Easy to make, but hard to resist, these vegan donut recipes are the perfect way to give in to your sweet cravings.
While they could never be regarded as a health food per se, they are infinitely better for you than the non-vegan store-bought donuts (doughnuts…) you may be accustomed to. Not only that, you have the satisfaction of creating something spectacular, too.
So, grab your favorite mixing bowl, scroll through the deliciousness to come, and pick which plant-based donut recipe you’re going to make first…good luck with that!
Vegan Peanut Butter Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze from Beaming Banana
Forget what I said above – these are some of the healthiest donuts we’ve ever seen! No refined flours, deep frying or unhealthy fats to be found here.
Sara from Beaming Banana has produced these perfect vegan peanut butter donuts with hand-ground oat flour and flaxseed “eggs”. They’re baked and then topped with a luxurious vegan chocolate spread. They’re gluten-free and sweetened with natural Stevia.
Get the skinny over on Beaming Banana by clicking here.
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Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Donuts from Vegan Heaven
Can you believe that these decadent donuts are made with kidney beans? We sure can’t!
Sina from Vegan Heaven’s unique recipe makes great use of them alongside more expected ingredients like almond milk, whole wheat flour, and brown sugar.
Once they’re baked, the donuts are topped with a gorgeous dark chocolate glaze and hazelnut brittle, which evokes memories of Nutella. And they whip up super fast: from start to finish, they’re ready in about 20 minutes!
Read the recipe here and get baking!
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Vegan and Gluten-Free Matcha Baked Donuts from Rhian’s Recipes
Rhian is famed throughout the vegan community as a masterful gluten-free baker, and this creation is no exception. She’s put a fun, trendy twist on donuts with this recipe for matcha baked donuts!
Unlike many other gluten-free donuts, these are light and fluffy thanks to the use of vinegar and baking soda in the batter. A matcha and maple syrup glaze lends the finished donuts a pretty green color and a pop of sweetness. Topped with coconut and rose petals, they’re almost too perfect to eat!
Rhian’s Recipes has the details here!
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Vegan and Gluten-Free Gingerbread Doughnuts from Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen
One of the best parts of the holiday season is definitely the proliferation of gingerbread! Blogger Nadia agrees. On her blog, Nadia’s Healthy Recipes, she’s shared her take on the festive favorite: these wholesome baked gingerbread doughnuts that are vegan and gluten-free!
Loaded with spices and finished with coconut cream frosting, they’re the pinnacle of cruelty-free indulgence at any time of the year.
Get the full recipe over on Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen by clicking here.
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Vegan Classic Donuts from Darth Vegan
CC from Darth Vegan has really hit it out of the park with her recipe for these classic donuts. They melt in your mouth and are drenched in the dreamiest glaze ever!
The donuts are fried, making this the perfect recipe for those who can’t get into baked donuts. More importantly, nobody will believe these are vegan – in fact, CC says they taste just like Krispy Kreme donuts! Whip up a batch and see for yourself!
Find CC’s stellar recipe here on Darth Vegan.
Easy Vegan Coffee Cake Donuts from Sweet Like Cocoa
Coffee cake and donuts: two classic morning goodies that nobody can say no to. Combined into one? Well, they’re doubly dangerous!
Nicole from Sweet Like Cocoa has outdone herself with these vegan coffee cake donuts. The batter mixes up quick and is topped with a captivating cinnamon streusel. In and out of the oven in under 20 minutes, the donuts are then drizzled with a simple glaze – a flawless finishing touch.
Check out the recipe here and get baking!
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Mini Vegan Pumpkin and Cinnamon Sugar Donuts from Wallflower Kitchen
If you find yourself craving pumpkin everything, you’ll love Aimee’s adorable vegan pumpkin and cinnamon sugar donuts (btw, check out our guide to cinnamon, too). Loaded with comforting spices and pumpkin puree, these mini donuts bake for just 15 minutes, meaning they can satisfy your sweet tooth anytime.
Wallflower Kitchen has the full recipe here!
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Baked Apple Cider Donuts from My Darling Vegan
Apple cider donuts are everywhere in autumn, which can leave many vegans feeling left out of the fun. Never fear! Sarah from My Darling Vegan has arrived to save the day with her recipe for vegan baked apple cider donuts.
Both the batter and the glaze are made with apple cider for maximum flavor saturation, and the cinnamon/nutmeg sugar topping adds just the right amount of sweetness.
To make these vegan donuts, click here and check out the recipe!
30-Minute Vegan Baked Chocolate Donuts from Minimalist Baker
Healthy desserts often sound wonderful but turn out, well… less than satisfying.
