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Boston cream donuts with shiny chocolate glaze and creamy filling are arranged on a wire cooling rack, with a bowl of chocolate glaze and a plate in the background.
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Gluten-Free Boston Cream Donuts

These gluten-free Boston cream donuts are filled with silky vanilla pastry cream and dipped in a chocolate ganache glaze. The same enriched yeast dough from my gluten-free fried donuts fries up light and pillowy, giving you a Boston cream donut that tastes like the real thing.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings 9 donuts
Metric - US Customary

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 160 g (1 cups) brown rice flour
  • 115 g (1 cup) tapioca starch
  • 75 g (½ cup) potato starch
  • 67 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
  • 7 g (2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast - one packet
  • 6 g (2 teaspoons) xanthan gum
  • 8 g (2 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 8 g (1½ teaspoon) kosher salt

Psyllium Mixture:

  • 16 g (2 tablespoons) whole psyllium husk
  • 160 g (⅔ cup) warm water - 100 to 110°F

Wet Ingredients:

  • 160 g (⅔ cup) warm milk - 100 to 110°F
  • 1 large egg - 50g - room temperature
  • 56 g (4 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter - slightly cooled
  • 5 g (1 teaspoon) apple cider vinegar

For Frying:

  • 4 to 6 cups neutral oil - vegetable or canola

Pastry Cream:

  • 480 g (2 cups) whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean - split and scraped
  • 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 32 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
  • 4 large egg yolks - 72g
  • 28 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter - cut into ½-inch cubes

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 85 g (½ cup) chopped semi-sweet chocolate
  • 118 g (½ cup) heavy cream

**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!

Instructions

To make the pastry cream:

  • Split 1 vanilla bean half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add the seeds, pod, and 480 g (2 cups) whole milk to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until steaming and just beginning to simmer around the edges. Remove the pot from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod.
    A white saucepan with milk and a split vanilla bean heating on a stovetop burner. Bubbles are forming on the surface of the milk.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar, 32 g (¼ cup) cornstarch, and ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt. Add 4 large egg yolks and whisk until smooth and pale. This will take a few minutes. The mixture will be very thick and almost paste-like at first, then it will loosen up as you keep whisking. Keep going until there's no grittiness when you rub a little between your fingers.
    A glass bowl containing pale yellow whisked egg yolks being mixed with a metal whisk, placed on a white cloth on a marble surface.
  • Slowly pour about half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the egg yolks. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk.
    A metal whisk rests in a glass bowl of yellow egg yolk mixture while a pot pours whole milk with vanilla specks into the bowl, set on a white surface with a textured cloth nearby.
  • Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 3 to 5 minutes. Once it bubbles, cook for 1 more minute, then remove from heat.
    A pink spatula stirs thick, yellow pastry cream in a white saucepan on a stovetop.
  • Add 28 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter and whisk until fully melted and incorporated.
    A glass bowl containing pastry cream topped with cubes of butter and vanilla extract, placed on a white countertop next to a white towel.
  • Pour the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
    A glass bowl lined with parchment paper and filled with a creamy, light-colored pastry cream is held by two hands over a white surface.
  • Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight until fully chilled and set.
    A glass bowl filled with creamy, pale yellow pastry cream being mixed with a pink silicone spatula, resting on a white surface.

To make the donut dough:

  • In a large bowl, whisk together 160 g (1 cups) brown rice flour, 115 g (1 cup) tapioca starch, 75 g (½ cup) potato starch, 67 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar, 7 g (2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast, 6 g (2 teaspoons) xanthan gum, 8 g (2 teaspoons) baking powder, and 8 g (1½ teaspoon) kosher salt until combined.
    A glass mixing bowl containing white flour and a small mound of dry yeast on a light pink surface.
  • In a small bowl, mix together 16 g (2 tablespoons) whole psyllium husk and 160 g (⅔ cup) warm wateruntil thickened into a gel. Set aside for about one minute to hydrate fully.
    A glass bowl filled with a brown, grainy mixture and a metal spoon resting inside, placed on a light pink surface.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together 160 g (⅔ cup) warm milk, 1 large egg, 56 g (4 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter, and 5 g (1 teaspoon) apple cider vinegar. Add in the psyllium gel and whisk until smooth and uniform.
    A metal whisk rests in a glass bowl filled with a yellowish, frothy batter mixture on a light pink surface.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The dough should be soft, thick, and slightly sticky.
    A glass mixing bowl containing thick, creamy cookie dough batter, with swirls visible from mixing. The bowl sits on a light-colored surface.

