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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Vegan Donut Hole Recipe (Gluten Free, Air Fried, Cinnamon Sugar)

    Published: Sep 23, 2022 by Gaby Dimova · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

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    This vegan donut hole recipe is the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth and it's even made with a healthy twist! These are vegan and gluten free, and made in the air fryer instead of being deep fried.

    Making homemade donuts is actually super easy and requires just a few simple ingredients! Because these are made with healthy ingredients, you can easily enjoy these for breakfast or even grab on the go as quick energy bites!

    cinnamon sugar donut holes on a plate
    inside texture of a donut hole

    What you'll need for your vegan, gluten-free donut holes

    Dough Ingredients

    • oat flour: I made these with oat flour because it's naturally a gluten free flour and I think it's the most flavorful flour. You can make your own by grinding it really finely in a blender, or find it at almost any grocery store. If you don't insist on making gluten-free donuts and would rather use all purpose flour or whole wheat flour, I have included instructions for those in the notes section of the recipe card.
    • sugar: in this recipe, I used white sugar only because I wanted my donuts to be lighter in color. You can use coconut sugar or brown sugar if you prefer to bake with those instead.
    • vegan yogurt: these donuts work best with thick, creamy yogurt that is high in fat, instead of runny, watery yogurt. Unfortunately none of the stores around me had thick yogurt the week I was making these, so as you can see the yogurt I used is a bit runny, but I recommend thick yogurt so that the donuts are more moist and less crumbly. I love this vegan yogurt by GT's because I think it's the thickest, but it is quite expensive, so this one from Forager is another great option.
    • baking powder
    • coconut oil: you can also use vegan butter
    • vanilla extract
    • a pinch of salt
    cinnamon sugar donut holes overhead on a plate

    Topping Ingredients

    • sugar
    • cinnamon 
    • melted coconut oil

    The full recipe with the exact ratios is at the bottom of the post, along with the nutritional information.

    How to make the vegan cinnamon sugar donut holes

    To a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt), followed by the wet ingredients (yogurt, coconut oil, vanilla). Combine them well, but be careful not to over mix.

    adding flour to a glass bowl
    oat flour
    adding sugar to a glass bowl
    sugar
    adding baking powder to a glass bowl
    baking powder
    adding yogurt to a glass bowl
    dairy-free yogurt
    adding coconut oil to a glass bowl
    melted coconut oil
    spatula mixing ingredients
    combine ingredients

    Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or place the dough in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes so it can chill and become easier to shape. 

    Once the dough has chilled, form balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. You will get about 8 donut holes from this recipe.

    Prepare your air fryer by spraying it with coconut oil so that the donut holes don't stick. If your air fryer is like mine and it actually has a wire rack like an oven, prepare the baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper also greasing it with coconut oil (or another oil of choice).

    Place each dough ball on the baking sheet and then place in the preheated air fryer.

    Bake the donuts in the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes, flipping them halfway. You'll know they are ready when they start to become lightly golden brown.

    closeup of donut dough
    dough ball of a donut hole
    wire rack with dough balls
    donut holes in the air fryer

    Note: keep in mind that if you make the donut holes bigger or smaller, the bake time will change. Bake for less for smaller donuts, and give them more time if they are larger. 

    While the donuts are baking, prepare two separate bowls- one small bowl with melted coconut oil and one with the cinnamon sugar mix. 

    Once the donuts have cooked, give them just a few minutes to cool off at room temperature (this is so that you don't burn your fingers).

    Dunk each donut in the bowl of melted coconut oil. Immediately after, roll them around in the cinnamon sugar mix. 

    sugar being added to a bowl
    sugar
    cinnamon and sugar in a bowl
    cinnamon
    small whisk whisking cinnamon sugar
    combine
    hand holding donut hole
    air fried donut hole
    hand dipping donut hole in coconut oil
    dunk in coconut oil
    hand dipping donut hole in cinnamon sugar
    dip in cinnamon sugar
    cinnamon sugar donut hole

    These are best enjoyed when warm! 

    Video

    If you liked this vegan donut hole recipe, you might also like these vegan donuts and other easy recipes

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    cinnamon sugar donut holes on a plate

    Vegan Donut Holes (Gluten Free, Air Fried, Cinnamon Sugar)

    Gaby Dimova
    This vegan donut hole recipe is super easy to make and so delicious! They're air fried instead of deep fried and also gluten free.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 donut holes
    Calories 160 kcal

    Equipment

    • air fryer

    Ingredients
      

    Donut Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cup oat flour 180 grams
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • ½ cup vegan yogurt works best with thick yogurt, not runny
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 2 tablespoon coconut oil
    • dash of salt
    • dash of vanilla

    Topping Ingredients

    • ¼ cup sugar
    • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
    • melted coconut oil

    Instructions
     

    • To a large bowl, add all of the donut ingredients. Combine them well, but be careful not to overmix.
    • Refrigerate the donut dough for 15-20 minutes so it can harden and become easier to shape.
    • Once the dough has chilled, form balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. You will get about 8 donut holes from this recipe.
    • Bake the donuts in the air fryer at 350*F for 8 minutes, flipping them halfway.
    • Note: keep in mind that if you make the donut holes bigger or smaller, the bake time will change. Bake for less for smaller donuts, and give them more time if they are larger.
    • While the donuts are baking, prepare two bowls- one with melted coconut oil and one with the cinnamon sugar mix.
    • Once the donuts have cooked, give them just a few minutes to cool off.
    • Dunk each donut in the bowl of melted coconut oil. Immediately after, roll them around in the cinnamon sugar mix.
    • These are best enjoyed when warm!

    Video

    Notes

    If you want to make these with all purpose flour, you can replace the oat flour with 1 cup all purpose flour (120 grams) or the same amount of whole wheat flour.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 53mgPotassium: 78mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword donut holes, donut holes in the air fryer, gluten free donut holes, vegan donut holes
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Making this vegan donut hole recipe in a mini muffin pan

    Another alternative way to bake these if you don't want to directly stick them in the air fryer, is to place each dough ball in a mini muffin liner and cook them in a mini muffin pan (however, this will only work if your air fryer is big enough to fit a mini muffin pan!). I've seen many people make their donut holes using this method.

    If you do it this way, you can even skip the shaping into dough balls part and place the dough in a piping bag and directly pipe the dough into the muffin liners.

    Other toppings instead of cinnamon sugar

    You can also make a sugar vanilla glaze instead of making these cinnamon sugar flavored with a little bit of dairy-free milk and powdered sugar. If you prefer chocolate flavored donuts, you can even make a chocolate glaze by melting together some chocolate and coconut oil and dunking the donuts in it. You can even just dip them in maple syrup, if you're really in a rush or are feeling lazy!

    Why air fry instead of deep fry

    Traditional donut holes are, of course, fried. This makes them super delicious and I'm personally a huge fan of regular, fried donut holes, but air frying is actually so much easier because it doesn't involve hot oil and a big mess. Not only that, but air frying them makes them a healthier choice.

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    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
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    Comments

    1. Emily

      September 27, 2022 at 5:38 pm

      Do the plain donut holes freeze well?

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        September 29, 2022 at 10:59 pm

        I have not tried freezing them, so I can't say I'm sorry :/

        Reply
    2. Gwen

      October 26, 2022 at 9:42 pm

      loved these! made them with my daughter

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        November 07, 2022 at 7:21 pm

        so sweet!! 🙂 happy to hear that!

        Reply

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    My name is Gaby and I'm the face behind Veggie World Recipes! On my site, you will find recipes that are vegan and made with a healthy twist. My goal is to make plant-based cooking accessible, fun, and always delicious!

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