Home » Breakfast » Gluten Free Maple Donuts (Yeast Risen, Fried)

Gluten Free Maple Donuts (Yeast Risen, Fried)

If you have been following me then you know my love for donuts runs so so deep. I mean like, I can’t put this love into words- I’m at a loss right now just thinking about it. This gluten free yeast donut recipe is like a love child to me. I’ve been working on a gluten free fried donut recipe for YEARS. I’m not exaggerating, like 5 years to be exact. For this first post I wanted to do a gluten free maple donuts recipe because those are my favorite. Keep reading to learn how to make gluten free donuts that will blow your mind!

Gluten Free Maple Donuts

Gluten Free Maple Donuts on a plate with a bite missing

I tried to make a gluten free yeast donut recipe many years back and epically failed, more than once. If we are being honest here and I feel like I can, then here’s the truth… I quit them. I was so frustrated that I just said forget this and I moved on to a safer and friendlier donut recipe like my Pumpkin Donuts with Maple GlazeFunfetti Donuts with Strawberry Glaze, and Chocolate Cake Donuts. All are amazing, delicious, and easy, you should give them a try!

Fried Gluten Free Donuts

Fried Gluten Free Donuts on a plate

However, when you are a donut addict, a baked donut does not do the trick. It might get you by for a little while, but you will start jonesing for that yeast risen, fried goodness.

Earlier this year I couldn’t take it anymore. I need that that damn donut, so I had a talk with myself and decided to really focused on how I could make a gluten free yeast donut recipe a success. I tried a few things, some worked and some didn’t. After tweaking it several times and eating LOTS of floppy donuts, I got it right. A gluten free fried donuts recipe that tasted great, has perfect texture, I WON!

What is the difference between baked and fried donuts?

Baked donuts are considered cake donuts. They are tasty, but not the same as traditional style yeast risen and fried donuts like in this recipe.

To make baked donuts you use a cake batter and donut baking pan.

To make fried donuts you make what is like a pastry yeast risen dough, cut the donuts with a donut cutter and then fry them to cook them.

Nothing beats the flavor of a fried donut!

Gluten Free Yeast Donut Recipe

gluten free maple donut on a plate with a pinecone and pumpkin

Now, one of the most amazing parts of these gluten free maple donuts is that you can ACTUALLY CUT THIS OUT WITH A DONUT CUTTER and not have to squeeze the dough out! Every single gluten free donut recipe I have come across (I’ve done my research friends) you have too sticky of dough and you have to squeeze the dough out and blah blah blah. No, I was determined because I don’t have to time to play. I wanted to use a real donut cutter, cut my dough, and fry those beautiful yeast risen babies.

When I say I’m proud of this I really mean it. This is probably the most excited I have gotten about a recipe since I created my French Bread recipe that’s in my cookbook. If you love donuts then you have to make these!

Gluten Free Fried Donuts Recipe

Fried Gluten Free Donuts

What ingredients will I need to make these gluten free fried donuts?

  • sugar
  • yeast
  • water
  • eggs
  • coconut milk
  • vegan butter
  • salt
  • gluten free flour (see below for notes)
  • xanthan gum if your flour does not contain it!
  • maple extract
  • powdered sugar
  • corn or maple syrup
  • coconut milk
  • coconut oil, or vegetable oil

What kind of flour is best for donuts?

Gluten Free Flour

When developing this recipe I used my All Purpose Gluten Free Flour recipe. It is easy to make and always works perfectly! You can grab the recipe HERE.

If you are looking for a premade gluten free flour blend I only recommend Better Batter. The flours works better than anything else. You can use the code: livingfreelygf to get 30% off your purchase on BetterBatter.org .

Xanthan Gum

What is xanthan gum? In short, it is a binder. Gluten is the binder found in what flour and since we must remove the gluten we need to add a binder into our flour. Xanthan gum is the preferred binder as it works the best. Other options are guar gum and psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is not a gum, so it is the most natural binder, but it also does not work as well as xanthan gum or guar gum.

If your gluten free all purpose flour blend already contains xanthan gum, do not add more! 

Yeast

These are yeast risen donuts just like traditional style donuts. I prefer red star yeast for this recipe. You might see there is active dry yeast and rapid yeast. You can use both for this recipe.

The ingredients call for active dry yeast, if that is what you are using follow the directions exact.

If you are using rapid yeast then you do not need to activate the yeast. You can skip this step entirely and simply add the dry yeast and the liquid to the mixing bowl when the directions call for the activated yeast.

Butter and Milk 

Since we are dairy free the ingredients are written to use coconut milk and vegan butter. If you are not dairy free you can use regular butter and whole milk in place of the coconut milk.

Do I have to use coconut oil?

No, you do not. When frying I prefer coconut because of its high heat point, but you can use vegetable oil instead.

How to make gluten free donuts?

First you need to activate the yeast by adding the sugar and yeast to the warm water. It’s ready when it doubles in size. Heat the milk to be warm. Add the coconut oil and vegan butter to the milk and stir to melt.

Beat the eggs on medium speed for 4 minutes and turn off the mixer.

With the mixer on low add the yeast mixture to the eggs and then the milk mixture. Mix for 2 minutes.

Add the salt, sugar, xanthan gum, and gluten free flour. Mix for 2 more minutes.

