These gluten-free apple cider donuts are baked instead of fried, and they still taste like the real thing. The apple cider gets reduced down until it’s concentrated, so the apple flavor comes through in every bite instead of getting lost in the batter. A roll in cinnamon sugar right out of the oven finishes them off.
Applesauce swaps in for eggs here, so these can easily be made vegan along with being gluten-free. You’ll need a donut pan, but the batter itself is straightforward: mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another, combine, and bake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Apple Cider – Reduce it down to 3/4 cup before using. Measure it as you go instead of relying on the clock since stovetop heat varies.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag). It already has xanthan gum in it, so the donuts hold together without turning gummy.
- Butter – You can use regular unsalted butter or a vegan butter, such as Earth Balance. Any stick-style vegan butter should work, just melt it before adding it to the wet ingredients.
- Applesauce – The applesauce adds a lot of flavor to the apple cider donuts and also replaces the eggs, so you can easily make these donuts vegan.
Measure your reduced cider for consistency
Reduce the apple cider until it measures 3/4 cup, not just until a timer goes off. A wide, shallow saucepan speeds this up and makes it easier to keep an eye on the level as it reduces.
Recipe FAQs
I’ve only tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour in the blue bag. Other blends can behave differently, especially if they don’t already have xanthan gum mixed in, so results may vary if you swap it out.
Applesauce takes the place of eggs and adds additional apple flavor to the donuts, and the apple cider vinegar helps activate the baking soda. Together with the xanthan gum and the flour blend, they give the donuts enough structure to hold their shape without eggs.
This batter is meant to be thick, more like a muffin batter than a thin cake batter. If yours seems runny, double-check that your apple cider was reduced all the way down to 3/4 cup. Too much liquid is the most common cause of a thin batter.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Storing: Keep the donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you’re not serving them right away, hold off on the cinnamon sugar coating until just before serving so it doesn’t dissolve.
Freezing: Freeze the plain, uncoated donuts in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. At room temperature, then roll in cinnamon sugar right before serving.
Reheating: Warm a donut in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it back up before coating with cinnamon sugar or serving.
Serving Suggestions
If you’re setting up a fall brunch, add a batch of apple cider thyme mimosas to the table. The fresh thyme plays well against the warm spices in these donuts. If you want something to nibble on after, my apple cider caramels use that same reduced-cider trick, so the apple flavor is just as concentrated. alongside them for a fall dessert spread that leans into the same cider flavor.
For a bigger spread, set out a gluten-free pumpkin coffee cake too. The streusel topping and cream cheese glaze give guests something different frmo the cinnamon sugar on the donuts, so the table doens’t feel like it’s all one flavor.
Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donunts:
- 1½ cups (354 g) apple cider - reduced to ¾ cup
- 1½ cups (210 g) gluten-free flour - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour
- ⅔ cup (133 g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter - (regular or vegan), melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup (61 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping:
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
- Add 1½ cups (354 g) apple cider to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce until it measure ¾ cup, checking the amount as you go rather than relying on time. This usually takes about 15 minutes. Let it cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly rease a donut pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk together 1½ cups (210 g) gluten-free flour, ⅔ cup (133 g) brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon cloves in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the reduced apple cider, ¼ cup (57 g) butter (melted and slightly cooled), ¼ cup (61 g) unsweetened applesauce, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until justcombined. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each well about ¾ full.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the donut comes out clean.
- While the donuts bake, mix ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for a minute or two, then roll each one in the cinnamon sugar miture while it's still warm.
Notes
- Cider: Reduce it until it measures ¾ cup. If you don’t reduce it fully, your donuts will be too liquidy.
- Butter: Regular or vegan both work here, just make sure it’s melted and slightly cooled before mixing.
- Vegan option: Use vegan butter and make sure your sugar is vegan.
Nutrition
These donuts make me feel all cozy too!
These look like a great fall treat!
Thank you! They certainly are!
I love that they are gluten-free!
Thanks Carolyn! All of my recipes since October 2013 are gluten-free! Enjoy!
I have a quick question about these! I tried to make them and they didn’t turn out 🙁 once I combined all my ingredients, it was super soupy. I thought there was no way they would make donuts. Is it supposed to be really thin once it’s all combined?? I kept adding flour until it was somewhat thick and they turned out gross..sigh.
Hi Lauren! So sorry to hear it didn’t work out. It definitely should not be soupy. It should be a thick batter. A few questions – did you reduce the apple cider to 3/4 cup from the 1 1/2 cups? And what brand of flour are you using?
Not sure what happened with mine. I followed the directions exactly….with the exception of using King Arther Gluten Free All-Purpose flour. The Doughnuts rose and then fell and folded in on themselves.
Hi Jennifer – so sorry to hear this happened to your donuts! There could be a few reasons for it (I doubt the substitute of using the King Arthur GF flour was it though). But possibly your leavening agent could have been old or maybe your oven may not have been hot enough. It’s so hard to know for sure. I will try testing these with the King Arthur GF Flour though to see if that could be it, too.
We made this recipe with king aurturs and a sunbeam donut machine,,came out fantastic,,were gathering enough stuff to make enough for the whole soccer team of the grand baby,,thanks, ,great recipe,,
No eggs? What holds it together?
Hi Kathy! The apple sauce actually acts as a replacement for the egg, along with the apple cider vinegar. The applesauce gives the donuts moisture and helps bind the batter, whereas the apple cider vinegar when mixed with baking soda helps to leaven the donuts. The gluten-free flour blend I use also has xanthan gum in it. Hope this helps!
Sorry, I forgot they are vegan, so what kind of protein or gum do you pit in to hold it together for conventional oven?
Very disappointed in how mine turned out. I saw the review about it being soupy and I couldn’t agree more. 🙁
Hi Megan,
I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you! The reason it could have been too soupy is if the apple cider isn’t reduced enough. It should be a thick mixture when you’re done reducing it. Since that’s the only liquid in the recipe that’s the only thing I can think of! Let me know if you want to troubleshoot!
Made with America’s Test Kitchen gluten free blend flour. So tender and light and really good flavor. They freeze and reheat well, too.
Thanks so much, Nicole!
Could you maybe use some dates or maple syrup in replacement of the granulated sugar?
Hi Heather! I haven’t tested this recipe with dates or maple syrup, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. Since baking relies on sugar for both sweetness and structure, the texture and moisture level may change quite a bit. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it works for you!
These were good! My kids and I had to make some adjustments for altitude (we’re over 6000 ft in CO) but they turned out well. They actually could have made 8 donuts, ours were huge! No complaints there. I could do a little less nutmeg and clove, as much as I love those flavors it was a little strong for us. Thank you for sharing! It’s so hard to find gluten free and vegan recipes, my family has a variety of food allergies.
So glad you enjoyed these, Leah!