Vanilla Baked Donuts

These healthy vanilla baked donuts are easy to make with under 10 ingredients that are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and have a delicious light chocolate glaze that will haunt you in your dreams.

Healthy Vanilla Baked Donuts

These healthy baked donuts are so light and fluffy. And that chocolate glaze adds the perfect lip-smacking sweetness!

We were craving donuts this week and while I often make my chickpea baked chocolate donuts, we wanted a lighter cake batter, and a bouncier cake texture.

So taking my mother's basic baked donut recipe, I converted it to vegan ingredients.

Ingredients In These Healthy Vanilla Baked Donuts

The ingredient list is short but traditional - flour, baking soda, baking powder, flaxseed, vanilla, coconut sugar, milk, ACV, butter. So, as you see, this ingredient list is rather light.

But lighter can sometimes lead to bland so to support the flavor, I added a strong vanilla paste. I love using vanilla paste rather than extract when I want a powerful vanilla stamp on the flavor. You can of course use fresh vanilla beans or even homemade vanilla extract. (I recently ventured into that world and talk about how to make homemade vanilla extract here ). However, vanilla paste is very close to fresh and easier to store. I will link to my favorite brand in the ingredients list.

I actually made these twice. The first time was a bit of a fail only because I baked them too long and they were hard as a rock. I guess the conversion required a shorter baking time. The current timing was perfect for airy donuts.

So How Are These Donuts So Light and Airy?

So how are these donuts lighter than my chickpea donuts?

Well for one, there are no chickpeas - chickpeas of course are a wonderful source of protein in baked goods and make the texture creamy. But if you want an airy texture, it's best to use a more traditional list of baking ingredients including flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Next, I left the oil out of this recipe, and use only a little bit of vegan butter.

Finally, I added ACV to react with the baking powder and milk and add air and bounce to the texture. The result is a final product light and so airy, it actually has a million little holes in it.

The list of ingredients is longer than I like - so I broke it up into what I call a "container recipe".

How Easy are These Vanilla Baked Donuts?

Very easy. I list the ingredients based on the container you should put them in so you can dump them in the right container as soon as you gather them up.

I am trying to help take the thinking out of the recipe for you so you can just go through the motions and dream about donuts, haha!

While these donuts are a treat, they are not as fiber-filled as dark chocolate chickpea protein donut, but they are so much airier and lighter and so much fun to eat! And maybe next time I'll try adding something to up the fiber.

How to Make the Chocolate Glaze

Make a chocolate glaze that is refined sugar free is easy. Just melt dark chocolate in a pyrex glass measuring cup in the microwave at 60 seconds. When you remove the glass, the chocolate will be partially melted. Stir and stir until it all melts. If you have to, return it to the microwave and zap for 30 seconds more.

To make the glaze shiny, add a tsp or so of coconut oil. Not too much more or it will cloud as it dries.

Maybe you'd like to investigate my other donut recipes? (I have a lot, perhaps I have a thing for donuts?).

More Easy Healthy Donuts

Chocolate Mini Donuts

Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Chocolate Baked Donuts

Apple Cider Donuts

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Vanilla Baked Donuts

Created by Dee Dine

These healthy vanilla baked donuts are easy to make with under 10 ingredients that are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and have a delicious light chocolate glaze that will haunt you in your dreams.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 22 mins

Cuisine vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free

Servings 6 Donuts

Ingredients

 

In a Large Bowl

• 1 cup gluten-free baking flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp flaxseed, ground
• 2 tsp vanilla powder (or use 1 tsp vanilla extract)

In a 2-cup Measuring Cup

• ⅓ cup coconut palm sugar
• ½ cup plant milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (ACV)
• 2 tbsp vegan butter

In a Small Bowl

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Useful Equipment

• 1 donut pan (I use this brand)
• 1 2-cup pyrex measuring cup

Instructions

 

Prep

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Lightly grease donut pan with butter or coconut oil.

Make the batter

• Stir up the ingredients in the bowl.
• Stir up the ingredients in the measuring cup.
• Pour the measuring cup contents into the bowl, and stir until all is combined.
• Do not over stir or the donuts will be rubbery.
• Spoon or pipe the batter into the donut rings and bake 10 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
• Remove pan and let donuts cool in the pan 2 minutes ONLY. Then tip out the donuts and let them cool more on a rack bottom-side up.

Make the Glaze

• Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a shallow bowl in a microwave for 60 seconds or hot water bath (use a pyrex measuring cup if melting in a water bath and pour into a bowl to dip donuts).

  Dip each donut to coat with chocolate on one side, and set on parchment or a rack to drip set.
• I added sprinkles right away so they would stick.
• Keep them refrigerated and eat within 2 days for best texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1donutCalories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 180mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 178IUCalcium: 74mgIron: 1mg

Keyword vanilla baked donuts

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