By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On January 15, 2023
Fun and festive Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Donuts that are soft, fluffy, bursting with vanilla, and smothered in a sweet glaze. Enjoy these gluten-free vanilla donuts plain or top them with sprinkles for an extra colorful treat.
If you like gluten-free donuts, you might also like my Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Donuts. My Gluten-Free Vegan Donuts are a favorite among many.
For more breakfast recipes check out my Gluten Free Breakfast section.
Gluten-Free Donuts
I've mentioned this in previous posts - my girls and I enjoy a donut every Friday. It helps us wind down for the week and rewards us for getting up and getting ready for the day on time. These gluten-free vanilla cake donuts are one of our favorite gluten-free donuts.
Gluten-free donuts are an extra special treat that we save for Friday morning's. We like to make up a big batch of gluten-free donuts and freeze them for the future weeks. When we run out of gluten-free donuts, we bake up another batch.
These Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake donuts are incredible any time and aren't just for celebrating birthdays. You can decorate them with frosting or enjoy them plain.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Donuts are super easy to make if you have a good recipes, so I hope you'll try these and see just how simple they are to make.
When you do, please stop back by and let me know what you thought and what you topped your gluten-free donuts with.
Gluten Free Cake Donuts
Gluten Free Cake DonutsWe rotate the types of gluten-free donuts we make, adding in variety and giving me a chance to test out new gf donut recipes. My girls like to dip these gluten-free vanilla cake donuts donuts in glaze and add sprinkles.
I love it when they bake with me and they love being rewarded with a sweat treat for helping. The girls and I devoured these Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake Donuts straight from the oven.
The second batch made it to the glaze and sprinkle process and were frozen for the next week. The texture in these gluten-free vanilla donuts is perfect. There is a little give with the pick the donut up. It's tender, and melts perfectly in your mouth.
Do I have to use a donut pan?
If you don't have a donut pan, I recommend you get one. But for now you can use a muffin pan or a mini muffin pan. Just note that the cooking time is lower with a donut pan because the donut dough gets contact all around, including in the center with the donut pan.
Can I make these gluten-free donuts dairy-free?
Absolutely. Substitute the milk for your favorite dairy-free milk. Also use dairy-free milk in the glaze.
These gluten-free vanilla cake donuts are insanely simple to make. They bake up in less than ten minutes and are tender, flavorful, and they hit your donut-loving taste buds in all the right places.
You can have fun with the glaze by adding in color, or you can use different types of sprinkles. One year for Halloween we made the glaze purple and topped the donuts with orange sprinkles. They were fun to hand out to friends on Halloween.
Do these gluten-free vanilla cake donuts freeze well?
Yes, these gluten-free vanilla cake donuts freeze well. We often double the batch and freeze the rest for our Friday donut days. That way I don't have to make a fresh batch each week. Simple take them out the night before, or defrost them in the microwave in the morning.
What gluten-free sprinkles do you recommend?
Sweetapolita makes great gluten-free sprinkles. Let's do Organic has a couple of varieties as well.
Most sprinkles don't have wheat or gluten in them but they are usually processed in a facility that processes other glutinous ingredients. Make sure to check labels for allergen information.
My Gluten-Free Gingerbread Donuts are delicious any time of year, not just the fall months, if you're looking for a gluten free donut with some spice. These gluten free cinnamon rolls are also delicious and easy to make.
Did you make these gluten-free cake donuts? Please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also, if you have a question that I haven't already answered above please leave a comment and I will get back to you.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Donuts
Fun and festive Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Donuts that are soft, fluffy, bursting with vanilla, and smothered in a sweet glaze. You are going to love how easy these gluten free donuts are to make.
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour blend
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
- ½ cup oil of choice
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ - 1 cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease two six-serving donut pans; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan filling about ½ full. The batter should not cover the center of the donut, where the hole will go.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the donuts rise and set.
- Remove from oven and carefully remove the donut from the pan. You may need to use a spoon or a rubber spatula to loosen them if they stick.
- Cool donuts on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- Place your wire rack over a cookie sheet or piece of parchment paper.
- For the glaze: In a separate small mixing bowl, combine the powered sugar and milk. Heat covered in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir until all sugar lumps are dissolved.
- One at a time, dip the tops of your donuts into the glaze.
- Place your donut back on the rack and repeat until all donuts have been dipped.
- Repeat 1-2 more times until your glaze is white.
- After the last dip in the glaze, dip the donuts into the sprinkles.
- Store donuts in a airtight container at room temperate for up to three days.
