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Light and fluffy cinnamon sugar apple donuts…there’s really nothing better! These donuts are gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free, and super easy to make. They’re such a nostalgic and flavorful autumn treat. If you’re a fan of donuts and cinnamon sugar, you’ll adore this recipe!
Where do I find donut pans?
I got my donut pans from Amazon! I really like these donut pans from Wilton. They’re non-stick and bake the donuts very evenly.
What ingredients do I need for these cinnamon sugar apple donuts?
You’ll need just a couple simple pantry and fridge staples for this recipe. They are:
- oat flour
- cinnamon
- salt
- baking powder
- coconut sugar
- eggs (flax eggs or regular eggs)
- unsweetened applesauce
- water or dairy free milk
- pure maple syrup (or honey)
- pure vanilla extract
- coconut oil (or olive oil or butter – regular or vegan)
A note about the oat flour…
If you need the recipe to be 100% gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free oat flour (or make your own oat flour with certified gluten free oats). Oats are naturally gluten free, but some oats may be contaminated with gluten-containing grains if not purchased from a certified gluten free brand.
Help, I don’t have oat flour!
If you don’t have oat flour, don’t worry! You can easily make your own oat flour at home by blending rolled/old fashioned oats in a high speed blender until they turn to flour. I never buy oat flour, I always make my own! Here’s a video of how I make homemade oat flour.
Can I make this recipe nut free?
If you need this recipe to be nut free, simply use a different granulated sweetener in the place of the coconut sugar in the cinnamon sugar topping (e.g. monk fruit, brown sugar, etc.). You can also substitute the coconut oil in the cinnamon sugar topping for regular or vegan butter!
In the mood for more donuts?
Try some of my other delicious donut recipes below!
- Strawberry Frosted Chocolate Donuts
- Double Chocolate Donuts
- Peppermint Mocha Donuts
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Donut Holes
Ready to make these cinnamon sugar apple cider donuts? The full recipe is below!
Cinnamon Sugar Apple Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 2 cups oat flour (I use homemade)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs (flax or regular eggs)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup water or dairy free milk
- 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or vegan/regular butter)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease 12 donut molds with cooking spray (I use 2 donut pans with 6 donut molds each).
- Next, make the donuts: mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl until fully combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, one at a time, then whisk well to combine.
- Carefully add the donut batter to the prepared donut pans, distributing it evenly between the 12 molds. Bake the donuts for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out pretty clean.
- After baking, let the donuts cool for 10-15 minutes before removing them from the donut pans.
- While the donuts are cooling, prepare the cinnamon sugar topping. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or over low heat in a small saucepan and then add it to a small dish and set aside.
- Combine the cinnamon and coconut sugar in a separate small bowl then set aside.
- Once the donuts have cooled, lightly dip the tops of the donuts in the melted coconut oil and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with each donut.
- Let the coated donuts cool completely on a wire rack before storing.
As usual another great recipe! I haven’t once been disappointed and love the fact that they are GF and can be made vegan as well. Top quality desserts, breads, and goodies I haven’t been able to eat in years. The donuts are definitely appley and are very moist. I had enough batter to make six regular size donuts in the mold, and 12 mini sized donuts. I think the only unrealistic thing on this recipe is saying that they will last for 3 to 4 days on the counter, because they are probably going to be gone by the end of the day 🙂 😋💖
Hi! Thank you so much for the kind feedback, I appreciate it so much! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe (and others!). I agree, they don’t last long here either! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes you’re making!
Love your recipes!
Can we use a different kind of flour other than oat flour in the cinnamon apple donuts?
Thank you so much!
Hi Stacey! You could likely use gluten free all purpose flour or regular all purpose flour. Typically you can substitute those for oat flour at a ratio of 1 cup all purpose flour to 1 1/4 cups oat flour. So for this recipe you could try using 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour instead of the 2 cups of oat flour. I haven’t tried that, but it should work okay! And if the batter is too runny, you can add a little bit more flour.