These Vegan Baked Apple Cider Donuts are the perfect celebration of fall! Coated in cinnamon sugar, they are a great pairing with coffee. They're easily made in a muffin tin as well!
I'm really excited to share today's recipe! As we work our way into September, I'm starting to get all the seasonal recipe inspiration. I like to hold off on pumpkin treats until October, but apple-picking time is definitely here! Drinking apple cider is one of the easiest ways to celebrate this. Eating apple cider (in the form of baked donuts!) is a whole other level.
Tips for Making Baked Apple Cider Donuts at Home
- Use an oven-safe donut pan. This will help you hold the perfect shape when baking. See the tips below if you don't have one or don't feel like buying one!
- Baking powder will create lift, so don't shy away from the large amount listed in the recipe. ½ TBS sounds like a lot, but it's what helps our donuts hold their shape without eggs (it reacts with the cider).
- If you'd like to make this recipe gluten-free, substitute 1 ¼ cups of finely ground oat flour. The texture will be a bit different, but still tasty. Whole wheat flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so if you go the all-purpose route you may want to try adding slightly less at first.
Can I fry this recipe?
Yes! I never want to deal with the mess of frying, but if you'd like to fry these, I suggest piping donut holes directly into hot oil (around 375 degrees F) for about 2-3 minutes (until golden brown).
Do not let the oil drop below 365 as this will cause the donuts to absorb too much oil (ew). Too hot (above 385) and they could burn. Roll in cinnamon sugar immediately after frying.
How to Make a Donut Recipe Without a Donut Pan
To make these apple cider donuts without a pan, feel free to make them into muffins! For apple cider muffins, double this recipe and bake it in 12 12-cup muffin tin. It will need 20-28 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees F. To test when done, stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean (no crumbs), the muffins are done.
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If you also do not have a muffin tin, you could certainly bake these into bars in a cake pan or rectangular baking dish. The bake time would vary depending on the size of your container, but I recommend starting off using the base recipe with an 8x8 dish, baked for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. They will be fairly cake-like though, and you may want to add some ground flax seed to help with binding.
More Autumnal Apple Recipes
Vegan Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
For donut base:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or sub 1 ¼ cups finely ground oat flour for GF
- ½ TBS baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger optional
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup apple cider unsweetened
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar unpacked
- ¼ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil like canola
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For optional topping:
- 4 TBS vegan butter
- ½ cup Turbinado sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil one 6-compartment donut pan (see notes if you do not have a donut pan).
- Combine flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix apple cider, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract
- Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet, stirring to combine but trying to avoid over mixing. Spoon batter into donut pan evenly across the six shapes. Bake for 13-16 minutes, until donuts are springy and risen. Let cool on a wire rack.
- If coating in cinnamon sugar, melt butter in one small bowl with a wide rim. In another bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Place each cooled donut facedown in the butter then immediately remove and swirl in the cinnamon sugar mixture to fully coat. I find these are too sweet if both donut sides are coated, so feel free to decide your preference there.
Judy Mcgillicuddi says
These were delicious! Will make again
Emily says
Thanks so much, Judy! I really appreciate it 🙂