Learn how to make the most delicious Vegan Apple Cider Donuts gluten-free and oil-free! These donuts are so soft, fluffy and moist, baked and not fried. It is hard to believe they contain no oil and no butter! They are rolled in apple pie spice sugar for delicious flavor!
VEGAN APPLE CIDER DONUTS
‘Tis the season for all things apple and spice, right? No season is complete without this vegan gluten-free apple crisp or these apple hand pies, and especially this oil-free vegan apple pie granola!
I’ve had a few requests for vegan apple cider donuts. Reason being, most you will find online are made with lots of sugar, oil, butter and of course, gluten. Since many of you all come here for healthier versions that taste just as amazing and delicious as traditional desserts, I got you covered!
There are a lot of oil-free vegan desserts you love here, but one of the desserts that you tag me weekly on social media are my vegan cinnamon sugar donuts! Those are, without a doubt, one of my most popular recipes. Nobody can ever believe they are gluten-free or oil-free, for that matter.
These vegan apple cider donuts are so soft, moist and fluffy. They are baked, not fried, so they have a cakey texture, that I just love. If you want to learn more about baking oil-free, be sure to check out all of my tips and tricks on How to Cook and Bake Without Oil!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 8 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- Pecans: Surprise, I bet you didn’t see that coming! This gives an extra dose of holiday flavor! We are going to grind up the pecans into a flour, to make these donuts extra moist and buttery. The flavor is incredible. It’s a trick I’ve used in these vegan cornbread muffins, as well as these vegan pecan pie cookies. See sub below if allergic.
- White rice flour: Just like with my cinnamon sugar donuts and my popular funfetti cake, rice flour does some serious magic in these donuts for texture. It makes them fluffy and gives great binding. Brown rice flour is not a good sub here, it is much, much more drying in baked goods and causes things to crumble much easier. While I do use it in some recipes, for these donuts, white gives the best texture and more moisture. I even tested these with oat flour and they were not nearly as good, much more dense and gummy.
- Potato starch: This starch alone makes these fluffier than any other starch, so I highly recommend it. Since it can be a bit hard to find, I always order it online. It is inexpensive and arrives quickly.
- Baking powder
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider: Of course we need apple cider to make donuts. Please do not confuse this with apple cider vinegar. NOT the same. Use a quality apple cider with a dark, rich color for the best flavor.
- Apple pie spice: To really amp up that flavor, we are using apple pie spice, my homemade blend in fact, instead of just plain cinnamon. It gives the donuts amazing flavor.
- White granulated sugar: We will coat the donuts with sugar and apple pie spice for mega flavor. Instead of just cinnamon and sugar, using my apple pie spice really makes the coating amazing.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN APPLE CIDER DONUTS
Step 1: First, you need a donut pan. Spray the pan with nonstick spray, otherwise your donuts will stick.
Step 2: Make the pecan meal/flour by grinding the pecans in a food processor or vitamix. It will turn into flour really quickly, so be careful not to turn into paste. I prefer the food processor because the vitamix can turn it wet fast.
Step 3: Combine the pecan flour with the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until blended.
Step 4: Add the syrup and apple cider and whisk until very smooth.
Step 5: Divide the batter evenly into the donut cavities. I used a standard donut size 6 cavity pan.
Step 6: Bake just 10 minutes until golden and well risen and a toothpick comes out clean on one of the donuts.
Step 7: Cool 15 minutes and then coat in the apple pie spice and sugar mixture. I only did the side that had the spray, it sticks perfectly and was plenty. But if you want to coat both sides, lightly brush non-dairy milk or more spray on the other side to coat.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLE CIDER AND APPLE JUICE?
It can be confusing since many brands will label bottles as “apple cider” when they are literally apple juice with no difference in flavor. Apple cider is unfiltered apple juice and is much darker and the taste and smell is much stronger in real apple flavor. It smells just like fresh apples and tastes amazing.
Apple juice has gone through a filtered process and has been pasteurized and, while delicious, it is more lighter and diluted in flavor. I actually tested a batch of these vegan apple cider donuts with both and noticed a huge difference in flavor. The apple came through so much stronger with the apple cider. Some recipes will call for you to reduce the apple cider before baking with it, but I did not want to bother with all of that, in addition, didn’t feel it was necessary since my apple cider was so strong and delicious.
