Baked Gluten Free Glazed Donut Recipe with Almond Flour

I have been sharing a lot of donut recipes lately because I love donuts. I know they aren't part of my high protein low carb diet plan, but sometimes I eat them anyway. They're just so darn tasty!

Donuts from the donut shop near my house are amazing, but they are also deep fried in grease which makes the carbs even worse. So I make my own donuts when I have the craving, and I bake them in the oven.

This particular donut recipe is made with almond flour instead of wheat flour. The almond flour makes the donuts completely gluten-free, but even more important than that, it gives the finished donuts a sweet, almost nutty flavor (being made of powdered almonds, this is not a surprise). Almond flour is a little more dense than wheat flour, so the finished donuts are heavier and also more dense, but they are really moist too, so the overall texture is really nice.

I will admit that these donuts aren't nearly as pretty as the double chocolate and vanilla donuts I have shared recently, but don't let that fool you. They are every bit as delicious!

In addition to looking a little different, these donuts are a little more fragile than wheat flour donuts. Gluten is sticky and makes baked goods hold together really nicely. Almonds are not as sticky and, though the donuts will hold their shape and not fall apart when you eat them, if you aren't careful, you can break them more easily than you can break wheat flour donuts. Be careful, and you will be fine.

Special Equipment Needed for Baked Donuts

Donut Pans

To make any baked donuts, you are going to need a couple of donut pans. There are typically 6 3-inch donuts to a pan, and most donut recipes make 12 donuts, so it is best to buy a 2-pan set right off the bat. Otherwise, you will spend half your life waiting for donuts to bake and cool so that you can bake the other half of the recipe.

I have both traditional 3-inch donut pans and mini donut pans, and they all work really well and make awesome donuts. I bought like 6 of the mini pans because they hold so little batter, and I hate waiting. I also have a double oven (life changer!), so take my excess with a grain of salt.

You can buy metal donut pans and silicone donut pans on Amazon. I highly recommend the metal ones for several reasons. It might seem that the silicone pans would be best because you can more easily peel the pan away from the donut, and that is true, but they aren’t better.

First, non-stick metal pans, if well greased with butter or cooking spray, release very easily. I have never had to pry donuts out; they always just fall out when I turn over my pan. Second and more importantly, metal pans hold in the moisture and prevent dry donuts. Last, most recipes call for metal pans, and you will have to adjust the cooking times to get properly cooked donuts using silicone pans (which cook more quickly because they are thinner material). Just remember that, like cake, overcooked donuts are dry and not that pleasant, so use the heaviest metal pans you can afford and keep an eye on them.

Gluten-free donut ingredients

For the donuts

• Almond flour - I love almond flour. I was first turned on to it when I was gluten-free for a couple of years, and I have loved it ever since. It gives baked goods a rich, dense, nutty flavor.
• Coconut flour
• Sugar or monk fruit - Really, you could use any sweetener here. I use sugar.
• Baking powder
• Melted butter
• Milk or milk substitute - Almond milk, coconut milk, lactose-free milk, any milk in a carton or jug, not a can
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract - I prefer vanilla from Mexico or Madagascar, but any real, pure vanilla is fine.

Delicious gluten-free donut variations

• Add 1 cup chopped candies like M&Ms to the batter before piping into the donut pan
• Add 1 cup Fruity Pebbles to the batter before piping into the donut pan
• Add 1 cup chopped nuts to the batter before piping into the donut pan
• Add 1 cup chocolate chips to the batter before piping into the donut pan
• Add 1 cup blueberries or raspberries to the batter before piping into the donut pan
• Add 1 cup chopped apples, peaches, or pears to the batter before piping into the donut pan, and add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or apple pie spice to the dry ingredients as well
• Add some spice – You could add pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or cloves (though not all at the same time!).
• Add an extract – I love almond extract and add it to a lot of baked recipes. I would still add the vanilla and just make this an addition.
• Finish with the chocolate ganache glaze from the double chocolate donuts recipe or the vanilla glaze from the vanilla cake donut recipe.
• Melt ¼ cup of dark chocolate chips with the other glaze ingredients for a chocolate coating.
• Instead of glazing the donuts, brush them with melted butter and immediately dip into a shallow pan of cinnamon sugar (1 cup sugar to 1 tablespoon cinnamon)

How to store gluten-free donuts

You can store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They will get stale quicker in the fridge, but it will also prevent them from getting moldy.

I have some shallow rectangular containers from Tupperware that are perfect for donuts because you have to store them in a single layer to prevent the glaze from getting messed up.