Alright y’all, I’ve done something that I’ve been terrified of for a very long time: vegan baking!! It’s been a long time coming, and something I’ve subconsciously avoided due to years of well-meaning waiters, acquaintances, and online folks recommending restaurants and dishes that are vegan because in a lot of peoples’ minds, vegan and gluten free are exactly the same thing (all of you with food allergies or who are actually vegan may have similar experiences). It takes ages of built-up patience to explain, yet again, that problematic gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, and vegan means you don’t eat animal products….LITERALLY not even close to the same dietary restriction. But hey, the world of dietary restrictions can look like a giant tumbled mess to anyone on the outside which I totally get, so props to those of you who are trying to figure it out for the sake of a friend, family member, or just because you enjoy learning about nutrition – thank you!!
So, here I am, finally diving into the world of vegan baking with these gorgeous and absolutely dreamy gluten free vegan donuts: pistachio rose donuts topped with raspberry rose glaze! Baked donuts are also new to me (though Kendra has a fab recipe we’ve already posted for gluten free – not vegan – baked chocolate covered donuts that I highly recommend), so this was a double-whammy. Now, all that being said, this is my first ever vegan baking adventure, so if you’re an experienced vegan baker, I definitely recommend seeking out actual vegan baker blogs who’ve been doing this for years and have perfected gloriously-fluffy, perfect, delicious vegan bakes. And, if you’re vegan and not gluten free, definitely take advantage of the added bonus of being able to make fluffy, glutinous pastries that I’ll never ever be able to (eat all of them for me please!!). But if you’re into this flavor combo (one of my ABSOLUTE favorites), and are gluten free, AND are vegan – this is for YOU!! This was my first time using an egg replacer as well, so I went for a powdered mix – the Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, which was super easy to use.
And yes, that color is TOTALLY natural – which is insane. I fell in love with using freeze dried fruits in baking last year, and for any of you who haven’t tried using them yet, I highly recommend it!! I buy bags of freeze dried raspberries, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, and then toss all of the fruit into a very well-dried blender/nutribullet to create a fruit powder, then sift it to remove any seeds and voila! An incredibly flavor-packed, dry powder you can use to up the fruit flavor, or add color in the case of the raspberries. Strawberries actually don’t lend good color to anything baked – it ends up turning a bit brown, so I do add food coloring to strawberry bakes even with powdered freeze dried fruit, but raspberries can hold their own, as they do in this glaze. Here are the freeze dried raspberries (affiliate link) I use for this recipe and so many others! If you’re into this flavor combo, check out our pistachio raspberry rose cupcakes, or pistachio raspberry rose Swiss roll, or pistachio raspberry rose cake!!
Gluten Free Vegan Pistachio Raspberry Rose Donuts
Equipment
- Donut Pan
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 scoops vegan egg replacer we used the Bob's Red Mill egg replacer
- 1/2 Cup vegan sour cream
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- 2/3 Cup almond milk
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 3/4 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1 1/2 Cups finely ground raw unsalted pistachios
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 Cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the glaze:
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp sifted powdered freeze dried raspberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 Cup almond milk
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp rose water
Instructions
- First, make your donuts! Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and spray your baked donut pan with cooking spray, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together your vegan egg replacer (following the instructions on the mix you're using – we used the Bob's Red Mill egg replacer), vegan sour cream, canola oil, extracts, almond milk, and sugar until combined. Add in the flour, finely ground pistachios, baking powder, and salt and whisk until smooth and thick. Scoop the batter into a large piping bag and cut a 1/2 inch opening in the bag, then pipe the donut batter into your prepared donut pan in thick rings (up to the top of each donut indent. Shimmy the pan on the counter to remove any air pockets, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until donuts spring back with pressed lightly. Let donuts cool completely before glazing.
- Once donuts are cool, make the glaze! In a medium bowl, whisk together all glaze ingredients until very smooth and glossy. You're looking for a fairly runny consistency so that you can easily dip each donut in, so if you need to add more almond milk, do so now. Finally, dunk cooled donuts into the glaze and then let set on a wire rack until glaze has formed a crust, then serve!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your donuts!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
3 Comments
Cherie
How many eggs I can use instead of egg replace and can I use regular milk
Amelia Farber
Hi Cherie! We’ve never made this with regular eggs or milk but I would guess that it would work! Since the egg replacer is the equivalent of 3 eggs, I’d just use three regular eggs!
Cherie
Thanks a lot