Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Donuts

So a funny thing happened on the way to the store. I went with the purpose of buying new workout shoes. Instead I came home with a donut pan and made gluten-free dairy-free chocolate donuts.

The Easiest Way to Make Homemade Gluten Free Donuts

I’ve been wanting to make homemade donuts for a long time. Some of my favorite gluten-free bloggers have been giving me serious donut envy. Then I remembered that I had a Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix and a package of Dang Gluten Free Toasted Coconut Chips.

Being the frugal use-what-you-have-in-the-pantry kind of gal, I decided to combine the two. Therefore, gluten-free dairy-free chocolate donuts with coconut were born!

Can You Make These Dairy Free?

While I don’t have to eat dairy-free, I know many people that do. Sometimes I like to play around in the kitchen, seeing how I can make items safer for those with additional allergies.

Substituting Coconut Oil for Butter

I did some research and read from other bakers that coconut oil was great for dairy-free baking. Therefore I grabbed some coconut oil and subbed that for the butter called for on the Betty Crocker cake mix box.

My One Tip For Better Gluten Free Baked Goods

To that I added crushed Dang Coconut Chips. The batter was thin, not like a dough that one could roll out. Due to this, I allowed the batter for these gluten-free dairy-free chocolate donuts to rest 10-15 minutes. This allowed the mix to absorb the liquid and did become slightly thicker.

What Type of Donut Pan Do You Use?

I use Wilton Donut Pans. I’ve owned them (literally) for years and they still work great. To fill the donut pan wells, I recommend putting the batter in a gallon ziploc bag, and placing a small cut in the corner to pipe the batter into the wells. These were baked for 15 minutes, much like you would a cupcake.

These gluten-free dairy-free chocolate donuts are delicious, fluffy and very moist. If you prefer a dryer and firmer donut, I might suggest only using 2 of the 3 eggs that the recipe directs. (I haven’t actually tried this, so I’m not sure what the results will be.)

How To Make Dairy Free Frosting

Since my batter was dairy-free, I wanted to have a dairy-free frosting as well. I made a coconut oil based “buttercream” by blending coconut oil, powdered sugar, vanilla and a touch of water. I recommend this dairy free frosting recipe from LouAna.

The recipes I found all called for a bit of milk, but I didn’t have any dairy-free milk. The consistency worked out just fine. After dipping the gluten-free dairy-free chocolate donut in the glaze, I dipped it in shredded coconut and let it rest.

Can I Use a Different Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix?

The gluten free market continues to grow by leaps and bounds since I was first wrote this recipe in 2016. There are SO many amazing gluten free chocolate cakes mixes available today. Here are a few I recommend.

• King Arthur Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
• Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix (may contain milk, soy)
• Better Batter Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
• Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
• Pamela’s Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
• Jessica’s Natural Foods Cake Mix (contains oat flour)

And you don’t even need to use a chocolate cake mix. You could make yellow cake donuts.

What Other Toppings Would You Like on a Gluten Free Chocolate Donut?

I just so happened to have some leftover caramel sundae sauce left in the refrigerator. It is not dairy-free, but I couldn’t resist trying it out. I miss the Girl Scout Samoa cookies and thought this would be a close alternative.

Admittedly, the sauce was thin and didn’t stick as well as I would have liked. This just gives me an opportunity to make these gluten-free dairy-free chocolate donuts again to perfect the idea!

What gluten-free baked goods have you been missing? If you make gluten-free donuts at home, what’s your favorite recipe and method? Share a note with me in the comments!

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