Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts Recipe
Donuts for breakfast, snacks, dessert – basically any time of the day! I’m OBSESSED with these Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts. They’re light, fluffy, and made with sweet carrot cake spices, all topped off with vegan cream cheese icing, shredded carrots, and chopped walnuts. My kids absolutely love when I make this healthy treat, and I love including them in the process! Every bite is just melt-in-your-mouth good.
Watch This Video for How to Make Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts
You’ll Also Love: Carrot Cake Pancakes Recipe
Tips for Making Donuts Healthier
You can make any donuts a bit healthier by making a few simple changes without compromising any flavor. Here are my top tips:
- Bake your doughnuts instead of frying them – this is the ultimate way to cut out all of the saturated fat.
- Swap refined sugars for naturally sweet ingredients. In this case, coconut sugar can be used instead of granulated sugar!
- Add in nuts or seeds for an added boost of nutrients.
RELATED: Baked Glazed Doughnuts
What You’ll Need
Aside from a donut pan, of course, you’ll need a few simple ingredients for these vegan donuts. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
Healthy Carrot Cake Donuts
- All-Purpose Flour – easily make these gluten-free by using gluten-free flour. The all-purpose flour can also be substituted with half whole wheat flour!
- Baking Powder/Baking Soda/Salt
- Cinnamon/Ginger/Nutmeg/Vanilla
- Coconut Oil – or any type of oil! Melted vegan butter is a great option, too.
- Granulated Sugar – feel free to substitute with coconut sugar or brown sugar!
- Applesauce
- Soy Milk – any type of plant-based milk works, but the thickness of soy milk seems to work best for this recipe.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Grated Carrot – use a grater like this one to freshly grate a carrot for this recipe!
Vegan Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
- Vegan Cream Cheese – I like using this one!
- Powdered Sugar
- Plant-Based Milk – any type works great!
- Vanilla
RELATED: Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
How to Make Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts
Dairy-free, and no eggs or yeast required! This is truly one of the best vegan donut recipes. Here’s how to make these Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts in 30 minutes or less:
- Mix the soy milk and vinegar to create a vegan “buttermilk”.
- Stir together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly whisk in the wet ingredients, including the milk mixture.
- Fold in the grated carrots.
- Pour or pipe the batter into the donut pan.
- Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Mix the icing ingredients while the donuts cool on a cooling rack.
- Dip each donut into the icing and add toppings!
Tips for Making Healthy Carrot Cake Donuts
- If you don’t feel like making your own icing, this vegan icing is a great alternative. However, feel free to create a healthy cashew icing recipe, like this one. Or you can always just skip the icing altogether!
- These donuts can also be made into mini donuts by using a mini donut pan instead.
- Feel free to top these vegan donuts with anything you like. Shredded coconut, raisins, chopped walnuts, pecans, or more grated carrots!
How to Store Vegan Donuts
Vegan donuts can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months! If storing in the fridge or freezer, I recommend waiting to add the icing until you’re ready to enjoy them.
RELATED: Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
More Healthy Baking Recipes You’ll Love
- Blueberry Banana Protein Muffins
- Vegan Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies
- Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
- Vegan Butterfinger Cheesecake
- Gluten-Free Healthy Rhubarb Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to give it a rating below and tag your photos @jar.of.lemons!
Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts
Ingredients
Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup freshly grated carrot
Icing (Optional)
- 4 ounces plain vegan cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Making The Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 6-cavity donut pan and set aside.
- Combine the soy milk and vinegar and set aside. This will act as our buttermilk.
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk in the wet ingredients, including the milk mixture, until well-combined.
- Fold in the grated carrot. The batter will be thick.
- Add to the prepared donut pan (I like to use a ziplock bag and cut off the tip to pipe the batter into the pan), and bake for 14-15 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack.
Making The Icing
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the icing.
- Once the donuts have cooled, dip them into the icing and place them back on the wire rack.
- Top with chopped walnuts and more grated carrot if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The nutrition facts include icing for each donut.
Deb says:
Yum..everyone adored these and I love the healthy ingredients.