These tasty Chocolate Vegan Donuts are made with simple ingredients and contain no dairy or hard-to-find vegan ingredients. Baked and not fried, each bite of the chocolate frosting-covered treat is rich, decadent, and luscious.
Easy vegan chocolate donuts
One of my proudest baking moments was the day I came up with these rich and decadent Chocolate Vegan Donuts with Chocolate Frosting. They are so soft and moist, it’s like eating my favorite chocolate cake! Made with simple vegan ingredients, it’s a dessert you need to try ASAP.
Yes, this recipe is vegan-friendly but no, it doesn’t require any complicated or hard-to-find ingredients. Simply whip the batter up in 1 bowl and bake in a donut pan. Finished them off with the soft and luscious chocolate frosting for a heavenly tasting dessert or snack.
I promise that investing in a donut pan is well worth the small expense. Some of my best donut creations have come out of these pans, like my Peanut Butter Donuts, Carrot Cake Donuts, Baked Chocolate Donuts with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Chip Donuts.
Vegan donuts vs. regular donuts
These chocolate donuts are made solely with vegan-friendly ingredients. I’m talking vegan butter, plant-based milk, and cocoa powder. Luckily, all of these can be found at most large grocery stores, meaning they aren’t any more difficult to make than “regular” baked donuts.
Pro tip: Not all white sugar is vegan-friendly. Some companies still use bone char in their refining, filtering, and coloring process. Even though the sugar doesn’t directly contain animal products, most vegans still would not feel comfortable eating it.
The good news? Not all brands use bone char! You can make the donuts using a bone char-free brand or you use another kind of sugar.
How to make baked vegan chocolate donuts
I love baked donuts because they’re soft, rich, and aren’t messy. Frying means you need to use lots of oil and more pots and pans. To make this recipe, all you need to do is mix up the batter in one bowl and then bake!
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large 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.
Let donuts cool completely before removing them from the pan and adding the frosting.
How to make vegan chocolate frosting for donuts
The best part of a donut is the frosting! This simple chocolate frosting takes these dairy-free donuts to the next level:
- Cream the powdered sugar and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Btw, my favorite vegan butter is Earth Balance, we use it for everything.
- Add the almond milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Continue to mix until a creamy chocolate frosting forms.
- To glaze, dip the cooled chocolate donuts in the frosting on one side and leave them to set before enjoying.
Can I make these without a donut pan?
Baking donuts in a donut pan helps them form the signature shape. If you don’t have one, use a muffin pan instead. This recipe should make 6-8 vegan chocolate muffins.
Make sure you only fill the muffin tin 2/3rds of the way to prevent the muffins from spilling over the top. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing them from the pan and frosting the tops with chocolate frosting.
Can these be made gluten free?
If you’re looking to make these vegan donuts also gluten free, that’s no problem! All you’ll need to do is swap out the all purpose flour for a gluten free 1:1 flour blend. Make sure your blend already contains xanthan gum so you don’t have to add it yourself.
Storing and freezing chocolate donuts
If eating immediately: Simply leave the donuts out on the cooling rack or on a serving dish at room temperature. To leave them out for more than a few hours, cover the donuts with plastic wrap or place them on a cake serving dish with a lid. Make sure they are stored in a single layer to keep the frosting from sticking to the donuts.
To store: Place the chocolate donuts in a single layer in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, let the donuts sit at room temperature for about 10 or 15 minutes so they aren’t too firm or cold.
To freeze: You can freeze the chocolate donuts without frosting by first placing them on a sheet pan in a single layer. Once they are fully frozen, add them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter before serving and adding frosting.
More chocolate desserts to try
- Chocolate Vegan Fudge
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pudding
- 100 Calorie Chocolate Brownie
- Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
- Chocolate Milkshake
Pin for later:
Chocolate Vegan Donuts with Chocolate Frosting (Dairy Free)
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 extract
- 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. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray.
- 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 (this recipe makes 6 donuts) 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 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!
Annaliese says
I meant to give it 5 stars…..😍🥰🤣🤣🤣🤣
Annaliese says
These we’re heavenly! Especially the sauce (tho I had to add more milk, coz it was to thick) everyone went crazy about them! Thank you!
