These donuts are magnificent. I really can’t believe that they’re grain-free.
I was really tempted to make some cream cheese frosting and pour it all over the donuts but I went the “sophisticated” route and added toasted sliced almonds. They looked pretty but then I picked them all off. They just got in the way of the good stuff. :)
The topping is amazing and doesn’t really need anything extra. There’s no added sugar at all but it’s still sweet enough. I didn’t know if I could handle eating raw dates but I loved it! I think the added raisins helped me out with that.
The creator of the recipe, Coco, noted that combining the donut mixture in the blender or food processor results in a super smooth texture which you don’t normally get when baking with almond flour. I’m going to do this from now on because like I said, the texture is awesome.
I wasn’t really able to capture how fluffy these were. These beat whole grain donuts hands down. Speaking of whole grain goodies, yesterday I realized that I hadn’t posted a non-chocolate whole grain recipe for six weeks. Whoops! I’ve baked you some super fluffy whole grain dinner roll muffins to make up for it. Recipe will be up next week. :)
Want some more cinnamon-y goodness? Try these gluten-free cinnamon rolls! These cinnamon roll muffins also look great.
Gluten-free and Grain-free Cinnamon Roll Donuts
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 6 donuts
Ingredients
- 45 grams dates
- 20 grams raisins
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or normal butter, melted (I think I’ll leave that out next time)
- 145 grams (~1 1/2 cup) almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or normal butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:1
Donuts:
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Grease a six mold donut pan very well.
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine the topping ingredients. It should be totally smooth like a thick paste. Take out the mixture and set aside.
- Without cleaning the bowl of the food processor, add the dry donut ingredients. Pulse.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and add this to the food processor.
- Blend until the batter is very smooth and then pour into the six donut molds, filling about 2/3 of the way.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Do not over bake! These should be moist and fluffy.
- Remove the donuts from the pan and let sit for a few minutes (you want the donuts to be warm, just not super hot) before spreading on the topping. You could just spread it on, but I wanted them to look pretty so I divided the dough into six pieces, rolled them up like this, and then used my fingers to get the donut covered.
- If you want to add almonds, coconut, or something else to the top, do it at the beginning when everything is still warm. These can be stored at room temperature and they stay moist for days (although they’re best fresh from the oven. :))
Notes
- The topping is only half of what’s in the original recipe and I added a few things – double this if you want a thicker coating.
Adapted from Cinnamon Roll Almond Flour Donuts on Roost Blog (this blog no longer exists)
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44 comments on “Cinnamon Roll Donuts (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)” — Add one!
If I were any good at baking, I’d be in trouble—my husband even more so! I have been doing it more often, though, and looking for fun, kid-friendly recipes. These donuts look delicious AND healthy!
Haha. Well I hope you get the chance to try these out! Thanks for your comment. :)
What fabulous looking donuts and healthy too. Found you on Pinterest! Pinning this one and following you .
Thank you! And so happy you found me through Pinterest. Thanks for pinning! :)
Hi! Love your blog.
I only have a mini donut pan. How long do you think I would need to bake these in a mini pan?
Thanks!
Hi, Amanda! Thanks so much. :) I think 4-6 minutes should do it but that’s just a guess. Keep an eye on them and when they look set on the top, test them with a toothpick and if it doesn’t come out wet, they’re ready to go. I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
I tried your donuts and they are absolutely delicious!!! I just made a batch this week and can’t get enough of how yummy they taste!
I wrote about it on my blog and added a link to your recipe on there. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Thanks a bunch for your feedback! I’ll go check out your post. I’m thrilled that you liked the donuts enough to post about them! And this reminds me that I need to try a new version. It’s been too long since I’ve made them!
These look amazing, I don't have a donut pan though. Could these work as muffins?
Sure thing! I'm guessing they'd take 12 – 16 minutes but that's really just a guess. Hope you enjoy them! Merry Christmas to you. :)
Did you try them as muffins? I don't have a donut pan either :)
No not yet. I will soon though and let you know:)
I made them into muffins– it took 16 minutes exactly. My husband loves them!
Thanks for letting us know! So happy that your husband enjoyed them. :)
These look fantastic! Can't wait to make them for Christmas morning breakfast. My kids will LOVE them :) Do you think it would be ok to make the batter the day before and just bake them the next morning?
Hi there! I'm afraid that that won't work. I think that the baking soda's effectiveness would just fizzle away and you'd be left with some non-risen donuts. But to speed things up, you could definitely mix the dry ingredients together the day before and the next morning, mix together the wet ones and add them to the dry mix. And you could also prepare the icing / topping the day before! I hope you all enjoy them. Let me know how they turn out. :) And happy holidays to you!
