Make these Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts for a sweet, after school fall treat. Your family will love you for it. They are light, fluffy and full of fall apple cider flavor. You'll never know they are gluten-free!
Hope you guys had a great weekend. I spent a lovely weekend with my mom having a yard sale and trying to get rid of some of her clutter. It was semi-successful but are yard sales ever worth the effort? They are so much work. Let's just say getting rid of clutter was worth the effort but not much money was earned!
My past experiences with yard sales have not been good. When I was a kid I remember selling my favorite homemade Barbie clothes for next to nothing. What was I thinking? I had the sweetest neighbor who made them for me and they were amazing. I'm talking ball gowns and faux mink coats for Barbies. I so wish I had those for my daughter now.
As an adult, we a family yard sale a few years ago and my boys decided they were done with Pokemon and sold all their cards.
Can you imagine? Needless to say, Pokemon Go has brought back a love for Pokemon all around and they long for those cards. Oh, the yard sale remorse!
Not sure these Gluten-Free Apple Cider Doughnuts make up for the loss of Barbie clothes but they are pretty darn tasty. Trust me when I say you will never know they are gluten-free. Gluten Free Doughnuts (Krispy Kreme Copycat) has been by far, my most popular recipe on the blog so I try to revisit it now and then and put a spin on it. These babies are perfect for fall and full of apple cider and maple flavor.
Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour is the only way to go here. I am a huge fan of all of his products and this particular flour has changed my gluten free baking. It is the closest taste you can get to regular flour and it's full of good for you ingredients. Do not substitute.
These Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts are...
- light
- fluffy
- sweet
- gluten free
I used Wilton Donut Pans for these but you can also make mini donuts with the Babycakes Mini Donut Maker. Either way, your kids will love you for it. There is something extra special about donuts at home. Make them for breakfast or put them in lunchboxes for dessert. Just be careful having them around the house, because they are dangerously good.
Gluten Free Apple Cider Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs whites separated
- 1 cup apple cider
- For icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Spray your donut pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the first seven dry ingredients, flour through sugar.
- In another small bowl whisk together the melted and cooled butter, vanilla, egg yolks, and apple cider. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in. Mix gently.
- In a separate small bowl whisk the two egg whites for about a minute or two with a fork. You are just trying to get them a bit thicker so they add some fluffiness to the doughnuts.
- Add egg whites to mixture and stir just until mixed.
- Transfer mixture to a Ziploc bag and cut the corner tip off. This makes it easy to pipe into the donut pan.
- Fill each well ½ full without covering the middle section. If you do, your doughnuts won't have a hole.
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before glazing.
- For the icing simply mix the powdered sugar and the maple syrup. Add milk a little bit at a time to get the desired consistency. More milk will make icing runny so don't add too much at one time.
- Dip doughnuts in icing and place on a rack to drip dry. Top with sprinkles before the icing sets.
- If you are using a donut pan, preheat oven to 350° and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Hi, I'm Karen Kelly a certified health coach. At Seasonal Cravings you will find quick, healthy, gluten free recipes that can be made in less than 30 minutes. If you are new to eating gluten free dig into my resources starting with 
Love, love, love these Karen! Perfect little breakfast treat to welcome fall! Enjoy your week!
Thanks Mary Ann! You have a great week too.
Apple cider doughnuts are just so perfect for this time of year and these look perfect 🙂
Thanks Jennifer!
I just got a donut pan this week! I'm excited to start using it. These may be the first thing I make.
Awesome Erin! Hope you like them!
These look fabulous, girl! Love them!
Thanks Tori!
Oh these look delicious!!!!
Okay, these look amazing!!! I am totally obsessed with apple cider donuts, and I love love love that you've added a glaze here. My family is going to go crazy over these... if I can keep myself from eating them all! 🙂
Thanks Karly!
cider donuts are everything for the fall. when i was growing up we made a trip to a place called the cider mill for apple cider, candy apples and the best donuts ever. these remind me so much of those. love!!
I love these doughnuts! They are so pretty and a little apple cider just makes them perfect for fall!
Ahhh! What I wouldn't do to have my Barbie case, filled with all the gorgeous clothes I had for her.... I feel for you! These doughnuts are just perfect! I'm so ready for autumn, for recipes just like this!!
yummm those doughnuts looks delicious.
I feel your pain, Karen! I've done the yard sale thing too, and have totally regretted some things I've sold. Like…my Mom's KitchenAid mixer! I think I sold it for like $20! Gahhhh! This was a long time ago…and haven't done another one since.
This doughnut recipe could not come at a better time! We just went apple picking this weekend and bought some cider doughnuts from the orchard. They were amazing, but kind of greasy and heavy. I may break out my doughnut pans today…I've got some cider in the fridge!
Oh no, so sorry about the KitchenAid mixer. That's a heartbreaker!
Oh my gosh, Karen, I need to move next door to you! It's been so long since I've had a doughnut. These look amazing and you may have convinced me to try my hand at these because the flavours are too amazing to resist! If I have a fail, could you Fed-Ex me some? lol
Yes, of course, I will FedEx whenever your heart desires!
It's always nice to clear up clutter and I find that you really have to be in the mood for it. I feel the same way about some of the stuff that I have donated or gotten rid of over the years, wishing that I had kept it. I even had a little poem book of my own poems from when I was younger and threw that out! I don't know what I was thinking!
Now, onto these delicious doughnuts! I really have to get a doughnut pan and jump on that doughnut train. I love that you kept the icing thin. That's perfect in my books! Such a great flavour for Fall 🙂
Oh no, your own poems? That's so sad!
Karen!!! The photography for these doughnuts is EXTRAORDINARY!!!! Clap, clap, clap. The photos are beautiful to look at and I feel like giving my screen a bite!!!!