MORE VEGAN DONUT RECIPES
Vegan Apple Cider Donuts (Gluten-free and Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons (63g) ground pecan meal (see directions)
- 3/4 cup (120g) white rice flour (do NOT sub brown, see NOTES)
- 4 1/2 tablespoons (45g) potato starch (see NOTES)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (I used and recommend my blend, better flavor than store-bought)
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120g) quality apple cider, NOT vinegar! (see NOTES)
- 7 1/2 tablespoons (150g) pure maple syrup
COATING
- 6 tablespoons (60g white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
NOTE
- It's important to get accuracy in weight here since we are grinding up pecans and want the right ratios and moisture. So, I always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
- I use this donut pan.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and spray a 6 regular size donut pan well with nonstick spray. Wipe off any excess if it's pooling at the bottom. If you don't spray them, they WILL STICK. This recipe makes 6 regular size donuts. This may VARY depending on your pan having different donut size holes or depth of each one.
- First, make the pecan flour by adding a half cup of pecans to a food processor or vitamix. This will happen VERY quickly in a vitamix. I actually find it's much easier to get a flour consistency (that doesn't get too wet fast) in a food processor. You don't want to overprocess or it will turn into paste. Pecans are naturally very oily, so if you overprocess it will quickly go from flour to paste. Process starting on slow and then high until it's a flour, just a few seconds. See photo in post how it should look. You don't want big chunks, but should be a meal consistency. If nut-free, you will use the sunflower seeds option, getting it as fine as you can.
- Now make sure to measure out just 63 grams from the ground up pecan meal. You may have slightly extra from the processor, so just eat it. Add to a large bowl. If you weighed the correct amount of pecans, it will be the correct amount of flour. If you didn't weigh, make sure to use the correct amount of pecan flour.
- To the bowl of pecan flour, add the rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt and whisk very well to ensure there are no lumps.
- Add the apple cider and syrup over the dry ingredients and whisk until completely smooth. It will seem too runny at first, but whisk a good 30 seconds or so until completely smooth and it thickens up a bit. It should be similar to a cake batter, very smooth and pourable. Do not worry about overmixing, this is a gluten-free batter and the smoother, the better. If making the version with the all-purpose flour, whisk gently just until all moistened and smooth, don't overmix or your donuts will be chewy.
- Be warned if you taste the batter, it's the yummiest batter I think I've ever tasted. The rice flour version will have a gritty texture if you taste the batter, but will 100% not be detected in the baked result. Divide the batter evenly into the 6 donut pan, basically almost to the very top, as in the photo. I like to spoon it in pouring from a measuring cup with a pour spout going around the donut cavity, so it's not messy and catching drippings quickly with my spoon. Smooth out the tops with the back of a spoon or pick up the pan and give it a side-to-side shake to even out the batter.
- Bake just 10 minutes! Both versions were perfect at 10 minutes. These bake up very quickly, so do not overbake or they will turn dry. But, as always, use the toothpick test, as you know ovens can vary, so yours may be done a minute quicker or later.
- While the donuts are baking, make the sugar mixture. Combine the apple pie spice and sugar into a wide shallow bowl and whisk until blended.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes only and then use a toothpick to help lift out each donut. This works best to remove them carefully. Use the bottom sides of the donuts (the sprayed side) to coat in the sugar mixture. It will stick perfectly because of the nonstick spray. I did not coat both sides since I felt they had enough sugar on just one side, but if you want to coat both, either lightly brush a little non-dairy milk, butter or oil to help the sugar stick.
- Let them cool completely and enjoy! Store any leftovers at room temperature covered well so they don't dry out. These actually taste even better a couple hours after they have baked. The apple flavor seems to intensify, as does the moisture, as they sit.
Notes
- APPLE CIDER: Do not confuse with apple cider vinegar or you will ruin the recipe. Make sure you are using a quality flavorful apple cider. Many brands will label them apple cider but it's nothing more than plain apple juice. You will know the difference by how much darker it is than regular apple juice. I used the Zeigler's brand from Whole Foods and it is SO DELICIOUS. I've seen that Target also has a lot of dark, rich looking apple cider currently, so that is another option. Keep in mind the apple flavor in your donuts will be affected by how strong the cider is.
