Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts (with easy video)

Beautifully tender and perfectly spiced, these Apple Cider Donuts are going to be your newest fall treat. Full of warm spices, tangy apple cider, with your choice of topping, these donuts are amazing!

It’s officially October and we’re not only celebrating cooler days & sweater weather but we’re also celebrating 60 years of baking with Florida Crystals®! And to celebrate their 60th anniversary, we’re recreating one of their tastiest recipes, Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts. 

These eggless donuts are packed with apple cider flavor, sweetened with Florida Crystals® Organic Light Brown Raw Cane Sugar and loaded with all the fall spices that we’ve come to love during this season. And because I wanted to bake this with you, I’ve brought you into my kitchen and included a baking tutorial for you to follow along with. So if you love apple cider, then this is one recipe that you will want to bake over and over again!

Why Florida Crystals®?

Not all sugars are alike which is why I am sure to choose ones that are better for you.  Florida Crystals® is one of those sugars that is grown the right way and checks off all the right boxes! 

All of their products are:

• Non-GMO Project verified 
• Vegan and kosher
• Their raw cane sugars are minimally processed
• Farmed without the use of pesticides or herbicides
• And Florida Crystals® is the only organic sugarcane farm in the United States!!

What Is An Apple Cider Donut?

If you like spice cakes, fall desserts or anything with apples in it, then you’ll love this donut recipe. Apple cider donuts are cake-like donuts flavored with apple pie spice, and of course, apple cider. These donuts are similar to muffins with a dense yet tender crumb, slightly sweet and loaded with flavor. I love their texture too, especially because they are baked, not fried. They simply combine your favorite parts of fall into one little delicious, allergy-friendly donut.

Vegan Apple Cider Vinegar Ingredients

• Apple cider: It’s the highlight of these donuts!Be sure to buy plain apple cider without all the spices and DO NOT mix up with apple cider vinegar. EWWW.
• All-purpose flour – All purpose flour is all you need. I recommend the “spoon and level” method so you don’t end up with dense donuts. If you need GF, be sure to check out below. 
• Leavening agents – Baking soda and baking powder, this is the key to help the apple cinnamon donuts rise in the oven create height and volume. 
• Apple Pie Spice (or Cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger & ground cloves) – A must use spice which pairs beautifully with the apple cider flavor in these donut.
• Salt – Balances out the sweetness.  
• Florida Crystals Organic Light Brown sugar – Sweetens the dough, adds flavor and moisture. 
• Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. 
• Dairy-free milk – Helps to tenderize the dough as well as provide richness.
• Vegetable oil – A neutral oil works best in this recipe.

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten Free?

Yes you can! You can substitute regular flour for your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend. You can theoretically also use regular gluten free flour and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum which helps the dough stick together (although I haven’t tried this yet).

How To Make Apple Cider Donuts

The recipe is super easy to make. All you need are two 2 bowls for wet and dry ingredients then combine the two batters with a hand whisk. Just don’t over-mix otherwise, your donuts will be too dense.

The first step to making these apple cider donuts is to start with blending the egg replacer with your apple cider. Using cider instead of water helps create a more concentrated flavor in these donuts. 

Next, mix together the flour, baking powder, soda, spices, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside and grab that “egg” mixture. For the wet ingredients, you’ll whisk into your egg replacer the brown sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Then, simply mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. 

The dough will be a little sticky and thick, but that’s perfectly fine!! 

Since you’ll be baking the donuts, not frying, you’ll be using a lightly coated donut pan. Donut pans usually have 6 cavities, so I recommend buying 2 pans, like these. I find that the easiest way to add the batter to each cavity is to use a piping bag, rather than spooning it in there. If you don’t have a piping bag handy, simply scoop batter into a large zip lock bag and clip off the corner.  Easy peasy homemade piping bag.

How to Make Vegan Donuts Step-By-Step Video

How to Coat Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

For the coating, you can either use cinnamon and sugar or an apple cider glaze on these donuts. I couldn’t choose which one I liked best, so I tested a few and let my family decide.  Ultimately, we all favored the glaze that I created (rather than the one in the original recipe), using Florida Crystals® Organic Powdered Raw Cane Sugar.  They all tasted wonderful on the donuts, but the thicker apple cider glaze does add more cider flavor and sticks to the donut wonderfully.

FAQ’S

Can I make baked donuts in advance?

Baked donut donuts are best eaten the same day, but these still taste wonderful on day two.

How to store vegan donuts?

If planning on eating the same day, then storing in a sealed container works just fine.  However, most glazed donuts tend to get a little “wet” if sitting too long.  For this reason, I sometimes refrigerate the donuts and glaze right before serving. 

Is apple cider the same as apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider and apple cider vinegar are not the same thing, so be sure you’re using the actual drink, not the vinegar. The main difference is that apple cider vinegar has been fermented into alcohol and then converted into an acid, whereas cider is more similar to apple juice.

What if I can’t find apple cider?

If a recipe calls for apple cider but all you see at the store are things labeled apple juice, don’t throw away the recipe yet. Check to see if anything is labeled unfiltered apple juice, which is basically the same thing. Still no luck? Just go by sight — look for an cloudy, caramel-colored apple drink, which means it hasn’t been filtered like apple juice has, therefore retaining its sweet yet tart notes.

MORE FALL VEGAN DESSERT RECIPES TO TRY

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Applesauce Spice Cake

Vanilla Pumpkin Swirl Cheescake

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Printable Baked Apple Cider Donuts Recipe

I hope ya’ll enjoy this donut recipe as much as we did. Be sure to rate it below once you make it and please let me know which topping you chose!