Gluten-Free Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Gluten-Free Baked Apple Cider Donuts that taste like they are straight from a bakery! Soft & fluffy, moist, classic apple cider flavor and coated in cinnamon sugar. Note: They make a small batch and I give a range of 6-9 donuts because I have 2 donut pans and one is slightly larger and yields 6 donuts, the other yields 9. Recipe doubles well.
Servings: 6 -9 donuts depending on pan size
Equipment
- donut pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour with xanthan gum we use GFJules flour (affiliate link)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter or dairy-free butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup milk or dairy-free milk, room temperature
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter or dairy-free butter, melted
Instructions
Make the Apple Cider Donuts
- Reduce the apple cider: Add apple cider to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer on low medium heat and keep on a simmer until reduces to 1/4 cup apple cider. About 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease donut pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and combine using a pastry cutter or whisk.
- In a large quick measuring cup, add milk, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined. Add this mixture and the reduced apple cider to the dry ingredients and mix until combined and smooth. Batter will be somewhat thick.
- Spoon batter evenly into donut pan, filing each donut form about 1/2 -2/3 way full, making sure not to cover the top of the donut hole. If you overfill the donut pans, the hole will close up when baking and they will look more like muffins, but will still taste great.
- Bake 10-11 minutes or until golden and a tooth pick comes out of the center clean. Another test, is to poke the top of the donut with your finger and if the donut bounces back, they are done. If they are golden but the center isn't baked through, cover loosely with foil and bake an additional minute or two.
- Remove from oven. Let sit 5 minutes, then invert donut pan to remove donuts and let cool on a wire rack.
- Repeat baking donuts in donut pan until dough is used up, as needed.
- TIP: if freezing some donuts, freeze before topping with cinnamon sugar. Defrost and top with cinnamon sugar when ready to serve.
Coat the Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
- Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In another bowl add melted butter.
- Once cooled enough to handle, dunk the donuts in the melted butter, letting any excess drip off, then dunk the donuts in the cinnamon sugar, making sure all sides are covered.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
- Any extras can be be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4 days.
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My daughter made these and it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a cider donut in the fall. Delicious! Now…I miss chocolate frosted donuts. Do you have a recipe for that?
Another amazing recipe! I have been watching my husband eating apple cider donuts for weeks and now I finally got to enjoy one! The flavor is great especially with the apple cider and nutmeg. I almost added a little more cinnamon to the topping but I made as is and the ratio was perfect! Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe!
So happy you loved them! Thank you!