Vegan Chocolate Donuts are baked instead of fried, super moist, fluffy and covered in a rich chocolate glaze. Just 1 Bowl & 30 minutes to make!

close up of a chocolate donut with glaze, a bite taken out of it

I have been experimenting with different varieties of baked vegan donuts the last couple of weeks, and these ones came out a WINNER! The best part is how simple they are to make at home. My kids devoured these so fast I had to make a second batch!

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Ingredients for Donuts

  • Flour: I used all purpose, but you could swap it for white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, spelt, maybe even oat flour or a gluten free flour mix.
  • Cocoa powder: I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa for a darker colored donut, but you can use natural cocoa as well. They will be lighter in color, but that’s just fine.
  • Sugar: To make sure it’s vegan, use organic granulated sugar.
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Soy milk: Or use almond, oat, coconut, hemp, they all work here.
  • Melted vegan butter: You only need 3 tablespoons, I used earth balance but another brand will work, OR you can use coconut oil.
  • Vanilla

looking down on several chocolate donuts on grey background

How to make chocolate glaze

The glaze is super easy to make while your donuts cool. Simply add to a bowl: 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 3-4 tablespoons soy milk.

Stir with a spoon until smooth, it will be very thick. If it’s too thick, add a touch more milk until it thins out. Thick is good though, it will make a nice glaze for the donuts that will harden.

Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze and place on a cooling rack to harden, if you can handle the wait!

stack of 3 chocolate donuts with a bite taken out of the top one

If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donuts as well!

close up of a chocolate donut with glaze, a bite taken out of it
4.94 stars (30 ratings)

Vegan Chocolate Donuts

Vegan Chocolate Donuts are baked instead of fried, super moist, fluffy and covered in a rich chocolate glaze. 1 Bowl & 30 minutes to make!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 10 donuts

Ingredients 
 

Chocolate Glaze

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a donut pan with non-stick spray.
  • Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt in a large bowl. Pour the soy milk, melted vegan butter and vanilla into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix well with a large wooden spoon to combine.
  • Spoon the batter into the donut pan, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Be careful not to overfill, as the donuts will rise and you might lose the "hole" of your donut.ย 
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the donuts look set on top. Let cool for two or three minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a wire rack with a large piece of parchment paper beneath it (to help with the mess).
  • Make the Glaze: In a medium sized bowl, add powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla and soy milk. Stir with a spoon until a smooth glaze is formed. I like it to be quite thick, but if you need to thin it out you can add a teaspoon of soy milk at a time until a desired consistency is reached.
  • Once the donuts have cooled completely, dip the tops into the glaze carefully, then place back on the rack over parchment paper to set. You could also spoon the glaze on if you prefer.

Notes

  1. Flour substitutions: You may sub white whole wheat flour, spelt flour or gluten free flour if needed.
  2. I used dark cocoa powder, but you can use natural, regular cocoa powder as well.
  3. It is fine to use another non-dairy milk instead of soy, such as oat, hemp, cashew, or almond.
  4. Oil Free: Substitute applesauce for the melted vegan butter. This will change the texture somewhat, but they will still be good.

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

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Comments

  1. Delicious! Next time I’m going add a flax egg to see if I get a tighter crumb. I did add about 1/2 tsp coconut oil to the icing to make the finish more shiny.

  2. Amazing!! These donuts were perfect my family loved them!! Thank you for creating such delicious recipes!

    1. Mine never last for more than a few hours! But they should keep on the counter for a day or two at most. You could store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for a little longer.

  3. The doughnuts were yummy but for some reason the doughnuts have just absorbed the glaze, any idea why that might have happened?:(

      1. These were beautiful and delicious – but my glaze was absorbed as well. I really think my donuts were completely cooled, so are there any other thoughts about why? The glaze was very liquidy. I added more powdered sugar and it helped slightly but did not want to vary the recipe . I did use cashew milk. Any ideas? My husband loved these but I want to get the glaze right. Thank you so much for all your recipes!!

        1. Next time, add less milk to the glaze to start so that it’s very thick, but spreadable. If it’s too thin, it will absorb into the donuts. Hope that helps! Thank you so much.

  4. I was feeling really down and havenโ€™t baked in weeks. I forced myself to get up early, clean the house and bake these this morning as a reward. Thank-you! They were delicious and helped put me in a better mood ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. These are fantastic! I borrowed my friends pan to make these, because I didn’t have one, but now I might have to buy one so I can make these more often.

  6. Hi! Can I use regular butter or canola oil instead of vegan butter? If so, is it still 3 teableaspoons?

    And also, can I use regular milk?
    Thanks!!

  7. My granddaughter just made these for us…on quarantine! She is the vegan baker, has made many of your recipes. These are great and happy to see the sodium is <100 per donut. Iโ€™m sure will be a family fave. Thank you yummy!

  8. Last Time I made them they didnโ€™t turn out. Not sure because I used applesauce and whole wheat pastry or what. This time I made exactly as recipe and they are quick and fantastic. Thanks Nora for your help.

  9. Loved using just one bowl. This recipe is similar to another I’ve tried with a lot less oil. I think I’ll try the applesauce sub next time. I really appreciate that the glaze is oil free. Thanks again, Nora!

  10. These were so good! I added some sprinkles to a few after they were glazed. My mom was visiting for the weekend and she loved them so much, I made an extra batch for her to take with her. Thank you for your wonderful, fool-proof, delicious recipes!

  11. These seem so easy and I really want to make them! Could I bake these in a regular muffin tin if I don’t own a doughnut pan? Thanks!

      1. I just thought I would mention that I made these in a cupcake pan, and it made nine muffins! I baked them for about 14-15 minutes.

        They smell ridiculously delicious, I can’t wait to dig in! Thank you for sharing!

  12. Made these today. . . . . perfection! Simple ingredients, so easy, baked up moist, fluffy and tender, yum! The glaze is perfect too! As easy as making cookies, but somehow more satisfying ๐Ÿ™‚

  13. My wife is so not a sweets person (whereas, I have a real big sweet tooth), but these were a monumental hit with her. Delicious!

  14. Made these tonight for my wife and some friends, they are incredible! Great recipe and super easy to do. We sprinkled coconut shavings over the glaze and sprinkles on some others. SO. GOOD.

        1. Sorry it won’t work! Almond flour doesn’t work the same way as regular flour, it does not absorb moisture the same way so you will end up with a batter that just boils and never actually bakes. You could use a gluten free all purpose flour, probably even oat flour, but not almond.

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