By / Last Modified On January 15, 2023
Calling all vegan donut lovers! You're going to love these gluten-free vegan chocolate espresso donuts.
This vegan donut recipe is easy to make, tender, and perfect for anyone who loves a good gluten-free vegan donut recipe. If you don't like espresso, you can leave it out and enjoy gluten-free vegan chocolate donuts.
Do you like donuts? You'll love my Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donuts. You can use a flax egg to make them vegan, if needed.
Gluten-Free Vegan Donuts
Did you know it's less expensive to make gluten-free vegan donuts than it is to buy them from the store or a bakery? It is.
All you need to do is invest in a donut pan, which is usually less than $10 and get baking. This vegan donut recipe is gluten-free and free from most food allergens.
These gluten-free vegan chocolate espresso donuts are tender and chocolaty and they have hints of espresso.
If you don't like or consume coffee you can leave out the ground espresso and enjoy gluten-free vegan chocolate donuts.
For this vegan donut recipe I used a gluten-free vegan chocolate from Enjoy Life Foods for the glaze but you can use your chocolate of choice.
You can also leave the chocolate glaze off and dust with powdered sugar, if preferred.
Vegan Donuts
I developed this gluten-free vegan donut recipe with flax-egg, which is typically 1 tablespoon of water + 3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal.
For this recipe I wanted to make the equivalent of 2 flaxeggs but I found the batter to be a little on the runny side so I adjusted the flaxegg portion to ¼ water + 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal.
Most gluten-free donut recipes use a combination of eggs and milk, and sometimes butter to lend the tender crumb.
You can easily make most donut recipes vegan by using oil, a dairy-free milk, and an egg substitute. The texture varies depending on what you use for your egg replacer.
The good news is that you won't be able to tell that these vegan donuts are also gluten free. The texture is perfect and you will enjoy every bite.
Working with Gluten-Free Flours
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 weigh the gluten-free flour but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
Dairy Free Milk in Vegan Donuts
When I make vegan donuts or dairy-free donuts I like to personally use almond milk. I've also used flaxseed milk and other nut milks. I haven't personally tried using coconut milk in this gluten-free vegan donut recipe but if you do, I recommend that you don't use the full fat coconut milk as the batter will be too thick.
Ingredients in Vegan Donuts
- ground flax seed (for the flax egg)
- water (for the flax egg)
- all purpose gluten-free flour blend
- unsweetened cocoa
- fine ground coffee beans (espresso coffee grind)
- gluten-free baking powder
- baking soda
- xanthan gum
- salt
- sugar
- avocado oil (or oil of choice)
- dairy-free milk
- 2 Enjoy Life Foods boomCHOCOboom Dark Chocolate Bars (or chocolate of choice)
Remember that the ground coffee beans are optional. If you use a flour blend that has xathan gum already in it, be sure to omit it from the recipe.
One of the foods we enjoy the most are donuts. If you have read any of my other donut posts, you know that we eat a donut every Friday to celebrate finishing the week.
These are one of our favorite gluten-free vegan donuts to share with friends. Every time I make these gluten-free vegan chocolate espresso donuts I make sure I share them.
How to Make Vegan Donuts
- Add gluten-free flour, cocoa, espresso grinds, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt to a medium mixing bowl.
- Mix until combine.
- Add sugar, oil, dairy-free milk, and flax eggs.
- Stir until combined.
- Spoon batter into your prepared donut pans and fill about halfway (approximately ¼ cup) and bake as directed.
- Remove from the oven and allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes. Gently run a rubber spatula along the sides of the donuts and flip the donuts out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy plain, dipped in melted chocolate, or topped with powdered sugar.
The numbered steps above match the numbered photos above and they are for illustration purposes only. For the complete list of ingredients in this vegan donut recipe please see the printable recipe below.
These Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Espresso Donuts are tender, moist, and free from most allergens. I hope you enjoy them and I urge to to share them with your family and friends.
If you are gluten-free and either vegan or you can't consume dairy or eggs you might want to check out some of my other gluten-free vegan recipes.
My Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Ganache Cake is to-die-for. You'll also love my gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes.
Did you make these gluten-free vegan donuts? Please leave a starred review and a comment below letting me know what you thought.
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Espresso Donuts
These tender Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Espresso Donuts are super easy to make and allergy-friendly.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed (for the flax egg)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon water (for the flax egg)
- 1 ½ cups all purpose gluten-free flour blend
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tablespoon fine ground coffee beans (espresso coffee grind)
- 1 and ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup avocado oil (or oil of choice)
- ½ cup dairy-free milk
- 1 cup gluten-free vegan chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-donut baking pans with oil; set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together flax seed meal and water and place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together gluten-free flour, cocoa, espresso grinds, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt; set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, oil, and dairy-free milk. Add in the flax eggs and stir until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Spoon batter into your prepared donut pans and fill about halfway (approximately ¼ cup).
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes. Gently run a rubber spatula along the sides of the donuts and flip the donuts out onto a cooling rack.
- For the glaze: Melt chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl on medium heat for one minute. Remove from the microwave and let sit for 5 minutes. This will allow the heat to transfer to the remaining chocolate. Stir the melted chocolate until smooth.
- Dip the tops of each of the donuts into the melted chocolate and place the donut chocolate-side-up on a cooling rack.
- Cool completely before serving.
- Store remaining donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
- I've tested this vegan donut recipe with my gluten-free flour blend or Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour.
- I've used almond milk, flaxseed milk, and other nut milks in this gluten-free vegan donut recipe.
- You can leave the coffee beans out of this recipe, if needed.
- For oil, you can use your oil of choice.
- 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 weigh the gluten-free flour but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 290Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 376mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 21gProtein: 5g
This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands that I used a the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.
Erica D.
These chocolate bars! These donuts!!! YESSSS!
chrystal
Thank you Erica! They are a favorite of ours too 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yayyyy doughnuts! Any momma (or non-momma) LOVES a good chocolaty doughnut!
chrystal
Thank you Rebecca! I thought you'd like these 😉
Amanda
Oh man....donuts, coffee and chocolate...I need these in my life!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish
Whoa. These are so gorgeous. Love all of that glistening chocolate.
chrystal
Thank you Emily 🙂
Megan
There is nothing like chocolate on chocolate on DONUTS. Looks amazing.
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
I'll take my donuts with a side of those chocolate bars please!
Kristy @ Southern In Law
These look delicious! Chocolate and coffee are definitely a match made in heaven - and I loveee the depth of flavour coffee gives chocolatey baked goods!
Brianna H (@FlippinDelish)
These donuts are going to ROCK my weekend! I love those chocolate bars too!
chrystal
Thank you Brianna!
Monique
These look absolutely perfect - that glaze!
chrystal
Thank you Monique! The chocolate glaze is pretty tasty 😉
Best,
Chrystal
Kat
Holy yum!! I am gluten-intolerant like you and your girls, which is really hard to explain to people so I just basically tell them I can't have gluten and leave it there haha. These donuts sound incredible! I have been craving a donut for ages, but no place around me specializes in gluten-free items. I'm going to have to make a batch of these for sure!
chrystal
Hi Kat!
I totally get it. I always tell people its an allergy, then I don't have to explain the difference. These donuts are pretty tasty. We just finished off the last one this morning (I freeze batches and pull out when needed), so I will need to whip some more up.
Best,
Chrystal
Bethany
Oh, yum! These look amazing!
chrystal
Thank you Bethany!
Best,
Chrystal
Angela
These look Amazing!! I can't wait tor try them, my kids are already asking when we can make them 🙂 Pinned!!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish
These are so pretty! Love that beautiful chocolate glaze. Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays gluten free linky party!
