These gluten-free donuts are packed with rich vanilla flavor, thanks to vanilla beans, and topped with a sweet glaze and crushed pastel candies. They're gluten and dairy-free, making a great treat for anyone!
The holidays are always so much fun for me. It's a time when sweet treats are everywhere, and I love making them for family and friends. From vegan Reese's Eggs or donuts like these for Easter to my Christmas White chocolate Oreos, I love making fun, festive desserts for everyone to enjoy. Besides, baking is therapeutic, isn't it?! These gluten and dairy free donuts are great, too because you can simply leave the candies off of the top and serve them any time of year as a vanilla bean donut. Or, get festive for a baby shower and color the glaze pink or blue!
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Why You'll Love These Gluten-Free Donuts
- Gluten and Dairy-Free: These donuts can be enjoyed by almost anyone, regardless of their dietary restrictions. These donuts can also be made nut free, by using flax milk in place of almond milk.
- Festive: The pastel eggs give these donuts a fun, festive Easter feel.
- Versatile: Simply leave off the candies and serve these donuts year-round.
- Easy: All you have to do is mix, bake, and decorate these donuts. They're so easy, and even beginners can make them.
Gluten-Free Donuts Video
Ingredients
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These baked donuts are rich, sweet, and packed with more vanilla flavor than you can shake a vanilla bean at. They really are delicious, and they only take a few simple ingredients.
For the Donuts
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- OliveNation cinnamon (use code: NK15 for 15% off)
- Eggs - room temperature
- Singing Dog vanilla bean paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Almond milk - room temperature
- Vegetable oil
For the Glaze and Decoration
- Powdered sugar
- Plant cream
- Gluten-free pastel candies - crushed
See the recipe card for exact quantities.
Equipment
Variations and Substitutions
- Change the candy colors to suit any holiday.
- Omit the candies altogether for a great, year-round donut recipe.
- Feel free to use regular flour, milk, cream, and candies if you have no dietary restrictions.
If you love gluten-free takes on classics like this recipe, then try my gluten-free baked cheesecake.
How to Make Gluten-Free Donuts with Pastel Candies
Making these donuts is a simple process that only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps. If you can mix and bake, you can make these donuts!
1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a donut pan with coconut oil.
2: Mix the apple cider vinegar, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla bean paste in a large bowl. Then, add the oil and whisk. Finally, add the sugar and mix again.
3: Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl.
4: Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until there are no clumps.
5: Pour the batter into the prepared donut pan, making sure not to cover the center completely.
6: Bake until the donuts are set, then let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the donuts to a wire cooling rack and cool for a few minutes before glazing.
7: Mix the powdered sugar and cream until there are no clumps.
8: Dip the top of each donut into the glaze, place the glazed donuts back on the cooling rack, and top with crushed candies before the glaze can set. I like to make sure there is parchment paper under the rack to catch any drips, creating less mess.
Hint
Always sift your powdered sugar to remove any clumps before mixing it with your wet ingredients. This helps you make the smoothest glaze possible.
Storage
Store these donuts in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place for several days. Don't refrigerate them, as it will make them dry and stale.
Room Temperature: Store for up to 4 days in an air-tight container.
Freezer: Wrap the donuts individually in plastic wrap, then store them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Place them on the counter to defrost.
What to Serve with Gluten-Free Donuts
These donuts are perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. You can also serve them alongside your other favorite sweet treats as part of a larger dessert table.
Tips
- Combine the vinegar and almond milk and let them sit for a few minutes to make a plant-based buttermilk for the donut recipe.
- Use a piping bag or a zip-top storage bag with a corner clipped off to easily fill your mini donut pan.
- To easily remove your donuts from the pan, gently run a knife around their edges.
- Bring your eggs and almond milk to room temperature so they incorporate more easily and help the donuts rise effectively.
- Be sure you top the glazed donuts with crushed candies while the glaze is still warm, or they won't stick.
FAQ
Don't worry if your donut batter is thin. It's supposed to be that way!
The best way to measure flour is by weight. This ensures a completely accurate measurement every time. If you don't have a food scale, you can also loosely spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This method eliminates compacting the flour and accidentally using too much.
The secret to perfectly baked donuts is carry-over cooking time. The donuts are removed from the oven when almost done, but not quite. Then, carry-over cooking time from the hot donut pan finishes cooking them to perfection.
Vanilla bean paste includes ground vanilla bean powder, which gives the donuts a more intense vanilla flavor than standard extract.
Absolutely, omit the vanilla bean paste and use 1 and a ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract.
More Donut Recipes
If you love donuts, then you'll enjoy these delicious recipes!
Related
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Donuts with Pastel Candies
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 1 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tablespoon Singing Dog vanilla bean paste
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ teaspoon OliveNation cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup almond milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
For the Glaze and Decoration
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 5-7 tablespoon plant cream
- Pastel candies
Instructions
For the Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Using a pastry brush, lightly grease a mini donut pan with coconut oil. Combine the apple cider vinegar and almond milk in a measuring cup and set aside.
- Mix the eggs, vanilla bean paste, and vinegar mixture in a large bowl. Then, add the oil and whisk again. Finally, add the sugar and mix.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl and whisk well.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until there are no clumps.
- Using a piping bag or a resealable bag with a corner clipped off, fill the donut pan, making sure not to cover the center completely.
- Bake the donuts for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Cool the donuts in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for another 15 minutes before glazing.
For the Glaze and Decoration
- Sift the powdered sugar to remove any clumps and mix it with the heavy cream until smooth.
- Dip the donuts in the glaze, then top them with crushed pastel candies before the glaze sets.
Notes
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Wrap the donuts in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Be sure your batter doesn't cover the center post in your donut pan.
- Bring your cold ingredients to room temperature for easy mixing and the best texture.
- Mix your donut batter until just combined. Overmixing can cause tough donuts.
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