Looking for the best gluten free donut recipe? Don’t worry, we have you covered. These baked donuts are super quick to make, easy, and it is a super delicious recipe!
I was never truly a donut fan when I was growing up (which looking back on it now seems like such a waste!). My grandmother apparently made legendary homemade donuts. I grew up in the land of Tim Hortons coffee and donuts, and I remember when Krispy Kreme donuts moved into town (my mom went nuts). Gluten free donuts (or gluten free doughnuts, however you wish to spell it!) are actually really easy to make at home. They are baked donuts which means you skip the fuss, it also means that these are not gluten free yeast donuts because you do not typically add yeast to baked donuts (just to deep fried donuts). Let’s get into everything we need to know about this gluten free donut recipe and get you to make your own homemade donuts.
Is this a gluten free donut recipe without yeast?
Yes! Yeast is typically added to donut recipes that will require deep frying. If you were looking to make a jelly donut or cake donuts then it would likely be optimal for you to use yeast, however, with baked donuts, there really is no point. The donut batter itself will rise naturally when you bake it and you do not need to worry about them puffing up. This is not to say that you cannot have baked cake donuts, it is just they are usually fried donuts!
FAQ
Can you make these donuts dairy free?
I specialize in gluten free recipes, but, I understand that many people with gluten intolerances and or issues with gluten (or simply a preference of not eating gluten) also eat dairy free. I personally have not tried making this recipe dairy free, but, the ingredients in this recipe that contain dairy are the milk, yogurt, and butter. So, if you want to make dairy free donuts, let’s look at how this could be possible:
For your glaze, I would just substitute a dairy free butter. Other options, you could try omitting the butter and using coconut oil (note that if you do use coconut oil that your chocolate donuts may have a bit of coconut flavor. If this doesn’t bother you, then go ahead, and use coconut oil!). I would not suggest using vegetable oil. The milk could potentially be substituted with almond milk, oat milk, or your dairy free milk of choice (I would personally not use coconut milk as I do not think it is the best consistency). For the yogurt, look at finding a dairy free yogurt and voila, your gluten free donuts could be dairy free donuts! If you do make this recipe and transform them into dairy free donuts please let me know how it turns out for you!
What gluten free flours are best for making homemade gluten free donuts?
If you are wanting to make your own gluten free flour blend then that is totally fine, however, I personally find that the pre-made gluten free flour blends are best for making homemade gluten free donuts. I know a lot of homemade blends tend to have things like brown rice flour, tapioca flour, etc. The thing that is nice about the blends is that you do not need to measure gluten free flour and become a scientist in your kitchen! Gluten free baking can be overwhelming when you are new to it. But, if you want to acclimatize yourself to gluten free baking faster, I suggest using the store-bought mixes. It is important to note that not all gluten free flours are equal, and in this recipe, I used King Arthur Measuring gluten free flour blend.
What can I do if I do not have a donut pan?
Typically when you make gluten free baked donuts you will want to have a donut pan. Most gluten free donut recipes will call for them, however, I understand that not everyone owns a donut pan. So, how can we get around this? To get that donut shape, you could try taking a muffin pan and using aluminum foil to create little cones to place in the middle of what you pipe in order to get the look of donut holes in the middle.
Are there other toppings I can use?
Yes! If you wanted to make vanilla donuts then you would obviously not make a chocolate glaze but rather would make a vanilla glaze. You could also do a cinnamon sugar mixture instead if you wanted to. If you like the cinnamon sugar mixture idea then you should definitely check out my gluten free apple cider donuts recipe! For a vanilla glaze, you would take 1 cup powdered sugar and mix with 1 tablespoon of milk. Add one at a time until you get the consistency that you would like, and dip the donuts into the glaze. As stated above, if you do not drink cows milk you can substitute almond milk, oat milk, or another dairy free alternative (also see my note on coconut milk above).
Other toppings would include toasted coconut (goes deliciously with chocolate glaze) and gluten free sprinkles! You can play around with your gf donuts!
What do you need to make this gluten free donut recipe?
Gluten free donuts luckily don’t require a crazy amount to make them! So, let’s get to it.
