Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Moist and light!
Taste: Packed full of apple spice flavor and coated in cinnamon sugar.
Ease: Baked instead of fried, making them easier and less messy.
Top Tips: Don’t have a donut pan? Try a regular or mini muffin pan for the same great flavor, just in a different shape!
Recommended GF Flour: Use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. I like to use King Arthur. Bob’s Red Mill will work too.
Would I make these again? Definitely! These gluten-free apple cider donuts are bursting with apple spice flavor making them the perfect fall treat. I love how they work for breakfast, snacks, dessert, and even fall parties!
xoxo erin
This post was originally published in September 2023. It was updated with new photos and instructions in October 2024.
Even if you don’t make it to the apple orchard this year, you can get the same delicious flavors at home with these gluten-free apple cider donuts. They’re the ultimate way to celebrate fall!
I love that this baked donut recipe lets you skip the mess of frying without losing out on flavor or texture. Plus the cinnamon sugar coating adds a satisfyingly crunchy, sweetly spiced layer that takes the donuts to the next level!
Featured Comment
From Tiara: “These are hands down the best donuts I have ever had! I made 6 donuts and the rest mini muffins bc I only had one pan. Loved the donuts but the mini muffins were the perfect bite!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts
- Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Can these gluten-free apple cider donuts be made dairy-free?
- I don’t have a donut pan — how do I bake this recipe in muffin pans?
- Can I use a mini donut pan?
- Recipe Tips
- More Gluten-Free Apple Recipes
- Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts (Easy Baked Recipe!) Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make these gluten-free apple cider donuts. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: I recommend using a high-quality gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum included in it. It creates a better texture and makes all the difference! I like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill for this recipe.
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom pair well with the apple cider and give these donuts great fall flavor!
- Milk: I like to use unsweetened almond milk for these donuts, but any type of unsweetened milk will work — it’s easy to make these donuts with or without dairy!
- Oil: The oil adds moisture and fat which keeps the donuts moist and creates a tender crumb.I recommend using a neutral oil of your choice.
- Lemon juice: The lemon juice adds acidity which enhances all the flavors and balances the sweetness. It also causes a reaction with the baking powder which helps the donuts rise, making them light and fluffy. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best!
You also might like this recipe for fried gluten-free donuts, baked gluten-free donuts, or these gluten-free pumpkin donuts!
How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts
Here’s an overview of how to make these donuts. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- In a small saucepan: Bring the apple cider to a gentle boil. Let simmer over medium heat until thick and reduced to about 1/3 cup or 80 ml (about 15-25 minutes). Set aside.
- In a large bowl: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.
- In a separate bowl: Whisk together the eggs, granulated/brown sugar, oil, milk, vanilla, and lemon juice until well-combined.
- Add wet to dry: Add the wet mixture into the dry mix along with the cooled/reduced apple cider. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Pipe and bake: Pour the batter into a large ziploc bag and cut a 1-inch hole in one corner. Pipe the batter into the prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool and dip: Turn donuts out onto a wire rack to cool. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, dip each donut in the melted butter, covering both sides. Immediately dip them in the sugar mixture and cover generously. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: You can reduce the apple cider up to 2 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. The dry mixture can also be prepped and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. For best results, wait on further steps until you’re ready to bake.
To Store: They’re best enjoyed immediately after preparing, when they’re warm and toasty! I don’t recommend storing these donuts since their flavor and texture change as they cool. If you want to store leftovers, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing them either, but if you want to, freeze them before coating in the sugar mixture. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before coating in cinnamon sugar.
Can these gluten-free apple cider donuts be made dairy-free?
Yes, use an unsweetened dairy-free milk of your choice and vegan butter for a delicious dairy-free version.
I don’t have a donut pan — how do I bake this recipe in muffin pans?
The regular muffin pans will need about the same amount of time as the donut pans. You can stick with the recipe’s instructions for regular muffins. For mini muffins, they’ll need less time so keep a close eye on how they’re baking. They should only take about 8-10 minutes to bake.
Can I use a mini donut pan?
Definitely! Keep a close eye on how they’re baking as you’ll need to reduce the baking time since the batter is in smaller portions. The mini donuts should only take 8-10 minutes in the oven since they’ll bake faster.
Recipe Tips
- These gluten free apple cider donuts are best eaten right away. I don’t recommend storing them, since the texture and flavor change as they cool.
- I recommend using a high-quality gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum. It creates a better texture and makes all the difference in the end result! I like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour.
- If you don’t have a donut pan, try a muffin tin or mini muffin pan! You’ll get the same delicious apple pie spice flavor!
More Gluten-Free Apple Recipes
Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts (Easy Baked Recipe!)
