Gluten Free Donuts (Easy 40-Minute Baked Recipe)

These gluten free donuts are soft and cakey inside, with a sweet glaze that sets into a thin shell. They bake in a donut pan in about 12 minutes, so there’s no yeast to wait on and no pot of hot oil on the stove!

Finding a donut you can actually eat is hard when you’re gluten-free. Shop donuts are made with wheat flour, and even when a bakery sells a gluten-free one, it’s usually handled right next to the regular ones. I bake gluten-free for myself and my kids, so if there are going to be donuts in our kitchen, they have to be homemade. And making them at home means you get to pick the flour, the pan, and the toppings.

The batter takes about 10 minutes to stir together. Then it rests for 10 more while the oven heats. Don’t skip that rest. It’s the small step that makes these taste like a real cake donut instead of a gritty muffin.

Why this gluten free donut recipe works

These are cake donuts, the old-fashioned bakery kind. No yeast, no kneading, no proofing. Baking powder and a little baking soda do all the lifting, so you go from bowl to oven in about 25 minutes.

Are baked donuts the same as fried? Not quite. A fried yeast donut is airy and chewy, and a baked one is closer to a soft, tender cake. Once it’s dipped in glaze, though, it hits the same spot. And you don’t have to deal with a quart of oil afterward.

A few small choices make the difference here:

• Buttermilk plus baking soda. The soda reacts with the buttermilk’s acid, which gives the donuts a softer crumb and that slightly tangy taste you get from a bakery donut.
• Nutmeg. Just 1/2 teaspoon. It’s the flavor most people think of as “donut” without being able to name it.
• A 10-minute rest. Rice flour, the base of most gluten-free blends, drinks up liquid slowly. If you bake right away, the donuts can taste sandy. Resting gives the flour time to soak, and the batter turns noticeably thicker and smoother.
• A piping bag. Spooning a thick batter into a donut pan gets messy fast. A zip-top bag with the corner snipped off fills each ring evenly in a few seconds.

Ingredients for gluten free donuts

You only need pantry basics. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Gluten-free 1:1 flour blend: Use a cup-for-cup blend that already has xanthan gum in it. Blends weigh very differently by brand, so if you have a scale, weigh 210 g. No scale? Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour and makes dry, heavy donuts. I use King Arthur Measure for Measure, which already has xanthan gum in it. My own little trick is toasted oat flour: I swap 1/4 cup of the blend for 1/4 cup (about 25 g) of it. Spread certified gluten-free rolled oats on a baking sheet, toast them at 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes, let them cool, then blend them into a fine powder. It gives the donuts a warm, slightly nutty taste. Skip it if oats bother you, since some people with celiac react to oats even when they’re certified gluten-free.
• Xanthan gum: Only if your blend doesn’t include it. Add 1/2 teaspoon.
• Granulated sugar.
• Baking powder and baking soda: You need both. The powder does most of the rising, and the soda reacts with the buttermilk for a more tender crumb. Check that your baking powder is labeled gluten-free.
• Nutmeg: Ground is fine. If you grate it fresh, use about 1/4 teaspoon, because fresh nutmeg is stronger.
• Salt.
• Buttermilk: It keeps the donuts soft and adds a little tang. No buttermilk in the fridge? Stir 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar into 2/3 cup of regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Eggs: Room temperature. Cold eggs can make the melted butter firm up into little lumps.
• Melted butter and oil: Butter for flavor, oil so the donuts stay soft the next day. Let the butter cool for a few minutes after melting.
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla. Read the label to make sure it’s gluten-free.

How to make gluten free donuts

Start with the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two 6-cavity donut pans really well, including the little post in the middle of each ring. That post is where donuts love to stick. Cooking spray works, or soft butter brushed on with a pastry brush.

Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ones in another. Then pour the dry into the wet and stir with a spatula just until you can’t see any dry flour. The batter should be thick, about like a soft frosting. A few small lumps are fine!

Now let it rest for 10 minutes. You’ll see it thicken a bit and lose that dull, floury look.

Spoon the batter into a zip-top bag, snip off about 1/2 inch from one corner, and pipe it into each ring until it’s about 2/3 full. Don’t go higher. Overfilled donuts puff up over the center post and close the hole.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They’re done when the tops spring back when you press them lightly and a toothpick comes out clean. The bottoms (the side touching the pan) should be light golden.

Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip the pan over a wire rack and give it a tap. Fully cool them before glazing, or the glaze will melt and slide right off. Cinnamon sugar is the exception: that goes on while they’re still warm.

Glazes and toppings

Each topping below makes enough for all 12 donuts. Want a mix? Make half batches of two. Honestly, there’s no favorite in my house. My kids and I eat all three, usually at breakfast, and the plate always ends up empty.

Vanilla glaze. Whisk 1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt. It should coat the back of a spoon and drip off slowly. Too thick, add milk a teaspoon at a time. Too runny, add more sugar. Dip the top of each donut, give it a little twist, and lift it straight up. It sets in about 20 minutes. For a thicker bakery-style shell, dip a second time once the first layer is dry.