- SUB FOR RICE FLOUR: For the gluten-free version, the rice flour gives the absolute best texture here. They turn out amazing and fluffy and slightly dense, similar to cakey donut. Brown rice flour will not work here. It will make them way too crumbly and dry. If you are not gluten-free and don't want to use rice flour, you can make these with regular all-purpose flour. That version is equally as delicious. But please note to use the same WEIGHT amount in grams for the all-purpose flour (120g). This will not be equal to 3/4 cup (like the rice flour), but instead equal to 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (in cups). But as always, of course, use a scale please, as it's very easy to ruin a recipe by being even slightly off on flour.
- STARCH: I used potato starch here because it makes these fluffy and soft. It is the best starch for these donuts. Since it can be hard to find in stores these days, I always order it off Amazon (linked above). It is super cheap and arrives quickly. I do not recommend other starches so that the texture is not compromised. However, if you absolutely cannot use potato starch, use cornstarch instead, but again, the weight/tablespoon amounts are different for the 2 starches. Since cornstarch weighs less than potato starch, you will use the same weight in grams or if using tablespoons, you will need 5 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Please keep in mind that the donuts will be slightly more chewy and less soft/fluffy as with the potato starch.
- NUT-FREE: If allergic to pecans, I would suggest trying to make this with ground up raw, unsalted sunflower kernels instead, using the same weight amount. Get it as fine as you can. Keep in mind, this will obviously change the flavor and not be as buttery/moist since pecans are much oilier than sunflower kernels. The donuts may be more dense too, but should still be yum.
- MUFFINS: While I strongly recommend these as donuts, they are perfection, you can make these as muffins. I just prefer the texture of a donut. You will bake them as 6 donuts, 12-15 minutes. These cook very fast as muffins also, so start checking at 12 minutes. Remove once a toothpick is clean. You can sprinkle the sugar mixture on the batter before baking or when removing them, cool 15 minutes and then brush the tops with milk or light oil and then sprinkle on top. The sugar will not stick otherwise since the tops will be dry.
- Nutrition does not include the sugar coating since there will be varying amounts used by each person and not all is possibly used.
MORE VEGAN DONUT RECIPES
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Could I bake these as muffins if I don’t have a donut pan? They look so yummy!
Hi Heather! I just updated the recipe card Notes with muffin instructions. I did test them that way, too and forgot to add it. They work, but to be honest, I do find them much more satisfying as a donut in both the texture, feel and the coating, etc. but they do work as muffins, just don’t forget the coating if you go that route.
I was wondering the same thing as Heather about making these as muffins … or should I run out for a donut pan? Actually I just might do that because they look so satisfying and I have friends who love donuts and wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to give them a healthy version?
Hi Cheryl, I just updated the recipe card Notes with muffin instructions. They work, but to be honest, I do find them much more satisfying as a donut in both the texture, feel and the coating, etc. I linked to the donut pan I use, but of course you can also find donut pans at home stores like Bed Bath Beyond and I’m sure Walmart, etc. Let me know after you try them!
I made these, and they are fantastic! I made a second batch and included toasted walnuts, and it was extra amazing. Terrific recipe with easily accessible ingredients!
Yay!! You are FAST, I love that you made them right after I posted them and that you loved them thank you so much Dara!!
Thank you … purchased your recommended donut pan. Drove out to the local orchard for real fresh pressed apple cider. You’re right about paying close attention to the pecan grinding process. They’re in the oven and I can’t wait. Thanks for always getting back to your reader’s questions. You’re always extremely helpful.
Oh my word, these donuts are STUPENDOUS!!! Light, fluffy, and full of apple flavor! I have to admit we drove an hour for hand-pressed apple cider from the orchard as soon as you posted this recipe. I never doubted for one minute that they would be absolutely incredible, but they are even better than I imagined! Apple cider donuts are my husband’s favorite fall treat but they are not the healthiest choice. You have given the perfect option and I will be making them again and again and again! THANK YOU for your dogged determination to get things just right, Brandi! They are perfection!
Thank you SO MUCH Colleen for making them so fast!! I’m so beyond happy you l oved them so much! And wow, hand-pressed cider sounds so amazing!!! Thanks as always for making my recipes and leaving feedback!
I’m going to make these as soon as I get a donut pan! Do you have a brand of pan you like? I tried looking on Amazon to see f you had a list of tools you use to give you credit, but didn’t see one.
Hi Marie! I linked to the donut pan I use in both the post and on the recipe card. I love that one!
Just figured that out! ??♀️
I clicked on “pan I use” and it took me to Amazon.
Just ordered one!
Yay Marie, can’t wait to hear after you make them!!