Ingredients
Apple Cider
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) apple cider
Dry Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (250g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (65g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) oil of choice
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk of choice
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the Topping
- 8 tablespoons (113g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Reduce the Apple Cider
- In a small saucepan, bring apple cider to a gentle boil and let simmer over medium heat until thick and reduced to about 1/3 cup (80 ml), 15-25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Make the Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 6-cavity donut pans with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients, along with the cooled/reduced apple cider, and whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the donut batter into a large ziploc bag. Cut a 1-inch hole in the corner of the bag and pipe the donut batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake the donuts for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack.
Make the Topping
- In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once the donuts are cool enough to handle (cool for 5-10 minutes), dip each donut on both sides in melted butter and then generously dip into the sugar mixture.
- These are best eaten right away – enjoy!
You perfected this recipe! It doesn’t even taste gluten-free. The texture, taste and sweetness are perfect. Thank you!!!
Hi Jenny Lee, we love comments like this! Thank you so much for the review!
Planning to make these for Thanksgiving morning, could I sub 1/3 cup of the King Arthur boiled cider for cider I boil down myself?
Hi PJ, we haven’t tried the King Arthur Boiled Cider in this recipe. It sounds like it could work as a sub for the homemade boiled down cider. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi, can you please clarify what you mean by apple cider? I’m from the UK and apple cider here is an alcoholic beverage. I have heard that isn’t necessarily the case in other countries so wanted to double check.
Hi Kelly, in the U.S. apple cider is a nonalcoholic drink, similar to apple juice, but not quite the same thing. It’s typically unfiltered, fresh-pressed, and cloudy since it’s not as processed as apple juice that’s made to be shelf stable. We hope this helps!
Our family loves the recipe. Considering baking several batches for a family gathering. I understand freezing isn’t recommended. Although if I were to freeze according to directions, what should I expect in the quality of the donut? Is it a flavor or texture issues? Thank you for your insight!
Hi Michelle, we’re so pleased this recipe has been a hit with the whole family! Freezing the donuts mainly impacts texture. Freezing them, even before coating, will cause them to lose some of their softness and create drier, denser thawed donuts. As for the coating, the butter and sugar mixture won’t hold up through the freezing and thawing. We hope this helps!
Love the recipe!!! They taste just like the real thing!
Hi Jabin, we’re so pleased to hear you enjoyed the donuts so much! Thank you for your positive feedback!
WOW! These were so good! I’ve been making my own flour but this one was easy….I used King Arther & it was fabulous! I chose not to dip my donuts but rather do a drizzle of powdered sugar & a little milk, so as to not have too much sweetness.
Hi Leah, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We’re so glad you enjoyed the donuts. Happy baking!
I baked these and they are amazing. I also fried some and they were AMAZING! So anyone interested, these do translate well to fried donuts. YUM.
These are hands down the best donuts I have ever had! I made 6 donuts and the rest mini muffins bc I only had one pan. Loved the donuts but the mini muffins were the perfect bite!
Hi Tiara, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Love the mini muffin idea too! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.
I haven’t made these yet. I’m going to my granddaughter-in-laws (who is GF) baby shower and my daughter wants me to bring GF Apple Cider Donuts. I know GF usually needs to be eaten the same day for most things and I believe that GF donuts would fall into that category. Do you think I could make the batter up the day before and make them the morning of? Thanks
Hi Lin, yes you’re right that these donuts need to be eaten right after preparing. We haven’t tried it ourselves, but you could probably prepare the batter up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate it until making it the day of. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Loved these easy donuts and I’ve shared with many GF bakers!
I’m wondering if anyone has tried substituting the cider for another liquid. I don’t always have cider on hand.
I’m glad you like the recipe! Have you tried this recipe for gluten-free baked donuts? https://meaningfuleats.com/gluten-free-baked-donut-recipe/
I have made these twice and they are fantastic! Terrific recipe, not difficult, everyone loves them at our house. The only changes made were I added 1 Tablespoon Psyllium husk powder for more mechanical strength and used 2% milk instead of almond milk.
I’m glad they turned out for you! Thanks for the tips.
These donuts are definitely a winner! Kids are also addicted to it! They were bursting with flavors and the texture is remarkable!
These make the whole house smell so good!! I love that they are gluten free & you can’t even tell. They taste amazing!!
These are truly delicious. We are a little higher elevation and gluten free baking can be challenging but for these I decided to air fry for 3 additional minutes after baking and it was perfect. That really quashed the denseness and mush that tends to exist in GF baked goods.
Yummy yummy. We’re a big hit with the kids. We did colored sugar and made it fun.
I’m so happy to hear that! The colored sugar sounds fun 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Definitely a winner in our house!!
I’m so happy they turned out for you! Thanks for the comment.
Doughnuts are my weakness and since I have been going more gluten-free, this is game changing! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
I’d love to make a fried version of these. Any thoughts on how to convert this? Thanks so much!