These tender, chocolaty Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts will melt in your mouth. They only require a few ingredients, and they bake up super quick. Start your day with a delicious warm donut straight from the oven.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts
I love Gluten-Free Chocolate Donuts, and so do my girls. I use them as motivation for getting my girls out of bed and getting them ready for school. I first shared these gluten-free chocolate cake donuts on the blog in 2014. I’ve recently given them a refresh.
If they get ready for school on time all week, they get to enjoy a gluten-free donut for breakfast on Friday. What better way to motivate yourself to get through the week than with a donut?
I can’t think of any. So, gluten-free donuts it is!
One of the many things I love about gluten-free chocolate donuts is their versatility. Yes, I just used the word versatility in the same sentence as donuts.
There are so many things you can do with a donut, from its cake base to the toppings. My favorite topping for these gluten-free chocolate cake donuts is chocolate glaze. My girls like to go all-out and add sprinkles. The options are endless.
You can enjoy these Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts plain, or top them with your favorite glaze. Every person who has tried these donuts has said that you can’t tell that they are gluten-free.
If you make these donuts, please stop back by and let me know what you thought!
Donut Pan
If you don’t have a donut pan, I highly recommend getting one (otherwise you won’t be able to make donuts). I use the Wilton Non-Stick Donut Pan (affiliate link to amazon that doesn’t cost you anything extra). It’s inexpensive and really is non-stick.
I have two for those days when I want to make a double batch of Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts, or other donuts. I also have a mini donut pan, which I like to use from time to time. Donut pans are inexpensive. You can usually get one for under $10 and I’ve seen them priced as low as $5.
Can I make gluten-free donuts in a muffin pan?
Sure. You can make gluten-free donuts in a muffin pan. Just watch the time as donuts tend to cook quicker in a donut pan do to the contact of the pan around the donut and in the center.
Gluten-Free Donuts
If you like donuts (and who doesn’t?) you might also like my Vanilla Birthday Cake Donuts, or my Gingerbread Donuts. Or both! Like I mentioned before, we do donuts every Friday. I have at least ten recipes for donuts on my site and I also have a roundup of gluten-free donuts.
If you are shopping for a donut pan, I use this affordable Wilton Donut Pan(affiliate link) when I make donuts. You can use whatever donut pan you like, just make sure it’s non-stick. Note that most donut pans don’t need to be greased before using, but some do.
Can I make these gluten-free donuts dairy-free?
Yes. You can make these gluten-free chocolate cake donuts dairy-free. Simply use dairy-free milk, and dairy-free butter. Make sure to also use a dairy-free chocolate if you are dipping your gluten-free donuts in a chocolate glaze.
If you are looking for other donut recipes simple search for “donuts” in the search bar at the top left of the page. Here are some of my favorite gluten-free donut recipes.
Gluten-free donut recipes:
- Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake Donuts
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Espresso Donuts
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Donuts
Making gluten-free donuts is easy! Just a few simple steps and every day ingredients, and you have some simple gluten-free chocolate donuts.
How to make gluten-free donuts
- For the donuts- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the donut baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, dust lightly with gluten-free flour and set aside.
- Place all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk till combined. Add milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Whisk until smooth.
- Fill each donut cup in the donut pan 1/2 full with the batter. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I recommend starting with the lowest time and checking progress.
- For the glaze- Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. You may need to add additional powdered sugar for a thicker glaze. Dip the top of each donut in the glaze. Serve it warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Did you make these gluten-free chocolate donuts? Please stop back by and let me know what you thought. I always love hearing from people who make my recipes. Also, if you made any of my gluten-free donut recipes be sure to let me know what you thought.
Happy Cooking and Baking,
Chrystal
Gluten-Free Baked Chocolate Glazed Donuts
These tender, chocolaty Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts will melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 6 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1/2 cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter(or coconut oil), melted
For the chocolate glaze:
- 2 tablespoons milk (or dairy-free milk)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
For the vanilla glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (or coconut cream)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the donuts- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the donut baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, dust lightly with gluten-free flour and set aside.
- Place all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk till combined. Add milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Whisk until smooth.
- Fill each donut cup in the donut pan 1/2 full with the batter. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I recommend starting with the lowest time and checking progress.
- For the glaze- Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. You may need to add additional powdered sugar for a thicker glaze. Dip the top of each donut in the glaze. Serve it warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 donutAmount Per Serving: Calories: 484 Total Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 44mg Sodium: 394mg Carbohydrates: 94g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 70g Protein: 6g
Mallory Archer says
I just made these with a mix of white and brown rice flour and they turn out so light, fluffy and decadent! Definitely pin this recipe! I subbed coconut oil for butter and water for milk.
chrystal says
Hi Mallory,
Thank you for letting me know that you enjoyed them 🙂 I love knowing that you subbed out the dairy and they turned out. Thanks for sharing!
