Packed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, these vegan Baked Apple Cider Donuts are a perfect way to welcome in the fall. Made in just 25 minutes for a delicious treat.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Have I mentioned how much I love fall?
With the kids finishing the first month of school, temperatures beginning to drop, and the days getting noticeably shorter, I couldn't be more excited.
Fall is both a wonderfully nostalgic time for me, as I reflect on past years and old family traditions, while simultaneously representing new beginnings and fresh starts. There is a world of potential ahead of us!
So, for the next few months, you will find me over here in pure bliss. But before I get too lost in the glory of it all, where were we?
Oh right, Vegan Apple Cider Donuts!
Apple Cider Donuts {Video}
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Making baked donuts is incredibly easy and satisfying. Who doesn't love a soft and warm sweet pastry filled with herbs and dipped in the glaze? And better yet, they are so simple to master.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour - For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Baking Powder & Soda
- Spices - Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt
- Maple Syrup
- Apple Cider - This recipe calls for apple cider or apple juice, not apple cider vinegar.
- Applesauce - This is the binder of the recipe. You could replace it with ⅓ cup mashed banana, ⅓ cup of pumpkin puree, or a variety of other egg replacers.
- Oil - This recipe calls for coconut oil because it doesn't add flavor. You can also use avocado, olive, or canola oil. If you want to eliminate the oil altogether, swap it out for the same amount of applesauce.
- Vanilla Extract
- Granulate & Powdered Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
Recommended Equipment
Most importantly, you will need a couple of donuts pans. With a donut pan you can make all the baked donuts you want this fall.
It’s also nice to have is a good piping bag. When baking donuts (rather than frying) the batter is soft like cake and will need to be piped in the donut pans. You can get reusable piping bags or one-use plastic bags. Either way, they are super cheap and nice to have on hand.
In addition, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, and a wire cooling rack. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to make Apple Cider Donuts
Step one - Make the Batter
First, mix your dry ingredients together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. You don't want to over mix or your doughnut will become tough rather than tender.
Step Two - Bake the Donuts
The batter will be soft, so a piping bag is the best option here. If you don't have one, you can make a makeshift piping bag by pouring your batter into a ziplock bag, cutting off the tip, and piping from there.
Bake the donuts for just about 8-10 minutes. When done the dough should spring back when gently pressed.
Step Three - Glaze the Donuts
Once the donuts are ready, pull them out of the oven and flip them onto a wire cooling rack.
Let them cool 10 minutes before dipping them into your glaze and sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar.
Pro Tip: This cooling time is necessary otherwise the donuts might crumble and the glaze will definitely melt off.
Serving and Storing
Serve donuts immediately as a morning pastry or afternoon snack. Serve with a homemade Chai Latte.
Store leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Tips and Tricks
- Generously spray the donut pan before piping in the batter to ensure the donuts do not stick to the pan.
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Take care not to overmix the batter. Overmixed batter becomes tough and gummy.
- For cleanest results, pipe in the batter with a piping bag.
- Let the donuts rest in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping them onto a wire cooling rack. Let donuts cool completely before dipping them in the glaze to prevent the glaze from melting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I omit the oil?
Sure. If you would like to make any of these recipes oil-free, simply swap out the oil for additional applesauce at a 1:1 ratio.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
For sure! For gluten-free doughnuts, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.
I don’t have a doughnut pan. Would these work as muffins?
Yes! When making muffins, I prefer using a mini-muffin pan (<<affiliate link) for these as they do tend to be a bit sweeter than muffins.
More Vegan Donut Recipes
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Ingredients
Apple Cider Doughnuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp. allspice
- ½ tsp. salt
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup apple cider
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Apple Cider Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a donut pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together maple syrup, apple cider, apple sauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each mold about ¾ full.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the donuts springs back when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring doughnuts onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and apple cider in a small shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine ingredients for cinnamon sugar topping.
- Once doughnuts have cooled, dip the tops of each doughnut into the glaze. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Let the glaze harden and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Generously spray the donut pan before piping in the batter to ensure the donuts do not stick to the pan.
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Let the donuts rest in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping them onto a wire cooling rack. Let donuts cool completely before dipping them in the glaze to prevent the glaze from melting.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Kanika says
Great recipe! I have an egg allergy but I LOVE baked goods. I’m always so happy and appreciative when I find baking recipes that are egg free AND delicious. Thank you!
Johanne says
SOOOOO DELICIOUS!!!! They were so easy to make, I made mini muffins instead of donuts and it was just as yummy! Thank you so muchhhh for this recipe! My son loves them.
L2Lulu says
Delicious. I had apple cider left over from a marinade and didn't want it to go to waste before it turned hard. Found this recipe and made it exactly as written. They came out perfectly. I only had coconut sugar for the cinnamon sugar topping. I think I'd prefer white sugar for that next time. I might try whole wheat pastry flour to make them a little healthier. But still, they're not overly decadent as is. Definitely recommend!
Bee says
Hey have you tried making these with gluten free flours? Going to make this weekend but attempt GF. Thank you.
Zulay says
my donuts came out a little gummy, any thoughts on how to avoid that?
Brigitte Yuille says
My husband and I had our first apple cider donuts in Vermont and they were delicious. So, I was excited to come across this recipe. The donuts were just as delicious. My only substituion was whole wheat flour. I had a good amount of cinnamon sugar topping, so I am saving it for the next batch. I am looking forward to using pumpkin puree.
Pam says
I’m usually not much of a chef, but these came out great! My tip is to make sure all ingredients are at room temp (I keep cider & maple syrup in the fridge,so I warmed them up).
Lynn Patterson says
Omg these are amazing and so easy! Unfortunately I read Apple cider as vinegar but they were delicious so I’ve made them again this way.
haley says
sooo good! just made them today for thanksgiving and omg
Chewli says
Just tried them and I love the taste but unfortunately the consistency turned out to be like a browny and very dense not as fluffy as a donut should be. I used honey instead of maple syrup maybe that's the fault but I will try them again as the taste is SO good!
Andrea says
Just made these, had such a craving but no apple cider so chopped up two small macintosh apples and added a tiny bit more applesauce, also too lazy, oh well, to melt the oil so used vegetable oil. what a yummy , moist recipe!!
Brittany Cords says
Do you think these would fair well being packed and brought camping? What is the best way to store these if made ahead of time?
Sarah says
Yeah, I think they would be fine. To pack them, let them first cool completely, then just pack them in an airtight container. They should be kept at room temperature. Enjoy!
Traci says
Made these yesterday and they’re so delicious! Had to substitute EVOO, as I can’t have coconut oil, and didn’t notice a difference. Made double the batch to share and coworkers are already requesting more!
Caitlin M says
Made these yesterday and they were DELICIOUS! Doubled the recipe for sharing and couldn't find apple cider so substituted some apple juice and lemon juice- can't wait to make again!
Angela says
Can I leave the oil out? I don’t ever buy oil anymore and do t want to start!
Sarah says
I've never made it without the oil. You couldn't do it without substituting it for something else (without significantly changing the texture) and I don't know what to recommend without personally trying it.