Chocolate Chip Vegan Donuts
These scrumptious Vegan Chocolate Chip Donuts are a treat because they pack rich, gooey chocolate goodness into every bite with just eight simple ingredients. Easy to make and irresistibly tasty, they’re perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth without the fuss!
Filled with pumpkin spice and chocolate chips, they are chocolatey, fluffy, and absolutely amazing! If you love easy chocolatey plant-based desserts, our no-bake chocolate pie and zucchini chocolate muffins are other great recipes on this website to try.
This vegan donut recipe was created by Brandi with The Vegan 8. Recipe creator Brandi Doming says, “Just because you crave a donut doesn’t mean you need to resort to a greasy, fried one. Sure, those taste good but they are not the healthiest choice. These pumpkin spice donuts are fluffy, moist, and super soft.”
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Rich Chocolate Flavor: Packed with chocolate chips, these donuts offer a deliciously rich chocolate flavor in every bite, making them a perfect indulgence for chocolate lovers.
- Oil-Free: These donuts are made without oil, making them a lighter, healthier option that still satisfies your sweet tooth without added fats or unnecessary calories.
- Baked, Not Fried: Enjoy all the deliciousness of a classic donut without the need for deep frying. These donuts are baked, providing a healthier alternative with a fluffy and moist texture that everyone will love.
Ingredients you will need
- Flour- Whole grain flours such as spelt and oat flour are perfect for this recipe.
- Cornstarch- Acts as a binder and thickener
- Pumpkin spice– Pumpkin pie spice blend can be purchased or homemade.
- Baking powder- is used as a rising agent.
- Salt- For taste and to help the recipe rise.
- Maple syrup- Naturally sweetens these donuts.
- Pumpkin puree- This helps keep the recipe moist and sweet.
- Vegan yogurt- This one is optional but helps with keeping the donuts nice and moist. Try making your own with this recipe for Instant Pot Vegan Yogurt.
- Chocolate chips- These need to be dairy-free. My personal favorites are by Enjoy Life.
Substitutions & Tips
- Flour- Be sure to use regular spelt flour, not sprouted.
- Gluten-Free- To make these gluten-free, sub the spelt flour with superfine gluten-free oat flour (160g). Making your own oat flour is super simple too. Please keep in mind that oat flour does make these more dense but the flavor is just as good. Baking time is basically the same.
- Yogurt- Brandi uses soy yogurt for this recipe, but if you can’t find it or choose not to use it, simply add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe. If you would like to make your own, try this Instant Pot Yogurt.
- Muffins- This recipe makes 8 muffins if you want to make them instead of donuts.
How to make baked vegan donuts
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Use a non-stick silicone donut mold pan to prevent sticking. Most of these pans hold 6 donuts which is perfect.
STEP #2: Add the flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together well.
STEP #3: To the same bowl, add the syrup, pumpkin puree, yogurt, and chocolate chips. Stir the ingredients well until a smooth batter is formed. The batter will be on the thick side. Be careful not to overmix.
STEP #4: Spoon the batter evenly into the pan. Using the back of a spoon, smooth and flatten out the tops of each donut. If you don’t do this, they will bake up really lumpy and ugly. If you’re making muffins, using a trigger ice cream scoop gives a nice rounded top.
STEP #5: Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the donuts have risen beautifully, are fluffy, have a golden-brown top, and lightly spring back when touched. Muffins take closer to 20 minutes. Look for a clean toothpick when it’s inserted in the center.
STEP #6: Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then carefully flip them over onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely. Once cooled, store any extras in a large, sealed container or ziplock bag so they don’t dry out.
Recipe and photos from The Vegan 8 Cookbook, and it’s called Baked Pumpkin Spice-Chocolate Chip Donuts. Published with permission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. To make this gluten-free, sub the spelt flour with superfine gluten-free oat flour (160g).
The recipe creator tested these with both So Delicious coconut yogurt and Almond Dream low-fat almond yogurt. Both worked well but she preferred the texture from the coconut. She has not tested any other yogurts.
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container or storage bag to prevent them from drying out.
For more oil-free vegan desserts, check out our Dairy Free Desserts page.
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Vegan Donuts
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups spelt flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup + 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup vanilla dairy-free yogurt, room temperature (OR 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 6 tablespoons dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Use a non-stick silicone donut mold pan to prevent sticking. Most of these pans hold 6 donuts which is perfect.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together well.
- To the same bowl, add the syrup, pumpkin puree, yogurt, and chocolate chips. Stir the ingredients well until a smooth batter is formed. The batter will be on the thick side. Be careful not to overmix.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the pan. Using the back of a spoon, smooth and flatten out the tops of each donut. If you don’t do this, they will bake up really lumpy and ugly. If you’re making muffins, using a trigger ice cream scoop gives a nice rounded top.
- Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until the donuts have risen beautifully, are fluffy, have a golden-brown top, and lightly spring back when touched.
- Muffins take closer to 20 minutes. Look for a clean toothpick when it’s inserted in the center.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then carefully flip them over onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely.
- Once cooled, store any extras in a large, sealed container or ziplock bag so they don’t dry out.
Video
Notes
- Flour- Be sure to use regular spelt flour, not sprouted.
- Gluten-Free- To make these gluten-free, sub the spelt flour with superfine gluten-free oat flour (160g). Please keep in mind that oat flour does make these denser but the flavor is just as good. Baking time is basically the same.
- Yogurt- Brandi uses soy yogurt for this recipe, but if you can’t find it or choose not to use it, simply add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe. If you would like to make your own, try this Instant Pot Yogurt.
- Muffins- This recipe makes 8 muffins if you want to make them instead of donuts.
- Storage- Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container or storage bag to prevent them from drying out.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About the Chef
I’m Brandi, creator of The Vegan 8 blog and cookbook author of The Vegan 8 Cookbook. The majority of my recipes focus on 8 ingredients or less, not counting salt, pepper, or water. I love to create health-focused recipes, using whole foods to improve fitness and muscle-building, with the occasional comfort meal thrown in there! I’m an expert on oil-free cooking and baking!
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Great timing, I just purchased silicone donut pans and can’t wait to give this recipe a try!