Best,
Chrystal
Lexy says
Hi,
Can this recipe be used to make the donut holes as well? I have a donut holes pan and would prefer to use that over the oil. I also cannot find any lactose free sour cream in my area(despite what websites say) so, I am looking for a recipe that doesn’t require sour cream.
Thanks
chrystal says
Hi Lexi,
You can use this recipe in a donut holes pan, or an donut hole maker.
Best,
Chrystal
Cinnamon Flowers says
I made these today. Came out perfectly. Delicious too ❤❤
chrystal says
I’m so glad you liked them 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Debbie says
First, let me tell you how DELICIOUS these are. I’ve made these several times and this is one of my favorite go-to recipes. However I had to make a few adjustments.
This may vary for different ovens, but mine needed to be in there for 30 minutes for the batter to set and toothpick come out clean.
This may be related to the oven timing, but the batter also needed more milk in order to squeeze through the bag when filling the doughnut mold. The original 1/2 cup made it smooth, but not smooth enough to squeeze.
The chocolate frosting needed around 5 tbsp of milk, I didn’t measure exactly since I kept adding a little bit at a time. Just know that you may need more milk (a little goes a long way for this!)
Again, this is one of my favorite recipes and I make this at least once every couple of months!
chrystal says
Hi Debbie,
So glad you like them! Would you mind sharing what gluten-free flour blend you used? and if you used a metal pan or a silicone pan? I’ve made these more time than I can count, and they should not take that long to bake. Donuts don’t typically take a long time in the oven, as they have contact with the pan and have approx 1/4 cup of batter.
Best,
Chrystal
Rachael says
Yummy recipe! I haven’t had a chocolate donut in 2 years since going GF! I used 4 tbsp coconut sugar and 2 tbsp brown sugar. I needed to add 3 tbsp more milk to make the mix smooth enough to come out of the bag.
chrystal says
Thank you for letting me know you liked them! Depending on the exact flour blend used, they may absorb more of the liquid. So glad you were able to adjust to make them work with our flour blend.
Best,
Chrystal
Sarah says
Thank you for the recipe! These quickly became a family favorite! I substituted xylitol for sugar and they turned out great!
chrystal says
Thanks for letting me know!
Sheri says
These are delicious! I subbed in 1/4 cup of almond flour, which I usually do. It makes a moist consistancy. Also needed more milk in icing. Over all VERY good. I will be making these over and over. Thanks for the recipe!
chrystal says
So glad you liked them! I am making a batch tonight 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Zoraya says
These are amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Karan Fervorn says
Wonderful! I added cayenne and espresso. I used the espresso in place of part of the milk. I used the remainder of the espresso in the glaze.
chrystal says
Sounds delicious! Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Pia says
Thanks for this wonderful recepie.
Just I have been checking where to find the sprinkels and I have discovered that they contain gluten. So be careful… if you have a brand free of I would love the name.
Best
chrystal says
Hi Pia,
Not all sprinkles contain gluten. A few brands we like Sprinklez, and Color Kitchen. There are several more brands.
Best,
Chrystal
Felicia says
Would these still turn out the same if using an egg substitute? I always use Ener-G egg replacer.
chrystal says
Hi Felicia,
They would still turn out great. The texture will be slightly different. I’ve also used flax egg in this recipe with great results.
Best,
Chrystal
Margo Emrich says
I really want to try these, but I’m wondering if the gluten-free flour blend has to contain xanthan gum? I buy Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free without xanthan gum and am wondering if that ought to work? I’m allergic to corn and apparently xanthan gum is derived from corn–regardless I react to it.
chrystal says
Hi Margo,
I don’t use xanthan in most my recipes. You can use a xanthan free gluten-free flour blend for this recipe 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Carol says
Chrystal, Love these donuts! They are better than the ones we used to buy at the local supermarket. They always turn out, tho I do have to increase the baking powder a bit. Anxious to try your other recipes. Thank you so much for the hard work!
chrystal says
Hi Carol,
I’m so glad you like them! I’m not sure why you’d have to increase the baking powder, unless you are a lower sea level, perhaps? Thank you so much for stopping back by and letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Rozina says
I made these with my GF 4 year-old. Great recipe and easy for a kid to help. We were both very excited to have donuts again. We have the Wilton pans and ended up with 10 fluffy good-sized donuts. The recipe says it makes six but you can definitely get more!!
