Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts- Easy to make and with the perfect fluffy texture, this autumn-inspired recipe is sure to satisfy your craving for apple cider donuts!

Giving up dairy can be hard, especially during this time of year. One thing I would love to be able to do is go apple picking, drink hot apple cider and eat vegan apple cider donuts. I have a feeling that will be a thing one day, but until then I’ll be making this recipe at home to hold me over.

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know this isn’t my first foray with homemade vegan apple cider donuts. I have a vegan and gluten-free recipe that we adore, but this version has more of a classic texture thanks to all-purpose flour. They have a wonderfully fluffy texture, come together easy, and are sure to satisfy your craving for apple cider donuts!

Ingredients

• Apple Cider. There are a lot of apple ciders from big box stores that contain a ton of additives and unnecessary flavorings. If you can source from a local farm or find a brand that is simply made from apples and nothing else, that is your best bet!
• All Purpose Flour. I rarely bake with all-purpose flour because I prefer the extra nutrition that whole grain baking has to offer. That said, there are certain recipes I think require that superfine texture and light flavor that all-purpose flour has to offer, such as donuts and cinnamon rolls. Just be sure to choose a quality, organic and unbleached all-purpose flour such as my favorite from Bob’s Red Mill.
• Coconut Sugar. I personally love the caramel flavor that coconut sugar gives these donuts but feel free to substitute with white or brown sugar if that’s what you keep on hand.
• Ground Cinnamon. Do we need to discuss this one? I think not.
• Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt. I tend to use both baking powder and baking soda in my vegan recipes as it gives the extra rise that baking with eggs usually provide. Salt is always necessary to balance out the sweet, in my opinion.
• Applesauce. Unsweetened plain applesauce provides moisture and helps bind the donuts so even though we’re not using a ton, it is necessary for this recipe.
• Pure Maple Syrup. Just a little bit for an extra touch of sweetness and moisture.
• Coconut Oil. Do you need both coconut oil and vegan butter for this recipe? No. But I like the richness coconut oil offers in baked goods so I prefer to use it in this recipe. You can easily sub it with additional vegan butter, if desired.
• Vegan Butter. While you could also use melted coconut oil to coat the baked donuts (this is necessary to help the cinnamon sugar topping stick to them), I like the flavor of vegan butter better.  The choice is entirely yours though!

How to Make Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

1. Reduce your apple cider. Technically you could skip this step and just use 1/2 cup apple cider. However, I don’t recommend skipping it as reducing the cider greatly enhances the flavor.
2. Combine the wet ingredients. Stir together the reduced cider, applesauce, maple syrup and melted coconut oil (or vegan butter).
3. Combine the dry. Sift together the flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Add the dry to the wet. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet and stir until a smooth batter forms.
5. Pipe into donut pan and bake. If you don’t have a piping bag you can create your own using a ziploc bag with the corner cut off, or use a spoon to scoop the batter into the donut pan instead.
6. Coat with cinnamon sugar topping. Lightly brush the donuts with melted butter (do not dunk them in the butter or they will get soggy!) then roll them in cinnamon sugar topping and serve!

Looking for MORE APPLE RECIPES?

• Easy Stovetop Cinnamon Apples
• Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
• Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• The Ultimate Fall Salad
• Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup
• Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Bread
• Detoxifying Green Apple Smoothie

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time18 minutes mins

Total Time33 minutes mins

Servings: 6 donuts

Ingredients

For the Apple Cider Donuts

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup apple cider, reduced to ½ cup
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter, or coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F then grease a donut pan for 6 donuts.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the apple cider to a low boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, until reduced by half. Remove from heat. You should have ½ cup when measured out. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the apple cider, maple syrup, applesauce, and melted oil. Stir together.
• In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Sift out any large lumps then add to bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until a smooth batter forms.
• Using a piping bag (or a spoon), pipe each donut ¾ of the way full. Bake in the oven for about 18 minutes, or until firm and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool before handling.
• Meanwhile, prepare the coating by combining the coconut sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Stir together.
• Once the donuts are cooled, lightly brush them with melted butter (or oil). Transfer to the bowl with the topping and toss until coated with cinnamon sugar on both sides. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 421mg, Potassium: 163mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 96IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!

 This post was created in partnership with a brand that I have used and loved for years, Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions and text are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make it possible for me to bring you quality content. For more delicious recipes and a coupon for $1.00 off any product, please visit Bob’sRedMill.com.