These gluten-free pumpkin donuts are paleo, grain-free and dairy-free. Can also be made as regular muffins and are coated in cinnamon sugar. With a video.
I haven’t been feeling the pumpkin love at all this year. I don’t know what happened but I’m just not excited about it.
I’ve been much more into apples and making this paleo apple crisp and these paleo apple muffins.
And it doesn’t help that we don’t have canned pumpkin in Germany. I either have to make homemade pumpkin puree, which I won’t do because moisture content varies too much and I never know how much liquid to drain, or buy imported canned pumpkin from the American section of a department store.
For about $4.50 a can. I typically make a recipe several times before posting it and spending $18 on just the pumpkin for one recipe? Eh. I’ll pass.
So for this recipe, I took a short-cut. I adapted my pumpkin spice latte Nutella muffins and made them into these gluten-free pumpkin donuts. Or actually donut holes. I didn’t have to go through my precious cans of pumpkin and y’all get a pumpkin recipe. It’s a win-win for everyone! :)
If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, these can be made as 16 regular-sized muffins. You can check out the directions in my paleo pumpkin muffins recipe. It doesn’t work quite as well in bread form. I tried! It rises nice and high and then kerplunks. It’s pretty sad.
I’ve seen a lot of recipes where you dip the donut holes in butter first before dipping them in the cinnamon sugar, but when I tried this, the donut holes sucked up so much butter and were so wet that I had to use a ton of sugar to get them properly rolled.
It tasted amazing so feel free to do that if you don’t mind a ton of extra sugar. :) I’m thinking it’s perhaps a grain-free thing. I never had that issue with whole wheat goodies!
I have two more cans of pumpkin left and am very carefully planning what to do with them! What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe? If you don’t already have a favorite, check out the reviews in the comments below – people seem to love this gluten-free pumpkin donuts recipe!
And I can highly recommend this paleo vegan pumpkin pie. I’m not vegan but this pie is even creamier and more delicious than a traditional pie! SO good. :D
Not into grain-free baking? Try these whole wheat cinnamon sugar baked donuts from Family Food on the Table! They look so plump and delicious.
Click here to view, comment or share the video on Facebook! Thank you. :)
Gluten-free Pumpkin Donuts (paleo, grain-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 30 donut holes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (66 grams) coconut flour
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) almond flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 7 tablespoons (98 grams) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) coconut sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the donut holes:
For the cinnamon sugar:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line a mini muffin pan with 24 muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (coconut flour through salt).
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (eggs through vanilla).
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir just until combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into the muffin liners, filling each liner until almost completely full. You'll likely have enough batter for another six donut holes.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. These need to rest for at least an hour before serving, both because of taste and texture.
- When ready to serve, mix the cinnamon with the sugar in a small bowl. Remove the liners and roll the donut holes in the cinnamon sugar. As these donut holes are quite moist, the cinnamon sugar tends to liquify overnight, which is why it's recommended to roll the donuts in the sugar no more than 8 hours before serving.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes
- For paleo, use coconut sugar and coconut oil.
- For dairy-free, use coconut oil.
Source: My post on My Baking Addiction – Gluten-free Pumpkin Donut Holes
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215 comments on “Gluten-free Pumpkin Donuts (paleo, grain-free, dairy-free)” — Add one!
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These are the best mini muffins. I have tried others, but I always come back to these. They stay moist for weeks. The flavor is spot on. Everyone needs to make these.
I’m so glad that you keep coming back to them! Do they really keep well for weeks? Wow, mine have never made it that long. ;) Thanks for your feedback!
Turned out perfect! I didn’t have a mini muffin pan, so I put them in a regular sized muffin pan. Made 12. They were all eaten that same day!! :)
I’m so glad that they came out well for you! It’s indeed hard not to eat them all on the same day. ;) Thanks for your feedback!
These look soooo yummy! Perfect for this time of year. Thanks!
Thank you! Hope you get to try them out. :)
These look absolutely perfect! We love everything pumpkin around this house and topped with a little something extra is perfect!
Really amazing! Thanks for sharing! This is a wonderful replacement for gluten and dairy avoiding families!!! I don’t feel guilty eating one of these for breakfast either. (Used a regular muffin tin and made 12 muffins.)
You’re welcome! I’m happy that they came out well for you. And guilt-free treats for breakfast are always a good thing. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Oh my…these are the best ever…could have eaten the whole batch. They
turned out perfect. This is the best Paleo desert I have made so far.
Thanks for the great recipe. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
You’re welcome! I’m thrilled that you liked them so much. :) Thanks for your comment!
These look great! Can this flour blend be used in other recipes?
Thanks! It’s not used as a sub for wheat flour. It’s just what works in this specific recipe. :)
Can you use only coconut flour? I cant eat almonds…..ugh.
No, sorry, it makes up most of the recipe. :( You could try a different nut flour or meal if you can have a different type of nut.
Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try these! Are they very crumbly?
I wouldn’t say they’re crumbly at all. :)
hi, can I use natural pumpkin instead?
Hi! What do you mean by natural? Canned pumpkin is 100% pumpkin. Do you mean homemade? If so, it’d probably work but the amount of liquid always varies with homemade, which is why I like canned.
Yes, I mean homemade, the country where I live don’t have canned pumpkin and was wondering if I could do it successfully
These look amazing, but with 4 eggs in the recipe, they are NOT dairy free!
Eggs aren’t dairy. See here or here or you can just google “are eggs dairy” and read any of the results. :)
I just made this and loved them. For everyone wanting to know the nutritional value of the recipe here it is…
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 30
Amount per serving
Calories 80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5.5g 7%
Saturated Fat 3.2g 16%
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 82mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 6.6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 1.8g
Vitamin D 2mcg 12%
Calcium 16mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 22mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Thanks for sharing! And I’m happy that you loved them. :)
First off..congrats on your baby. Noted that at the top!! Hope you and baby are doing well. Secondly, here in Ireland, I might struggle with sourcing pumpkin puree. I was thinking to sub with roasted pumpkin flesh mashed up, or purred roasted carrot. Do you think that might work?
Thanks a bunch! :) Homemade pumpkin puree should work but my problem with the homemade stuff is that the liquid content varies so much. I believe some other commenters have used it, though! I’m not so hopeful about carrot puree but I’d be interested in knowing if that works out well.
I have used pureed carrot while living overseas where pumpkin was unavailable. Just watch your consistency, you can carefully cook out excess liquid from the pureeing process if needed.
Thanks for the tip! :)
This is a great recipe!!! They are so flavorful and moist, but not gooey like some paleo baked goods can get. They are so good I made them for a school bake sale. Here are my notes on how I made the recipe:
-These could be considered donut holes but they are basically mini-muffins, so that’s how I’ll refer to them
-I used the weight measurements that are listed in the recipe – my standard measurements would have been way off! If you have a scale, use it! If you don’t, consider getting one.
-Coconut oil instead of butter
-Honey instead of maple syrup, just because I was out of syrup
-Coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and granulated sugar
-Made 24 mini-muffins, plus three donut rings
-The mini-muffins were a bit more moist than the donut rings, but the rings still turned out really well. I’d probably bake the rings a minute or two less next time.
-Several of the comments mention that the muffins stick to the pan or the paper liners. I use silicone liners for regular size muffins, but don’t have any for minis, and I don’t have any paper liners either. I oiled the heck out of all three pans with coconut oil.
-I let the muffins cool overnight. One mini-muffin pan had no sticking at all, one muffin pan stuck for 6 out of 12, and the donut pan did not stick at all. Overall I had good success getting the muffins out, and the donut pan has always stuck with other recipes, so this was the best experience I’ve had with it.
-I had no problem dusting the “donut holes” with the coconut sugar and cinnamon mixture, but they are also great without the coating!
Wow, thanks for your super thorough feedback. :) I really appreciate you taking the time to leave all your notes! I’m happy that they came out well. The sticking thing is just strange. It really seems to depend on the exact liners / pan used and how long they’re left to cool. Thanks again for your thoughtful comment!
Hi!! These look and sound amazing…however, I’m an idiot and found these and planned on making them for a friend that is vegan. I looked at the recipe and thought, oh, it’s vegan too! Well, obviously it’s not hahah. Brain fart! Any ideas to make vegan?? Have you tried using flax seed eggs or anything else in your baking?? Thank you!
Sorry for the slow reply! Have been in the hospital giving birth. :) I use chia eggs often in my baking but am not so sure about using them in this recipe. You could use this recipe instead: https://www.texanerin.com/vegan-pumpkin-muffins Hope that helps!
I baked in mini muffin pan and sprayed the cups. They popped right out. SO GOOD!
I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for your comment. :)
I made some substitutions based on my liking things less sweet and they turned out very well. I was surprised that the texture did mimic a donut hole, I cut the maple syrup to 1/4 c, and the brown sugar to 1 tsp, I also used two eggs, two egg whites and subbed out almond flour for 1/4 c more of coconut flour, and 1/2 gluten free basic baking flour . They are good, definite donut texture and dense. Two filled me up. Will make again.
I’m so happy to hear that your subs worked out well! Especially since you made so many. ;) Thanks for sharing your tips and for your feedback!
Can you sub honey for Maple syrup
I haven’t tried it but I think it’d work. It may make them taste a little sweeter and you may be able to taste the honey, though.
These are SO good! I struggle finding healthier options for my kids lunches because they can normally tell that they’re healthier:) But these are perfect! I was shocked that they actually taste like a donut. I made them today, and we ate half of them before I got a chance to coat them. Hopefully some of them are left for their lunches tomorrow:) thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! :) I’m so happy you and your kids liked them. Hope they enjoyed their lunchbox treats! Thanks for your comment. :)
This is my second time making these- the first time I made them in a 12 count muffin tin and they turned out excellent! My picky husband and 5 year old loved them! For the second time I added dairy free chocolate chips and made them in the 24 count muffin tin. I wish I would have just put them in the pan as I did not spray my paper liners and the muffins are somewhat sticking to the liner. Lesson learned but still so good and I love the added chocolate chips!
Did you let the muffins cool completely before removing the liners? Hot from the oven, they stick but once they’re cool, they come off easily. At least with my liners. :) I’m happy that you’re enjoying them! Thanks for your comment.
I was wondering if you had ever tried freezing any of this recipe? I know you mentioned the time frames for keeping in an container or in the fridge, just wondering if I made them in advance of company coming and froze them a head of time and then did the rolling in the cinnamon/sugar after they are thawed and before I serve them?
I would do it exactly as you said! I’ve never tried it but I think it’d work well. Hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
These are delicious!
I make regular sized muffins with no liners and just sprayed the pan. Cooked for about 20 minutes.
I made a cream cheese frosting. (I know that makes it non-paleo) 😬 Instead of doing the sugar coating .
But so good.
Cream cheese frosting is so darn good on pumpkin goodies! I’ll have to try it on these. So happy you liked them! Thanks for sharing your tips on making them regular sized. :)
Delicious!Followed recipe as written and they came out moist and Yummy! Used nonstick spray in mini muffin pan instead of paper liners and they slid right out! Great recipe!
That’s good to know that they’ll slide right out that way! Thanks for the tip. :) I’m so happy you liked them!
Did anyone get nutrition info…? I can’t get it to work…thanks! They were delicious!! My first paleo, gluten/grain/dairy free item I’ve made
So happy you liked them! Many of my readers like using Calorie Count to figure out the nutritional profile. I hope that’ll work for you! Thanks for your comment. :)
How many Carbs do these have ? I am trying to get on the KETO (have to watch carbs!)diet but these look delicious!
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
This would not be keto friendly the way it’s written. Substitute swerve for the sugar/ brown sugar. That would Chang the recipe considerable too. Great recipe, just not keto.
How is this paleo if you used refined sugar?
The recipe specifically states to use coconut sugar for paleo.
These were a big hit. Have had requests to make again!
Awesome! So happy to hear that. Thanks for your comment! :)
Hi. Can these be made without the pumpkin puree?
Hi! I’m afraid not. Sorry about that!
I would imagine you could use butternut squash puree, sweet potato puree or carrot puree.
My husband is allergic to almonds 😟. What can be substituted?? Thanks!
Another type of nut flour would work. If he can’t have nuts, I’ve heard of people using sunflower seed flour as a sub but I’ve never tried it and have no idea if it’d work here. Sorry about that!
I used oat flour since I was out of almond flour and it worked just fine.
Did you use the same amount (3/4 cup)? Thanks for sharing your sub! I hope you enjoyed them. :)
These were amazing! My kids said they would love to have these every morning for breakfast.
Haha. So would I! ;) I’m so happy that they enjoyed them. Thanks for your comment!
Do you think this could work well as a loaf recipe? Ideas for ballpark cooking time?
I’ve tried it and it didn’t work out well at all. Sometimes muffin recipes just don’t convert well to a loaf pan. Sorry about that!
Hi, there! I made these yesterday because I had a major sweet tooth and they turned out amazing! I didn’t have a mini muffin pan, so I just made them in a regular muffin pan but made 12, instead of 16. I cooked them for about 5 minutes more than your suggested 16 minutes. I know one reviewer commented on their muffins sticking to the liners – I use these muffin liners that have foil on the outside and paper on the inside, and mine did not stick.
Also, the coconut sugar/cinnamon didn’t really adhere to my muffins, so I brushed melted ghee on top, then dipped in the coconut sugar/cinnamon combo, and it was delicious (also, I didn’t have to coat them in extra coconut sugar/cinnamon!) I LOVE the consistency of the cupcakes – lots of times, Paleo/gluten-free treats just don’t have the same consistency as regular gluten treats but I have to say that the consistency of these muffins were right on!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe and for offering Paleo options!
Hi Sara! Thanks for sharing your tips on how to make them as regular-sized muffins. And great to know that you didn’t have an issue with the muffins sticking to your liners! And woohoo on the texture. :D I’m with you – a lot of paleo cakes / muffins can have such a funky texture! I’m so happy you liked these. Thanks again for your feedback!
Question… I have 2 friends. One is GF/Vegan (can have eggs in baked goods, though), the other is allergic to coconut oil. I want to make something that they can both eat. Do you have a suggestion for something to substitute the coconut flour/oil/sugar?
Thank you!
Hello! There are subs for the coconut oil and sugar but coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that!
Does it really only keep for 2 days?
You could keep them for a few more days in the fridge.
You, my dear, are my newest best baking friend. I just made these as muffins this morning, and WOW!! They are moist and delicious. I’ve been looking for good paleo recipes so I don’t have to miss out on baked treats, and also trying to cut the sugar consumption in our home, and this is perfect. I’m not diabetic, but I’m working to keep from getting there. I mentioned on your FB post for the chocolate chip cookies that I substituted the brown sugar with the Truvia brown sugar blend. I did the same with this recipe. I used the Truvia/honey blend in place of the maple syrup and the Truvia brown sugar blend in place of the brown sugar. They turned out great–even my children said they’re delicious. (Although I didn’t really want to share them!). I was able to fit it all into 12 muffin cups and baked them just a few minutes longer. Now, we’re having fun looking at all of the yummy paleo recipes on your site. I think I’m going to try the lemon cookies next. Thank you so much!!
Thanks for the tip on how to make these lower-carb! People always ask and I’m clueless. I’m sorry you had to share with your kids. ;) I hope you’ll enjoy the lemon cookies and thanks a bunch for your comment! :)
Can I use just almond flour instead of both almond & coconut? I just don’t like the consistency of coconut flour…
Has anyone tried just almond?
Thanks in advance!
Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. I’ve tried these donuts without the coconut flour and they just don’t work. Sorry about that! If it helps, I don’t like the texture of coconut flour based treats but combined with almond flour, it’s different. :)
Thank you so much! I will give them a whirl with the coconut flour in it anyway :)
You’re welcome! Hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
These look super yummy! Can I make them in a mini muffin pan that’s silicone without liners?
Thanks! I don’t have any experience with silicone pans so I have no idea. Do you normally do that? Hope you’ll enjoy them!
these are delicious! I haven’t even tried them with the cinnamon sugar, they are so yummy!!! Thank you for sharing =)
Awesome! So happy that you like them. :) Thanks for your comment!
this looks so delish! when you commented the recipe doesn’t work in bread form does that mean i should not try to bake it in a baking dish, because it only works in muffin tins?
thank you,
aimee
Thanks! You can bake it in a cake pan (like a round 8″ or 9″ cake pan) but I don’t recommend using a loaf pan. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work out well.
Hey Erin, I live in Germany too, and have been happy to see Hokkaido pumpkins everywhere. I make my own puree in the Instant Pot (but it would also work great in the oven). Just cook the pumpkin, pop out the seeds, and puree with a stick blender. BTW, this recipe looks yummy! It might be cheaper as well.
Hey there! My issue with homemade puree is that the water content always varies and I don’t like variation in baking. ;) In canned pumpkin, it’s always the same and so more reliable. I’ll keep buying the cans at 3.29 from Kaufhof, although it’s kind of painful! (they’re $1 on sale in the US). I hope you get the chance to try these!
Ah, I get it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen pumpkin purée in Heidelberg! Although I don’t go into Kaufhof very often I must admit l.
It’s in the American section! It’s Libby’s brand. :)
I’m new to baking with coconut oil…I am using the solid form, is that 7 tbsp of the solid oil (then melted) or 7 tbsp of the melted oil? Hope that makes sense!
It does make sense! And it’s the same, so you can measure it solid or melted. :) Hope you’ll enjoy the donuts!
I seem to have the same issue as the commenter below-the muffins really stuck to the liners. I’m sure they’ll still be tasty, just not so pretty looking as yours :)
Hmm. I’m stumped. Sometimes, muffins stick to the liners but I don’t recall this recipe being like that. Next time, you could just spray the pan with baking spray (if you use that) or grease the pan with some coconut oil. :)
How do you keep the muffins from completely sticking to the muffin liners?
I haven’t had that issue with these (and nobody’s mentioned that yet) so maybe it’s your liners. I have some liners where some recipes stick and some liners where those same recipes don’t stick. Or did you make any subs?
instead of liners, could we spray the 24 mini muffin holes with nonstick spray?
Yes! That should work.
Can I use G.F. All-Purpose flour instead?
GF 1-to-1 flour mixes are only interchangeable with wheat-based recipes and not almond flour + coconut flour recipes. If it’s meant as a sub for AP flour, then your mix should work well in my pumpkin donut holes, which are wheat-based. :)