Holly
The liquid seems off, my batter is not 'spoonable'
chrystal
Hi Holly,
So sorry to hear that you couldn't spoon the batter into the pan. A couple of things that could contribute to the batter being thicker than expected:
- Not letting the flax egg fully set
- Not using the exact flour blend in the recipe (I have not tested this with other flours, only the ones in my blend)
- Dipping the measuring cup into the flour vs. spooning it into the measuring cup
- The flour not being at room temperature (if it's from the fridge or freezer, it will be dryer and will suck up the moisture).
I hope that helps some. This recipe has been tested several times and is a favorite in our house.
Best,
Chrystal
Nicole
I just tried this recipe as my way back into the kitchen after surgery. I switched it back to a gluten-y version, but it was still easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
-Nicole
chrystal
Thank you for letting me know 🙂 So glad you liked them!
Jerri
My donuts were not spoon able either. Followed the recipe to a t. The banana ones also were not spoon able. Both so very yummy tho!!
chrystal
Hi Jerri!
A couple of things that could have caused this are not using the same flour blend as I did (different flour blends absorb the wet ingredients differently). Also, its best to spoon flour into the measuring cup, not scoop it into the flour. Also, sometimes elevation can play a roll. I'm glad they were still yummy.
Best,
Chrystal
K.C.
You must know that coffee is one of my passions. The thought of sitting down with a cup of espresso and munching one of these donuts is pure heaven!
chrystal
Haha. I do! 😉
Tammy
I love these! Though I’ve tweaked the recipe to suit me. Still use Bobs Red Mill 1:1 but do use one egg. Milk is almond and coconut unsweetened. The addition of the coffee is magic. Thanks Crystal!
chrystal
You are very welcome! I am so glad you like them.
Best,
Chrystal
Kristina
ooooh, espresso?! I love this recipe, and want one of these to dunk in my coffee right now. saving this one to make this weekend! 🙂
Kortney
We are still lacking in allergy friendly brands here in Germany. There are slowly more gluten free brands, but there seems to be a serious gap for peanut free items.
Kristen
Wow! These look incredible!
chrystal
Thank you!
Celeste Noland
I love allllll of your donuts! The texture of these is perfection
chrystal
Awe. Thank you!
Best,
Chrystal
Alisa Fleming
These look like my husband's breakfast dream! I think I need to bake some up for him.
Alene
Is it possible to exchange the avocado oil with another without affecting the taste too much? And may I change the flax egg with a regular egg, or would that change the batter too much? Sorry about these questions, but I so want to make these! Thank you!
chrystal
Hi Alena,
You can use your oil of choice and a regular egg in this recipe 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Kaila (The Wanderlust Celiac)
These are absolutely beautiful! I love the flavor combination and that glaze looks divine!
Balvinder
These look and sound really delicious. But can glutenfree doughnuts be fried instead of baked
chrystal
Hi! These are pretty amazing. I do have a fried chocolate donut hole recipe, if you are interested. Search for donut holes in the search box.
Best,
Chrystal
Linda
Hi, these look pretty amazing and I was hoping to make them for a school bake sale, but I was wondering whether there was something you could recommend as a substitute for the coffee or should I just leave it out?
Many thanks.
chrystal
Hi Linda,
You can leave it out all together 🙂 Let me know how they turn out!
Best,
Chrystal
Jenny
Hi- the baking soda looks like 11/2 t. Is it 1 and 1/2 t or just 1/2 t??
chrystal
Hi Jenny,
It's 1 and 1/2 t. For some reason my font seems to be running together right now.
Best,
Chrystal
Sandra Velazquez
Can King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour be used? It’s all I have
chrystal
Hi Sandra,
Yes, you can use King Arthur. Make sure to spoon your flour into your measuring cup and then level it.
Best,
Chrystal
Megan L. Wade
I can't wait to try these! Do you recommend any substitutions for the oil? Perhaps applesauce or something similar?
chrystal
I haven't tried applesauce in this reicpe, personally.
Danielle
I am new to the gluten free game but love making donuts. These are so delicious! Easy to make and so fast. I used oat milk; I like the thickness of it. Yummy!
Zoe
So glad you enjoyed!