And five test batches later, here they are. Super extra moist, gluten-free and naturally sweetened with orange juice and coconut sugar.
Close your eyes and picture yourself taking a bite of these incredible baked donuts. It starts by this super moist, melt-in-your-mouth kinda texture, with a fresh orange taste. Then comes the salted caramel glaze that is seriously awesome.
These donuts are just SUPER ADDICTING and really easy to make. I don't know how it happened but I ended up eating 3 in one day. Now my diet for the next three days will probably be salad and broccoli.
Anyway, these donuts are baked instead of fried, if you don't have a donut pan I recommend the Wilton nonstick donut pan, it's great quality and pretty cheap.
The batter is made with rice flour and almond meal. I first tried using brown rice flour but I found the donuts had a bitter aftertaste, so I recommend you stick with white rice flour. The almond meal is the secret ingredient that gives them this really soft and moist texture.
The salted caramel glaze is a mix of coconut milk, coconut sugar, coconut oil and maple syrup. You put everything in a large pan and let simmer until it thickens and smells like caramel. You will probably have some glaze left, try to use it as a topping for your oatmeal, trust me, best thing ever.
Let me know if liked this recipe and feel free to tag @fullofplants on Instagram if you try it!
📖 Recipe
Baked Orange Donuts with Salted Caramel Glaze (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1 cup almond flour sifted
- â…” cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon arrowroot
- 1 and â…› teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- â…› teaspoon salt
- â…” cup and 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- zests from 2 oranges optional
Caramel Glaze
- 1 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a donut baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, arrowroot, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Slowly pour in the orange juice and whisk until well combined.
- Add the oil, almond butter, vanilla extract and orange zests if using. Whisk until everything is incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the donut pan, filling ¾ of the cavities. If you have a piping bag, feel free to use it, it will be easier.
- Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for at least 1 hour before trying to remove the donuts from the pan.
Salted Caramel Glaze
- Combine all ingredients except the vanilla extract in a large saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, whisking constantly for the first 2 minutes.
- Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened and has a caramel color. It should have reduced in volume by about 50%
- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract and let the glaze cool for about 10 minutes. If it's not thick enough, let simmer again for another 5-10 minutes.
- Pour the glaze in a small bowl and dunk the donuts, letting excess glaze drip off. Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with sea salt and funtettis.
My mouth is watering right now! These look absolutely sensational! My 'to make' list is getting longer!
Thanks Katie! 😉
I consider donuts to be one of the worst things ever created by man. These I would actually eat! They look and sound amazing!
Thank you Adam, it's still a treat to eat once in a while though, probably not healthy but definitely healthier than the fried ones 🙂
What an incredible flavor combo you got going on in these donuts! I can't believe they are vegan!
Thank you! The caramel glaze goes really well with the orange, perfect combo in my opinion!
Wow these look delicious!
Hi! Do you know if these keep well overnight? I wanted to make them for a friend the night before I go to visit her.
Thanks!
Hi Asha,
Yes these keep really well overnight, in a box, at room temperature.
Just make sure your glaze is really thick, so you can transport them easily. If you don't reduce it enough it will be too soft and on the runny side.
I hope this helps!
This really does look fantastic! Is this plain white rice flour or sweet rice flour (Mochiko)?
Hi how many milliliters of coconut milk is the can that you used for the glaze?
Hi, one can is usually 400ml.
Great looking donuts! Can i substitute arrowroot with anything else?
Thanks Laana! I would say cornstarch or sweet rice flour. Potato starch might work too but you will have to use a bit less as it tends to soak up more liquid.
Hi, Thomas 🙂
Is it possible to substitute almond flour with coconut flour?
Hi Maja,
I'm afraid it would make the donuts too dry.
These were great! The consistency is like a really moist, rich cake donut.
I actually cut down the sugar to 1/3 cup and they were still plenty sweet for my taste 🙂
Also, I used a ziploc for a piping bag and rigged makeshift donut-hole-makers (haha) with tin foil in my muffin pan. Came out perfect!
Thanks for your feedback 🙂