Bring the donut shop home with these baked gluten free donuts. They're fluffy and soft with a delicious vanilla glaze, just like Krispy Kreme! With an almond flour based dough, they can easily be whipped up in under 30 minutes, are made dairy free, and basically melt in your mouth!
Soft, moist, melt-in-your-mouth delicious is exactly what we have going on here in this homemade gluten free doughnut recipe. They're baked, not fried, and much easier to whip up compared to yeast donuts you find in donut shops. It's like Krispy Kreme...but better!
In all honesty, Krispy Kreme doughnuts will always have a special place in my heart. Waking up to a box full of them as a child on a Saturday morning was the ultimate sweet treat. BUT these cake like donuts truly embrace the glazed look we love without all the guilt. So I consider them a better, easier version that's sure to give you a coffee shop donut fix.
If you like these, you're also going to love my baked vegan churros and coffee doughnuts. If you're more of a chocolate glaze fan, you'll love my protein chocolate donuts or try my gluten free apple cider doughnuts for a fall treat!
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Why you'll love GF Donuts
- Naturally made gluten free and dairy free
- They're baked, not fried
- Made with almond flour and tapioca flour, not a gluten-free flour blend
- Can be made in under an hour
Ingredients for GF Donuts
- Almond flour - This baked donut recipe is almond-flour based, making them gluten free (and mighty delicious). You should be able to find it at your local grocery store.
- Tapioca starch - Almond flour alone can lead to a dense doughnut so we add tapioca to “cut” some of the weight of the doughnut. In other words, the tapioca flour ensure quite the fluffy donut. Swap with arrowroot starch if desired.
- Baking powder - Used to provide that light and airy texture we know and love. Make sure you're using baking powder and not soda.
- Eggs - This is holds the batter together and provides some structure. Room temperature eggs are always best. I have not tried this with a flax egg but please let me know if you do!
- Maple syrup - Adds just a hint of sweetness in each bite without being over powering. Substitute with honey or agave if needed.
- Coconut oil - This is what provides a little moisture to the donuts. Make sure to melt your oil first, let it cool down to room temperature, and then add it to the mixing bowl. Any neutral flavored oil will work like avocado oil.
How to make Gluten Free Donuts
These delicious gluten free doughnuts are super easy to make. Like from start to finish in about 30 minutes easy. You will need a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer and a donut pan.
Step 1 : Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the almond and tapioca flour to a bowl with the baking powder and give it a big whisk.
Step 2 : Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix well with a whisk or a rubber spatula until well incorporated. There should be no flour clumps visible.
Step 3 : Pipe into donut pan. This step can be done several ways. You can spoon the donut batter into the donut pan cavities (the easiest way) or use a pastry bag to pipe the batter into the pan. Either way will work and give you that classic donut shape.
If you choose to spoon the batter into the pan, make sure to "drop" the pan on the counter a few times to level off the batter.
Once the pan is full, bake in the oven until golden brown and the edges begin to pull away from the sides. Make sure to allow the donuts to cool down before sliding a knife around the edges to lift them out of the pan.
Step 4 : Glaze. The next step to prepare the glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar (or monk fruit sugar), vanilla, and almond milk. You want the glaze to be fairly runny. This is different than cookie royal icing. You should be able to lift the spoon from the bowl and watch the icing run off quickly.
Dip each donut into the glaze and allow the icing to run off. Place them on a wire rack to dry. Make sure there is a piece of parchment paper under the rack as the glaze will slide off the donuts as it dries. Enjoy once the icing has set!
Expert Tips for this Gluten Free Donuts Recipe
- Measure flour by spooning it in to the measuring cup and then sliding a knife or straight utensil over the edges to get an accurate measurement.
- Make sure your coconut oil is room temperature before mixing it into the bowl. If it's too warm, the hot oil can cook the eggs into the batter.
- Only fill the donut cavities ¾ of the way full. They will puff up in the oven so you don't want them to overflow.
