Baked Vegan Donuts
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If you’re looking for a healthier donuts recipe then look no further than these EASY Baked Vegan Donuts because these are plant based and so so delicious! The cinnamon sugar coating is optional if you want to keep these a little on the lighter side.
Oh HEY sugar coated donuts of my DREAMS!
I recently made a donut recipe video for a client and it renewed my love for donuts. I have a Pumpkin Vegan Donuts recipe on my bog but really wanted to have a simple vegan donuts recipe that’s good all year around (NOT at all saying that you can’t eat pumpkin all year…you do you :D).
I wanted these to be on the healthier side of life (maybe we’ll make a fried donut recipe soon too), so today we’re making VEGAN BAKED DONUTS. But not only are they lighter, they’re also much easier than fried and I love them for that!
I coated these in a cinnamon sugar coating which I TOTALLY realize largely negates the other lighter ingredients in these baked donuts. But, I’m okay with that :)
Obviously, you can leave off the cinnamon sugar coating OR just add a much lighter coating of it. There’s no wrong way to do this and I love how versatile these are.
Like most donuts, these don’t stay good for more than about a day and are best enjoyed soon after baking. I made the recipe so that it only makes 6 donuts but feel free to double the recipe if needed. Don’t forget- there’s an option in my recipe card (on the right side at the top) that will automatically double or even triple the recipe for you!
How to make this Vegan Donut Recipe:
First up, let’s go over the ingredients for these donuts:
- Flour (I suggest a 1-1 gluten free flour if needed)
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- Almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- Baking soda + powder
- Nut butter (is allergic, you can also try sunflower butter!)
- Vanilla
- Mashed Banana
I’ve been LOVING oat milk lately so I also tried making these with that and it turned out great.
If you’re looking for a substitute for the banana (because I KNOW I will get asked about this), my best suggestion is apple sauce.
To make these homemade baked donuts, we’re simple going to mix ALL of the ingredients together (minus the cinnamon sugar coating obviously) in one large bowl until combined. Wait, did I mention that this is a ONE BOWL RECIPE!?
From there, I like to put the batter into a baggie so that it’s easier to evenly squeeze into the donut pan. However, you can also just scoop the batter in with a spoon. Then simply bake it for about 15 minutes and they’re DONE.
If you want to add a cinnamon sugar coating, simply mix together the cinnamon and sugar. To help the sugar stick better, I lightly spray the donuts with cooking spray and then toss them in the sugar.
The Best Donut Baking Pan:
- I have THIS donut baking pan but here are a few other options as well:
- Bellemain Non-stick pans
- Silicone Donut pans
- CopperKitchen Non-stick pans
More Vegan Desserts to try:
See how to make homemade baked donuts here:
Baked Vegan Donut Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 donuts 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make these Baked Vegan Donut Recipe that are fluffy and DELICIOUS and come together in just one bowl!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of flour (I use all purpose but you can also use whole wheat, pastry flour, or a gluten free 1–1 substitute)
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup
- 1/2 cup of almond milk
- 3 tablespoons of nut butter- I used peanut butter this time but have also made these with almond butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 medium banana, mashed
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 1/2 cup of sugar (I use cane sugar)
- ½ tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 6 cavity donut pan.
- In a large bowl, mash your banana until few lumps remain. Stir in the milk, nut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- Over top of the wet ingredients, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix everything together to combine.
- Evenly spoon the mixture into the 6 donut pan.
- Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool more.
- Make the cinnamon sugar coating by combining the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Once the donuts have cooled enough to easily handle them, lightly spray each one with cooking spray and then roll them in the sugar coating. ENJOY!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 254
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 546.4 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.5 g
- Protein: 4.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: baked donuts, vegan donuts, how to make healthy donuts
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
33 Comments on “Baked Vegan Donuts”
Hello, it’s a pleasure for me to follow and actually write this message too to you. I’m new in the vegan pastry/bakery world and I want to ask you what you meant when you said (1 cup of flour (I use all purpose but you can also use whole wheat, pastry flour, or a gluten free 1–1 substitute), in the recipe. Can you break that down for me and thank you in advance.
Hello, these look so good and I would like to try and make them. I eat paleo and would need a nut flour for the gluten free flour in the recipe. What would you suggest?
Thank you!
-W. Rusie
unfortunately I’ve never tried these with a gluten free flour that’s paleo appropriate. Maybe try this recipe: https://thevegan8.com/vegan-cinnamon-sugar-donuts-gluten-free/#wprm-recipe-container-34167
Really simple and delicious and mellow. I used a mixture of gluten-free flour with rice and coconut flour, I tested with hazelnut butter a real treat.
