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Gluten-free vanilla and chocolate cake donuts topped with rainbow sprinkles on a pink plate beside a bottle of milk.
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5 from 26 votes

Gluten-Free Vanilla Donuts

These gluten-free vanilla cake donuts bake up soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet with a tender cake-like crumb and smooth vanilla glaze. Made with simple pantry ingredients, they come together in about 40 minutes for an easy homemade donut recipe without any frying.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Setting Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free baked donuts, gluten-free dairy-free donuts, gluten-free dairy-free vanilla donuts, gluten-free donuts, gluten-free vanilla donuts
Servings: 12 donuts
Author: Audrey Roberts

Equipment

  • donut pan

Ingredients

For the Donuts

  • 1 cup gluten free flour with xanthan gum I recommend Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour or Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour
  • ½ cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp xanthan gum (only if your flour blend doesn’t already include it)
  • ½ cup milk room temperature (dairy-free use unsweetened almond, cashew or coconut milk)
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature (dairy-free use Smart Balance butter)
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Glaze

  • 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp milk dairy-free use unsweetened almond, cashew or coconut milk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Glaze (optional)

  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ tsp coconut oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum (if needed). Set aside for now.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
  • Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet ingredients. Stir with a silicone spatula just until combined (don’t overmix).
  • Let the batter rest (at room temperature) for 20 minutes before moving onto the next steps. This gives the gluten-free flour time to properly absorb the liquid ingredients.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
  • Spray a full size donut pan with gluten free non-stick baking spray.
  • Add the batter to a large food-safe storage bag or piping bag. Seal the bag and cut a corner (or tip if using a piping bag) off.
  • Squeeze the bag carefully, filling the greased donut pan with batter. Only fill each donut cavity half way full. This donut batter will rise quite a bit and if the donut cavities are overfilled then the donuts will overflow during baking and lose their donut shape.
  • Bake for 13-15 minutes. The tops should be a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in a donut should come out clean (no wet batter on the toothpick).
  • Place the pan on a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes before removing the donuts from the pan and placing the donuts directly on the cooling rack.

For the Vanilla Glaze

  • In a medium bowl, stir the glaze ingredients (powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract) together until smooth.
  • Dip each warm donut into the glaze and place back on the cooling rack. Dip either just the top of the donut or the entire donut into the glaze. Top the glazed donut with sprinkles (optional).

For the Chocolate Glaze

  • Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a bowl. Place in microwave, on high heat, for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave, stir, and microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir again. Repeat this step of heating for an additional 15 seconds followed by stirring until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
  • Dip the donuts in the chocolate glaze, place them on the cooling rack, and add sprinkles, if desired.

Video

Notes

  • Use Pillsbury Gluten-Free Flour or Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten-Free Flour for the softest texture and best rise.
  • Measure the flour carefully, preferably with a kitchen scale, to prevent dry donuts.
  • Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother batter and more even texture.
  • Mix the batter just until combined to avoid dense or gummy donuts.
  • The batter should look thick but still pipe easily into the donut pan.
  • Grease the donut pan thoroughly so the donuts release cleanly.
  • Fill each donut cavity about ¾ full for the best donut shape.
  • Bake until the tops spring back lightly and the edges look lightly golden.
  • Let the donuts cool slightly before glazing so the glaze sets properly.
  • Mini donuts bake faster and usually take about 6–8 minutes.
  • Freeze the donuts unglazed for the best texture after thawing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1donut | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg