Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts
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Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts
Is there a better way to start your day than with our Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts? Topped with a tangy orange cinnamon glaze, these delights promise a delightful morning indulgence. Baked, not fried, and brimming with the comforting spices of carrot cake, they make an ideal addition to your breakfast or brunch spread! Completely Vegan + Gluten-free Option.
With Easter right around the corner, I've been brainstorming some breakfast + brunch ideas. And let's be real, who doesn't love carrot cake and donuts? So, I had a stroke of genius: Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts! These treats are a hit with both kids and adults alike. They're perfect for brunch spreads or for busy parents needing a one-handed snack. Haha. Loaded with all those classic carrot cake spices, and that orange cinnamon glaze? Absolutely delicious!
These baked donuts offer a healthier twist—they're baked, not fried—perfect for enjoying anytime, whether it's breakfast, as a snack, or dessert! Inspired by my moist olive oil cake, I've used olive oil to give these donuts their irresistible texture. If you're a carrot cake enthusiast like me, you'll also love my Easy Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes or the classic Vegan Carrot Cake. And for a decadent treat, don't miss out on the Southern-Style Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls!
These carrot cake donuts are super versatile, with options for gluten-free diets! I love how simple they are to whip up—it's a definite win in my book! They're bound to be a hit with the whole family!
Jump to:
- What Do Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts Taste Like?
- Donut vs. Doughnut
- How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts
- Ingredients
- Why Put Olive Oil In Donuts?
- Baked vs Fried Doughnuts?
- Equipment Needed for Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts
- Can I Use Other Types of Milk?
- Perfect Occasions For Vegan Carrot Cake Doughnuts
- Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts Q + A's
- More Delicious Breakfast + Brunch Ideas
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts
What Do Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts Taste Like?
- Moist, cake-like texture with a hint of sweetness from carrots.
- A zesty, aromatic orange cinnamon glaze that adds a burst of flavor!
- Each bite offers a perfect balance of cozy, sweet + tangy notes!
- It's like enjoying a slice of freshly baked carrot cake in convenient donut form.
- Baked to perfection, not fried, for a healthier twist.
- Trust me they are SUCH a hit with both kids + adults.
Donut vs. Doughnut
Donut vs. doughnut - It's the spelling dilemma that has perplexed people for ages. Some say "donut" is easier to spell and faster to say, while others argue "doughnut" is the more proper and sophisticated way to spell it.
How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts
While homemade donuts might sound like a project recipe, they actually come together quite easily. To make these sweet treats, you'll combine the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Then combine the two and pipe the batter into a donut pan. Bake them up until golden and fully set. Then you just have to coat them in the orange cinnamon glaze. Voila!
Ingredients
DONUTS:
- Grated carrots. Adds moisture and natural sweetness to the donuts.
- Organic all-purpose flour. Adds structure and texture.
- Organic cane sugar. Sweetens the donuts.
- Baking powder + baking soda. Acts as a leavening agent, helping the donuts rise.
- Spices. Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg + ground allspice. Infuses the donuts with warm, aromatic flavors reminiscent of carrot cake.
- Sea salt. Elevates the overall taste.
- Orange zest. Adds bright citrus notes, complementing the sweetness of the carrots.
- Vanilla extract. This adds a nice vanilla flavor. Always use pure vanilla and not the imitation flavor for the best results!
- Navel orange. Freshly-squeezed---you can use any type of orange.
- Extra virgin olive oil. Feel free to use your favorite high-quality EVOO. My fave tried and trusted brand is California Olive Ranch.
- Almond milk. Unsweetened (You can use your fave plant-based milk) Try my homemade almond milk recipe!
- Apple cider vinegar. Reacts with the baking soda to create bubbles, resulting in lighter and fluffier donuts.
ORANGE CINNAMON GLAZE:
To tie your carrot cake doughnuts together, make a simple orange glaze. All you need it:
- Powdered sugar. This ensures that your glaze is smooth and shiny, not gritty.
- Ground cinnamon. For a hint of warm spice.
- Navel orange. Freshly-squeezed.
- Almond milk. Unsweetened (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
SHOP MY FAVORITE BAKEWARE ITEMS AND ACCESSORIES!
Here, I’ve curated a list of bakeware essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baking treats, especially with this Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts. Everything from my fave baking sheets, parchment paper, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Why Put Olive Oil In Donuts?
Well, for starters, it's all about that moist, melt-in-your-mouth texture that olive oil brings to the table. And let's not forget the cool, slightly fruity note it adds – a flavor that's like a little surprise in every bite. Plus, it's kind of a healthier choice, swapping out the butter for some good ol' heart-healthy fats!
Baked vs Fried Doughnuts?
In case you are new to making your own doughnuts or you just didn't really understand the full difference between the two---I wanted to break down the real distinction between a baked doughnut or donut and a fried one. Granted, both types taste absolutely amazing; however, once you've tried both, you'll notice the difference while eating.
Baked Doughnuts --- These types of fluffy doughnuts are generally whipped together in a bowl (generally without yeast) and are lighter in texture. They can also be "cakey" depending on the ingredients used.
Fried Doughnuts --- These types of fluffy doughnuts are generally denser in texture and have a bit of a crunchiness (on the outside) from being deep-fried. They typically have a sweeter flavor and richer texture.
Equipment Needed for Vegan Carrot Cake Donuts
The only unique piece of equipment you need to make homemade donuts is a donut pan. If you're a donut fan, I highly recommend adding one to your kitchen toolbox. You'll never have to go out for donuts again, and you can always customize the ingredients, flavors, and decorations of your breakfast pastries!