Brandi, this recipe sounds so fun! Do you think a silicone donut mold would work as well? I’ve not needed to use spray oil with my silicone muffin mold, so do you think I could also avoid the spray oil if I got silicone donut molds? Thank you very much 🙂 !
Hi Tanya, you can always try it! I am not too crazy about how some things bake up in silicone, as it can affect the texture a bit, but if you have good results with it, I’d try it out. I’ve not needed oil in my silicone mold when I’ve used it either, so I don’t think you will. Since the nonstick spray is what makes the sugar stick and that’s a big part of the classic donut, I would just brush the tops/bottoms after they are cooled with a little plant milk so the sugar will stick.
Thank you so much, Brandi! 🙂 HUGS!
These are my second Vegan 8 donuts I have made, and they are INCREDIBLE. She was right when she said the batter may be the best ever. The texture is light and fluffy while having a chewiness from the pecans, and the home-made apple pie spice is perfect. I brought these to a Physical Therapist appreciation potluck at my hospital and they were the star of the show…and nobody knew they were vegan.
Wow Mara, I absolutely loved this review so much, thank you very much for making the donuts and sharing this feedback and your beautiful pic on Instagram!
Hi Brandi, what kind of white rice flour did you use? Glutinous white rice flour or just regular white rice flour?
Definitely just regular!
Shoot, I forgot to ask you something…I decided to go with a nonstick metal pan, but when you say to use a nonstick spray, will a spray avocado oil work or does it have to be Pam Spray? Forgive me for such a stupid question, but I have avocado spray at home, and I don’t want to mess them up, lol! Trying to make these for my college-age girls who will be home soon! Thank you 🙂
Hi Tanya! I think avocado spray should be fine! I’ve never used it personally but the oil is needed to prevent sticking so I think it’ll be fine. Let me know after you make them!
Thanks :), AGAIN! You are so quick to reply…wow! You’re the best, Brandi! xo and have a happy halloween!!!
I made these today and they’re great! I bought apple cider with alcohol in it because I couldn’t find one without it. I was worried that it would change the flavor a lot, but it still turned out delicious! Thanks for another gluten-free and vegan recipe that’s out of the ball park.
So glad these hit it out of the park for you Aly! Thank you for making them!
I made these for my husband and he loved them. I always follow your recipes to a “t” but for some reason, all of your donut recipes yield 7 instead of 6 donuts when I make them. This time, I was too lazy to make 6 donuts, then wash the pan, and make one donut, so I poured all the batter into 6 cavities. Big mistake! After baking, I had to carve a “hole” in each donut, and shave a portion off the top (which is actually the bottom). The crumbs won’t go to waste (topping for ice cream!), but it was tedious nonetheless. My fave donut recipe of yours – well, it’s a tie actually: Cinnamon Sugar, and Chocolate, both pictured on my IG. veg.gourmet027
So glad y’all loved them! It sounds like the donut pan you are using has a more shallow donut cavity than the pan I use, because mine bake up perfectly in my 6 donut pan just like in the photos. (Both the regular and the gluten-free version) It also depends on the recipe, but I always note how many the recipe will make and list where the batter should fill to. The cinnamon sugar donuts, for example, DO make 7 donuts listed on the recipe, so that is accurate. But these and the chocolate ones are 6 only with the donut pan I linked to.
Do they taste like donuts? Kind of. They’re a cross between a cake and donut. The important thing is that they taste really good and they’re a hell of a lot healthier than donuts.
Yes, these are described in the post as cakey donuts. They definitely aren’t supposed to resemble the fried kind, haha. Glad you enjoyed them!
These are THE best Apple Cider donuts. When we were in VT last fall we ate AC donuts almost daily and these are even better and no grease!! The pecans just totally bring it to next level and I used your apple pie spice..so much better than store bought. We definitely had to stop ourselves after 2 donuts so we’d have one left today. I’m so glad I bought a gallon of Apple Cider! Go make this. You will be glad you did. Such a great Fall dessert!!
Not sure why it didn’t show my stars, so here they are
I’m sooooo happy y’all loved them!! They looked perfect!
These are soooo good! I love that they are vegan/gluten free/oil free. They are pretty easy to make and don’t require whipping up aquafaba or cooking down the apple cider. Definitely a must try!
