Baked Chocolate Donuts with chocolate frosting that are vegan (and will blow your mind!) These soft and fluffy donuts are made with simple dairy free ingredients. I’m not vegan, but holy heck – these donuts have changed my life!
Baked Vegan Chocolate Donuts Recipe
One of my proudest baking moments was the day I first made these chocolate donuts! They are so soft and moist, and can you believe it – they’re made with simple dairy free vegan ingredients!! Seriously, they’re going to blow your mind, I’m telling you now.
In NYC, there’s a bakery called Dun-Well that sells the most amazing vegan donuts (add it to your must visit list – it’s in Brooklyn!). My family is not vegan (at all) but hands down they’re our favorite donuts. This got me to thinking… how the heck do they do it? So I made these chocolate donuts!
Yes, this recipe is vegan but it doesn’t require any hard-to-find fancy ingredients. Simply whip the batter up in 1 bowl, bake in a donut pan and finish them off with sweet chocolate frosting. They’re so easy to make!
This recipe makes 6 chocolate donuts. You can easily double the ingredients if you want to make a full dozen.
Want more baked donut recipes? Try my Baked Sugar Donuts, Baked Strawberry Donuts, Glazed Carrot Cake Donuts and Chocolate Chip Donuts.

Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Donuts
Vegan donut ingredients are pretty similar to making regular donuts. I promise that you don’t need fancy ingredients- you know what I mean, pricey or hard to find. Everything can be found at your local grocery store.
- all-purpose flour
- white sugar
- cocoa powder
- baking soda
- salt
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- unsweetened almond milk (I’ve also made these with oat milk and they turned out well!)
- powdered sugar
- dairy free butter (we use Earth Balance)
How To Bake Chocolate Donuts
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the wet ingredients until a smooth batter is formed.
Evenly pour the batter into the greased donut pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make the chocolate frosting in a bowl which is a mixture of powdered sugar, dairy free butter, almond milk, cocoa powder and vanilla.
Let donuts cool completely before removing them from the pan and adding the frosting.

Storing chocolate donuts
Store chocolate donuts at room temperature, covering them with plastic wrap (careful to not stick to the frosting) or lid. My tip is that I place a large bowl (upside down) on top of the plate of donuts, making my own lid!
You can also store in the refrigerator but I do think they dry out a little bit, and since this recipe only makes 6 donuts, you probably will have them finished in a few days!
Can these be made gluten free?
Since making these, this question has come up often in the comments. Yes, you can make these into gluten free donuts! Simply swap out the all purpose flour for a gluten free 1:1 flour blend.
Pin for later:

Mind Blowing Baked Vegan Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Frosting
PrintIngredients
For the donuts
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
For the frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons dairy free butter (I use Earth Balance) melted
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the donuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray. This recipe makes 6 donuts.
- Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add oil, vanilla and milk and continue to stir until smooth.
- Pour batter into donut pan and bake for 12 minutes. Insert toothpick and if it comes out clean, donuts are done. If toothpick is not clean, bake for 2-3 more minutes or until clean.
- Let donuts cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
For the frosting
- In a bowl using a hand mixer, mix together powdered sugar and butter until creamed well.
- Add milk, cocoa powder and vanilla and continue to mix until creamy and well combined.
- Once donuts are cool, dip them into the frosting to cover the tops. Enjoy!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
My goodness, these look truly divine! I’ve never attempted to make donuts before but they seem like they’d be pretty easy. I’ve always thought of donuts as being quite unhealthy but these aren’t at all!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
Holy Doughnuts! These definitely look like a baking moment to be proud of, Pamela! I wish I had one right now. Who am I kidding? I wish I had five right now.
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
Whoa, dairy free and they look like that? You’re working some magic here! I’m going to give my doughnut pan another whirl with this; these look amazing!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
If I were able to make these, it would be my proudest moment also. I’m just not much of a baker. Love that photo with the cat. And that white background board. Is that a photography supply or did you buy it at an art store? I need one.
Kristi @ lifesprinkles says
Yummmm these look awesome!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
Pamela, these donuts look gorgeous! Love that chocolate frosting on top! And they are dairy free on top of it all? YUM!
Deb@CookingOnTheFrontBurner says
Delicious looking donuts! I love chocolate…who doesn’t 🙂
kimmythevegan says
omg… I’m drooling over these right now. They look SO GOOD. And I can guarantee you that extra frosting would not last more than 5 minutes in my house haha ;p
Love that these are vegan =D
Looks like you are getting the hang of the dairy-free thing!
Karen @ The Tasty Bite says
These look mouth-watering – I’d love to lick that bowl of frosting clean! Need to get a donut pan ASAP
Samina | The Cupcake Confession says
I need a donut pan in my life!!!!!! These look incredibleeeeeeee Pamela!!!! And every word that you’ve used to describe these have managed to make me drool, add in these drool worthy photos and its just indescribable! Yum!!!!!!!!!! Tryingggggg these! 🙂
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
I am determined to make these GIGI approved because they look SOOOO GOOD! 🙂
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
Oh my! These look ridiculously delicious! I can’t believe these are dairy free. Kudos, my friend. 🙂
PS love FiFi Bofinkles. 🙂
ela@GrayApron says
Nice, very nice…I mean…major yum! I like your photo studio there, and the cat…they are always curious…:) ela
Joanne says
Wow. Just wow. My donut pan is definitely getting a workout this weekend!
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
Okay, I think it’s about time I get a set of these donut pans so I can get in on this chocolately action. These looks so moist and delicious!
Kat says
My daughter LOVES donuts. These look so yummy! I have to give them a try 🙂 Pinned 🙂
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Holy crap, I can totally tell why these were your proudest baking moment. These look amazeballs.
John@Kitchen Riffs says
Baked donuts can be so good. These look outrageously so! Super recipe – thanks.
The Café Sucre Farine says
Wow Pamela, these are gorgeous and extremely drool provoking. I tried baked donuts for the first time a few months ago and I was shocked at how wonderful they were.
Juliana says
Looks delicious the donuts, especially with the creamy frosting…yum!
Hope you are having a wonderful week Pamela 😀
tinywhitecottage says
I read your blog regularly but don’t comment very often, however, these drove me to say something! Over the top goodness! Where have I been? I have never seen a donut pan. It looks like a muffin pan. All the better to be able to bake the donuts rather than fry them. Gorgeously photographed too!
vanillasugarblog says
oh really?
almond milk?
OK, I’m willing to try it. I mean almond milk is pretty darn good.
I have the same ego lights!
(and the same curious kitty)
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Wicked! Pamela, you ROCK. Love that these donuts are dairy free. Cannot wait to try. Thanks for sharing, m’lady! xo
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
Oh well.
Oh well.
Oh well.
These lovely little donuts look way to delicious to be true. That frosting?? I want to cover my whole life in it. Darn, it looks delicious!
Beth @ bethcakes says
I have a mini donut maker and for some reason, I never use it. These donuts are a wonderful reason to dig it out of my pantry. They look so fudgy and ohmygoodness that creamy chocolate glaze! 🙂
Sarah & Arkadi says
We have never made donuts. These are really good! Thanks for the recipe!
Faith @ Pixie Dust Kitchen says
I can’t believe these are dairy free- they look so rich and incredible! Using oil must make them unbelievably moist!
ashley - baker by nature says
Shhuuuud up!!! These look so amazing I maybe am crying just a little because they’re not here with me now. Yep… definitely tears happening.
Ruby @ The Ruby Red Apron says
Mmmm, chocolatey moist donuts! That frosting looks perfect!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
These look so delish! Gosh I love chocolate!!