These maple glazed doughnuts are the perfect easy baked sweet treat to make at home. Made without eggs or dairy, these vegan doughnuts are lightly spiced and finished with a sweet, sticky maple glaze that tastes just as good as any bakery doughnut. Enjoy one fresh from the oven with a cup of coffee, or make a batch on the weekend to share.
At this point in the 10 or so years that I’ve been creating recipes at Eight Forest Lane, I will confess that baked doughnuts are my favourite to make (and to photograph fyi!). The reason is really pretty simple, I almost ALWAYS have the ingredients in my house already and they aren’t going to take me longer than 30 minutes.
The other bonus is they are relatively small batch, with this recipe making just 8 doughnuts so I am not rushing to find people to give away leftovers.
And while I’ll never say no to a cinnamon sugar doughnut, this maple glazed version remains a firm favourite. I mean we have a lightly spiced, cakey baked doughnut that is then dunked in a smooth, sticky, maple glaze. I just can’t get enough.
If you’re in the US, this recipe definitely needs to be on your fall baking bucket list. And if like me you’re in the southern hemisphere, well then, maybe turn on the AC and just pretend for a moment with me.
Key Ingredients
The ingredients in this dairy free maple glazed doughnut recipe are all fairly simple with most of them hopefully already hiding in your pantry.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy free milk – I use either oat milk or almond milk as that’s what I prefer to bake with, but you can also use soy milk with the same results.
- White vinegar – is added to the dairy free milk to create a vegan buttermilk alternative that works to create a soft, cakey doughnut without the need for egg. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US. You could also use a 1-1 gluten free plain flour blend to make these gluten free doughnuts.
- Baking powder – helps the doughnuts rise and keeps them light.
- Spices – a combination of nutmeg and cinnamon gives the doughnuts their warm, spiced flavour.
- Light brown sugar – gives these doughnuts a rich, caramel flavour which is so delicious as well as keeping the doughnuts tender. White sugar would work instead, but you will lose a lot of the extra flavour.
- Vanilla extract – further adding to the flavour profile of these doughnuts.
- Coconut oil – the fat which helps bind the doughnuts together with the absence of egg while also providing moisture so that they don’t dry out. You could use vegetable oil or canola instead with a similar result.
- Icing sugar + maple syrup – the key ingredients to the thick, sticky doughnut glaze. Make sure to use pure maple syrup for the best taste!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Start by making your homemade buttermilk by mixing the vinegar with the milk and setting it aside to curdle. Next add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Finally in a large bowl, add your brown sugar, vanilla and melted coconut oil to a bowl and whisk.
To this large bowl slowly add in the milk and whisk until all mixed through, then slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing completely before adding in more.
Once you have your batter, add it to a piping bag or zip lock bag to make things easy and fill a doughnut pan, that has been lightly greased with cooking spray, about half full. This batter makes about 8 doughnuts but it will depend on the size of your pan.
🍩 Tip! If you only have one 6 whole doughnut pan, then just turn out the doughnuts once they have cooled in the pan for a couple of minutes and wash it out with warm soapy water and rinse with cold water. Prepare the pan again with oil spray and fill the with the remaining batter.
Bake the doughnuts in a preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they bounce back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool completely on a wire rack before making the glaze.
Making the maple glaze
To make the glaze we use just 4 ingredients; icing sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil and almond milk.
Start by mixing together the maple syrup and coconut oil. Make sure you are using good quality, pure maple syrup here as it 100% makes a difference.
To this mix, slowly add in your icing sugar a little at a time, whisking completely between each addition. As the glaze starts to thicken add in a little of the milk to thin it out. Keep going until all the milk and icing sugar have been added. You should have a glaze that is thin enough to drizzle but will still coat the back of a spoon.
Dunk the top of the doughnuts into the glaze and then let sit on a wire rack (I like to put a sheet of baking paper underneath to catch all the excess drips and help the cleaning up process), and let the glaze set.
And because I love a garnish, I also tossed some walnuts in the excess glaze to add to the top, but this is totally optional but definitely looks cute and adds a yummy crunch.
Storage Instructions
If you don’t want to consume all these doughnuts at once, then they will also freeze well.
Place them in an airtight container in a single layer and freeze for about 2 months.
Take them out as you want to eat them and let them defrost at room temperature or zap for a few seconds in the microwave to get that really fresh doughnut taste.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you can use a mini muffin tin instead. These will be more like doughnut holes. Just keep an eye on the bake time, as they may cook a little faster.
Yes! You can substitute the plain flour with a 1:1 gluten free baking blend.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More doughnut recipes:
Baked Chocolate Doughnuts
Glazed Baked DoughnutsBiscoff Baked Doughnuts
Vegan Pumpkin Doughnuts
Vegan Maple Glazed Doughnuts
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Equipment
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doughnut pan
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- ½ cup dairy free milk such as oat milk or almond milk
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cups plain flour/all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
For the maple glaze:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon dairy free milk
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly spray a doughnut pan with cooking oil.
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In a small bowl, combine the vanilla almond milk and white vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle slightly.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the almond milk mixture and whisk again to combine.
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Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, whisking gently after each addition until the batter is smooth.
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Transfer the batter to a large piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the doughnut pan, filling each cavity about halfway.
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Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and maple syrup. Gradually add the icing sugar, whisking until smooth. Slowly add the almond milk a little at a time until the glaze is thick but still pourable.
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Dip the top of each cooled doughnut into the glaze, letting any excess drip off. Place on a wire rack with baking paper underneath to catch drips. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
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Once the glaze has set, store doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Not from Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide
This recipe was originally published in September 2020 and has been updated in 2025 to include new photos and more helpful information.