Dairy Free Donuts (Easy Baked Vegan Donuts Recipe)

If you’re looking for a super easy dairy free, vegan donut recipe then look no further. These delicious donuts are baked and coated with a sweet glaze, you can add sprinkles for a special touch or leave just glazed.

Dairy Free Donuts

Traditional donut recipes are not dairy free. Most recipes contain milk and butter.

So for lactose intolerant or vegans they have to be extra careful and avoid most donut shops.

Worry not amigos because dairy free versions are possible and they are just as delicious as the dairy filled ones.

Are Donuts Vegan

Again traditionally speaking, no donuts aren’t vegan. Not only do they use dairy but there are some additional ingredients that make them not plant based.

For starters most recipes use white sugar. Which if you didn’t know is not a vegan product due to the way that the sugar is refined.

Eggs are another traditional ingredient, and well, we know those aren’t vegan.

No Yeast Donuts Recipe

Another ingredient that is commonly used in traditional donut recipe is yeast.

Yeast is vegan and plant based friendly!

Did you know that yeast is actually a type of fungus?

But we aren’t going to be needing it in this recipe.

Vegan Donuts

Ok so by now you’re asking if it’s possible to veganize donuts. Yes it is and it’s incredibly easy.

Our guest Kimberley Asante shared her recipe and she’s going to show us just how easy it is. (Thanks Kimberley!)

Dairy Free Donut Ingredients | Vegan Donut Ingredients

The ingredients for these dairy free, plant based, vegan donuts are incredibly simple — you probably already have them in your pantry.

To make the actual donut you’ll need the following.

• All Purpose Flour : This is a standard ingredient and it’s vegan friendly.
• Pure Cane Sugar : Many recipes use white or granulated sugar but we’re going to use a plant based vegan friendly “pure cane sugar” instead.
• Non-dairy Milk : Plant milk or vegan milk, whatever you wish to call it, this ingredient is being used instead of regular milk. Kimberley used oat milk.
• Unsweetened Applesauce : This is going to replace the eggs. If you didn’t know, applesauce makes a good egg replacer.
• Vegan Butter : This is in lieu of regular dairy butter.
• Baking Powder : It’s standard in “cake” style donuts and it’s in place of yeast.

The above are your standard vegan donut ingredients. Additional ingredients can be salt or flavorings such as ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. We’ll be using these in this recipe.

Baked Not Fried Donuts

Most donuts are actually deep fried — did you know that?

Kimberley not only swaps out all the dairy, white sugar and eggs, but she also baked these donuts. So these are a bit healthier than the fried ones.

As yummy as the fried ones are, one can’t indulge too often.

Amigos, these are some of the most delicious plant based donuts with a slight healthier touch!

How to Make Vegan Donuts

As you’ll see this recipe is incredibly easy to prepare. You could have your child help you out.

To start with you’re going to preheat the oven, spray your donut mold with vegan non-stick spray. Alternatively you could brush with some melted vegan butter.

Next melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In a bowl you’re going to mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix until everything is well combined.

Then pour in the plant milk, add the apple sauce, the melted vegan butter and then the vanilla extract.

Whisk until everything is well combined. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.

Carefully pour the batter into your donut mold, only covering 3/4s of the way full. Place in the center of oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes.

You can use a silicone mold or a regular non-stick donut mold.

Allow to cool before glazing.

How to Make Vegan Donut Glaze

While the donuts are cooling down you can prepare the easy donut glaze.

You need just need just 3 ingredients! Vegan powdered sugar, melted vegan butter and vanilla extract. Nice and simple.

In a small bowl combine the vegan powdered sugar (it’s sometimes also called confectioner’s, just make sure it’s vegan), melted vegan butter and vanilla extract. Mix until very well combined and set aside.

How to Glaze Your Donuts

Once the donuts have baked you need to allow them to cool down completely so you can glaze and decorate them. They should be ready to decorate in about 15 minutes.

Dip the cooled donut into the glaze, repeating until you’re done.

You can serve the donuts just glazed, but if you want to give them an additional fun or festive look then decorate them.

Sprinkled Donuts

In a wide enough bowl, place vegan sprinkles, nonpareils or any type of fun decorative toping you’d like. Have fun with in and mix different colors, shapes and sizes.

Dip the cooled donut into the glaze then quickly dip it into your sprinkles. Set aside and repeat with each donut. Allow to fully set before serving.

If you’d like you lightly could brush melted butter or any leftover glaze to give the toppings a little more stability or shine in the case of the butter. Serve right away.

Valentine Day Donuts

So as you can see here we went with the Valentine Day theme.

If you want to do the same then pick some pink, vegan red, and white sprinkles or nonpareils or heart shaped confetti sprinkles. Mix and match, have fun with it.

To make these for different holidays or occasions simply swap out the colors and shapes of the toppings.

Where to Get Vegan Sprinkles

If you have a vegan food store with a baking supply isle then that’s the place to go. If not there’s always Amazon. Below are just a few of the hundreds of vegan sprinkles options.

• The Whole line of Supernatural Sprinkles
• Sweet Eva’s Sprinkles
• NATURAL Rainbow Sprinkles
• India Tree Nature’s Colors Carnival Sprinkles
• Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sugar
• ColorKitchen Rainbow Sprinkles 
• ColorKitchen Nonpareil Rainbow Sprinkles

Photography and recipe by Kimberley Asante Photography