The Best Gluten Free Donut Recipe ever!! Fried, chewy, glazed, and delicious! This recipe is a must try if you are craving donuts!
Over the years, I have shared the best gluten free recipes I have have found them. I have shown you the Best Gluten Free Sandwich Bread, and these fantastic Gluten Free Pretzel Bites. This time I decided to tackle donuts. With a bit of trial and error, I think we have a winner. These are officially the best Gluten Free Donuts out there.
Gluten Free Yeast Donut Tips
Gluten Free baking is one of those things that either goes really well or really wrong, really fast! The thought of Gluten Free Yeast Donuts used to scare me because the texture of the dough can be challenging to work with.
Here are some tips.
- CHILL THE DOUGH!! (Yes, I am yelling that! It is that important. It makes such a huge difference. Cold dough only please!)
- Parchment paper is a must! The paper keeps the dough from sticking to your counter and creating a mess.
- Move Quick. Since this dough is best chilled, move quick. Only work with small handfuls at a time and let go of perfection. Just flatten, cut your circles, and move on. Trust me on this one.
This dough is also great as donut holes too! We made both.
Frying Gluten-Free Donuts
When frying these donuts, a few things make a huge difference.
- One of them is having a candy thermometer in your oil. Have it situated, so the end is floating halfway down in your oil. You want your oil to stay between 300 and 325 F. That is going to give you the perfect golden brown color on the outside while still cooking the inside.
- When you roll out your donuts, placing them on the parchment paper to rise is ideal. The paper allows you to simply lift the paper and flip the doughnut into your hand to drop it in the oil. This gluten-free dough like many before it is tender, keep that in mind.
- Don’t fry until the oil is the right temperature. If you drop your donut into cold oil, it will fall apart.
- They fry quick, so don’t walk away!
Glazing Donuts
The glaze is super easy to make for donuts. This one is no different. It is just powdered sugar, flavoring, and milk. You can spice this up by changing the flavoring up from standard vanilla extract to something fun like a lemon extract to liven things up a little.
Dip the warm gluten-free donuts in the glaze and slowly pull them up, allowing the excess glaze to drip off. Flip and place them on a cooling rack.
Storing Gluten Free Donuts
If you have any donuts left, which is a big IF, then store them in an airtight container. They will keep longer if they are refrigerated too.
You can also freeze these for up to 6 months. Just thaw and enjoy or heat in a microwave or toaster oven for a few seconds so you can have a donut whenever you feel like it.
Gluten Free Donut Texture
OK, so how is the texture. INCREDIBLE! They have a little crumb, unlike a typically fried yeast donut, but the flavor is there. They have that crisp shell on the outside with the soft doughy center that is just heavenly.
If you have the patience to let these double in size before you fry them, you will be oh so pleased with the taste and the texture of these gluten-free donuts.
The Best Gluten Free Donuts
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/4 tsp quick acting yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (canned full fat)
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
- 1 tsp Xanthin gum
- pinch salt
Frying
- Vegetable Oil
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp milk (almond or coconut milk work too)
Equipment Needed
Instructions
Dough
- Warm the coconut milk to around 90 degrees (warm bath water). Add yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the milk in a medium sized bowl and set to the side to allow the yeast to activate.
- In your mixer beat the eggs on medium speed for about 4 minutes until frothy.
- Turn off and pour in the milk/yeast mixture and vegetable oil. Mix for another 2 minutes until well incorporated.
- Add in the dry ingredients ( flour, sugar, salt, xanthin gum.) If you are using a gluten free flour mix that already contains xanthin gum you can omit it. Mix again for 2 minutes until the dough forms.
- Cover your dough and refrigerate overnight or for at-least 4-6 hours. The cold rested dough is the key to this recipe turning out amazing.
Forming Donuts
- When you are ready to fry your donuts remove the dough from the refrigerator. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on your kitchen counter. Also have another parchment lined baking sheet waiting.
- Pull off about 1/2 cup of dough from the ball with your hands. Flatten it on the parchment paper with your hands to about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Use a donut cutter or large cup or jar to cut out your donut. You can use a donut cutter or a apple corer to cut the center hole from your donut.
- Place the cut out donut on the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue this pattern with all of your dough.
- Allow your donuts to rest in a warm location with a dish towel gently draped over the top for the yeast to rise. Gluten free dough can take longer to rise. I would allow these at least 30 minutes.
Frying Donuts
- Fill your frying vessel with vegetable oil about 2-3 inches deep. I used a medium saucepan.
- Heat the oil to between 300 -325 degrees F for best results. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the oil temperature as it can fluctuate during cooking.
- Once your oil is to temperature carefully place one donut at a time into the hot oil. Do not over crowd your pan. Fry for about 1 minute on each side. Until the donut is golden brown. Carefully remove the donut from the oil and place on a cooling rack.
Glaze
- In a bowl place the powdered sugar and add the vanilla extract. Add in 1 tbsp of milk and stir. If necessary continue adding milk 1 tsp at a time until you have reached the desired consistency.
- Take your warm donuts and dunk them into the glaze. Lift them straight up allowing the excess to drip off. Then flip and place back on the cooling rack.
Notes
Gluten Free Flour Mix
Many people ask me what mix I use. I have found I get the best results baking gluten free when I use a premade gluten free baking mix (such as gluten-free Bisquick or similar). Everyone's likes are different. Use what works best for you.Dairy Free
This recipe was written to be dairy free. Use coconut milk or almond milk in place of regular milk.
More Gluten Free Recipes
- Gluten Free Chunky Monkey Muffins Recipe
- The Easiest Gluten Free Strawberry Cake Recipe
- The Best Gluten Free Fish and Chips Recipe
Amanda is a busy mom of 3 that is constantly on the lookout for shortcuts to add more happiness to the day. She loves creating recipes, printables, DIY, and sharing family fun tips with you.
Questions? Comments?