Easy Cinnamon Sugar Vegan Donuts #vegan #donuts

The best thing about these vegan donuts is how easy they are to make! Everyone will love these cinnamon sugar coated donuts that are baked, not fried.

Would you like to have fresh, warm vegan donuts in just 20 minutes? That’s all it takes to make these EASY Cinnamon Sugar Coated Vegan Donuts! Perfect to eat with a nice cup of tea or coffee, for breakfast or dessert.

The only special tool you will need is a donut pan. I highly recommend getting one (or two) so you can make your very own baked vegan donuts at home! It’s such a fun thing to bake with kids, and pretty hard to mess up. If you don’t have a donut pan and want to make these like NOW, you can make them in a muffin pan instead! But they are so much better in a donut pan.

You’ll Need:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons soy milk
1 tablespoon applesauce
1 tablespoon melted vegan butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted vegan butter
US Customary - Metric

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a donut pan with non-stick spray.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour the soy milk, applesauce, melted vegan butter (1 tablespoon) and vanilla into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix well with a large wooden spoon to combine. The batter will be similar to cake batter; not too thick but not very runny either.
Spoon the batter into the donut pan, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Be careful not to overfill, as the donuts will rise and you might lose the "hole" of your donut.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Let cool for two or three minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a wire rack with a large piece of parchment paper beneath it (to help with the mess).

For the Topping:
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a medium bowl, and melt the vegan butter in a separate bowl.
Dip the donuts into the melted butter, both sides or just one side if you prefer. Then dunk the donut into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
Serve immediately, or within one day for best results. Leftover donuts will keep for two days at most, covered and at room temperature.

NOTES:

May substitute whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour for the all purpose flour. I haven't tested them with gluten-free flour.
To ensure sugar is vegan, use certified organic.
May use any kind of non-dairy milk in place of the soy milk.
I prefer earth balance brand vegan butter, and it's what I recommend.
These donuts should freeze well, though I haven't tested it. Simply freeze, then thaw overnight and perhaps warm in the microwave.
If you don't have a donut pan, consider making these as little muffins instead! Bake at the same temperature for 18-20 minutes, then coat in the melted vegan butter and cinnamon sugar.
For Oil Free donuts, simply omit the melted vegan butter in the batter and the coating. The cinnamon sugar will still stick, but the donuts will taste lighter and less rich.