Thanks so much Erin! That sounds like a plan :) I'll let you know how it works! Happy Holidays to you too!
suede – It looks like it wouldn't work, but I don't have a grain mill so I can't say for sure. I just did some googling and found these:
Ctrl + F to find the almond flour question in the comments
and this one where she also mentions not having figured out how to do nut butters with a grain mill.
Kris – Thanks! Will do. :)
suede – Thank you! I'm thinking that this might make almond butter. I'm off to work now but I'll research the topic when I get home and let you know!
Erin, I just discovered your blog and Love it, you have a loyal fan already! I have a question about almond flour, I have a grain mill and make most of my own flour (spelt, Kamut) do you know, to make almond flour – can I just grind the almonds till fine?? thanks
Looks delicious, must try it sometime! Please check out our gluten free blog for product reviews, recipes, and GF dining tips!!! We just established our blog for GF dining on a budget! Thankyouthankyou
http://krisandtgogfree.blogspot.com/
Sylvie – Yes! They're absolutely amazing. You won't be disappointed. :)
I must try these! I'm gluten free and always looking for a good grain free doughnut to satisfy my cravings
Chung-Ah – Thank you! And I will definitely be making these again. And again and again. I think they'll even be the base for all future grain-free donuts. They're just so fluffy. :)
These are absolutely gorgeous! The almonds give it such a beautiful presentation! I'd also love to try this with the cream cheese frosting too, that way I get to make and eat this twice :)
Baltic Maid – Thank you very much! :D
I am absolutely in love with the first picture on this post… It is perfect!!! Beautiful picture of a beautiful doughnut!!!
Sarah – Hehe, breakfast desserts. I suppose that's what they really are. But not these! These are just as healthy as a piece of bread with some jam on it. :)
Cinnamon rolls and doughnuts are two favorite breakfast desserts in my house! I love this combination :)
Heidi – They are really wonderfully fluffy! Your husband couldn't possibly complain about these. And thanks. :)
Lori – They just got in the way of the good stuff! No almonds next time. :)
Rachel – Thanks! I've followed you back. :)
These look awesome! Followed you on Pinterest! :) (rachelcooksblog)
They look good, and I love almonds… but I might pick them off too!
Wow, I'm very impressed with how fluffy these look! The texture looks incredible – not at all how I imagine baking with almond flour. These sound so good – love the topping!
Nora – You have to try these! I can't imagine another gluten-free donut recipe being so delicious. Thanks again for your enthusiasm. It always puts a big smile on my face. :)
Cassie – Thanks! They really don't taste like it, though. Honest! You said something before about gluten-free baked goods not having the right texture. Try these! I really don't think you'd be disappointed. :)
Wow, these look amazing, Erin! I am loving that they are grain free!
Wowza! I am craving these beauties right now – you are amazing Erin :) These are a must make!!!!!! I happen to love anything cinnamon roll related..I didn't have to even look at the photos for this one to win me over! XO
Georgia – Thank you! You too. :)
Amanda – I hope you enjoy them. They were so unbelievably plump and fluffy and really tasted almost like a "normal" baked donut. :)
Can't believe these are grain free! They look amazing- and healthy. These just shot to the top of my "to make" list:)
Fantastic looking donuts, Erin! Love your toppings, too. Have a happy weekend!
Katrina and Kathryn – Thanks. :)
Miryam – I didn't know you were on there either and I even looked for you! The strawberry donuts were really good but I prefer these just because they're so fluffy and cinnamon-y. I'm going to make a berry version soon. :) Wouldn't it be nice if we could reduce our sugar consumption to the point that stuff like dates and prunes alone made things sweet enough? I doubt it'll happen but it'd be nice.
Becca – I'm happy the topping looks like chocolate! When I read the ingredient list, I though "… really? No sugar? Just dates?" but it was lovely. I want to think of other stuff to use the topping for!
Wow, these look awesome. And the chocolate looking topping doesn't look like it has any of those ingredients at all. Itooks like chocolate. Yum, chocolate :)
I did not know you were on pinterest so now I am following your pins :-) We have very similar taste/kitchen interests :-)
These donuts look divine, and yes super healthy, hardly any sugar so super super good. I am still trying to decrease my sugar consumption even further so this are perfect.
I have not done donuts in for ever. I wanted to try the strawberry donuts chocolate and carrots made a while back although these ones seem even healthier. Will see because I still have to make your almonds and so many many other desserts!!
They look so lovely and fluffy, gorgeous!
I love this idea! These donuts sound so tasty!