Baked Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donuts, incredibly delicious, made with little sugar and a the best flavors of the season!
When Fall arrives, so does the cravings for all things apple, cinnamon and pumpkin… oh and soups!
Nothing to worry, as you can dive right in and enjoy your favorite flavors of the season. Am I right? Hmmm… not so fast!
Some recipes make you consider twice. Like this favorite Apple Cider Donuts, which I obsess over every fall. All those memorable trips to the a farm wouldn’t have been half as good, if it wasn’t for those fresh farm cider donuts I deeply crave for.

Check out these delicious Cinnamon Apple Blander Muffins!!
However, as much as I love ‘em, I cringe at the fact that they are loooooaaded with sugar and ffff-fried!
Ha! Let’s do something about that, shall we?
Or at least make it a lot better…
Starting with a fraction of the sugar and ditching the deep fryer. Aw… and if it helps, let’s make it gluten-free too!
In all seriousness, we can all agree that a freshly baked (or fried) Apple Cider Donut is an irresistible treat, especially during the fall season when the apples are deee-licious, fresh and cheap(er). After all, I am an advocate for seasonal eating, so this is ME, eating with the seasons. Yum, yum yuuuum!
About this recipe…
These Apple Cider Donuts are incredibly delicious, made with little sugar and a lot of the best flavors of the season. These yummy awesome donuts are perfectly gluten-free and baked, so you can enjoy more of what you love!
Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, + 1/2 tsp for coating
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 4 tbsp for coating
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375F degrees. Spray a donut pan (or two) and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the first 6 ingredients to combine (dry ingredients)
- In a second bowl add the melted butter, egg, sugar, apple cider and apple sauce. Whisk until mixture is uniform.
- Pour dry ingredients into the liquids and fold gently to combine without over mixing it.
- Pour batter into a large zip bag and make a small cut in one of the corners.
- When you are ready to pour the batter into the donut pan, twist the bag squeezing the batter out through the small cut and into the donut pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Insert toothpick to make sure it is cooked through. Remove from oven and allow it to cool off before removing from pan.
- In a small plate or shallow bowl, mix 1 tsp cinnamon and 4 tbsp sugar. whisk to combine.
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter and brush on both sides of the donut. Dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated.
Oh my gosh, these donuts look amazing!!!!! I love that fall baking had started! 🙂
Isn’t Fall baking the BEST time of year?!! Thanks so much Shinee 🙂
These seriously look SO GOOD! I am loving your blog! What’s your favorite (easy) recipe?
Hi Suzanne! it’s so hard to pick one, but the Banana Bread is one I make the most. It’s super easy, healthy and delicious.
Could the egg be omitted by adding more applesauce?
I haven’t tried without the egg so I am not 100% the consistency will work but I believe it is worth a try. Let me know!