- 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour blend, make sure your flour blend has xanthan gum in it (I used King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar, you can substitute coconut palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, if you cannot find pure vanilla extract synthetic is fine
- ½ cup milk, I used 2% milk but this is your choice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, I used unsalted butter, this is for the chocolate glaze
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, this is for the chocolate glaze
- 2 teaspoon light corn syrup, this is for the chocolate glaze
What tools do you need for this recipe?
A donut pan, wire rack,
Optional* a mini muffin pan, mini doughnut pan
How do you make this gluten free doughnuts (I see you other spellers!) recipe?
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile in a bowl, mix together your gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder, and granulated sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, yogurt, and pure vanilla extract. Like I said above, if you cannot find pure vanilla extract, then synthetic is fine). Pour the wet ingredients (or dry ingredients) into the other bowl and fold together.
- Get a pastry bag and place it in a cup (this will help stabilize it). Place the gluten free dough inside of the bag. Spray your donut pan with a nonstick spray and then pipe the gluten free donut batter into the donut pan. Bake for 12 minutes. The gluten free baked donuts will be done when they are a nice golden brown color and when you touch them, they spring back a bit. If you have any remaining batter, keep it until the donuts are done baking and then reuse the donut pan.
- When the donuts are done, remove from the oven. Wait a minute for them to cool and then remove from the donut pan. Place then on a wire rack to cool. I do not like to glaze warm donuts (ss I think it makes the glaze run a bit more than it would, but, it is your choice!).
- To make the glaze, place the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter into a small bowl and place in the small bowl into the microwave. Heat in 30 second sessions and mix after each. When the glaze is ready, it will be smooth and there will be no lumps. Dip the donuts into the chocolate glaze and voila, your chocolate donuts are born! This recipe will yield a soft donut that is absolutely delicious and will no doubt be added to your repertoire of gluten free recipes!
Looking for other homemade gluten free recipes?
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Gluten Free Donut Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour blend make sure your flour blend has xanthan gum in it (I used King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar you can substitute coconut palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract if you cannot find pure vanilla extract synthetic is fine
- ½ cup milk I used 2% milk but this is your choice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter I used unsalted butter, this is for the chocolate glaze
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips this is for the chocolate glaze
- 2 teaspoon light corn syrup this is for the chocolate glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile in a bowl, mix together your gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder, and granulated sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, yogurt, and pure vanilla extract. Like I said above, if you cannot find pure vanilla extract, then synthetic is fine). Pour the wet ingredients (or dry ingredients) into the other bowl and fold together.
- Get a pastry bag and place it in a cup (this will help stabilize it). Place the gluten free dough inside of the bag. Spray your donut pan with a nonstick spray and then pipe the gluten free donut batter into the donut pan. Bake for 12 minutes. The gluten free baked donuts will be done when they are a nice golden brown color and when you touch them, they spring back a bit. If you have any remaining batter, keep it until the donuts are done baking and then reuse the donut pan.
- When the donuts are done, remove from the oven. Wait a minute for them to cool and then remove from the donut pan. Place then on a wire rack to cool. I do not like to glaze warm donuts (ss I think it makes the glaze run a bit more than it would, but, it is your choice!).
- To make the glaze, place the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter into a small bowl and place in the small bowl into the microwave. Heat in 30 second sessions and mix after each. When the glaze is ready, it will be smooth and there will be no lumps. Dip the donuts into the chocolate glaze and voila, your chocolate donuts are born! This recipe will yield a soft donut that is absolutely delicious and will no doubt be added to your repertoire of gluten free recipes!
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Gwen O says
I am celiac and just tried my hand at donuts today. These were delicious !! OMG … I’ve missed donuts !! The only change I made was I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt because I didn’t have any on hand. I made the chocolate glaze with sprinkles on top … so good. Thank you for the recipe !!
Sift | Gluten Free says
Hi Gwen!
I am so glad! It is so great to be able to have a treat after not being able to for so long! Glad you loved them!
-L
Gwen O says
…. Oh, and I substituted maple syrup for corn syrup because I don’t like corn syrup. They are NOT super sweet … just a nice light snack.
Sift | Gluten Free says
Good idea! Thanks, Gwen!
Dianna Wilson Sirkovsky says
satisfy your chocolate craving!