Saumya singh says
Donuts were so soft and tasty
Pamela says
So happy to hear you liked them! Thanks for commenting Saumya!
Georgia says
Mine also fell apart- have you ever tried the recipe with an egg? I used a mini donut pan and used butter as my pan says not to use spray or it’ll ruin it. Thanks!
Katelyn says
I love this recipe
Mike says
This is a wonderful recipe! Our little one is allergic to dairy and these donuts are a delightful treat. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper!!
Pamela says
Hey Mike, this comment made my day! Glad to hear your little one liked these donuts! 🙂 Thanks for commenting.
Iida says
This is my favourite donut recipe!
But why it seems that the list of ingredients seems to have gone missing? I can’t find any instructions either? Why is it so?
Pamela says
Hey Lida, the blog was down for maintenance for a few hours, the recipe card is back up and running! Enjoy!
Marilyn says
Oh my goodness, I’m a chocolate fanatic I can’t wait to try this,
Andrea says
I’ve made these doughnuts a couple of times and they are delish! I do have a comment/question. The crumb is so delicate (not a bad thing) but it makes them very difficult to release even from a well sprayed pan. I’ve tried to reduce the amount of sugar so the crumb isn’t so delicate and it was slightly easier to release but they never just fall out of the pan and at least one usually breaks. Any suggestions? BTW, I do test with a toothpick and don’t remove from the oven until it comes out clean.
I’ve also added cacao nibs on top!
Beth says
I made these today for a Easter luncheon and they turned out great! I even put pastel Easter sprinkles on top!
Pamela says
I love that idea! Thanks for sharing Beth!
Abi says
Hi..I tried this recipe..exactly. my donuts were too delicate.. it just broke when I took out the pan…do we have to cool it before removing from the pan ?it’s generally advised to quickly remove the donuts. Pls help.
Pamela says
Hey Abi, per recipe instructions you need to let these cool before removing. I’ve never heard of quickly removing hot donuts from the pan. In general I always find it best to let baked goods cool before removing from their pan. Hope you give it another shot.
Lisa says
Glad I found this comment. Usually with baked goods they say to cool only for a few minutes then remove. Most baked goods will stick if you let them cool completely in pan. MIne are simply coming out as crumbs but I will let the rest of them cool completely and see if they will come out in one piece.
Pamela says
Hey Lisa – did you make sure to spray the donut pan with nonstick spray? I’ve made these donuts dozens of times and mine always come out clean. They’re a favorite of many readers of the blog so I hope you can figure out what went wrong – they’re worth it!
Ambi says
Hi! Pamela,
I tried the donut recipe in individual tiny donut molds. Though the donuts fell apart while demolding yet the taste was awesome almost like chocolate muffins. I baked them initially for 10-12 mins but they looked undone but were fluffy. After that I baked them for another 3 mins and the top became flat and crusty. Finally after cooling them for 20mins when I demolded they crumbled. Could you please tell me where did i go wrong…. Yours look soooooo tempting and perfect. Would like to try once more with your guidance. Hope to see your reply soon. 🙂
Thanks.
Ambi
Chellie says
These look like Heaven in a pastry! Yum–can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ambi says
Hi! Pamela,
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I have been desperately looking for an eggless version that could be baked in a donut pan. Am strongly allergic to eggs and so happy to have found this recipe. However, if I wished to change it to plain Vanilla and remove cocoa powder what should be the ratio of all purpose flour and other ingredients… It would be very kind if you could reply asap. thanks in advance. 🙂
Pamela says
Hey Ambi, thanks for stopping by! Since I haven’t made a vanilla version of these donuts I don’t want to give you a wrong guess. Subscribe to the newsletter and I’ll try to keep a vanilla recipe in mind for the future!
Ambi says
Thanks Pamela 🙂 Hope u try out the Vanilla version soooooooonnnnn… Will be waiting eagerly!!! 🙂
danakscully64 says
These were delicious! Very rich. The only issue I had with them was they fell apart really easily. Next time I make them I’ll freeze them before I glaze.
Pamela says
So happy you enjoyed them!