This Gluten Free Donut recipe is the real deal. Without compromising on texture or flavor, get ready to have a warm, mouthwatering gluten free donut in your hands in under 30 minutes. Guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and smash that donut craving.
With a crispy, golden outside and an oh-so-soft interior, you won’t even be able to tell these donuts are gluten-free. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease years back, I was determined to create gluten free recipes that tastes exactly the same as the real deal. I created this donut recipe back in 2016 and it has been a family favorite ever since!
Why this recipe is the best
- Authentic taste and texture: Since these donuts are fried and not baked, you get the real donut taste and texture without the gluten!
- Customizable: With different frosting, topping, and filling options, you can make these donuts your own.
- Convenient: Ready in under 30 minutes, this gluten free donut recipe is perfect for Saturday or Sunday mornings. My kids love waking up to the smell of fresh donuts and crispy bacon!
What you’ll need
- Eggs – Essential for the structure of the dough.
- Milk – Whole milk is best for both the dough and the homemade icing.
- Sour cream – Adds richness and moisture. Don’t skip this!
- Sugar – You’ll need white and powdered sugar.
- Butter – Softened butter for the dough, melted butter for the icing.
- Flour – I like to use an all-purpose gluten free flour blend but you can also make your own gluten free flour.
- Oil – Coconut oil or palm oil are my go-to’s.
- Baking soda and powder
Which gluten free flour is best?
For best results, I recommend using an all purpose flour blend like King Aurthor’s gf flour or Cup4Cup. These are made to mimic the taste and texture of regular flour, providing consistent results.
If you do a lot of gluten free baking like I do, you can make your own gluten free flour. A combination of white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour works well. Avoid using almond flour or coconut flour in this recipe as it will make the donuts too dense or too crumbly.
How to make fried gluten-free donuts
1. Combine wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together. Then, combine milk, sour cream, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth.
2. The dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine flour(s), baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum.
3. Mix: Slowly mix the dry and wet ingredients.
4. Roll: On a heavily floured surface roll out the dough until roughly 1 inch thick.
5. Cut: Cut the dough into donuts and donut holes.
6. Fry: Fry the donuts in hot oil for roughly 2-3 minutes, flipping once.
7. Cool, frost, and enjoy: While the donuts cool on a cooling rack, prepare the icing following the directions on the recipe card. Dip the warm donuts in the icing and enjoy.
Pro Tip: For easy handling, grease your hands with non-stick cooking spray before working with the dough.
Tips for frying
Using a deep fryer or large pot works best although frying in a small pan will work if that’s all you have. Do not use a donut pan as these need to be fried.
Hot oil, around 375 degrees works best for getting authentic, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside donuts.
Topping and Flavor Variations
- Classic cinnamon sugar donuts: After frying, brush the donuts with a layer of melted butter. Then, roll in a cinnamon sugar mixture until coated.
- Jam filled donuts: Make donut bars instead of regular donuts, and use a piping bag to inject your favorite icing into the donut after frying. Dust with powdered sugar for a finishing touch.
- Chocolate glaze donuts: Prepare the chocolate frosting as directed in the recipe card, then top with sprinkles, crushed nuts, or coconut flakes before the glaze dries.
- Maple bacon donuts: Add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the icing recipe. Top the frosted donuts with crispy bacon for a sweet and savory contrast.
How to store GF donuts
Storing – These chocolate donuts can be stored in an airtight container or pastry bag at room temperature for 3-4 days. To enjoy warm, simply heat them in the microwave for 10 seconds just like my school breakfast pizza recipe.
Freezing – You can freeze the donut dough but I would not recommend freezing the donuts after they’ve been cooked. Freeze in an airtight container and thaw in the fridge overnight. Fry as directed.
