Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
Baked vegan apple cider donuts made with reduced cider and grated apple for deep orchard flavor, then brushed with coconut oil and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Serves
- 12
Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar is a vegan dessert recipe made with unfiltered apple cider (not vinegar), all-purpose flour, coconut sugar. It takes 55 minutes of hands-on time, plus 15 minutes resting, serves 12, and each serving has 230 calories, 2 g of protein and 2 g of fiber.
Boiling the cider down to a third of its volume is what makes these donuts taste like cider rather than vaguely of apple. Grated apple keeps the crumb moist without eggs, and the acidity of the cider and a splash of vinegar gives the baking soda a boost for a light, cakey rise. A quick brush of melted coconut oil while they're still warm helps the cinnamon sugar stick the way it would on a fried donut.
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1½ cups372 gunfiltered apple cider (not vinegar), reduced to 1/2 cup
- 2 cups250 gall-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup96 gcoconut sugar
- 1½ tsp6.9 gbaking powder
- ½ tsp2.3 gbaking soda
- 1½ tsp3.9 gground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp0.6 gground nutmeg
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt
- 1 medium182 gapple, peeled and finely grated (about 3/4 cup), Honeycrisp or Gala
- ½ cup120 gunsweetened oat milk or other plant milk
- ¼ cup54 gcoconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp5 gapple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp4.2 gvanilla extract
- 1 tsp4.5 gcoconut oil, for greasing the pans
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 3 tbsp41 gcoconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup63 gcoconut sugar
- 2 tsp5.2 gground cinnamon
Kit: two 6-cavity donut pans (or one pan used twice), small saucepan, box grater, piping bag or zip-top bag, pastry brush, wire rack
Tips
- Use fresh, unfiltered apple cider from the refrigerated section, not apple juice. Juice is thinner and sweeter and gives a flatter flavor once reduced.
- If your reduced cider comes up short, top it up with water to 1/2 cup. If it reduced too far, it will be syrupy, so thin it with water to measure 1/2 cup.
- Grate the apple on the fine side of a box grater so it disappears into the crumb instead of leaving wet pockets.
- Coat the donuts while they're warm. Once they cool, the sugar won't stick as well.
Swap ideas
- Granulated or light brown sugar instead of coconut sugar in the coating
- A finer, sparkly coating and a more classic cider-mill look, with less of a caramel note.
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of the grated apple
- A smoother, slightly denser crumb and no peeling or grating.
- Neutral oil or melted vegan butter instead of the coconut oil in the batter
- Doesn't firm up when chilled, so leftovers stay a little softer. Vegan butter adds a buttery flavor.
- Add 1/4 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of ground cloves to the batter
- A warmer, more spiced donut in the style of pumpkin spice.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
230kcal per serving
Everything else · 12 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 6.9 g 35%
- Sugars
- 16.6 g
- Sodium
- 424 mg 18%
- Potassium
- 236 mg 5%
- Calcium
- 125 mg 10%
- Iron
- 1.2 mg 7%
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg 1%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.02 µg 1%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Apple cider, Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached, COCONUT SUGAR (The Kroger Co., Branded; ingredients: organic coconut sugar), Leavening agents, baking powder, double-acting, sodium aluminum sulfate, Leavening agents, baking soda, Spices, cinnamon, ground, Spices, nutmeg, ground, Salt, table, Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Oatly Original Oatmilk (Nutrition Facts per 1 cup / 240 ml: 120 kcal, 5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 100 mg sodium, 16 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 7 g sugars, 3 g protein, 350 mg calcium, 0.3 mg iron, 390 mg potassium, 0.4 mcg B12). Converted to per 100 g assuming ~244 g per cup (density ≈ 1.02 g/mL); vitamin C not listed, treated as 0., Oil, coconut, Vinegar, cider, Vanilla extract
Method
Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring now and then, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 15–20 minutes. Pour into a heatproof measuring cup and let cool until just warm, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease the donut pan cavities well with coconut oil. Peel and finely grate the apple.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
In a second bowl, whisk the cooled reduced cider, oat milk, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla, then stir in the grated apple along with any juice. Make sure the liquids aren't cold, or the coconut oil will seize into flecks.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick; a few small lumps are fine.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag or zip-top bag, snip off the corner, and pipe into the greased cavities, filling each about three-quarters full. If you only have one pan, keep the remaining batter at room temperature for the second batch.
Bake until the tops spring back when pressed and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean, 12–15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Regrease the pan and repeat with any remaining batter.
Mix the 1/3 cup coconut sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon in a shallow bowl. While the donuts are still warm, brush the tops and sides of each with melted coconut oil, then press into the cinnamon sugar to coat on all sides.
Storage: Best the day they're made. Keep in a loosely covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The coating gets damp in an airtight box. Freeze uncoated donuts for up to 2 months, then thaw, warm briefly in the oven and coat.
Questions
- How much protein is in baked vegan apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar?
- Each of the 12 servings has 2 g of protein, 2 g of fiber and 230 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is baked vegan apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does baked vegan apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, so 55 minutes of hands-on time, plus 15 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make baked vegan apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar ahead?
- Best the day they're made. Keep in a loosely covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The coating gets damp in an airtight box. Freeze uncoated donuts for up to 2 months, then thaw, warm briefly in the oven and coat.
- What can I substitute in baked vegan apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar?
- Granulated or light brown sugar instead of coconut sugar in the coating — a finer, sparkly coating and a more classic cider-mill look, with less of a caramel note.. 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of the grated apple — a smoother, slightly denser crumb and no peeling or grating.. Neutral oil or melted vegan butter instead of the coconut oil in the batter — doesn't firm up when chilled, so leftovers stay a little softer. vegan butter adds a buttery flavor.. Add 1/4 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of ground cloves to the batter — a warmer, more spiced donut in the style of pumpkin spice..
- Does baked vegan apple cider donuts with cinnamon sugar contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 24, 2026 ·American