We know all too well the struggle of finding wholesome yet tasty desserts. That’s why we love Dana’s recipe for vegan and gluten-free chocolate donuts. Packed with cocoa powder for the ultimate chocolatey punch, the recipe uses all-natural sweeteners and includes instructions for an optional glaze.
Dana’s blog, Minimalist Baker, is filled with recipes that are undetectably vegan, and this one is no exception. Go ahead, bake them for everyone – they’ll never guess!
Get the recipe for these quick and easy vegan chocolate donuts here!
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Classic Vegan Chocolate Glazed Donuts from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
Sam from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken shares this recipe with a warning: it’s so easy to make that you may find it hard to resist overindulging! So get out your self-control and take a look at these vegan chocolate glazed donuts.
The simple batter is spiced with nutmeg, and once the donuts are baked they’re dipped in a sinful chocolate glaze. The entire process takes under half an hour – unbelievably quick, easy and tasty!
Find the full recipe here!
Vegan Baked Lemon Doughnuts from Delightful Adventures
Doughnuts are so much healthier when they’re baked and not fried. And vegan baked doughnuts? Well, they’re about as w”hole”some as you can get!
Gwen from Delightful Adventures has wowed us with these vegan baked lemon doughnuts that can also be made gluten-free. Tart lemon and sweet sugar complement each other wonderfully in these treats that are as fun to bake as they are to eat.
Delightful Adventures has the recipe here.
Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Donuts from Diary of an ExSloth
Butternut squash in a dessert? Non-vegans may find the notion confusing, but Giselle from Diary of an ExSloth knows the truth: that unexpected ingredients can really take a recipe to the next level.
Her butternut squash donuts are reminiscent of a fluffy cake, and it’s all thanks to that squash puree. An enticing pumpkin spice streusel sits atop each donut. Nobody, vegan or not, will be able to resist!
Check out the recipe here and start prepping that squash!
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Vegan Maple Dip Donuts from The Viet Vegan
Lisa from The Viet Vegan made these maple dip donuts in honor of National Donut Day (June 1st, in case you were curious!) but we’d eat them any day of the year. Just look at them!
That golden brown color, that lush maple glaze… mouthwatering doesn’t begin to describe them! Thank goodness they’re vegan or we’d be experiencing some serious envy right now.
The Viet Vegan has the full recipe in all its glory here.
Raw Vegan Snickers Doughnuts from Goodness is Gorgeous
Raw vegans rejoice, for you haven’t been left out of the donut party!
Stacey from Goodness is Gorgeous has outdone herself with these Snickers donuts that are raw, vegan and gluten-free.
Even those without dietary restrictions will be enchanted by them, with their oatmeal base, raw cacao glaze and peanut butter caramel drizzle. (Click the link to read about caramels vegan status and how to make vegan caramel).
And, as they’re totally raw, that means incredibly easy prep: just combine everything and pop it in the fridge!
Learn more about Stacey’s recipe and find out how to make it for yourself by clicking here!
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Vegan Red Velvet Baked Doughnuts from Nourish Your Glow
Is there any donut more luxurious and sophisticated than a red velvet donut?
There sure is – a vegan red velvet donut that’s also gluten-free and contains no refined sugars! That’s what Hayley from Nourish Your Glow has created, and it’s truly a sight to behold.
The batter needs just 10 ingredients (the rich cashew cream frosting uses an additional four) and the finished product is springy and beyond delicious.
How did Hayley get that perfect deep red color? Find out – and get the full donut recipe – by clicking here.
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Vegan Double Chocolate Pistachio Donuts from My Darling Vegan
We don’t know about you, but anything described as “double chocolate” kicks our appetites into high gear.
Sarah from My Darling Vegan can take full credit for our current craving. Her double chocolate donuts would look amazing even if they weren’t topped with crushed pistachios – but since they are, they’re downright irresistible. Thank goodness they’re 100% vegan, I couldn’t cope without trying these beauties!
Learn how to make these easy treats here.
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Vegan Raspberry Donuts from A Virtual Vegan
Wow! Has the phrase “pretty in pink” ever described anything as accurately as it does these vegan raspberry donuts? We doubt it.
Mel from A Virtual Vegan created these donuts for Valentine’s Day, but you’ll fall in love with them any day of the year. They’re oil-free as well as vegan, and they use frozen raspberries so there’s no seasonal availability to worry about.
From start to finish, they’re ready in under half an hour. Instant gratification never looked so beautiful!
Get the recipe for these vegan raspberry donuts here.
Vegan and Gluten-Free Unicorn Doughnuts from Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen
These might be the dreamiest donuts we’ve ever laid eyes on! Nadia’s taken her vegan and gluten-free donuts and done them up in pretty pastel colors.