Chocolate glaze. Whisk 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1/4 cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 to 4 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and glossy. Add sprinkles within a minute of dipping, before the glaze firms up. (Check the sprinkle label too. Not all of them are gluten-free.)

Cinnamon sugar. Mix 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush each warm donut with melted butter (about 3 tablespoons for the batch), then roll it in the sugar. Warm donuts plus butter is what makes the sugar actually stick.

Mini donuts, air fryer, donut maker, or fried?

Same batter, a few different ways to cook it.

Mini donuts: Use a mini donut pan and fill each ring about 2/3 full, roughly 1 tablespoon of batter. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 7 to 9 minutes. You’ll get about 3 dozen, and they’re great for parties and lunch boxes.

Air fryer: You’ll need a small silicone donut mold that fits in the basket. Fill it 2/3 full and cook at 320°F (160°C) for 8 to 10 minutes. The temperature is lower than the oven on purpose, because the fan browns the tops fast while the inside is still wet. Air fryers vary a lot, so check the first batch at 7 minutes.

Donut maker: Heat the machine, brush the wells with a little oil, and fill each one level with the top, not heaped. Most machines take 3 to 4 minutes. They’re done when they’re golden and spring back. Follow your machine’s manual if it says something different.

Can you fry this batter? No. It’s soft enough to pipe, which means it would spread out in hot oil and soak it up. Fried donuts need a stiffer dough that you can roll out and cut, so they’re really a different recipe.

Flavor variations

Gluten free apple cider donuts. Simmer 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) apple cider in a small pot until it cooks down to 2/3 cup (160 ml), about 15 minutes. Let it cool, then use it in place of the buttermilk. Cider is acidic too, so the baking soda still does its job. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the dry ingredients and finish with the cinnamon sugar coating. Reducing the cider is what gives them real apple flavor, because plain cider just tastes like sweet water once it’s baked.

Pumpkin donuts. Replace the 2/3 cup buttermilk with 1/2 cup (122 g) pumpkin puree plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) buttermilk. Swap the nutmeg for 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. They may need 1 to 2 extra minutes in the oven.

Chocolate donuts. Take out 1/4 cup (35 g) of the flour blend and add 1/4 cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder. Add 1 extra tablespoon of buttermilk, since cocoa soaks up liquid. Chocolate glaze on chocolate donuts? Yes, please.

With almond flour. Swap 1/2 cup of the flour blend for 1/2 cup (48 g) blanched almond flour. The donuts come out a little richer and moister, with a slightly denser crumb. I wouldn’t replace all of the blend with almond flour in this recipe, though. Almond flour has no starch to hold the ring shape, so the donuts would bake up flat and crumbly.

Gluten and dairy free donuts (and egg-free)

Dairy-free is an easy swap. Use 2/3 cup unsweetened oat or almond milk with 2 teaspoons lemon juice instead of the buttermilk, and melted vegan butter (or more oil) instead of the butter. Make the glazes with the same plant milk.

Egg-free is trickier. The eggs hold most of the structure here, because gluten-free flour has nothing else to do that job. You can try 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes), but treat it as an experiment: this swap hasn’t been tested in this recipe, and expect donuts that are denser and more fragile. Let them cool completely in the pan before you turn them out.

Tips and troubleshooting

Why are my donuts gummy inside? They’re underbaked, or the rings were too full and the middle couldn’t cook through. Fill only 2/3 of the way and test with a toothpick in the thickest part. If it comes out wet, give them 1 to 2 more minutes.

They taste gritty. That’s the rice flour. Rest the batter the full 10 minutes (20 is even better), and next time look for a blend made with finely ground rice flour.

They stuck to the pan. Usually the center post wasn’t greased, or they sat too long. Turn them out after 5 minutes, while they’re warm but set. If one sticks, run a thin butter knife around the edge and the post, then tap again.

The hole closed up. Too much batter. They still taste great, so glaze them anyway and call them donut muffins.

They’re dry. Probably overbaked, since a lot of ovens run hot. Start checking at 9 minutes, and pull them as soon as the tops spring back.

The glaze slid off. Either the donuts were still warm or the glaze was too thin. Wait until they’re cool to the touch, and stir a few spoonfuls of powdered sugar into the glaze.

How to store gluten free donuts

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Glazed donuts get a little sticky on top by day two, but they still taste good. I don’t recommend the fridge, because the cold dries gluten-free bakes out faster.

To freeze, skip the glaze. Let the donuts cool completely, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and put them in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter for about an hour, warm in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, then glaze. They taste almost freshly baked.

Gluten free donut FAQs

More gluten-free treats

If donuts are your weekend breakfast mood, try this gluten free pancake mix next. Made the apple cider version? This apple crisp without oats uses the rest of your apples. You’ll find plenty more in our gluten-free desserts and gluten-free cookies collections.

If you make these donuts, I’d love to know which topping you picked. Leave a rating in the recipe card below, and tell me in the comments if you tried the apple cider or dairy-free version.

Recipe card: Gluten Free Donuts (Baked)

Soft, cake-style donuts baked in a donut pan, with no yeast and no frying, finished with vanilla glaze, chocolate glaze, or cinnamon sugar.