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Home » Recipes » Vegan Breakfast » Pastries & Muffins » Orange Pistachio Donuts

Orange Pistachio Donuts

by Sarah McMinn / Posted: July 27, 2020 / Updated: August 21, 2020 / Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Total Time: 22 mins

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These pistachio doughnuts can be eaten immediately or stored 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.
Finished recipe on a ceramic platter
These pistachio doughnuts can be eaten immediately or stored 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.

Enjoy these springtime vegan Orange Pistachio Donuts. They are topped with orange glaze and chopped pistachios for a delicious morning pastry or midday snack. Made in under 25 minutes!

Stack of vegan doughnuts

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

About every other week I have the thought, "Is it too soon to make another donut recipe for the blog?".

While part of me thinks that is the craziest question ever. It's NEVER too soon to do another vegan donut recipe, I try and keep things balanced and so 90% of the time, I come to the conclusion, "yes, it's too soon."

But this week I couldn't say no any longer. With spring in full force (thank goodness!) it was time to take another look at these Orange Pistachio Donuts.

This recipe was published nearly 5 years ago. What a lifetime ago, that was! They are the perfect springtime pastry; a flavor celebration of orange, coconut, and pistachio.

And I think you're gonna love them!

Finished recipe on a ceramic platter
Table of Contents show
Ingredients & Substitutions
Step-by-Step Instructions
Serving And Storing
Tips and Tricks
Frequently Asked Questions
More Vegan Donut Recipes
Coconut Orange Donuts
Coconut Orange Doughnuts
Orange Glaze

Ingredients & Substitutions

Making baked donuts is incredibly easy and satisfying. Who doesn’t love a soft and warm sweet pastry filled with spices and dipped in the glaze? And better yet, they are so simple to master.

Here is everything you need.

  • All-Purpose Flour – For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Applesauce – This is the binder of the recipe. You could replace it with ⅓ cup mashed banana or a variety of other egg replacers.
  • Oil – This recipe calls for coconut oil because it compliments the flavors of this donut. 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.
  • Orange Juice & Zest
  • Light Coconut Milk - This recipe calls for canned coconut milk rather than coconut beverage. However, if you don't want coconut flavor, you can substitute it for vegan buttermilk (½ cup soy milk + ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar).
  • Granulate & Powdered Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
  • Pistachios - To save time, I recommend using shelled pistachios. I also recommend using slightly salted pistachios for a sweet and salty pastry. (<<affiliate link)

Step-by-Step Instructions

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 donuts will become tough rather than tender.

Wet and dry ingredients in a metal bowl

Step Two - Bake the Donuts

The batter will be soft, so the best technique is to pipe the batter into the pan. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can make one by pouring your batter into a large ziplock bag and cutting off the tip.

Bake for just about 15-18 minutes. When done the dough should spring back when gently pressed. You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the donut. When it comes out clean, your donuts are done.

Piped doughnut batter into a doughnut tin

Step Three - Make the Glaze

Make the orange glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and orange juice with a whisk until desired consistency. It should be thick, but not clumpy.

Once the donuts are ready, pull them out of the oven. Let the donuts cool completely before dipping them into your glaze and sprinkling them with pistachios.

Pro Tip: This cooling time is necessary otherwise the donuts might crumble and the glaze will melt off.

Finished doughnuts on a cooling rack

Serving And Storing

Serving - Serve your vegan donuts immediately as a morning pastry or afternoon snack. Serve with a homemade Matcha Latte

Storing - Store leftovers 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.

Make in Advance - You can make this batter up to 1 day in advance. Store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, pipe the batter into the donut pan and bake in a preheated oven. If the batter is chilled, the donuts may need a minute or two extra in the oven.

Tips and Tricks

  1. Generously spray the donut pan before piping in the batter to ensure the donuts do not stick to the pan.
  2. The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
  3. Take care not to overmix the batter. Overmixed batter becomes tough and gummy.
  4. 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 a gluten-free pastry, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.

I don’t have a donut 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

  • Vegan Maple Bacon Donuts
  • Double Chocolate Pistachio Donuts
  • Vegan Pumpkin Donuts
Finished recipe on a ceramic platter

Coconut Orange Donuts

Enjoy these springtime vegan Orange Pistachio Donuts. They are topped with orange glaze and chopped pistachios for a delicious morning pastry or midday snack. Made in under 25 minutes!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 doughnuts
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Coconut Orange Doughnuts

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • ½ cup light coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup pistachios, ground
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Orange Glaze

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoon orange juice
  • chopped pistachios
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray a donut pan and set aside.
  • In a small bowl whisk together sugar, applesauce, oil, orange juice, coconut milk, and orange zest. In a larger bowl combine flour, pistachios, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.
  • With a piping bag fill doughnut cavities ⅔ full. Bake 12-13 minutes, until lightly golden and doughnut springs back when gently touched.
  • Allow the donuts to cool ten minutes before removing from the pan. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, make the orange glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and orange juice with a whisk until desired consistency; it should be thick, but not clumpy.
  • Dip the top half of each donut in the orange glaze and top with crushed pistachios. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

Serving and Storing - Serve donuts immediately as a morning pastry or afternoon snack. 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
Make in Advance – You can make this batter up to 1 day in advance. Store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, pipe the batter into the donut pan and bake in a preheated oven. If the batter is chilled, the donuts may need a minute or two extra in the oven.
Recipe Tips
  1. Generously spray the donut pan before piping in the batter to ensure the donuts do not stick to the pan.
  2. The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
  3. 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.
Variations - Make this recipe into muffins! I prefer using a mini-muffin pan for these as they do tend to be a bit sweeter than ordinary muffins.

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 170mg | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
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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 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest and read more about me here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christina Brown says

    January 29, 2025 at 6:45 am

    5 stars
    The best consistency! I did not make the glaze, and I used a sugar replacement in the donut. I would used more pistachio next time in the donut to bring that flavor out more.

    Reply
  2. Jess says

    April 27, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    You are a super mama for solo road tripping with 2 wee ones! Can't wait to hear how the trip was. And just think, in a month, it will be time for you to take a much deserved weekend away! (I'm a little excited, can you tell???)

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      May 02, 2015 at 3:16 pm

      I cannot wait! And I have the best roomie in town!!!

      Reply
  3. Caitlin says

    April 20, 2015 at 5:26 am

    i want to hang out with you and richaaaaaa.

    never too soon to post more donut recipes, lady. they always look so freakin good.

    Reply
  4. Suzi Fichman says

    April 16, 2015 at 10:12 pm

    i have a Whoopie Pie pan. will that work you think? gosh these really look ahmazink!!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 19, 2015 at 8:23 pm

      Thanks! I think it would work fine - definitely worth trying.

      Reply
  5. Chrissy says

    April 16, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    I'm glad you're getting away for a bit! These doughnuts look awesome as always 🙂

    Reply
  6. Laura says

    April 16, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    Yessssss, donuts!! I need to get a donut pan and try them. This is a great combination of flavours. Thanks for the inspiration:)

    Reply
  7. Kim Cotter says

    April 16, 2015 at 8:31 am

    Doughnuts are always welcome! I am embarrassed to admit, I didn't know that doughnut pans existed until this very moment. I must go get one...or two!
    Perfect road trip food 🙂

    Reply
  8. Cadry says

    April 16, 2015 at 7:30 am

    I hope you have a great time on your road trip! Seattle is such a cool city, and it's awesome that you can hang out with Richa. Can't wait to hear all about it!

    Reply
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