One Bowl Chocolate Donuts | Gluten-Free & Vegan

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These fluffy Chocolate Donuts are made in only one bowl and baked instead of fried! A yummy Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Oil-Free healthy treat.

Hold up — you’re saying there’s a Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Oil-Free baked Donut out there that’s just as fluffy and indulgent as a regular one? Why yes, yes I am.

And not just any donut, but Chocolate covered Chocolate Donuts! I’ve been making these donuts on repeat for my friends and family, so I figured it’s about time I share the recipe with all of you too 😉

close up photo of chocolate covered donut on white plate with chocolate chips

I wanted to create a Donut recipe that’s made from wholesome ingredients, but still decadent and dreamy. After a few rounds of testing, I totally hit the mark! These Chocolate Donuts are:

  • Light and Fluffy, thanks to Oat Flour
  • Perfectly Sweet thanks to Unrefined Coconut Sugar
  • and Rich and Indulgent thanks to Cacao Powder and Almond Butter

Overall, you only need 10 plant-based ingredients and one bowl to make this recipe – now that’s a win-win in my book!

ingredients for chocolate donuts arranged on marble cutting board

I like to use these Silicone Donut Molds to bake my Donuts – not only do the Donuts cook nice and even, but they’re also really easy to pop out post-bake! I do like to place them on top of a regular Baking Tray when they’re in the oven though – it makes them easier to get in and out.

Once your Donuts are nice and fluffy, you’ll transfer them to a baking rack and let them cool while you melt some Chocolate for the topping…

baked chocolate donuts on black wire cooling rack

Note: the Chocolate topping is optional. However, is there really such a thing as too much Chocolate, ever?! The thick Chocolate layer on top of these Baked Donuts really takes this dessert to the next level. Plus, it reminds me of those Chocolate-Covered mini donuts I used to eat as a kid. Only 10,000 times BETTER!

Long Story Short: maaaybe the Chocolate topping isn’t optional after all 😉

12 chocolate covered Chocolate Donuts on black wire baking rack

I left some of my Chocolate-dunked Donuts plain, then decided to top the rest of them with Cacao Nibs for a little extra crunch. Mini Chocolate Chips would also be great here! Now all you have to do is let the Chocolate coating cool and set, then serve and enjoy.

(Sometimes I’m naughty and eat the Donuts while the Chocolate is still melty. It’s a little messy, but totally worth it).

stack of 3 chocolate donuts with bite taken out of the top donut

A Few Final Thoughts:

  • I’ve made these Donuts quite a few times, and have developed some fun flavor variations as well 🙂 See the recipe Notes for instructions on how to make these Mint Chocolate or Chocolate PB flavored! 
  • These Donuts will dry out over time, so if you are making them for friends/family I would make them day-of.
  • If you’d like to keep these Donuts Refined-Sugar Free, both Hu Kitchen and Pacari make some dairy-free Chocolate that’s sweetened with Coconut Sugar.

chocolate covered chocolate donuts arranged on white background with bowl of chocolate chips

If you’re looking for more Vegan & Gluten-Free Dessert recipes, you’ll also love these Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownies, this No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Tart, and these Toasted Coconut Baked Donuts!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

Print

One Bowl Chocolate Donuts

These fluffy Chocolate Donuts are made in only one bowl and baked instead of fried! A yummy Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Oil-Free healthy treat.

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 Minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 12 Donuts 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the Donuts:

  • 1 ¼ cup Quick-Cooking Oats, blended into a fine flour*
  • ¼ cup Cacao Powder
  • ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 Flax “Eggs” (2 tbsp Ground Flax + 5 tbsp Water)
  • 1 cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
  • ½ cup (130g) Unsalted Almond Butter
  • ½ cup (75g) Coconut Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Chocolate Topping (Optional):

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease two 6-donut tins. If you have silicone donut tins, you do not have to grease them.
  2. Mix the blended Oat Flour, Cacao Powder, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt together in a large bowl.  Form a well in the center of the bowl and add the remaining wet ingredients. Begin by mixing the wet ingredients together in the center of the bowl, then slowly incorporate the surrounding dry mix until a thick batter forms.
  3. Evenly distribute the batter between 12 donut molds; I use these molds and a scant ¼ cup of batter for each. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let sit in the tray for 3 minutes, then carefully “wiggle” each tray to loosen the donuts and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before topping with Chocolate. Store leftovers at room temperature in a container with a loose-fitting lid for up to 5 days.
  4. For the optional Chocolate Topping: melt your Chocolate chips in a small bowl with a flat bottom using either the microwave* or a double boiler. Use your hand to carefully “dunk” each Donut into the bottom of the bowl, then twist the Donut in the chocolate in a clockwise motion as you remove it (sort of like opening a doorknob). Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool until the Chocolate has set.

Notes

  • To Make Oat Flour: blend Quick-Cooking or Rolled Oats in a high-speed or bullet blender for 20-30 seconds until finely processed – it should have the consistency of a regular all-purpose flour!
  • To Melt Chocolate in the Microwave: microwave the Chocolate for 60 seconds at full power, then remove and stir well. Continue to microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring between each one. Once 80% of the Chocolate has melted, remove from the microwave and stir continuously until no pieces remain.
  • Substitutions: Make this recipe Nut-Free by using Tahini or Sunflower Butter in place of Almond Butter. Coconut Sugar may be substituted with Brown Sugar or another granulated sweetener of choice; I have not tested this recipe with liquid sweeteners.
  • Flavor Variations: Add in 1 tsp of Peppermint Extract for Mint Chocolate Donuts, or replace the Almond Butter with Peanut Butter for Chocolate PB Donuts!

Keywords: Chocolate Donuts, Baked Chocolate Donuts, Healthy Chocolate Donuts, Vegan Chocolate Donuts

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These fluffy Chocolate Donuts are made in only one bowl and baked instead of fried! A yummy Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Oil-Free healthy treat. #vegan #plantbased #glutenfree #chocolate #donuts #dessert | frommybowl.com

About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. I made these last night and they were delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I made them as written with regular old fashioned oats that I blended. I read the recipe wrong and only added two teaspoons of flax to my flax egg mix instead of two tablespoons. I didn’t think it looked quite thick enough but wondered if that was because I used ground golden flax instead of regular flax. The donuts turned out fine though. The vegan chocolate chip “frosting” made these super delicious.

    1. In our experience liquid sweeteners in baking applications can sometimes not work, we’d recommend some sort of granulated sweetener/sugar.

    1. Hey there! Out of personal philosophy we don’t calculate calories/nutritional info but you can use Cronometer to help figure that out for any recipe!

  2. Quick, easy, and delicious! I topped with peanut butter frosting made from PB powder & water then added sprinkles!! So good!