To shape and proof:

  • Lightly dust your work surface with tapioca starch. Turn out the dough and knead it for a minute with your hands to make it smooth.
    A ball of raw dough dusted with flour rests on a floured surface, ready for baking or further preparation.
  • Roll into a 1/2-inch thick oval or rectangle.
    An oval piece of dough is rolled out on a floured surface with a textured cloth partially visible on the left side.
  • Using a 3.5-inch donut cutter dusted with tapioca starch, cut out donuts. Re-roll the scraps to get about 10 donuts total.
    Biscuit dough rolled out on a floured surface with three round shapes cut out using a circular cutter; scraps and baking tools are visible nearby.
  • Place each donut on an individual parchment square (about 4x4 inches). Arrange on a baking sheet and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
    Unbaked biscuit dough rounds spaced on parchment squares, arranged on a metal baking sheet, ready to go into the oven.
  • Let proof for 60 to 90 minutes until puffy and almost doubled in size. If your kitchen is cold, place the baking sheet in an oven that is turned off with the oven light on to help it rise.
    Unbaked biscuit dough rounds rest on pieces of parchment paper on a metal baking sheet, ready to be baked. Sunlight highlights the texture and surface of the dough.

Fry the donuts:

  • During the last 30 minutes of proofing, add about 4 to 6 cups neutral oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (oil should be 2 to 3 inches deep). Heat to 325°F. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature throughout frying.
  • Working with 3 donuts at a time, use the parchment squares to carefully lower the dough into the hot oil. After about 20 seconds, use tongs or tweezers to remove the parchment paper and discard in a heat-safe bowl.
    Three round pieces of dough are being deep-fried in a pot of oil on a stove. Next to the pot, fried doughnuts are cooling on a wire rack.
  • Fry for 2 minutes on the first side until golden brown, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 200°F when checked with an instant read thermometer.
    Three round doughnuts are frying in hot oil inside a white pot on a stove, with a metal thermometer clipped to the pot. Finished doughnuts cool on a wire rack nearby.
  • Using a spider spatula or tongs, remove the fried donuts and place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining donuts. Let cool completely before filling.
    Golden brown, round pieces of fried dough rest on a cooling rack, with sunlight highlighting their crispy texture.

To make the chocolate glaze:

  • Place 85 g (½ cup) chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Heat 118 g (½ cup) heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
    A glass bowl with cream and chopped chocolate sits on a white countertop. In the background, fried pastries cool on a metal wire rack.
  • Then stir until smooth and glossy. Let cool slightly until thickened but still pourable.

To fill and glaze:

  • Transfer the chilled pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip. Use a wooden skewer to poke a hole into the side of each cooled donut, wiggling it gently to create space for the filling.
  • Insert the piping tip into the hole and pipe the pastry cream in slowly until the donut feels plump. Don't overfill or the donut may split.
    Golden brown cream-filled donuts rest on a wire cooling rack, with some cream visibly oozing from the sides, set on a light-colored surface.
  • Dip the top of each filled donut into the chocolate glaze. Let any excess drip off and place back on the wire rack. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.
    Close-up of several Boston cream donuts on a wire cooling rack. The donuts are topped with shiny chocolate glaze and filled with creamy custard, some of which is visible where it oozes out from the sides.

Notes

  • Flour Blend - Do not use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend like King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 in place of the individual flours. I get asked this a lot and the answer is no. The dough is built around a specific ratio of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch, and each one does something different. A pre-made blend has different ratios, added starches, and sometimes xanthan gum already in it, which will throw off the whole recipe. Buy the individual flours and measure by weight.
  • Vanilla - If you don't have a vanilla bean on hand, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract instead. The flavor will be slightly less pronounced but the pastry cream will still set properly.
  • Oil Temperature - Keep a thermometer in the oil the entire time you're frying. The temperature will drop when you add the donuts and needs to come back up between batches.

Nutrition

Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 480mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 2mg
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