Notes
- You can use dairy-free milk to make these gluten free donuts dairy-free.
- When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour. The best method really is to weight it but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 donutAmount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 301mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 4g
Meghan
Great recipe! I used a homemade flour blend and did half melted butter and half avocado oil. My son is addicted. Thank you so much for posting all of these varieties 🙂
chrystal
I am so glad you like it. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Dawn
Just made these and they came out perfect! Followed the recipe exactly, using Pamela’s all purpose GF blend. The kids and I love them ❤️
Samantha
Hello! My son was recently diagnosed with Celiac's disease so gluten free is new to me. Would you recommend using "Pamela's Products Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend" or the flour blend that for baking and pancakes? Thank you!
chrystal
Hi Samantha,
I love Pamela's products with that said, the mixes like the pancake mix are intended for the mixes purpose. So the pancake mix should be used to make pancakes. For recipes, you can use the flour blend. Make sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it. Don't scoop the measuring cup into the flour otherwise you'll end up with too much flour in the recipes. Another note, not all flour blends work equally. Pamela's is great to start with though.
I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Bri
Do you use food coloring for the pink frosting? 🙂
chrystal
I did. You can use your favorite coloring if you like or leave it out.
Best,
Chrystal
Amy
We made these donuts last night and the whole family loves them! Thank you for another delicious recipe that is safe for my little guy with multiple food allergies.
Linda Shepherd
Where can I get the Pamela's Gluten free flour? My husband is highly allergic to corn starch and I have read that baking powder has corn starch.
Is there something else I can use?
chrystal
You can make your own baking soda.
Use, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup cream of tartar, 1/4 cup arrowroot powder. Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to mix well and store in a glass jar.
Best,
Chrystal
Lu
I made these vanilla donuts for the first time today. Actually, it was my first time making donuts ever. They came out quite pale but the toothpick came out clean so I took them out. With gluten-free cake, I find it can be quite dry. These donuts are moist and delicious! I will definitely be making more of these!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Lu,
Glad you liked the GF vanilla cake donuts!
Mary Hines
I added some cocoa and crushed gluten free sandwich cookies in the batter...then crushed cookies on top of the glaze...for cookies and cream doughnuts...my daughters favorite
chrystal
I am so glad she loves them. I love the idea of adding crushed cookies on top for a cookies and cream version.
Best,
Chrystal
Lu
That sounds delicious! Great idea to try out!
Trevor James
I was wondering if I can fry these instead of baking?
chrystal
I haven't tried frying them. I'm not sure how the dough would hold up.
Best,
Chrystal
Michelle
Can you substitute the granulated sugar for honey or any other natural sugar
Lindsay
We haven't tried this with honey or any other liquid sweetener, but I think that coconut sugar would work. The texture might be a bit more dense than if you used processed granulated sugar.
Kelly
You can’t fry cake donuts, the dough for fried donuts is more similar to a biscuit/bread dough.
Tina
I've not tried it with this recipe yet, but have used other baked donuts recipes for making fried donut holes with great success. You certainly cannot get the batter to hold a donut shape in the fryer, and if too big the outside will burn before the inside is cooked through with this type of batter, but if you have a cookie scoop and use that to drop small balls in the oil you will get some great donut holes. I tend to make those for very special occasions, Christmas morning or birthday donut bars, stuff like that. 🙂
Kim Collins
I make this recipe alot.. best additions I have found are adding frozen blueberries or raspberries to the donuts after you put the batter in the pan but before baking.. Also another favorite addition is chocolate chips or M & M's... big hit for us.
Tina Coyle
These look so good! Our favorite gluten free flour mix has xanthan gum. Do you recommend a mix with or without it?
chrystal
IF the mix is rice flour, potato starch and tapioca, you can use it if it has xanthan.
Best,
Chrystal
Heather
These are terrific. The batter is thin like cake batter which is my favorite because the outside gets golden with a slight crispy crust giving the donut great texture. Nice vanilla aroma & flavor. Make a cherry glaze using cherry instant jello I found on the web so pretty & fun!
Christine
Thank You for this recipe my daughter really enjoyed these. We have only just found out she is gluten intolerant and she was really missing donuts, the one item no one seems to do GF. I’m in Australia so a few simple conversations and GF donuts and a happy little girl. Thank you for taking the time to share your recipes, it makes a difference for families like mine. God bless
JoDee
Big Request!!!