chrystal says
Hi Rozina,
I am so glad you like them! Thank you for stopping back by and letting me know 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Marie says
I can’t wait to make this recipe and already saved it. I was wondering though, do other vanilla extracts contain gluten? I use the Kirkland brand. Thank you and thanks for sharing your recipes!
chrystal says
Hi Marie,
There are some cheaper brands that add coloring to their extracts. Not too many. We use Kirkland and Rodelle 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Nicki says
These were a huge hit along with your birthday cake recipe!! Thank you! Do you think you can make donut holes with these recipes?
chrystal says
Hi Nicki,
So glad you like them. I actually have a fried cake donut hole recipe, if that’s what you are looking for. If you want to do baked donut holes, you can use this recipe, otherwise give the fried donut hole recipe a shot. https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-chocolate-donut-holes/
Best,
Chrystal
Jennifer Marie Simons says
I did this today using chocolate almond milk. They were great! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
chrystal says
Hi Jennifer,
I am so glad you like these donuts. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Best,
Chrystal
Patti Wadsworth says
Just discovered these! So good! My grandson who is not GF said he liked them better than Dunkins! Lol, everyone loved them! Thank you for a simple recipe!
chrystal says
Hi Patti,
I’m so glad you liked them! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Michele Schaller says
These were delicious! I made the cinnamon and sugar ones, too. Both were wonderful. I did have one odd thing happen to both of them. After they were cool, I put them in an air tight container (like tupperware). The chocolate glaze softened and a lot slid off the donuts. With the cinnamon sugar, the cinnamon and sugar melted into the donuts. With both it happened a few hours after I put them into the containers. Is there such a thing as too air tight? 🙂 My house doesn’t get above 74 degrees and it is cooler in the kitchen than that since it is further from the fire place. Maybe I should keep them in the fridge? Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
Michele
chrystal says
Hi Michele,
I am so glad you like them! Yes, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator or freezer. The room temperature can “melt” the topping depending on the temp and humidity.
Best,
Chrystal
Dawn says
Found the donut pan I bought a few months ago and decided to try your chocolate donuts. I can’t believe how good they are. The chocolate glaze was the icing on my donuts but I exerted self-control and stopped before I added sprinkles. A glass of milk and I am in heaven! Will definitely be trying your other recipes!
chrystal says
Hi Dawn,
I am so glad you like them! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know.
All my best,
Chrystal
Susanne says
Hi Chrystal, We made your birthday cake donuts this weekend, and my gluten free-dairy free-soy free family loved them! We’re going to try these next. Can you share more info about how you freeze them? Is the frosting already on? How do you defrost them? I’d love to have some on hand, but feel unsure of the freezing/thawing details, if you could spell it out! Thank you!!
chrystal says
Hi Susanne,
I am so glad you like my birthday cake donuts recipe! For freezing any of my donut recipes, I have done it both ways – freeze them with the glaze and freeze them without the glaze. We usually reheat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds if we’re in a hurry. Otherwise, you can leave them to defrost in the refrigerator, reheat them, then glaze them. If you glaze them before, the glaze will melt when you reheat them but they will still taste yummy. My girls don’t mind melted glaze one bit.
Hope that helps,
Chrystal
Susanne says
Thank you! This is helpful. You just stick them in a ziploc baggie or something, and suck the air out? Hopefully freezing them will make donuts a more regular part of our lives without feeling we need to eat an entire dozen in a day 😉
Cathy says
Hi Chrystal.
I made the GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE DONUTS last night using Robin Hood Gluten-Free flour. They were perfect. This was my first attempt with a gluten-free recipe and I am so pleased with the results I have ordered an additional pan and will try the GLUTEN-FREE VANILLA BIRTHDAY CAKE DONUTS next. I substituted the 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar with 10 tablespoons of stevia/erythritol blend. Delicious. I am also subscribing.
Thank You
chrystal says
Hi Cathy,
I’m so glad you liked these donuts! Thank you for letting me know which flour blend you used. I hope you like my vanilla cake donuts just as much.
Best,
Chrystal
Dana says
Well I had to make some last minute substitutions because our som, home from college, can’t let a gallon of milk survive in the fridge for more than a day. I subbed sour cream and strong coffee for milk in the donuts and Baileys Irish Cream in the frosting. Pretty yummy! Although I’m looking forward to using milk next time…hopefully!
chrystal says
Hi Dana,
Thank you for sharing your substitutions! I’m so glad you liked these donuts.
Best,
Chrystal
Jason says
All I can say is magnificent.
Baked at 170c in a fan forced oven for 12 minutes.
Came out fluffy and moist.
Might make some Jaffa flavoured ones by incorporating orange zest.
chrystal says
Hi Jason,
I’m so glad you liked these donuts. Thank you for taking time to stop by and let me know.
Best,
Chrystal