Vegan Carrot Cake Olive Oil Donuts

Up close donuts on a wire rack with oranges.

5 from 1 vote

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! Gluten-free Option.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Keyword: breakfast, brunch, carrot cake, carrots, citrus, dairy-free, dessert, donuts, easter, family-friendly, holidays, kid-friendly, spring, sweet, vegan

Servings: donuts

Calories: 279kcal

Author: Shanika

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)

US Customary - Metric

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!

Notes

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