My so has Celiac disease and to make things worse, he also has a rice allergy! I have such a time finding a flour base to work with! He is also allergic to almonds!! Have you had any success with a flour base lacking these ingredients? I’m desperate!
chrystal
Hi JoDee,
I don't have a lot of experience with this blend, but try mixing this flour blend and see if it works in your recipes.
1 cup (290g.) Gluten Free Oat Flour (if he can do oats, some with celiac tolerate oats)
1 cup (120g.) millet flour
1 cup (115g.) tapioca flour
1 cup (120g.) potato starch
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
If he can't do oat flour, you could try cassava flour in this blend recipe, in place of the oat flour. Make sure all flours and starches are labeled gluten free (check labels).
Best,
Chrystal
Caitlyn
Has anyone used this recipe in a donut maker(nostalgia or baby cakes)? My daughter just got a maker for her birthday, we’re trying to find the perfect gf & df recipe.
Nene
Hi if I use the mini donuts pan does the baking time change?
Lindsay
Yes, you will want to reduce the baking time. Keep a close eye on them the first time you make them to see exactly how long they'll need to bake. All donut pans will be a little bit different. Let us know how you did!
Jenn
Can you substitute the granulated sugar for coconut sugar or any other sugar sub?
Lindsay
We haven't tried that substitution, but I think that coconut sugar would work. The texture might be a bit more dense than if you used processed granulated sugar.
Stacey
I made these donuts on Friday night and they were all gone by Saturday night! They are amazing. I have been gluten free for 12 years and they are by far the best gf donuts I have found. They taste like a cross between a fried and baked donut, amazing texture and stay super moist. I tried making a lemon glazed, a vanilla glazed, and just powdered sugar and all three were fantastic. I served them to three people who eat gluten and all asked for second donuts! I can't recommend these enough - I have already sent the recipe to my other Celiac friends. I wish I could post my photos here so everyone can see how beautifully these turn out. My husband has already requested a second batch. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Lindsay
Hi Stacey!
Thank you so much for coming back to let us know how much you liked the donuts recipe, and for sharing it with your friends! While there isn't really a way for you to leave a photo here, we would love it if you'd share your photos on social media and tag us! @glutenfreepalate on Facebook or Instagram. You can also come back and leave a link to your post here in the comments.
Rochelle
Do you plan to come back and add weights to your flour amounts? I typically weigh all my baking ingredients in grams. I use gfJules flour. She recommends 135g=1cup with her flour but it could vary depending on your flour mix and style of scooping. I would really appreciate that detail!
Lindsay
Thank you for the suggestion! You are right, the weights can vary based on the brand and type of flour used.
Amy
I just tried this recipe and baked them in my muffin Pan. So I Added 2:00minutes baking time and they turned out good, slightly underbaked how I like them. Loving how the frosting is the sweet change up I used to change flavors. V rom vanilla to cinnamon to chocolate. YUM!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Amy,
Great idea using a muffin pan. Glad you loved them!
Amanda
What oil does everyone recommend best for this recipe?
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Amanda, I used vegetable oil. But you can use any you usually use.
Maggie
Do you know how I can adjust this to make chocolate donuts? My daughter is Celiac and misses chocolate donuts. Thank you in advance!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Maggie, try this recipe https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-baked-chocolate-glazed-donuts/.
andrew hibbard
hi, I have a little problem I did follow all recipe but I mixed the wet mixture into the dry mixture it causes into very thick I want to make it thin how I fix that
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Andrew,
Add some milk or water until it reaches your desired consistency. Hope that helps.
Shannon
I made these and used Bob's Red Mill Gluten free All Purpose Flour. I am not sure if maybe it was the flour I used but my cake/donut part doesn't taste that great and I followed the recipe. Tastes very bland to me. Any thoughts on why this happened or is this normal?
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Shannon,
This is tricky to troubleshoot. How did you measure your flour? Where all ingredients within date?
Mark
Did anyone add xanthan gum to the flour mix? Thank you.
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Mark,
If your flour blend does not have it, you can add it in.
Lulu
Thanks for this recipe.
I Tried these in an air fryer and it works. 10-12 mins
The only draw back is one can only bake 4-5 donuts at a time.
Wendy Stoltz
Pleasure, Lulu. Thanks for sharing.
Meg
Hi! We’re looking forward to trying this recipe over the weekend! Do you freeze the donuts after icing and with the sprinkles, or do you freeze them plain and finish (top) them after thawing?
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Meg,
It is generally recommended to freeze gluten-free donuts plain, without any icing or sprinkles, and then add the toppings after thawing. This is because the moisture from the icing and sprinkles can make the donuts soggy when they are frozen and then thawed.