Easy Egg Free Donuts (vegan)
Easy and delicious homemade egg free donuts! Made with simple ingredients from your pantry, you can have healthy donuts in 30 minutes.
Made dairy free, yeast free, and without a flax egg! This easy recipe is so simple with ingredients you already have in your pantry. They taste just like a donut you’d purchase at your local donut shop because they are real donuts.
I love these light and fluffy donuts that are bursting with vanilla flavor! And since they are baked, they are so much easier to make than traditional yeast donuts. Plus, they are yeast free so you don’t have to wait a long time before enjoying one of these eggless donuts.
Free from: yeast, dairy, casein, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, corn, celery, mustard, and more
The only special equipment you will need for this recipe is a donut baking pan. I can’t recommend enough to purchase one (or two!) so you can make donuts like this anytime you like. They are a great treat to make with kids since donuts are so much fun to make and eat.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this eggless donut recipe.
- Butter of choice – Both dairy and non-dairy butter work deliciously in this recipe. Make sure It is room temperature to better mix.
- White sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk of choice – Again, dairy and non-dairy work great. I recommend using something like rice milk, soy milk, or almond milk. Make sure you warm it up so the ingredients mix together better.
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking powder + Baking soda
- Salt
For the frosting on top, you can make these a few different ways! They are delicious when left plain. You can also lightly glaze them, or, make a thicker frosting to place sprinkles on top.
For the frosting, you will need:
- Powdered sugar
- Water
- Sprinkles – If you want them!
Best Vegan Sugar
Some sugars, though plant based in origin, are not vegan thanks to the processing of the sugar from raw sugar cane into the sweet sugar we use. Some refined sugars are made using bone char to help filter the sugar.
As long as the sugar is labeled “organic” or “unrefined” it will be vegan.
Some of my favorite vegan sugars are Florida Crystals, Wholesome Ingredients, and Pioneer Sugar (only available in the Midwest of the USA).
Allergy Substitutions
To make these donuts dairy free, simply swap out the milk and butter with plant-based alternatives of your choice. I have had great success making these with rice milk and Earth Balance vegan butter.
To make these corn free, make sure you use powdered sugar and baking powder that are certified corn free.
To make these gluten free, I recommend that you use a blended gluten free flours such as King Arthur Measure for Measure. I haven’t tested this recipe as gluten free. For a gluten free chocolate donut, make sure you check out this gluten free and vegan chocolate donut recipe!
Instructions
For the full recipe with measurements and step by step instructions, please see the recipe card below!
Start by preparing your donut pan. Using a cooking spray with a neutral flavored oil, like canola oil or coconut oil, really coat the pan with oil. You don’t want the donuts to stick in the pan after baking! Set this aside until ready to fill.
Prep your oven by placing the rack in the center of the oven so the donuts will evenly bake.
This recipe is so easy to mix up! I use my stand mixer to make things super easy, but a large bowl with a hand mixer will also work. I don’t recommend doing this one by hand as you need to whisk the butter and sugar together into a light and fluffy mix.
Begin by sifting together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium sized bowl. Set this aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, using the paddle attachments, mix together the vegan butter and white sugar. Let this mix on medium to high speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla extract.
Now add the warm non-dairy milk and the dry ingredients together into the bowl with the butter in 2 or 3 additions.
Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl frequently. Add the rest of the warm milk with the dry ingredients, alternating adding milk and flour. Fold carefully as you don’t want to knock out the air.
The batter should be light and fluffy when finished.
To get the batter into the donut pan, I’ve found the best thing to do is transfer the batter to a piping bag. You don’t need a tip on the end, just cut off the tip. If you don’t have a piping bag, a plastic bag will also work. And you can use a small spoon and carefully pour it in, of course.
Fill each donut mold about three-quarters of the way full. Don’t tap them down, but you can gently press any little spikes of batter so you have a smooth surface.
Bake the donuts in the oven for 16 to 18 minutes, depending on your oven. The donuts are done when they are golden brown in color and have pulled away from the sides of the pan.
Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan before carefully popping them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Frosting the Donuts
Mix up the frosting of your choice.
For a glazed donut, you want the frosting to be thinner so that it will coat the sides of the donut when you return the donut to the wire rack. 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 to 3 spoonfuls of water will make a good consistency.
For a frosted donut, the frosting needs to be thicker so it stays on top of the donut. 1 cup of powdered sugar with only a spoonful of water should make it the right viscosity. When you pull the spoon out of the frosting, it should lazily make ribbons that stay on top of the icing for a few seconds. Then you know it is ready.
If you are adding sprinkles, make sure that you add them when the frosting is still wet! Otherwise they won’t stick.
Variations
In addition to the different types of frosting, you can flavor these donuts a few different ways for endless variations!
Chocolate Donuts – Melt half of a chocolate bar with a spoonful of your favorite plant-based milk. Dunk each donut in the chocolate and sprinkle with sprinkles, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, or more chocolate!
Cinnamon Sugar Donuts – After removing from the hot donut pan, carefully dunk each donut into melted vegan butter, then transfer to a bowl filled with cinnamon sugar. Coat each side and return to the wire rack to finish cooling.
Fruit Donuts – Add half a cup of your favorite fruit to the batter before baking! Some delicious combos are blueberry with lemon zest, crushed raspberry, or finely chopped apples with cinnamon.
How to Store
Countertop: Unfrosted donuts can stay on the countertop for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Frosted donuts should be good for 3 to 5 days in the airtight container.
Fridge: This is my preferred method of donut storage. Unfrosted or frosted donuts will keep 5 to 7 days in a container in the fridge.
Freezer: To freeze donuts, place unfrosted donuts in a freezer safe container with wax paper or parchment paper in between the donuts so they don’t stick. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw on the countertop for a few hours before frosting and enjoying.
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Equipment
- Donut baking pan
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Piping bag (optional)
- cooking spray
Ingredients
Donut Ingredients
- ½ cup butter use plant based if needed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk warmed to 100F, can use dairy free
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Donut Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Generously coat your donut baking pan with a neutral flavored oil. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a heat safe bowl, warm the non-dairy milk of your choice to 100F.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Now, alternating between the two and starting with the dry ingredients, add the flour mixture and the warmed milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Repeat until no ingredients are separate. The batter should be light and fluffy.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared donut pan via a piping bag or using a spoon.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and the donuts have slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the donuts from the pan and let them finish cooling on a wire rack before frosting.
Frosting Instructions
- To make the frosting, in a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and the water with a fork until no lumps remain. For a glazed donut, add more water. For a more frosted donut, add less water.
- Dip each donut in the frosting. Sprinkle with sprinkles if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
