the tip and pipe the bater into the pan. I usually add about 1/4 cup of batter to each donut cavity.
Bake. Bake for 9-11 minutes, 10 is perfect in my oven, but keep an eye on yours because all ovens are different. These bake quickly and you don’t want them to dry out!
Cool. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Make glaze. Add all ingredients for the chocolate frosting to a bowl and melt in the microwave using 20 second increments.
If using vanilla, simply whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding a few drops of food coloring if desired. These would also be delicious with my strawberry frosting!
Once melted, dip each donut in the frosting, transfer to a wire rack with parchment paper underneath.
Serve. Add sprinkles on top if desired & enjoy!
Do you need a special donut pan?
Not all donuts require a special pan to get the perfect shape, but for these gluten free donuts, yes, you do need an actual donut pan.
This recipe is baked, not fried, and does not require any yeast, so the batter is going to resemble cake batter more than say, bagel dough.
Therefore, you can’t shape them by hand to look like donuts, they need to bake in the pan (I like these ones) in order to get the classic shape.
Tips for removal
Removing the cooked donuts from the pan should be pretty easy, as long as you greased the pan in the beginning.
To safely remove, tip the pan upside down onto a cooling rack. Some may fall right out, but others may require a bit more effort. Tap the bottom of the pan with your hand a few times until they pop right out.
If you’re really having trouble, take a small knife and gently cut between the donut and the pan, then flip it over and it should fall out.
How to store and freeze
Once prepared, these gluten free donuts will keep for about 3 days at room temperature.
I find it best to not keep them in an air tight container since they create too much moisture. Instead, keep them on a plate wrapped in foil so they have a bit of room to breathe.
To freeze, just let them cool completely before transferring to an air tight container and freezing for up to 3 months. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight.
I suggest frosting/glazing them after they are frozen and defrosted, because the glaze and frosting won’t hold up as well when they thaw.
Ingredient subs
Egg. This recipe only has one egg, which is within my threshold for being able to safely sub. I would recommend apple sauce (3 tbsp for 1 egg) or a store bought egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill.
The donuts will not rise as much and the texture will likely be a bit more dense without egg.
Sugar. I used white granulated sugar, which I recommend for best results, but you can sub with coconut sugar for a refined sugar free option.
Keep in mind the color will be much darker than pictured!
Milk. Any kind of milk will work here! Almond, soy, or oat for dairy free, or regular cows milk.
Flour. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Any kind of gluten free all purpose flour should be fine, just be sure it has xanthan gum.
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Gluten Free Donuts
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Donuts:
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp granulated cane sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup milk dairy free or regular
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup oil I used safflower, any neutral oil is fine
- 1 cup GF all purpose flour I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg gives a more classic donut flavor!
- ⅛ tsp salt just a small pinch
Chocolate Frosting:
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1-2 tbsp coconut oil or dairy free butter
- 3 tsp light corn syrup gives them that classic shiny appearance!
Vanilla glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease your donut pan and set aside. Even if your pan says it's non-stick, still grease it. Mine is non-stick, but alas, the donuts stick if I don't grease it!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. (First 5 listed)
- Whisk in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flour, don't pack it in.
- Use a spoon to add the batter to the prepared donut pan or transfer the batter to a ziplock bag, cut off the tip and pipe the bater into the pan.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, 10 is perfect in my oven, but all ovens are different. Check with a toothpick, it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Add all ingredients for the frosting to a bowl (start with 1 tablespoon of oil and add a second as needed to thin) and melt in the microwave using 20 second increments, stirring between each until fully melted.
- If using vanilla, simply whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding a few drops of food coloring if desired.
- Dip the top of the donut (I use the part that was touching the pan as the top, but either end can be considered the top!) in the frosting.
- Add sprinkles on top if desired & enjoy!
Fawn says
Can I sub cane sugar for coconut or honey?
Claire Cary says
You can sub with coconut sugar but the color will be much darker!
Laura Murphy says
These donuts are soft and taste like exactly what a donut should taste like! They have quickly become a favorite in my house!
Claire Cary says
Thanks Laura! So glad you’re enjoying them!