The easiest way to fill a donut pan without a major mess is to pipe the batter into the rings. You don't need a special pastry bag, however. A simple gallon-sized Ziplock bag will do the trick. Simply fill the bag with your batter (work in batches to avoid over-filling the bag), then snip off one corner. Aim for a ¾-inch hole to pipe the batter cleanly into the donut rings in the pan.
The last piece of equipment you'll need is a wire cooling rack. Ensure your donuts are fully cooled before glazing them. Waiting for these treats to cool is the hardest part of the whole recipe! Then you can use stay fresh containers to store them in for a longer time.
Can I Use Other Types of Milk?
Absolutely! If you’d like to switch things up with the type of plant-based milk that you use for carrot cake doughnuts—–that’s totally fine! The world of plant-based milk is constantly expanding. From the classics like coconut milk, cashew milk, soy milk and almond milk, we now have delicious options like oat milk, and even potato and quinoa milk.
Perfect Occasions For Vegan Carrot Cake Doughnuts
These events are a great excuse to eat these plant-based carrot cake doughnuts!
- Brunch gatherings
- Easter
- Birthdays
- Anniversaries
- Barbecues
- Potlucks
- Kids Sleepovers
- Holiday Gatherings
- Baby Showers
Actually, any time is a good time for a donut, right? Bake away for a little weekday pep-up!
Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts Q + A's
Can be stored in a tightly sealed container and best if placed in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for ultimate freshness. These donut containers are awesome!
If you choose to opt out of pure cane sugar, you can always substitute with coconut sugar, Agave, or pure maple syrup instead. For liquid sweeteners, just adjust the amount of milk used by reducing it by 2 Tbsps to start.
To make these donuts GF, I recommend using a GF Flour Blend (Bob’s Red Mills has a great version!). NOTE: If the donut mixture is too ‘thin + runny’, simply add additional GF flour, ¼ cup at a time.
If you'd like to make your donuts feel even more like traditional carrot cake, feel free to add in raisins, walnuts, pecans, diced pineapples, etc. I'd recommend starting with ½ cup of either add-on. For pineapples, you might want to ensure that all excess liquid is squeezed out.
When it comes to the main ingredient of this entire vegan donut recipe—-the flour, I enjoy using Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, which is ideal for all kinds of baking, including this one.
However, I do occasionally use Super-Fine Cake Flour which adds a nice airiness and fluffiness to your cakes or other baked goods as well.
More Delicious Breakfast + Brunch Ideas
If you love this Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Doughnuts recipe, you'll love my other amazing brunch ideas!
- Apple Cinnamon Olive Oil Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Buns
- Baked Strawberry Croissant French Toast
- Healthy Breakfast Apple Crumble Oatmeal Bowl
- High-Protein Overnight Quinoa
- Dairy-Free Almond Blueberry Pancakes
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. And don't forget to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea! I love hearing from you!
Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts
Ingredients
DONUTS:
- 1 cup grated carrots (That's about 2-3 medium carrots)
- 1 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ navel orange, freshly-squeezed (You can use any type of orange, if desired)
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup Almond milk, unsweetened (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
ORANGE CINNAMON GLAZE:
- 2 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ navel orange, freshly-squeezed
- 1-2 Tbsps Almond milk, unsweetened (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE DONUTS:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray your donut baking pans that has 6-wells.
- In a bowl, add the milk + apple cider vinegar, whisking together well and letting it sit aside for 4-5 minutes or until it slightly thickens. Then add the grated carrots, olive oil, vanilla, and orange juice, and whisk everything together.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, orange zest, and sea salt. Finally, stir in the dry ingredients until just well combined and batter is thick and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe batter it into prepared donut pan wells, filling them about ¾ of the way.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until toothpick inserted into donuts comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before releasing the donuts from their pan and unto a cooling rack to cool completely.
TO MAKE THE ORANGE CINNAMON GLAZE:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, orange juice, and Almond milk, until smooth and consistency is met. NOTE: For a thicker glaze, add additional powered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) until consistency is met. For a desired thinner glaze, add additional milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until consistency is met.
- Once fully cooled, dip each donut into the prepared orange cinnamon glaze and set them back onto cooling rack so that glaze hardens a bit. Repeat until all donuts are glazed. If making these for Easter, feel free to add your favorite festive sprinkles or piping designs.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Can be stored in a tightly sealed container and best if placed in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for ultimate freshness. These donut containers are awesome!
- FLOUR: If you want your donuts to be more of a ‘cakey’ texture, substitute 1 cup of All-purpose flour with Super-Fine Cake Flour.
- OIL: Instead of olive oil, you can also use melted vegan butter, vegetable or coconut oil, if preferred.
- SWEETENER: If you choose to opt out of pure cane sugar, you can always substitute with coconut sugar, Agave, or pure maple syrup instead. For liquid sweeteners, just adjust the amount of milk used by reducing it by 2 Tbsps to start.
- GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: To make these donuts GF, I recommend using a GF Flour Blend (Bob’s Red Mills has a great version!). NOTE: If the donuts mixture is too ‘thin + runny’, simply add additional GF flour, ¼ cup at a time.
- CARROT CAKE HIGHLIGHTS: If you'd like to make your donuts feel even more like traditional carrot cake, feel free to add in raisins, walnuts, pecans, diced pineapples, etc. I'd recommend starting with ½ cup of either add-on. For pineapples, you might want to ensure that all excess liquid is squeezed out.
Nutrition
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