These delicious vegan apple cider donuts have all the delicious apple flavor you're looking for in a donut. They are lightly sweet, perfectly fried, and coated with cinnamon and sugar.
I LOVE fall-inspired donuts. They remind me of all things fall, which may be my favorite season. It's a real toss-up between summer and fall. I know this is a debatable topic.
And these vegan apple cider donuts seal the deal regarding one of my favorite fall activities. They are like the kinds you get at the pumpkin patch. The ones that people wait all year to get.
These are fried donuts; I know they aren't high on the healthy list, but it's worth it for a treat. If you're looking for other tasty vegan donut recipes, check these out: Vegan Pumpkin Donuts, Baked Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donuts, or Vegan Chocolate Baked Donuts.
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What you'll love about this recipe...
- They taste just like the donuts you get at the pumpkin patch.
- They are steppy but overall an easy recipe.
- They have the perfect amount of apple and spice flavor.
- These vegan donuts are always highly requested by family and friends.
- They make the perfect Fall treat.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Unsweetened applesauce- this is how we can work around reducing any apple cider. Plus, it gives it the perfect apple flavor.
- All purpose flour- It should work if you replace the regular flour with all-purpose gluten-free flour. But I haven't tried it. Whatever your favorite gluten-free flour blend that behaves like all-purpose flour.
- White sugar and Brown sugar- keep this combination. It helps with the flavor and texture of the donuts.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg-this- this helps bring in the flavor to make these homemade vegan apple cider donuts have that special flavor.
- Non-dairy milk- almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, whichever you prefer.
- Apple cider vinegar- this works best, but if you don't have any, you can use regular white vinegar.
- Melted vegan butter- any vegan butter will do. My favorite is Country Crock.
- Oil for frying- You want to use an oil neutral in flavor, like canola oil or sunflower oil. These are affordable and easy to find at your local grocery store. You don't want to use olive oil; that would be too strong.
Look at the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe with the ingredient amounts.
How to make vegan apple cider donuts
Step 1- You're going to start by making your vegan buttermilk. Put your vegan milk into a measuring cup and then add the 2tsp of apple cider vinegar, let it sit, and curdle while you prepare the rest.
Step 2- Take a stand mixer ( or it can be done by hand), place all dry ingredients into the large bowl, and mix.
Step 3- Then you're going to add all your wet ingredients, including the vegan buttermilk and extra 2 TB plant milk. Mix this until it's combined. If you're not using a stand mixer, you may need to get your hands in there to incorporate it. If it's too wet, add 1 TB of flour until it's not too sticky but not dry.
Step 4- Take a Silpat and put it on your counter; sprinkle a little flour down to make the dough a little easier to work with. This is a somewhat sticky dough.
Step 5- Split the dough in half, and place one half back in the bowl and the other half on the Silpat. I like to take a piece of saran wrap and place it over the dough before rolling it out. This keeps it from sticking.
Step 6- Roll your dough to about ½ to ¾ inch thick. You can use a donut cutter or a large-rimmed cup and a small circle to cut the doughnut shape out.
Step 7- You can either start heating your oil now or when you get the donuts cut out. You need a heavy pot or cast iron pan. Fill it partway up with oil and use your thermometer to get it up to 375 degrees F. You'll want to monitor the heat while you cook them to make sure it stays around there and adjust your temperature as you go.
Step 8- Make your cinnamon sugar coating in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 9- Now, you'll want to carefully move the donuts to retain their shape in the oil. You only want to fry a few at a time. Fry for 1 minute and then flip to the other side for 1 minute. They should be a nice golden brown. The amount of time will depend on the thickness of your donuts.
Step 10- Take a brown paper bag and place it next to where you are working. Take your donuts from the oil to the bag; the bag will help absorb some of the oil.
Step 11- When they are able to cool for a minute or so, toss them in a bowl of cinnamon and sugar. Then, place the cinnamon sugar donuts onto a cooling rack.
Step 12- Repeat the process for the rest of the donuts. I usually recruit my kids to help because it's a bit of a step process. But be careful as oil is very hot!
Expert Tips and Tricks-
- If you want to try baking these, I haven't ever tried it with this particular recipe. So I can't say for sure. You can always try it. You would want a donut pan and a piping bag or plastic bag with a hole cut into it to pipe the donut batter into the donut pan. I would bake them at 400 degrees F for 8-12 minutes.