More gluten free recipes
- The best fluffy gluten free pancakes
- A zesty gluten free lemon drizzle cake
- Fudgy gluten free double chocolate brownies
- Homemade gluten free biscuits
- Easy gluten free strawberry baked oats
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Gluten Free Donuts (real, FRIED cake donuts!)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoon butter (softened) melted
Dry Ingredients
- 5 cups All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend (OR 1 C white rice flour, 1 C potato starch, 1 C tapioca starch, 1 C brown rice flour and 1/2 C corn starch) (Add additional flour if they are too moist to work with)
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- Oil for deep frying
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- In a standing mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar
- Add the milk, sour cream, vanilla and melted butter then mix well
- In another bowl, combine flour(s), baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well
- On a HEAVILY gluten-free all-purpose or white rice floured counter, roll out the donut dough (It will be wet) 1 inch thick using plenty of white rice or all-purpose flour to get it pliable and to dust the rolling pin
- Cut the dough into donuts and donut holes
- Heat the oil either in a deep fryer or deep fry pan until it reaches roughly 375°
- Fry donuts for 2-3 minutes making sure to flip once
- Place cooked donuts on a baking rack over a paper towel lined baking sheet to let excess grease drain off
- Meanwhile, make an easy glaze by whisking 1 C powdered sugar, 1 T melted butter and 2-3 tsp. milk and 1/2 tsp. vanilla or you can also make chocolate glaze like we discuss below
- Dip warm donuts into the glaze then let then drip on a wire baking rack
Notes
Tips for frying
Hot oil, around 375 degrees works best for getting authentic, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside donuts. Using a deep fryer or large pot works best although frying in a small pan will work if that’s all you have. Do not use a donut pan as these need to be fried. Pro Tip: For easy handling, grease your hands with non-stick cooking spray before working with the dough.Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on February 7, 2016. It has been updated with new photos, pro tips and information. The recipe is still the same delicious recipe you know.
Jennie says
I agree with the previous comments about poor formatting in the recipe (sugar should not be listed with the dry ingredients). That set aside, I made this recipe today, and they are delightful. I beat the sugar and egg for a full seven minutes, so it was light and ribbon-like. I only added half the xanthan gum, since my flour blend has it already. Make sure you have GF flour to dip your cutters in, or the cutters will stick, even if your dough is floured. Also, sift the flour to dust it over the dough. Makes a world of difference. The donuts required more frying time than the recipe said, but I wasn’t surprised by that because everyone’s fry time is different due to things like differences in oils and fryer units. I used a combination of canola and sunflower oils. Mine took 2 min per side, and slightly less for the donut holes. I did add a dribble of vanilla to the glaze to punch up the flavor. I’m very pleased with the result!
Chandice says
Thanks for sharing Jennie 🙂
flm3454 says
Great recipe! Followed the instructions to a T except did not add the extra xatham gum and they still turned out beautifully. Soft and tender on the inside while having an almost al dente crunch on the outside. Was worried about using sour cream since sometimes using it in baked goods gives the final product a sour taste (so sometimes I sub it for plain full fat greek yogurt) but I still used it and did not notice any sourness. Thanks for the recipe!
Chandice says
So glad you loved it! 🙂
Carole says
Tried these this morning and they turned out mostly ok. Unfortunately, due to poor formatting of the recipe, I messed up the order of the ingredients. I prepared the dry ingredients the night before. Sugar is listed with the dry ingredients, so I put it in with everything else. The next morning, I looked at the first step which says to beat the eggs and sugar. There is no sugar listed with the wet ingredients. After reading everything over again, I realized that the sugar listed with the dry ingredients was supposed to go with the wet ingredients. So I ended up with twice as much sugar as was listed. The donuts ended up being a bit heavier than expected. Possibly due to the sugar mistake. Otherwise, they were pretty good.
Chandice says
I apologize, I will update the formatting. Glad you still enjoyed them. 🙂
Cherrie says
Can this dough be made the day before as it’s a busy Xmas am around here. I used to make regular dough day before and just fry xmas am…hoping for same! Thanks a bunch!
Chandice says
Hi Cherrie, yes absolutely! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
TraceyG says
I was perplexed while reading through the recipe because a couple details seemed like they didn’t quite line up and would make a big difference one way or the other, in particular using an all purpose flour vs mixing your own. We gave it a shot by mixing our own and ended up with delicious donut holes. However it was a lot more work because we had a wet sticky dough. I read it was going to be wet and we HEAVILY floured our surface, which was greatly helpful. There was no way at all to get near a clean cut, nor was it possible to keep shapes intact unless it was smaller than a golf ball.
I’d love input before trying these again:
-The recipe says 6c all-purpose vs 5.5c home-blended flour. Half a cup will certainly make a large difference in texture.
-Gums for binding also affect dough texture. I see in the previous questions/answers gum should be added to a blend already containing gum.
-The other part of texture is how much the dough is mixed to activate the gum.
I’m trying to figure out how to give my daughter the donuts she asked for her birthday. Thank you for the wonderful start! It sounds like you make these often and can probably help set me straight without me having to guess and check through trial and error. I see your pictures of cleanly cut dough being picked up and holding its shape for the bar. I look forward to experiencing these delicious donuts with that ease.
Chandice says
I’d really only use my flour blend recipe on my website then add the gum if you aren’t using a good quality gf flour blend like King Arthur. It’s my favorite and works so well every time. I would start with 5.5 cups no matter what then add the other 1/2 cup should you need it. If the dough isn’t holding together, you definitely need more flour.