After falling in love with your pumpkin donuts in your cookbook, I was so excited to try these. The texture and density of these was just like the pumpkin ones–spot on! They didn’t just taste like round muffins, like many vegan baked donut recipes I’ve tried. The fact that I didn’t even have to boil down the cider was a huge plus!
Must try! Easy and I love that they are oil-free, which is a huge plus to me! They came out perfect first try, I definitely recommend trying these yummy donuts!
Hi! If I was subbing the rice flour for regular AP flour (I’m not GF), would I still need the potato starch?
Yes! You are only changing the rice flour, all the rest of the ingredients remain the same.
Love love love this recipe! The most fluffiest baked donuts ever. As I don’t have a donut pan, I made 9 muffins from this recipe, baked for 19 minutes. Amazing!
Excited to try this recipe! Would it work with almond flour instead of the walnut flour? I distinctly overbought last time making macarons
Hi Brandi, I made the Vegan Apple Cider Donuts. While the flavor was really good, the testure was not. They were very doughy. I followed the recipe to a T and weighed everythimg that had a weight associated with it. I put each ingredient in itsown bowl and chaeked a second and trird time becasue I wanted them to come out perfect. I used the Authentic Foods Superfine Sweet Rice Flour. I wondered if the “superfine” rice flour had any effect on the texture. I didn’t think it would, since I went by weight. Additionally, I baked them exactly 10 minutes and tested with a toothpick, which came out clean at the 10 minute time. Also, I had two oven termometers on the oven prior to putting the donuts in to make sure my oven temp was ok.
I would love to make these again but I don’t know what I can do differently to keep them from being soooo doughy. It was really a turn off when eating them. I’d appreciate any thoughts you may have.
Hi Penny! it’s because you used “sweet rice flour”. You need to use just plain regular “white rice flour”. The bag should just say white rice flour. The mention of “sweet” is from a different rice. The 2 are VERY different. Sweet rice flour is high starch and is considered gelatinous sticky rice flour and will make things very gooey and dense, just as you experienced. I use bobs red mill white rice flour or arrowhead mills. These can be found in grocery stores (depending on the area) or easily online. I will always specify exact names of flours if they are needed and I never use that sweet rice flour for that reason. Here is an example of the one I use. You could always just do the regular all purpose flour version too if you don’t want to do rice flour, if gluten-free isn’t needed. You’ll see a big difference using the right rice flour, wonderfully soft and fluffy, as can be seen in the photos and other readers experienced above. Next batch will be correct! ? https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Gluten-White/dp/B0019GZ7YI/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1MFI79CJC8BE9&dchild=1&keywords=bobs%2Bwhite%2Brice%2Bflour&qid=1605907405&sprefix=Bobs%2Bwhite%2B%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-4&th=1
Thanks, Brandi. I will definately give the donuts another go with the correct flour!!
Hi Brandi,
I have made all your donuts, they are so good! I use the USA brand donut pan and NO sticking whatsoever; you do not need to spray at all. I use zero oil or butter for my husband’s sake and wanted you to know that the USA pan allows you to just bake and they come right out. I also have substituted using banana instead of all the maple syrup and they are wonderful. We enjoy the banana flavor in the cinnamon sugar donuts; haven’t tried the substitution in this one yet, but commenting here because I am about to make them. ??
So good to know about that pan, will check it out! I don’t like banana personally and would think it would make them more dense, but really glad to hear that you love them like that! Great healthy sub.
I’ve made these twice now, and am so happy! The first time, I followed the recipe exactly as written, and they were perfect. Today I had to make subs and they were still perfect! I had no pecans, so I used walnuts, and I used only cinnamon instead of the spice mix (short on time). I feel like these are nearly foolproof! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!
I can probably count on one hand the times I’ve posted a comment online about a recipe, even when I like it, but these were so amazing, I had to say something 🙂 They were light, fluffy, and moist, and the flavor was terrific! I couldn’t get over how good they were! My eyes popped wide open as I bit into the first one 🙂 I stored them in a covered container at room temp and they kept their freshness for 3 days. Only on the 4th day had they started to dry out a bit. The other wonderful thing about the recipe was that it came together so easily and quickly! I liked that part, too 🙂 I was wondering – have you ever tried it using almond flour instead of the ground pecans? That would speed up the prep time even more, although I’m guessing the results might not be quite as tasty.
So wonderful to hear!! Thanks for the amazing review! They won’t be as moist or rich since pecans are so much more naturally oily, but I suspect they would still be good with the almond flour!