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8 Vegan Donut Recipe You Have To Try

Donuts are probably some of the most popular deep-fried desserts in the world. Whether they’re ringed or jelly-filled, cream, frosting, or chocolate covered, there’s a donut recipe for pretty much everyone out there.

Well, almost everyone.

8 Vegan Donut Recipe You Have To Try

Because donuts use animal products like eggs and dairy heavily, you’ll often find that vegans are often left out when it comes to a tasty platter of donuts.

Well, no longer!

In this guide, we’re going to share with you the best donut recipes that don’t just taste great but also use zero animal products too.

Finally, vegans can enjoy donuts again!

1. Vegan Donuts

To prove that we’re not bluffing when it comes to being able to make vegan donuts, we’re starting off this list with a classic donut, made vegan-friendly!

One of the issues that you’ll find with many of the recipes that you can find online for baked donuts is that they are often baked.

These can make perfectly decent donuts, but they don’t give you that same crispy outside, and soft, light inside as a traditional donut does.

After all, normal donuts are deep-fried, not baked!

This recipe does just that, deep-frying the vegan donut batter to make something that is pretty much a one-for-one recreation of a classic donut.

Only here, you don’t have to worry about breaking that vegan diet! With non-dairy milk being used, and dried yeast as well, there’s no trace of animal products to be found in this delicious dessert!

If you’re trying to keep a healthy diet, this recipe might not be for you. The baked donut recipes (some of which we have here) will do nicely.

But if you’re looking for that classic donut-store experience, whilst still staying vegan, this is absolutely the recipe for you!

And we’re just getting started!

2. Vegan Custard Donuts

Of course, ring donuts are just part of the much wider selection of donut confectionaries that you can find out there. 

What do you do when you’re looking for a recipe for a jelly/jam-filled donut? Or perhaps even more tricky, what about a donut that is normally filled with a dairy product like custard?

Well, in those scenarios, you turn to a recipe like this!

Using a plant-based custard powder, and some non-dairy milk or cream, you can create a real crowd-pleaser with this recipe.

And if you’ve watched shows like The Great British Bake-Off, then you know just how much of a crowd-pleaser a good custard donut is!

Better yet, the donut itself is still deep-fried, then rolled in your coating of choices (for us, it’s a tossup between cinnamon or powdered sugar), so you still get that classic donut texture when biting into it.

Just make sure that you have a handkerchief handy for all that spilled custard!

3. Cinnamon Sugar Vegan Donuts

Ah yes, the best friend of confectioners and bakers around the world. Where would we be without cinnamon spice as part of a good pantry?

Well, we certainly wouldn’t have amazing recipes like this one to enjoy, that’s for sure!

This particular recipe uses that baking method that we mentioned earlier, so you’ll need an oven-proof donut pan to pour your mix in.

Now, don’t scroll down just yet! There are some pros to baking over frying your donuts!

For one, these are a lot healthier than their fried counterparts. Not only that, but you’ll also avoid using up more oil needed to get them ready.

All you’ll need is some vegan butter for coating with cinnamon sugar, and that’s it!

And do you want to know what we particularly love about this recipe and many other oven donut dishes? It’s a quick one too!

The total frying time that you’ll need is around 25 minutes at most, less than a half hour. Meaning, once you have your batter prepared, there’s very little need to wait around for a donut batch to be finished!

Perfect when those cravings hit you for something sweet!

4. Vegan Hot Cinnamon Jam Donuts

The best donuts are the ones that have been freshly baked, straight from the oven, and ideally still just a little hot.

So, you’re going to love this jelly-filled donut dessert dish that we’ve found for you!

One of the things that can throw some bakers off is how you are supposed to fill jelly donuts.

Fortunately, this recipe is a great tool to learn this technique for yourself, outlining the steps that you’ll need to take to make these delectable jam-filled donuts.

The result is pretty special too: A plate full of jam-filled donuts that look professionally made, all while still being deep-fried too, giving you that classic thicker, crispy outside.

And the soft, light inside (now with extra jelly)!

Plus, at under an hour of total prep time (proving and frying included), you also have a recipe that can be put together in a surprisingly little amount of time at all.

Perfect for when you’ve got to get a dessert ready at the last minute, and you don’t know what else to make!

5. Baked Vegan Yeast-Free Donuts

You’ll probably have noticed that, when it comes to the ingredients that are usually mentioned in these recipes, yeast comes up a lot.

Now, for most people, and in most cases, yeast is a perfectly reasonable and even healthy ingredient to include in your donut recipes.

However, for some people with gut sensitivities, yeast can also cause bloating and intestinal issues, putting a lid on not just donuts, but many baked recipes.

Well, luckily for those people, there are also plenty of recipes that can work around these issues, like this one here!

Using the instructions in this guide, you can make an incredible donut without even so much as a trace of yeast in it!

And with this being a baked vegan donut, this is also one of the healthiest recipes that you’ll find in this list. Especially when you add in the fact that there are no additives in this recipe for flavoring.

And it’s still an amazing donut. Soft and fluffy, as well as sweet, and with plenty of topping options, you aren’t missing out on anything when it comes to this recipe.

6. Vegan Baked Apple Donuts

Vegan donuts aren’t missing out on seasonal donut flavors either.

Baked apple is one of those flavors that you just can’t help but associate with fall. The warm, sweet fruit flavor makes for the perfect indoor treat when the outside keeps getting colder.

And now, you can even enjoy a good apple-flavored donut, without breaking your vegan streak!

One of the great things about this recipe is that you can change a surprising amount of the flavor of these donuts by using different strains or varieties of apples.

You can go with a slightly more sour flavor by going with Granny Smith green apples, or perhaps something a little sweeter, by using Red Delicious ones instead!

And, of course, you get all the perks that you expect from a baked donut as opposed to a fried one. Healthier eating, while still keeping all those sweet flavors that you love about them, and more!

7. Vegan Banana Bread Donuts

So, as we’ve hopefully started to show you, there is plenty to love about the many donut recipes that we’ve covered. They’re inventive, healthy, and often taste just as great as their animal-based counterparts.

So, let’s take a look at some interesting new flavors that you can throw around the kitchen and dinner table!

Banana bread is one of the most popular fruit-based baking recipes that you’ll find out there, and an excellent way to use up that over-ripe banana that you otherwise might waste.

So, what happens when you combine that soft, fruity flavor and texture, with a classic donut?

Well, if this recipe is a good indicator, it makes for some of the best-baked treats that we’ve ever tasted! Dense and spongy, just the way that banana bread should be!

Top your banana bread donut with a little cinnamon, maple caramel syrup, and some chopped pecans for decoration, and you have one hell of a dessert on your hands!

8. Vegan Brioche Donuts

Brioche is another kind of sweet baked bread that is very popular across the world. So it’s only natural that people would be crazy enough to combine them!

These delicious baked donuts rise like good brioche does, while also having a beautiful glaze that is delicious and crispy as you bite into it, just like a good donut should!

Closing Thoughts

So, there you have it!

From regular old sugar-dusted donuts to banana bread and brioche-infused alternatives, there are plenty of different vegan donuts for you to try!

The next time that somebody tells you that they can’t eat donuts because they’re vegan, or tells you that they can’t make a vegan dessert that will satisfy everyone, show them one of these recipes, and watch their minds explode!

Maybe by making them taste one of these recipes for themselves? That sounds like a great idea!

Which one will you start with?

Anna Ingham
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