These Cinnamon Sugar Donuts are baked, not fried and are gluten-free! These cake like doughnuts are lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and then gently rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Ok, it's time for a confession.
I don't like doughnuts. Or donuts.
I never have. Until now, that is.
What I realize is that I don't like fried donuts, especially the smell. I know I am not in the majority here (and I rarely am!) so I decided to make doughnuts that are almost like a cake or muffin.
These are MY kind of donuts.
The funniest part of my weird confession... one of my kids just told me that he doesn't like donuts, or the smell of donuts either! Isn't that funny?
So now there are two doughnut-hating-weirdos walking around. But we both agree that we love THESE donuts.
If you just so happen to love donuts, you will love these Hot Chocolate Donuts, Apple Cider Donuts and these Dark Chocolate Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze! They would all be even more delicious with some Apple Chai Latte, Chamomile Latte and definitely this Low Carb Bulletproof Hot Chocolate!
Why You Should Make These Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
I realize that most cinnamon sugar donuts are completely covered in all of the sugar deliciousness, but I decided to just roll one of the sides in it to lighten them up (a bit). Just so you know, they still taste ridiculously delicious.
If you want to roll both sides, go for it. They are completely customizable and easily adapted any way you like it.
Even those that eat gluten won't even believe that these are gluten free. And I also promise that they have a wonderful cake-like texture.
Yes, even without the gluten.
I have made these donuts with unrefined sugar and also granular Monk fruit which is a natural sugar substitute. They both held up nicely and tasted delicious.
I just wanted to share with you in case you wanted to cut back on sugar and try something new.
I have also made these with both coconut oil and butter and both equally tastes delicious and had wonderful textures. Personally I wouldn't recommend one over the other, it's really a personal preference or whatever you have in your pantry or refrigerator.
Related Recipes
Blueberry Baked Donuts from Chocolate Covered Katie
Baked Apple Cider Donuts from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Healthy Banana Donuts with Chocolate Glaze from Amy's Healthy Baking
Dark Chocolate Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram! Thanks for stopping by!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
Ingredients
- 4 cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 6 teaspoons gluten-free aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unrefined sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil or butter melted
- Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- ¼ cup unrefined sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a donut pan or muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a separate bowl, add vanilla, eggs, milk and beat until thoroughly combined.
- Add coconut oil or butter and beat again until mixed well.
- Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low until everything is combined.
- Fill the prepared donut pan or muffin tin and bake for 12–15 minutes. You can also roll them into balls and place on a baking sheet for donut holes.
- In a small bowl, mic together cinnamon and sugar.
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove from pan and immediately place one side of the doughnut in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. ENJOY!
April
I could eat a million of these - so light and fluffy and taste great!
Julia
I have always been so intimidated by donuts! This recipe was crazy easy and the directions were very simple to follow. I have found my new go-to recipe. Thanks for posting!
Brenda
Found this recipe and I miss doughnut holes. I made it, but dough was too sticky too roll in hands. Used large cookie scoop and baked. Since you can't roll in cinn sugar, I brushed the tops with butter and shook in mixture. Delicious! Anxious to see how they are tomorrow and how they freeze.
Only change I will make next time is to use small cookie scoop to make them normal size
Thank you!
lauren.kelly
Hi Brenda! I am so glad you liked them. I am not sure why they came out sticky? Thanks for stopping by!
Mary
Lauren,
I went searching for a baked gluten free doughnut recipe, and found yours. Reading through the recipe, I didn't want the sugar, so I substituted it for 2 tsp. of stevia. I also had some almond flour that I wanted to use, so I substituted 2 cups of almond flour for 2 cups of Bob's Red Mill 1/1 mix= 2 cup Bob's and 2 Cups almond flour. They came out AMAZING! Thank you for sharing your creativity.
lauren.kelly
I am so happy you liked them and thank you for sharing your tips with us, Mary!
Diane N
These turned out amazing, I did powdered sugar with cinnamon, oh how I've missed donuts, yay, thanks for the recipe!
lauren.kelly
Hi Diane! I am so happy you liked them! Please come back again soon!
Natalie
These are super delicious. I made a half batch just to test the recipe, but will be making a full batch very soon. However, the 1/4 tablespoon measurement for sugar in the topping did not seem correct at all (this made the MOST pitiful tiny bit of topping!).. upon seeing that I decided to assume the recipe meant 1/4 CUP instead. That worked perfectly for me! I also have no idea how you got your topping to stick to the baked outsides of the donuts..? I ended up slicing mine and dipping the cut ends. Suppose I could have also brushed on a bit of milk to encourage the topping to stick. Despite the hiccups, I'm very excited to have found this recipe.. it has the perfect balance of sweetness and lightness and texture! Excellent!
lauren.kelly
Hi Natalie! Yes, I meant 14 cup! I will change that now, thank you so much! I am so happy you liked them! Have a great day!
Ella
I made these donuts today for my family. They are delicious!! So impressed with this recipe! I made half a batch and they turned out great! This will be my go to recipe ????????
lauren.kelly
I love that Ella! I am so glad you love them too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Pat
These are super. Love that they are baked and gluten free. My new favorite treat. Thanks for the recipe.
lauren.kelly
Thanks Pat! So glad you liked them!
April
Can your recipe simply be cut in half so we only get about a dozen? Some recipes don't work well to double or cut down. Thank you.
lauren.kelly
Hi April! I have never cut it in half but I bet it would be fine? Or maybe you can make the whole recipe and freeze half of it? Let me know who it turns out!
Beverley
perfect little yummy sweetness and so much healthier than your usual doughnuts. Thank you and Happy New Year to you and your family xoxo
lauren.kelly
Thanks Beverly!
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella)
I love the way you've lightened donuts up a bit here. I have to confess that I am a donut fan -- for sure -- but I have never made them at home myself. These make me want to. Right away.
Rose | The Clean Dish
I'm so excited about your recipe because much like yourself, I just don't like anything fried, really. I'm dying to try these cinnamon sugar donuts! YUM!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay)
My kids are crazy for these...Baked trumps most friend IMO. Except apple cider donuts in the Fall, mmmm! Pretty pics!
Dani @ The Adventure Bite
I on the other hand could live in a fresh hot oil fried doughnut. They are kind of my downfall. But to make at home? Not gonna happen. These look perfect for fending off the kids doughtnut needs!
lauren.kelly
Thanks Dani!