- For best results, allow the donuts to cool completely before dipping them in the icing. If the donuts are still warm, it will melt the icing and create a mess.
Variations on GF Almond Flour Donuts
There are so many ways to put a spin on these gluten free doughnuts to make them your own! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Fold blueberries into the doughnut batter for a blueberry doughnut
- Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and zest to the batter for a lemon doughnut
- Add sprinkles on top of the glazed donuts
- Skip the glaze and instead roll the baked doughnuts in cinnamon sugar
- Drizzle some peanut butter over the doughnuts
- Drizzle some melted chocolate over the doughnuts
How to make Gluten Free Dairy Free Donuts into muffins
If you don't have a donut pan, you can definitely make these into muffins. Using a mini muffin pan even makes them look like donut holes! Prepare the donut batter as directed and fill you muffin pan ¾ of the way full with the batter. For mini muffins, bake them for 10 minutes. Full size muffins will need more cooking time. I recommend checking them after 14 minutes. If you can insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin and it comes out clean, they are done baking.
How to store GF Donuts
To store these donuts, allow the glaze to cool completely on the wire rack. Once dry, place them in an air-tight container. The donuts will keep fresh for a week in the fridge or 4 days on the counter.
If you'd like to warm theses donuts up to enjoy, do this in 4-5 second intervals in the microwave. The glaze will melt if it gets to warm and create somewhat of a mess so I recommend only warming them up slightly.
Gluten Free Baked Donut Recipe FAQs
No, unfortunately Krispy Kreme donuts are not gluten free which is why I made this copycat recipe!
Yes, if needed arrow root starch is a great alternative to the tapioca flour in this baked gluten-free donut recipe.
I have not tried this recipe with flax egg and I don't recommend it. I have found that eggs are needed to maintain adequate structure to the donut. If you do try a vegan option, let me know!
If desired, you can use powdered monk fruit in place of the powdered sugar in this baked gluten-free donut recipe. Just keep in mind that monk fruit is a little sweeter so you probably won't need as much on the donut. You can also make powdered coconut sugar by blending coconut sugar in a food processor until fine. You will probably have a few bits of coconut sugar in the glaze but that's okay.
For more gluten-free donut recipes, check out my:
PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!
Recipe
Gluten Free Dairy Free Donuts
Ingredients
For the Doughnuts
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup coconut oil - melted, then cooled
For the Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cup powdered sugar - or monk fruit powdered sugar to make paleo-friendly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 - 4 tablespoon almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, and baking powder, until well combined.
- Add the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil to the bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
- Grease a doughnut pan with oil and pipe or spoon the batter into each compartment, filling about ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until the edges of the donut begin to turn golden brown.
- While donuts are cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until thin in consistency. Add more almond milk in tablespoon increments until you are able to lift the spoon from the bowl and the glaze runs off quickly.
- Dip each donut into the glaze bowl to coat. Let the glaze run off before placing the donut on a wire rack to cool. Make sure there is a piece of parchment paper under the rack as the glaze may drip off the sides.
- Once the icing has set, serve or store in an airtight container. These donuts will keep for up to a week in the fridge and 4 days on the counter.
I made these for my family this morning. They were absolutely perfect. The donut sans the icing is not too sweet, so adding a little frosting on top is the perfect balance. Thank you for creating such a great recipe!
I'm so glad you liked the recipe! It's one of my family's favorites 🙂
These are AMAZING!! They are seriously the BEST!! They are the perfect sweetness and even pretty healthy. I did leave off the glaze because I wanted them to be a healthy breakfast. I halved the recipe and made 6 donuts!! These are the BEST EVER gluten-free dairy-free donuts!! Thank you soooo much for the recipe!!!
What would you recommend for a vegan sub for the eggs? Thank you!
I substituted flax eggs, and these were delicious!! Best paleo recipe I’ve found so far, and some picky eaters in my family liked them, too!