- If the dough is too sticky, be sure to use a large piece of plastic wrap to cover the dough and then roll out the dough on top of the plastic wrap. This helps it not stick. You can also add more flour if needed.
- Do not over or under-bake. The first you cook will take longer to cook, but as you go, they will start cooking quicker.
- You must use a candy thermometer to measure the oil temperatures; otherwise, you will have undercooked or overcooked donuts.
- You can use the middle cut of the donut for donut holes. I typically like to cook those first to test how the oil cooks the dough.
Recipe FAQS
These are best to store at room temperature in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. Donuts are best eaten on the same day.
I have never tried that with this particular recipe. So I can't say for sure. You can always try it. You would want a donut pan and a piping bag or plastic bag with a hole cut into it to pipe the donut batter into the donut pan. I would bake them at 400 degrees F for 8-12 minutes.
You can, but they don't taste great after freezing. If you still want to freeze them, you can take a cookie sheet, line it with parchment paper, and place the donuts on it to freeze. Then, put your frozen donuts in a freezer-safe container or freezer gallon Ziploc bag.
To defrost, remove however many donuts you want to eat and place them on the counter until it comes to room temperature.
You want to keep your oil at a consistent temperature so that your donuts cook evenly. The best temperature is between 350 F to 375 F, depending on what your recipe calls for.
Most apple cider donuts use apple cider. Although I genuinely love apple cider, I don't want to take any more time than I have to to make these donuts. Typically, donut recipes require that you reduce down the apple cider (not regular apple juice), which isn't hard but does require time. So, instead of cider, it has apple sauce in it. It's close enough to the apple flavor, and the spices help it out. I don't think you'll miss reducing the liquid in the apple cider in this recipe. If you would rather use an apple cider reduction, you can go ahead and do so and replace the amount of apple sauce. You may need to add a little bit more flour if your donut batter is too wet.
Looking for some more vegan apple desserts...
If you loved this recipe, then give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment! I love to chat with you all. Please feel free to share on social media and tag #courtneyshomestead. I would love to see you over on Instagram or Facebook.
Amazing Vegan Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- ½ cup applesauce
- 3 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 TB plant milk
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup Earth Balance Vegan Butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Others
- Cinnamon and sugar for coating
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Start by making your vegan buttermilk by taking your half cup milk and 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Mix and let sit while you get the rest of the donuts ready.
- Take a stand mixer, place all dry ingredients into the bowl, and mix. Then add all your wet ingredients, including the vegan buttermilk and extra 2 TB plant milk. Mix until combined. This can be done by hand as well. If your dough is too sticky then add flour at 1 TB at a time until it's easier to work with.
- Take a Silpat and put it on your counter, then take the part of the dough to add flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Then take a sheet of plastic wrap and place it over the dough roll it out to the desired thickness about ½ inch to ¾ inch. Then take a donut cutter or a large cup and cut a hole in the middle. Set aside on a Silpat and repeat until you are ready to fry. If your dough is too sticky, you can use some flour to help coat it.
- Make your cinnamon and sugar mixture for when the donuts are done cooking—about 1 cup of sugar to 1-2 TB Cinnamon.
- Take a heavy pan and fill it part way up with oil. Take a thermometer and let the oil come to 375 degrees on medium heat. You will have to cook the donuts in batches. Cook each donut side for about 45 seconds to 1 minute until golden brown. Remove from oil and put them on a paper bag to soak up extra oil. Once it's cool enough to handle 30 seconds to 1 minute, you can toss the donut in the cinnamon and sugar mix. Best eaten when fresh.
Notes
- If you want to try baking these, I haven't ever tried it with this particular recipe. So I can't say for sure. You can always try it. You would want a donut pan and a piping bag or plastic bag with a hole cut into it to pipe the donut batter into the donut pan. I would bake them at 400 degrees F for 8-12 minutes.
- If the dough is too sticky, be sure to use a large piece of plastic wrap to cover the dough and then roll out the dough on top of the plastic wrap. This helps it not stick. You can also add more flour if needed.
- Do not over or under-bake. The first you cook will take longer to cook, but as you go, they will start cooking quicker.
- You must use a candy thermometer to measure the oil temperatures; otherwise, you will have undercooked or overcooked donuts.
- You can use the middle cut of the donut for donut holes. I typically like to cook those first to test how the oil cooks the dough.
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