Gluten Free Apple Cider Donuts
There's nothing better than warm, cakey, homemade apple cider donuts! This recipe is gluten-free, oven-baked, and super fluffy. No deep frying or oil is needed for this delicious Fall dessert!
Ingredients
Apple Cider Donuts:
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 - 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp apple pie spice, *notes below on how to make your own
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp apple pie spice, *notes below on how to make your own
Instructions
- Simmer the apple cider for 10 - 15 minutes until it reduces to about half (¾ cup). Let it cool for 10 minutes. Don’t skip this step because it makes the flavor of these donuts so much better!
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-cavity donut pans well and set them to the side.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg, melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Don’t add the apple cider.
- In another bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Make sure there are no clumps.
- Add the flour to wet ingredients in 2 different increments switching off with the reduced apple cider (total of 3/4 cup). Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and make sure all flour is combined, there shouldn’t be any flour lumps.
- Put all the batter in a large ziploc bag or piping bag. Cut the end & fill your donut tins about ¾ way.
- Bake for 10 minutes until golden and the donuts have puffed up.
- Remove from the oven and toss/dust with cinnamon sugar immediately. I like to put the cinnamon sugar on a sheet tray, pull the donuts out of the oven with oven mitts and just dump them into the sugar and shake it around that way. If the sugar doesn’t stick or you want to wait until they cool, you can brush a light wash of butter on the donuts first before tossing in the cinnamon sugar.
- Serve warm for the best, cakiest, and airiest texture. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Apple Pie Spice: Mix together 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon + 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg+ 1/2 teaspoon ground all-spice + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. THEN measure for this recipe.
Simmer your apple cider. This step might seem silly, but trust me, it makes a world of difference! Simmering the apple cider down to a concentrate makes the apple cider flavor in these donuts extra intense and strong. Don’t skip this step!
Flour: You can use regular all-purpose flour for these apple cider donuts if you are not gluten-free. Don't substitute with oat, almond, or coconut flour!
Butter (Make them Dairy-Free): You can also use vegan butter or coconut oil.
Dark Brown Sugar: You can use coconut sugar or light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar in this recipe.
Storing: Donuts are best served warm immediately after baked. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 2 – 3 days or in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days.
Freezing: You can also freeze apple cider donuts for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe bag. Simply thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up to your liking in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and tag @HealthfulBlondie on Instagram & hashtag it #healthfulblondie!