Thank you for this recipe which I will do again with pleasure.
Jessica M.
How much apple sauce should I use to replace banana?
Made these for my family last night. Everyone loved them and my husband said it’s some of the best baked donuts he’s had!
★★★★★
Made these today and am in love! I love loelve love anything with cinnamon and these were made in a few minutes and the texture turned out amazing! So fluffy. Definitely gonna make them again and maybe experiment a little with the recipe (add apple for example). Thank you for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Can you substitute the flour with something else like quick oats (if processed in a food processor/blender until fine)?
I am known to my friends as a serious donut snob. These donuts were DELICIOUS!! I am not a big baker myself so the fact that they’re so easy was such a big deal to me too. Came out absolutely perfect!!!! Seriously wishing i quadrupled the recipe!
★★★★★
These were delicious! I made them for Easter morning breakfast and they were a hit! I felt less guilty eating these vs a traditional donut but didn’t have to sacrifice taste or quality. Definitely making these again!
Yay! So glad that you liked, Annie!!
Hi does the banana need to be very ripe/ brown like those used in banana bread o regular yellow is ok?
This is my family’s favourite. So much better than fried and I love how soft and fluffy they are. Also taste like real donuts!
★★★★★
Tried them out a few days ago and these are absolutely amazing! Followed the recipe exactly and obtained fluffy, tasteful donuts.
They grow considerably, so it’s totally possible to make 12 donuts instead of 6!
Will surely make this again!
★★★★★
Loved this recipe!!! I am not a baker and this recipe was super easy to follow and absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Can’t wait to try this this week! Was wondering if the nut butter is crucial or if I could substitute normal vegan butter? Thank you!
I’m wondering the same thing. I really want these to taste as much like a traditional cinnamon cake donut as possible, and really don’t want any nut butter flavor to peek through.
Please can you let me know a good substitute for the nut butter? Could I just replace with regular (plant based) butter or would I need to use, for example, a chia egg. Thanks!
My son recently became a vegan. Which means I’m always looking for amazing and fun vegan recipes to try. These were awesome. Soft and delicious. My husband said he thought they were soft and had a very good flavor. Looking forward to my coffee and donut tomorrow morning. ??
★★★★★
My daughter is allergic to nuts . Can I use regular butter instead of nut butter ?
I love this simple recipe, my favorite healthy donuts perfect when I crave a sweet desert. Thanks for sharing it, i’ve made it several times and each time suoer delicious.
DBlais – Gatineau, Quebec Canafs
★★★★★
Best cake donuts I have ever had, so delicious! I used peanut butter and whole white wheat flour; definitely making these again soon. Thank you for posting this recipe.
★★★★★
Hi, I’m a beginner I just found out allergic to cows milking and eggs. I made this with oat milk and plant butter and they were wonderful with very easy to follow directions. Making them for an exchange with my nieces. They stay fresh for days. Thanks.
★★★★★
These turned out great! My family devoured them and asked me to immediately make more! Very easy recipe to follow.
★★★★
This recipe was just what I was looking for. No eggs or yeast. I didn’t have almond milk so I used water and added a little almond flour. I was afraid these would taste funny due to the combination of ingredients, but the peanut butter, banana and maple syrup really balanced each other! At times I could get a hint of PB or banana but mostly they just averaged out into a soft delicious doughy taste. I did have a bit of trouble getting the sugar mixture to stick well with the cooking spray. Maybe because I was using pretty coarse grain sugar. But other than that, these were awesome!! Thanks so much. :)
★★★★★
These donuts are delicious and so easy to make! I swapped the nut butter for vegan butter and the banana for applesauce to make an apple cinnamon version. They turned out perfectly soft with a nice apple cinnamon flavor.
★★★★★
I just came across this recipe as i’m wanting to make some for a looong road trip. I plan to substitute like you did so I’m glad it worked out well for you!
These sound great!!! I’m wondering if they would work with oat flour?
I have a very similar recipe using oat flour. It’s for muffins but would work well as baked donuts as well! https://foodwithfeeling.com/oat-flour-muffins/
Made these tonight for the first time and LOVED them! Super easy to make and they came out so delicious!
★★★★★
such an easy and delicious recipe! i substituted apple sauce because i didn’t have any bananas and it turned out great!! couldn’t recommend this recipe more!
★★★★★
These were so easy to make and very fluffy. I loved the texture. I didn’t add sugar coating as I am trying to limit added sugar. These were very tasty and I will make them again.
★★★★★
These turned out to be a banana cake in the shape of a donut. Not the classic donut texture or taste.
★★★