It's never been easier to be vegan, except when the store doesn't have your favorite treats in stock. But that's no reason to give up on your donut dream. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning or a brunch gathering with friends, these vegan donut recipes will get you from craving to chomping in no time flat. No, we won't even suggest that you need to share. That's up to you.
How to Make Vegan Donuts
No matter what your heart desires, from sprinkles to glazed to chocolate to bear claws, it's possible to create it in a vegan version.
Vegan Cake Donuts Recipe
The following recipe makes 20 classic mini cake donuts that are baked, not fried, so they're sort of on the healthier side of donuts. Congrats on being a health influencer now! Store your donuts in an airtight container if you don't polish all of them off immediately.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup soy milk or rice milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water OR an alternate egg substitute
- ¼ cup vegan butter
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Put the soy milk or rice milk in a small bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar, stir once or twice, and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.
- In a small saucepan, combine the milk mixture, vanilla, egg substitute, and butter substitute. Warm the mixture on low-medium heat until the butter has melted, but don't let the mixture begin to simmer or boil.
- Take the mixture off the heat and pour it into the dry ingredients. Mix to form a soft dough.
- Spray your donut pan with nonstick cooking spray, and spoon the dough into the molds in the pan.
- Bake the donuts for 12 minutes (longer for full-sized treats) or until they are dry and cooked through but not browned.
- Pop the donuts out of the pan and let them cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before decorating.
Alternative Cooking Method
If you don't have a donut pan, you can fry the cake donuts in oil. The temperature of the oil is important. If it's too hot, your donuts may burn, but if it's not hot enough, they won't cook through and will become greasy.
- Fill a pan to a depth of at least three or four inches with canola oil or vegetable oil, and heat the oil on the stovetop.
- Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature, which should be around 350°F before you pop in the donuts.
- Let them fry for a minute or two before flipping them, and drain the donuts on a bed of paper towels.
- Check the oil every few minutes to ensure it maintains the proper temperature until all the donuts are fried.
Raised Vegan Donuts Recipe
This vegan donut recipe uses yeast to give the donuts a lighter, airier texture and makes them rise. You could say that this vegan donut recipe is so delicious it'll have you floating on air.
Ingredients
- 1 package rapid-rise, active dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons shortening or vegan butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons warm soy milk
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water or another egg substitute
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3-5 cups oil for frying the donuts
Procedure
- Proof the yeast by mixing it with ¼ cup of the warm water and allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Melt the shortening or vegan butter in a saucepan along with the remaining 1/4 cup of warm water. Add the sugar, whisking until it's dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool.
- Combine the warm soy milk with the yeast mixture. Add the flax and water (or other egg substitute), flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the cooled sugar mixture.
- The dough should be soft. Turn it out onto the counter or another flat surface and knead it until it is smooth, five to 10 minutes.
- Coat the bowl with oil, return the dough to the bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap or a warm, moist dish towel. Allow the dough to rise for one hour.
- Remove the puffed dough from the bowl and use a rolling pin to roll out a sheet that is about ½" thick. Cut out donut shapes with a sharp knife or a drinking glass. When you've cut out all the donuts you can, roll out the scraps and use them to form a few more donuts.
- Set the donuts on parchment paper, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rise at room temperature for one hour.
- Near the end of the rising time, pour the oil into a pot and heat it to about 350°F. Drop the donuts into the hot oil and cook until they rise to the surface and turn light brown.
- Drain the donuts on paper towels.
Decorating Your Donuts
Decorate your finished donuts with any or all of the following, depending on your dream donut vision.
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Sprinkles
- Glaze made with powdered sugar, non-dairy milk, and vanilla
- Melted chocolate
If you'd like, you can tint your glaze with food coloring before applying it and use brightly colored sprinkles to finish.
There's Nothing Like a Homemade Donut
Few things are tastier than a warm, homemade donut. Give these recipes a try, and you'll end up with a feast for the eyes and the taste buds! Meal prepping breakfast suddenly became a lot more fun.