You’ll definitely want to snap a pic of these unicorn donuts before biting in, because once you get a taste you won’t be able to stop!
Of course donuts will never be the pinnacle of healthiness, but these come pretty close: they’re baked, they use coconut sugar and they’re colored with ingredients like matcha and beetroot.
The ever-wonderful Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen has the recipe here.
Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Donuts from Rabbit and Wolves
One look at these fabulous vegan Brooklyn Blackout donuts and we were sold!
Rich chocolate batter bakes up into moist, cakey donuts that would be amazing on their own. But then Lauren from Rabbit and Wolves takes them one step further, dipping them in a decadent dark chocolate pudding and garnishing them with cake crumbs.
The end result? Mouthwatering vegan donuts to die for.
Check out the recipe for these vegan Brooklyn blackout donuts here.
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Vegan Lemon Coconut Donuts from Connoisseurus Veg
Donuts are delicious, but they can be a little too rich and heavy for some people. Alissa from Connoisseurus Veg solves this problem with her vegan lemon coconut donut recipe.
These donuts are surprisingly light and sacrifice no flavor thanks to the inclusion of zesty lemon and sweet shredded coconut. They’re so yummy you won’t be able to eat just one – good thing they’re also quick and simple to bake!
Learn more about the donuts and get the recipe by clicking here!
Vegan Birthday Donuts with Funfetti from Vegan Heaven
Ah, funfetti – so aesthetically pleasing, and now available in donut form!
Sina from Vegan Heaven has another vegan donut recipe for us, and this one’s packed with those delightful rainbow sprinkles we know and love so much. The highlight of these donuts is definitely the funfetti frosting, which can also be colored red with blended cherries!
Sina calls these birthday donuts, but we’d have no problem eating them even when there’s no party going on. In fact, they themselves may be cause for celebration!
Check out the recipe for these vegan funfetti donuts here.
Vegan Maple Bacon Doughnuts from My Darling Vegan
Bacon-infused sweets are super trendy right now, making many vegans feel like they’ve been left out of the loop.
Ever the innovator, Sarah from My Darling Vegan has found a way for those of us with plant-based diets to hop on the bacon bandwagon: vegan maple donuts with “bacon” made from coconut and liquid smoke! Simultaneously sweet and savory, these unique donuts will wow everyone, vegan or not.
Find out how to make these vegan maple bacon donuts on My Darling Vegan here.
Vegan Brioche Doughnut with Vanilla Glaze from Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes
Vaishali from Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes has taken the classic brioche donut to a new, cruelty-free level.
Containing no soy or nuts, her vegan brioche donuts (similar to cronuts) are made with aquafaba (chickpea liquid) instead of eggs. Flawlessly fluffy, they’re fried and then finished with a sweet vanilla glaze that hardens to provide a satisfying crunch.
The best part? Following the recipe gives you donut holes along with the donuts!
Get all the delectable details here on Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.
Mini Powdered Vegan Baked Donuts from Feasting on Fruit
It seems contradictory: a powdered sugar donut that uses absolutely no sugar. But try Natalie’s health-conscious recipe and you’ll agree that it’s not an oxymoron at all!
These vegan, gluten-free mini donuts are sweetened with dates, not refined sugar. And while you can certainly top them with powdered sugar if you want, Natalie offers many alternative ideas, such as coconut sugar and vanilla protein powder.
Whatever you select, you won’t be able to get enough of these teensy treats.
Natalie shares the recipe on her blog, Feasting on Fruit.
Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts from Baker by Nature
Ashley from Baker by Nature has captured the essence of springtime in these lovely lemon poppy seed donuts. They’re the color of sunshine and even looking at them will brighten your day.
Fresh lemon juice and zest give them an irresistible tang, while textural poppy seeds enhance the vibrant flavor profile beautifully. Because they’re baked and not fried, they’re much healthier than the average donut as well.
Find the recipe by clicking here and get ready to bake!
Are those the greatest vegan donut recipes, or what?
We certainly think so.
With so many different takes on the classic sweet treat it can be hard to know where to start, but make sure you do! All of them are fantastic, so if you’re stuck, just pick one at random and start preparing yourself a delicious treat that all the family can enjoy.
Think we’ve missed a great vegan donut recipe? Tell us about it in the comment box below!
About The Author:
Lisa Williams
Lisa Williams is a committed vegan, passionate animal welfare advocate, and keen follower of too many v-friendly food blogs to mention. She started happyhappyvegan.com back in 2016 because she felt there was a need for more straightforward information on plant-based living.
Back then, too many sites seem to either concentrate solely on recipes or be too intimidating or inaccessible for the v-curious, and she wanted to change that. The landscape is certainly a whole lot different now!
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