Enjoy these gluten-free cinnamon donuts with apple cider glaze for some cozy autumn vibes. They’re also dairy-free and egg-free!

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Nothing screams autumn like donuts and apple cider. But what about the two together? Cozy fall vibes in every bite!

My family loves getting gluten-free and vegan donuts from our local donut shop. Yep, you read that right, we have one in the next town over – and it’s become one of our favorite spots to hit up once a season or so.

We love that they have three types of donuts on their regular menu, then they add three more seasonal specials every single month.

Last time we visited, they had a maple chai donut that felt so perfect for the fall season. It inspired our family to come up with some of our own fall donuts at home.

When I asked my son what he thinks fall tastes like, he said “soup!” When I asked my husband, he said “apple cider.”

And since the idea of soup-flavored donuts sounds disgusting, we ran with the apple cider.

I’ve heard of apple cider donuts, but I was looking for something a little different. One thing that this local donut shop does really well is that they only make two different kinds of donut bases – chocolate and vanilla. The rest of the flavors come from full-flavored toppings.

I thought that minimalist idea was something that I could piggy back on. So I thought… I already have a go-to gluten-free vanilla cake donut. What if I turn that into a cinnamon donut just by adding that spice into the mix?

So that’s what we’re doing here with these donuts. The major flavor will come from an apple cider glaze that I’m super excited about.

Ready to find out what’s in them? Let’s go over the ingredients.

Ingredients in Gluten free Cinnamon Donuts

Let’s review everything you’ll need to have on hand to make these cinnamon donuts come together.

Gluten-free flour blend

I like to use a gluten-free flour blend for these donuts to keep things simple. The brand I use in most of my baking is King Arthur Gluten-free Measure-for-Measure blend.

It works well for most baked goods, and works great in this recipe as well.

Sugar

To sweeten these gluten-free cinnamon donuts, we’ll use regular white sugar. You can swap this for coconut sugar if you’re looking for something a little less sweet and a little more natural.

Baking soda

For rising and leavening, we’ll use a combination of baking soda and baking powder.

Baking powder

The baking powder in this recipe is to act as a leavening agent. While both aren’t exactly necessary, I like the mixture of the two to give me the result I’m after in this recipe.

Cinnamon

To make these donuts cinnamon-flavored, we’re adding… you guessed it, cinnamon! Any ground cinnamon you have on hand will work perfectly. I use the big container from Costco.

Salt

To balance the sweetness of these donuts, we’ll add just a tiny bit of salt.

Vanilla extract

For a home cooked flavor and amazing scent, we’ll add in some vanilla extract. I love how vanilla smells when it fills up the house when I bake.

Apple cider vinegar

To provide the acid to assist the baking soda in rising, we need to add some apple cider vinegar. Pretty fitting to add this ingredient to our apple cider donuts, right?

Unsweetened dairy-free milk

Any dairy-free milk you have on hand will work for this recipe. I usually keep almond milk and Oatly oat milk on hand. I use the almond milk in my coffee and oat milk in thicker coffee drinks (like lattes) and my baked goods.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is used in this recipe, but if you try to stay away from this ingredient, you’re welcome to swap it out for melted coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil.

Ingredients in Apple Cider Glaze

These are the ingredients you’ll want to have ready to make the apple cider glaze for these donuts.

Powdered sugar

For a sweetness to our apple cider glaze, we’ll use powdered sugar.

Apple cider

Apple cider is reduced down on the stovetop for this recipe to give extra apple flavor. I like the big jugs of apple cider that’s a bit cloudy.

Vanilla extract

For some extra flavor, I add in some vanilla extract to the glaze as well.

How to make Gluten free Cinnamon Donuts with Apple Cider Glaze

Follow along with these steps to make your own gluten-free cinnamon donuts and apple cider glaze.

Reduce the apple cider

Gluten-free Cinnamon Donuts with Apple Cider Glaze (Dairy-free)

Reduce the apple cider. In a small pot over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of apple cider.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low to concentrate the flavor by about half. Start checking for reduction at about 10 minutes, then remove from heat when you have reduced the volume by at least half. Allow to cool.

Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 6-cavity donut pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large bowl, add gluten-free flour blend, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together.

Add wet ingredients

Next, add the vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, dairy-free milk, and vegetable oil. Whisk together until smooth.

Transfer donut mixture

Spoon the donut mixture into the prepared donut pan, being careful not to overfill them. The mixture should only reach the top of the pan. If you have extra batter, you can fill up a few silicone baking cups for a couple mini cakes to bake alongside the donuts.

Bake the donuts

Place the donut pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 13 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Cool the donuts

After the donuts have cooled for about a minute, transfer them to cool completely on a wire rack. This may take about an hour.

Prepare the glaze

To prepare your glaze, add powdered sugar, reduced apple cider, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk together. If the glaze is too thick, add one more tablespoon of apple cider until it’s the consistency you like.

Glaze the donuts

After the donuts have cooled, dip them in the glaze and transfer to a wire rack. I like to put a towel or piece of parchment paper under the rack to make for easier cleanup later.

Enjoy!

Enjoy these donuts with a cup of coffee or tea!

If you love these donuts, be sure to check out my gluten-free vanilla cake donuts and gluten-free chocolate cake donuts. For more fall recipes, you won’t want to miss these 25 gluten and dairy-free fall recipes.

This recipe is included in my GFDF Fall Bundle. Get the details and get more recipes like this one here or by clicking the image below.

Want more gluten & dairy-free fall recipes? Get the GFDF Fall Bundle

Yield: 6 donuts

Gluten free Cinnamon Donuts with Apple Cider Glaze (Dairy-free, Egg-free)

Make the most of fall flavors with these gluten-free cinnamon donuts with apple cider glaze. They're dairy-free and egg-free too!

Ingredients

For the Donuts:

1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp reduced apple cider
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Reduce the apple cider. In a small pot over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of apple cider. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low to concentrate the flavor by about half. Start checking for reduction at about 10 minutes, then remove from heat when you have reduced the volume by at least half. Allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, add gluten-free flour blend, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together.
Next, add the vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, dairy-free milk, and vegetable oil. Whisk together until smooth.
Prepare a 6-cavity donut pan by spraying it with cooking spray.
Spoon the donut mixture into the donut pan, being careful not to overfill them. The mixture should only reach the top of the pan. If you have extra batter, you can fill up a few silicone baking cups for a couple mini cakes to bake alongside the donuts.
Place the donut pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 13 minutes. You'll know they're done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
After the donuts have cooled about a minute, transfer them to cool completely on a wire rack. This may take about an hour.
To prepare your glaze, add powdered sugar, reduced apple cider, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk together. If the frosting is too thick, add one more tablespoon of apple cider until it's the consistency you like.
After the donuts have cooled, dip them in the glaze and transfer to a wire rack. I like to put a towel or piece of parchment paper under the rack to make for easier cleanup later.
Enjoy these with a cup of coffee or tea!