These Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Donuts are soft and fluffy with a delicious cinnamon sugar coating. This baked donut recipe is easy to make in one bowl and the perfect breakfast or afternoon treat! Gluten-free, dairy-free paleo with low carb and keto sweetener options.
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Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Donuts recipe
These Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts are pillowy soft, moist and full of delicious warm spices with a sweet cinnamon sugar coating. They’re perfect for a special weekend breakfast, Easter brunch or anytime you’re craving fluffy donuts!
The donut batter comes together easily in one bowl and the best part is that the donuts are baked and not fried so you can enjoy them as a healthy afternoon treat! Plus they’re gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, paleo and include low carb and keto options.
Ingredients you need
Let’s get into the fail-proof ingredient lineup that makes these gluten free cinnamon sugar donuts possible.
- Cashew Butter: be sure to use creamy unsalted cashew butter and not near the bottom of the jar. You can sub with almond butter, pecan butter or any other nut butter or seed butter of choice.
- Maple Syrup: For Keto Cinnamon Sugar Donuts, use Lakanto sugar-free maple syrup or a preferred alternative.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: Feel free to swap this out for any milk you happen to have on hand.
- Egg: helps bind the ingredients for the batter together and helps the baked doughnuts rise. Be sure to bring them to room temperature. Use a flax egg, chia egg or your favorite egg substitute to make these cinnamon donuts vegan.
- Vanilla extract: adds flavor and dimension.
- Almond flour: the main paleo and low carb flour to use in place of all purpose flour. Be sure to use superfine almond flour and not almond meal.
- Tapioca flour: helps give the donuts bounce and structure. You can also sub with arrowroot starch / flour. Use a fork to fluff it out if it seems clumpy.
- Coconut flour: adds softness to the donuts. You’ll need 1 tablespoon.
- Baking powder – the leavener to help these baked cinnamon sugar doughnuts rise. Be sure to use a gluten-free or paleo baking powder (made with baking soda, cream of tartar and tapioca starch) as needed.
- Ground Cinnamon: a healthy amount to make these easy cinnamon donuts shine!
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- Vegan butter: You’ll need some melted vegan butter or refined coconut oil. Ghee or grass-fed melted butter works if you’re not dairy-free.
- Granulated Pure Maple sugar OR coconut sugar: both are lower glycemic sweeteners that mimics the taste of granulated sugar and brown sugar. For low carb apple cider donuts, use Lakanto monk fruit sweetener or a preferred alternative.
- Cinnamon
How to make Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
It’s so easy to make your own baked cinnamon donuts at home.
- Prepare the baking pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick spray or place a silicone donut pan on a baking pan. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, cashew butter, maple syrup, milk and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: Place a large mesh sieve and sift in the the almond flour, coconut flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Fill the donut pan: Transfer the batter to a large piping bag or a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped off and pipe into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity evenly. Alternatively, use a spoon to fill the donut pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 19-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the donuts cool for 10-15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
- Roll into cinnamon: Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar topping by mixing the ingredients in a small shallow bowl. Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, brush each donut with some melted vegan butter then generously dunk into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar topping, making sure to coat well on all sides.
- Enjoy: Serve and enjoy.
Variations
- Chocolate chips: Craving some chocolate? Add some dairy-free chocolate chips
- Apple Cider: Swap the milk with reduced apple cider to make Apple Cider Donuts.
- Chopped walnuts: Swap out the vanilla extract with maple extract and add some chopped walnuts
- Add caramel: You can drizzle the donuts with homemade caramel sauce or nut or seed butter
Storage and Freezer Tips
The great thing about these easy cinnamon sugar donuts is that you can make them ahead and store them in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week.
Let your donuts cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to Freeze Baked Donuts
Allow the baked cinnamon sugar donuts to cool completely then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to resealable freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
To Reheat
Thaw them on the counter for 2-3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, then bring the donuts to room temperature or warm them up in the microwave.
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These Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Donuts are soft, fluffy with a delicious cinnamon sugar coating. This baked donut recipe is easy to make in one bowl and the perfect breakfast or afternoon treat! Grain-free, paleo-friendly, gluten-free with low carb / keto sweetener options.
- 1 large egg or preferred egg substitute
- ¼ cup creamy cashew butter or preferred nut / seed butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup or preferred sticky liquid sweetener. For low carb / keto, you can use Lakanto SF maple syrup or 4-5 drops of pure liquid monk fruit extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk , you can sub any milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fine blanched almond flour , fluffed with a fork or sifted to make sure there are no lumps
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot flour, fluffed with a fork or sifted to make sure there are no lumps
- 1 tbsp coconut flour , fluffed with a fork or sifted to make sure there are no lumps
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp melted vegan butter , refined coconut oil or ghee
- 1/3 cup granulated pure maple sugar . or preferred granulated sweetener
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick spray or place a silicone donut pan on a baking pan. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, cashew butter, maple syrup, milk and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder and cinnamon, and mix until combined.
- Transfer the batter to a large piping bag or a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped off and pipe into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity evenly. Alternatively, use a spoon to fill the donut pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 19-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the donuts cool for 10-15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar topping by mixing the ingredients in a small shallow bowl. Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, brush each donut with some melted vegan butter then generously dunk into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar topping, making sure to coat well on all sides.
Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Video
How to store
Let your donuts cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How to Freeze
Allow the baked donuts to cool completely then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to resealable freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
To Reheat
Thaw them on the counter for 2-3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, then bring the donuts to room temperature or warm them up in the microwave.
nelli -
these were so good! my daughters loved them so much so we are making them again, thanks!
Melanie -
The best donut recipe! Thanks so much!