These are our favorite and we make them all the time. I would highly recommend King Arthur gluten free flour blend.
TraceyG says
As nearly as we could we followed your blend. We were out of potato starch and don’t use the corn starch, so we used only tapioca, but it would’ve been quite similar.
-Do you measure by scooping or spooning your flour? (That makes a huge difference too.)
Thank you for your reply!!
Melle says
I have no idea what I did wrong but my dough is extremely dry. I measured everything out right, but it’s very very dry, not wet and sticky at all. This is my very first time making donuts haha.
Chandice says
Hi Melle, I haven’t heard this before so I am wondering if maybe there was one of the wet ingredients left out? You might have also added just a bit too much dry flour…
Heather says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve tried a few others that haven’t turned out but these were perfect! I used Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 baking flour (blue bag) and they are great. I am going to try to use your flour blend next time to see if they are a bit less dense. I also enjoyed thinly glazing them, letting that dry, and then dunking in thicker glaze with sprinkles 🙂
Chandice says
Thanks Heather, so glad you loved them! 🙂
G. Rubino says
Hi! These look amazing and I can’t wait to make them this wkd. My question is do I still add xanthan gum even though my flour has it in there already?
Thanks 🙂
Chandice says
Yes, still add it 🙂
Kristen says
Is there a deep fryer you recommend? I planned on getting one for this very purpose. Thanks!
Chandice says
Hi Kristen, YAY, you will love having a fryer! I have one I recommend under my kitchen appliances here on my Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/shop/thisvivaciouslife
Lila Wrubel says
Can I make these in an InstaPot? Can’t wait to make these with my GF daughter!!!!
Chandice says
I haven’t tried them in the instant pot but I’d be excited to hear if it works…:)
Sarah R says
I used to make fried cake donuts every year in the fall since I was a teenager, then I got diagnosed with celiac in 2017 and that tradition screeched to a halt…until now. I decided to look again for a GF version and found this recipe. Made them today and OH MY. I almost cried. Thank you for figuring out REAL gluten-free donuts!!
Chandice says
Awww thanks Sarah, this means the world to me! I also wanted the real deal and we sure love making these donuts often since they only take 30 minutes to make. I want to make them with maple frosting and candied bacon next…
Ivanka Hainzl says
Thank you! The donuts are amazing and taste fantastic! My son is 4 and never had a donut before. After several failed attempts, I was afraid that i cannot make a proper gluten-free donut. But I came across this recipe and the magic worked! The dough is easy to work with and most importantly – delicious. My son was very happy and we all enjoyed the donuts.
Chandice says
Awww this makes me so happy!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and let us know. I am so glad your son loved them! I have an almost 4 year old too and he also loves them. 🙂
Laura says
When I was little my grandma from Sweden would have fried old fashioned cake donuts dusted in granulated sugar in her freezer, she’d pull them out for afternoon tea or dessert when we’d visit from out of town. After she passed away and I started my own family I would crave these same donuts. Recently turned GF due to dietary restrictions, I didn’t think I’d have a donut again. Well these were wonderful tonight. I added fresh nutmeg to the mixture and deep fried in coconut oil, dusting in granulated sugar. They were perfect. Thanks for the recipe they tasted better than the ones I remember eating at my grandmas.
Chandice says
Hi Laura, this comment almost brought tears to my eyes…What a beautiful comment to read and memory to be a part of. I truly feel honored. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I am going to make them this way with the dusting of granulated sugar next time and think of you Laura. 🙂
Christa says
I have never made donuts before, let alone gluten free donuts. As well, I haven’t had more than a tiny bite of a donut for over 30 years. I made these and had so much fun! They are delicious and easy to make and the coconut oil worked really well.
I ate an entire, huge donut for lunch!
Chandice says
Awwwww Christa, this just made my day!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share. I am SO happy you loved them as much as we do! 🙂
Becky says
Wow! I just made these donuts for the first time. The texture is absolutely perfect, the crumb is moist but tender, they fried up a dream, and they are everything I needed today! I added 1 tsp of cardamom to the dry ingredients, and they are reminiscent of an old favorite pre-packaged variety I loved as a child. This recipe is a total keeper! Thank you SO much!
Chandice says
Oh my goodness I love the addition of cardamom! Can’t wait to try it myself…Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by, it really means a lot to me to see these comments. 🙂
Angel says
If I have a hopper to punch donuts out over the fryer is this batter thin/thick enough to go through it and hold its shape? I try to avoid using so much flour and it takes a bit of time rolling and cutting them vs. using a donut hopper.
Chandice says
It should be just fine. This donut dough is thick and easy to use.