These Baked Vanilla Donuts with an easy Chocolate Frosting are so good; no one will know they are totally gluten-free!
Let's be honest: you went gluten-free, and you thought your days of good gluten-free donuts went out the window, didn't you? Before I went gluten-free, I used to make these amazing fried donuts for my family, and I just never thought I'd get something even close again. Of course, these aren't fried like those were, but I promise these vanilla baked donuts are still golden little circles of fluffiness, delicious vanilla flavor, and dipped and sprinkled till your heart's content.
If you're looking for another irresistible treat, you’ll also love these Easy Gluten-free Churros crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and just as satisfying!
Why you'll love these!
- 100 % Gluten-free!
- 100 % Grain-free!
- 100 % Nut-free!
- These can be made egg-free and dairy-free with a few simple swaps!
- Oh, and they are totally 100 % delicious!
So what are the ingredients?
Donuts
- Cassava Flour
- Arrowroot Starch
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Egg
- Sugar
- Honey
- Milk of Choice
- Greek Yogurt
- Butter or Oil
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Nutmeg
Glaze
- Powdered Sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla
- Milk of Choice
A Note on Ingredients
This recipe is already gluten and grain-free, but there are a few notes to make sure you don't accidentally add those in and a few tweaks if you want to make these eggs and dairy-free.
Hidden Grains
Two possible sources of grains are baking powder and powdered sugar. Both often contain corn starch.
To ensure you are avoiding corn (to stay grain-free), I always use Wholesome Brand Powdered Sugar. They use arrowroot to make their powdered sugar. If a bag says "powdered sugar," it's usually made with cornstarch in the U.S.
Baking Soda is a little different. I have yet to find a brand that doesn't use corn (in the U.S.) Because of this, I usually make my own. I promise it works perfectly and is easy to make and keep on hand.
Grain-free Baking Powder
Grain-free baking powder is super easy to make with only three simple ingredients baking soda, cream of tartar, and arrowroot starch.
I usually make a batch and keep it in a container in my pantry to grab and use whenever I need baking powder since this is what helps to give gluten-free baked goods that extra bit of rise.
- 4 TBS Cream of Tartar
- 2 TBS Baking Soda
- 2 TBS Arrowroot Starch
Mix everything together and use it 1:1, just like a store-bought baking powder.
Making these Egg-free
Because these are a batter and baked type of recipe, I have found that subbing in the one egg for a flax egg works really well without affecting the texture too much.
Making these Dairy-free
These can easily be made dairy-free by subbing in dairy versions for the milk and yogurt. I have tried ghee and a light cooking oil in place of the butter, and it works since it's such a small amount. So if you want these donuts dairy-free, you are in luck.
Let's Make Donuts
These are super simple to make: two bowls, a whisk, and your donut pan choice. I prefer to use a silicone mold, but you can use whatever you like.
Step 1: Separate the ingredients into two bowls. One bowl with the egg, honey, sugar, milk of choice, yogurt, butter, and vanilla, and whisk it together. In another bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
Step 2: Whisk the two bowls of ingredients just until they are combined.
Step 3: Transfer the batter to your preferred donut pan. I like to put the batter into a zip lock back, cut the tip to make it easier, and pipe the batter into the pan. I filled my pan about ⅔ full.
Once full, bake in your preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the donut bounces back when you press into it.
While the donuts are baking let's make the frosting!
Mix all of the ingredients together until they make a nice, smooth glaze to dip the baked donuts into.
I like to let the donuts sit a minute but still slightly warm when I dip them. I find the glaze melts perfectly over the top that way.
Storing Donuts
Of course, these are best served the day they are baked, but if you have some leftovers, they can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for about five days. If you want to store them longer, you can place them in the fridge, but I recommend letting them come to room temperature before eating, as the cold will stiffen the texture just a bit.
More Breakfast Fun
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Baked Donuts with Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- Donut Pan
Ingredients
Donuts
- 100 g Cassava Flour
- 25 g Arrowroot Starch
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Large Egg or equal flax egg
- ⅓ C Sugar
- 2 TBS Honey
- ¼ C Milk of Choice
- ¼ C Greek Yogurt, plain or dairy-free alternative
- 2 TBS Melted Butter ghee, or light cooking oil
- 1 ½ TSP Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Chocolate Fristing
- 1 C Powdered Sugar
- 3 TBS Cocoa Powder
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- 3-4 TBS Milk of Choice
Instructions
- Mix the cassava, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl and whisk.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, sugar, honey, milk, yogurt, butter, and vanilla until combined.
- Whisk the two bowls together just until they are combined
- Transfer the batter to the donut pan, filling them about ⅔ way full.
- Bake in the oven for about 8-12 minutes depening on your oven. You want to be able to insert a toothpick and it come out clean and the donut bounces back when you press on it while being slightly golden in color.
- While the donuts are cooking combine the ingredients into a bowl for hte frosting and whisk until combined and set it aside.
- Remove the donuts form the oven and allow them to cool slightly before removing them from the pan.
- Dip the donuts into the glaze as desired while they are still slightly warm
- Top with sprinkles if desired and enjoy!
Leave a comment.