Light, cakey and full of pumpkin spice seasoning, this delicious vegan pumpkin donuts recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser this fall season!
Fall Weather = Fall Vegan Recipes!
Fall has arrived and I'm so excited for the cooler weather, hearty stews and pumpkin spiced treats that come along with this holiday season!
Living overseas - whether in China or Malaysia - we don't always have the same cultural cues that indicate the fall season has arrived. Pumpkin spiced lattes aren't always available at our favorite coffee shop and fall / Halloween decorations aren't displayed on every apartment building.
These are things I don't have control over, but what I can control are the recipes I make in my house. And when the fall season arrives, I love pulling out my favorite vegan recipes for fall!
I've been motivated to start some new traditions in our family, and I'd love to share with you a recent addition.
Vegan Donuts | A New Fall Tradition!
These glazed vegan pumpkin donuts have become a wonderful part of our fall traditions as they are so incredibly delicious!
Hudson won't be having any this year, but maybe in a few years time he'll be enjoying these vegan pumpkin donuts alongside his sister Harper, Brett and me.
Thanks to the plant based trend sweeping the nation, it has become easier and easier to find or make your own vegan donuts.
Traditional donuts usually contain milk, eggs, butter and yeast and are deep fried in oil. While some of those ingredients aren't vegan friendly, it IS possible to make vegan donuts and they are just as tasty in my opinion. All you have to do is make a few substitutions and you are good to go!
For example, in this pumpkin baked vegan donuts recipe:
- I omit the eggs and use non-dairy milk.
- Instead of frying, I bake these donuts using my favorite donut baking pan, which cuts down on the amount of oil traditionally used in making fried donuts.
- The pumpkin puree acts as a binding agent instead of using eggs and the baking powder causes these baked donuts to rise and become light and fluffy.
That means I can eat more of these vegan donuts in one sitting, right?!
How to Make Vegan Donuts
The process of making these pumpkin vegan donuts is pretty simple.
Step 1: Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined (find the ingredient list in the recipe below).
Step 2: Carefully transfer the batter to a "piping" bag.
Step 3: Pipe the vegan pumpkin donut batter into your greased donut pan.
Step 4: Bake the donuts until golden brown and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
Step 5: Dip the cooled donuts into your powdered sugar glaze (see below for how to create this donut glaze).
Step 6: Drizzle the donuts with Chocolate Hazelnut Butter if desired.
Step 7: Don't just look at them...eat and enjoy!
Creating a Delicious Donut Glaze
I love jazzing up these pumpkin baked vegan donuts by adding a simple glaze using just powdered sugar and non-dairy milk.
If you don't have any powdered sugar on hand, you can make it with just two simple ingredients! Just blend 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of corn starch together in a high speed blender until a fine, powdered sugar forms.
I did this all the time in China and it worked like a dream!
After topping these vegan pumpkin donuts with the simple sugar glaze, I like to make them extra special by piping on some chocolate hazelnut butter. Chocolate and pumpkin pair beautifully together in my opinion. You could even sprinkle some crushed pecans on top for another level of decoration!
I really hope you like these vegan pumpkin donuts as much as we do!
Please let me know if you give these vegan pumpkin donuts a try and what you think!
Leave a comment down below, rate the recipe and be sure to share it with others! If you do make these donuts, be sure to take a photo of the final product and tag @theconscientiouseater on Instagram so I can see your final creation!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Baked Donut Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
DONUT
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup non dairy milk
GLAZE
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut butter*
- water to thin
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F and grease a 6 donut pan and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, from the flour to the salt.
- Add in the oil, pumpkin puree and non-dairy milk and stir to combine.
- Place a plastic gallon bag into a cup (see photos) and spoon the pumpkin donut batter into the plastic bag. Twist the top of the plastic bag so that all of the batter is concentrated in one corner of the plastic bag.
- Cut the end off of the plastic bag and pipe the donut batter evenly among the 6 donut rounds. Gently bang the pan against something soft to even out the top of the batter.
- Bake the donuts for 15-18 minutes or until risen and slightly golden brown.
- Allow the donuts to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. Place 1 cup of powdered sugar into a bowl and add in 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk and stir well. Continue adding 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until you get a runny, but thick glaze.
- Dip the donuts into the glaze one at a time and place them back on the wire rack, glazed-side up.
- If desired, prepare the chocolate drizzle by adding a little bit of water some some chocolate hazelnut spread and mixing until a drizzle-able consistency forms. Using a spoon or the piping method used above, drizzle the glazed pumpkin donuts with the chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Enjoy!
Bridget says
How do you think these would turn out if baked in a muffin tin?? So excited to try them!
Faith says
So many people have asked that exact question Bridget and I totally get why! Not everyone has a donut pan:) I haven't tried it yet, but I say go for it. I, as well as others, would love to know if it works out for you so keep us posted!
Emily Swanson says
Wow I Would have never imagined that these were vegan if I didn't know! But they are GORGEOUS; they make me feel so excited about fall too.
Faith says
I'm more excited about fall than usual this year, which means I'll probably be sharing lots of cozy...pumpkin filled...warming recipes! Yay for chilly weather and the holidays!
Melissa A Street says
Can I substitute a gluten free flour? These look amazing.
Faith says
Hi Melissa! I haven't tried that yet, so I can't say for sure. But usually if I substitute all-purpose gluten free flour in recipes it works out fine. Let me know if you try it and how it worked out!