Thanks Lorena! That means a lot coming from you.
I've never held a yard sale, Karen - but they are pretty popular here - my friend made a ton of money doing a group one with some friends. I've also never made donuts - but you've inspired me - these look delicious!
These donuts look amazing!! I'll have to try some this fall - the perfect treat after a yard sale 😉
We love apple cider donuts in the fall 🙂 every year we go apple picking at a nearby orchard and stop to get fresh fried apple cider donuts - bonus if they're still hot and bathed in cinnamon sugar. These look like a lovely alternative for having at home when you don't feel like wading through the crowds at the orchard 🙂
What a nice tradition! Thanks Jessica!
Ahhhh it's so nice to de-clutter! You're inspiring me to do the same...I have so many random things/clothes/books I don't use any more and could use a refresher 😉
These doughnuts are amaaaaazing!! I love cider doughnuts and now definitely need to make them at home. Bravo!
Thanks Julia. I'll never get all my de-cluttering done!
I have a question - I have an egg allergy and usually use an Egg Replacer for baked goods. How would that work with this recipe?
Hi Erin, Unfortunately, I don't have experience with egg replacer. It should work fine but may give it a different texture. Let me know how it works!
YUM! These doughnuts sound so amazing. Can you believe I've never made doughnuts at home? That totally needs to change after seeing this recipe 🙂
No, I can't believe it! Get on it girl!
Can I make this without a donut pan?
Sorry but I don't think that would work. It's a very runny batter. I guess you could try a mini muffin pan but not sure how that would turn out?? Thanks!
Hi there! I made the donuts and in the icing ingredient list it says maple syrup. In the instructions you don't say when to add the maple syrup. It just says the sugar and milk. Please clarify for a first time homemade donut lady! Thank you!
Thanks for catching that for me Nalia! I've adjusted the recipe. Hope you like them.
I made the donuts tonight. They taste yummy! I used a silicone pan which seemed fine. They are very fluffy and moist. I did have to cook them for twice as long. Any other tips for using a silicone pan?
I haven't tried them in a silicone pan but thanks for letting me know how it went. Glad they worked for you!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! My daughter has recently gone GF and I'm trying to find delicious recipes she can enjoy and this one did it! How do you store these doughnuts and for how long do they stay stable? Thanks again!
Yay, I'm so happy she liked them! Mine usually don't last long but I'll bet you can store them in a plastic container on the counter for a few days. Sometimes they absorb some of the icing so watch for that. Thanks for commenting!
Karen! Thank you! These donuts are excellent! I've been buying cider donuts from a good local GF bakery aat $2 a pop. These are so much better in flavor. I"d love to experiment as to how to get them more crispy like a a typical fried donut (without the frying on my end). Any ideas? Here's to a beautiful remaining full!
I'm so glad to hear it Nancy. I'm not sure how to make them crispier without dropping them in oil but I'll give it some thought. I'm always experimenting with donut recipes so maybe I'll come up with something. Thanks for your comment!
Can I substitute apple cider with apple juice?
Yes that should work fine. The apple taste might not be as strong but it will still be good.
Amazing recipe! My family loved them!
Thanks so much for letting me know CJ! I'm glad your family enjoyed them!
These came out amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe! I made them with the King Arthur GF 1:1 flour. A big hit at our house!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for coming back to let me know - and I've never tried it with King Arthur. Will have to buy some of that flour.
These came out amazing — potentially my favorite dessert recipe I’ve made in the six years I’ve been gluten free. I don’t normally love the flour brand you suggested, but I followed the recipe exactly (flour included) and it worked perfectly. Unlike most gluten free desserts, which can be dry and crumbly, these were moist and had the consistency of a great sponge cake. They’re especially fall-like when coated in cinnamon and sugar. Even my non-gluten free friends loved them.
Thanks so much Maria for your glowing review. I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and let me know.
I agree with everyone above in that the picture looks great. I made these tonight but in silicone pan as another lady did and yes time was doubled. These don’t taste like doughnuts though, rather a cake or muffin shaped like a doughnut. They are tasty but in my opinion they are not like yeast baked or fried gluten free doughnuts.
That is correct, these are more of a cakelike donut bc they are not fried and do not contain yeast.
However I will say... my daughter (who has Celiacs and whom I actually made them for) was finally home and tried them and said they are the closest thing to a real doughnut she has had in a very long time so- without having the deep fry mess in a kitchen and being super easy to make- we love this recipe and will be making again most definitely. I’ve put a few in the freezer to see how they hold up but something tells me I should have left those ones unglazed! Thank you for this recipe- my daughters craving has been satisfied!
Can I prepare the batter and refrigerate the night before baking? And how long will they store for? They look delicious and can’t wait to try them!! Thank you!!
Hi Vivian, I've never tried storing the batter overnight and not sure that would work out. As far as storage goes, once they are iced they will keep for about two days. If you don't ice them, maybe a week. Good luck!
Just made these for my 2 boys ages 7 and 10, both with celiac. I wanted the crispy outside so I ended up frying them by using a large spoon and dropping globs of the batter onto the oil. I topped with cinnamon sugar instead of the glaze. They love them!! Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know! Glad they liked them.
My husband recently made these donuts and they were wonderful. Had guests that day and they all loved them.
Such a nice treat. Used a new donut pan he received as a gift from Pampered Chef. Worked well.
Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know Barbara. And what a nice husband to make donuts for you!
I was wondering if you could substitute coconut oil for the butter, my son has a dairy allergy?
Hi Katie, I haven't tried that in this recipe but have used coconut oil as a sub for butter in others - I think it should work fine. Good luck. Let me know if it works!
I used a vegan butter 😊 the flavor is amazing. A little more oily but I think I will play with it and it will work. Great recipe and flavor! Thank you.