Fried Gluten Free Donuts Process Shots

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the kitchen counter. Put 1/2 cup of the dough on top of the plastic wrap. Put another piece of plastic wrap on top and gently push down to flatten the dough slightly. Cut your donut with a Doughnut Cutter, remove the plastic wrap, and place the donut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You will have donut holes too. Repeat this cutting method until the dough is gone. This recipe makes about 10 donuts.

Cover them and let them rise for 20 minutes.

Fried Gluten Free Donuts Process Shots

How to fry gluten free donuts

Heat oil to be 275-300ºF. You will need a Candy / Deep Fry Thermometer for this. I always use coconut oil for this recipe. You can use other oils, but coconut oil is truly perfect and I highly recommend it. It is so important to watch the temperature so that they cook through the middle.

Place the donut in the hot oil and fry for about 1-1 1/2 minutes on each side, it will be nicely golden brown. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

Fried Gluten Free Donuts Process Shots

To make the glaze you simply add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Drop the donut into the bowl, gently pick up with one figure and lay on a cooling rack frosting side up. Allow the frosting to settle for a moment and then serve.

If you would like to make a different flavor glaze for them such as chocolate, or strawberry you can reference the baked donuts recipe for the glaze ingredients and instructions.

Fried Gluten Free Donuts

You are truly going to love this gluten free fried donuts recipe. Make them and then invite your friends over to eat them with you. Enjoy!

Fried Gluten Free Donuts

Jennifer

4.43 from 61 votes
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Gluten Free Fried Maple Donuts

The best ever gluten and dairy free yeast risen deep fried donuts! These are legit. 

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword Dairy Free Maple Donuts, Gluten Free Fried Donuts
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 462 kcal

Ingredients

Dough Mixture

  • ½ TBSP. Sugar
  • 2 ¼ tsp. Yeast
  • ½ Cup Warm Water
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Warm Milk I use coconut
  • Cup Dairy Free Butter
  • Cup Coconut Oil
  • ¼ Cup Sugar
  • Dash of Salt
  • 2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
  • 4 Cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

Maple Glaze

  • 1 ½ tsp. Maple Extract
  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Corn or Maple Syrup
  • 3 TBSP. Coconut Milk

2 ½ Cups Coconut Oil for Frying

Instructions

Donuts

  1. Activate yeast by adding sugar and yeast to warm water. It should double in size.
  2. Heat the milk to be warm. Add the coconut oil and butter to milk, stir to melt.
  3. Beat eggs on medium speed for 4 minutes. Turn off.
  4. Turn mixer on low and add the yeast mixture and milk mixture. Mix for 2 minutes.
  5. Add salt, sugar, xanthan gum, and gluten free all purpose flour. Mix for 2 minutes.
  6. Place ½ cup cup of dough on plastic wrap. Add another sheet of plastic wrap on the top half and gently press down to flatten the ball of dough.
  7. Cut donuts with a donut cutter, remove plastic wrap, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

  8. Heat oil to 275-300ºF and use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. Place donut in the hot oil and fry for about 1- 1 ½ minutes on each side. Until it is golden brown. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes before frosting.

Maple Glaze

  1. In a bowl add all of the ingredients and mix well. Drop the donut into the mixture and pick up carefully by placing your pointer finger into the hole. Lay on a rack covered with parchment paper frosting side up. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Fried Maple Donuts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 462 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 92mg4%
Potassium 82mg2%
Carbohydrates 66g22%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 31g34%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 45IU1%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 41mg4%
Iron 2.8mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you like this recipe then you will love my cookbook with over 100 gluten and dairy free recipes that are simple to make with easy to find ingredients.

Fried Gluten Free Donuts

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gluten free donuts stacked on a plate with a bite missing

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This gluten free maple donuts recipe post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these link living Freely Gluten Free makes a small percentage. This income helps to cover the cost of running this website. Thank you for your support. 

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Recipe Rating




58 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    OHMYGOODNESS! This is the answer. I’ve searched high and low for a risen fried GF donut. Tried some “cake” ones earlier in the year, that like you, made me give up on them. I CANNOT wait to try this recipe.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Thank you Lacy! I can’t wait for you to try this!

  2. I am making them right now and they are turning out pretty good! I had to add a little more flour and they aren’t as pretty as yours but everyone likes them! Thanks for sharing.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      I’m so glad you like them! I’m finding that is recipe is a bit picky with the type of flour used. Can I ask what flour you used for it? Thanks!

  3. Should I eliminate the xantham gum if it is already in my gf flour? (Sorry if you mentioned it im the steps,I may have missed it)

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Yes, if you flour already has xanthan gum do not add more.

  4. I’m allergic to coconut oil. Can it be substituted in the recipe? Thanks!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      You can use any oil in place of the coconut oil

  5. Can you recommend an egg replacer? My son has asked me for years for a safe donut however he is allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, amoung many other things.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Iris,

      My favorite egg replacer is bobs red mill brand. I have not tried an egg replacer in this recipe however. Any recipe that calls for egg whites, I would recommend using aquafaba. You can whip them up and they froth right up. I hope that helps.

  6. Hi!! Do you think a mix of almond and coconut flour would work?

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi, no it will not turn out the same. Almond and coconut flour will need different measurements. You could try to use my paleo all purpose flour blend, but it will likely not have the same texture.

  7. Can I use just almond and coconut flour?

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Almond and coconut flour will have different measurements, starch would need to be added. You could try to use my paleo all purpose flour blend, but the texture will likely change a bit.

  8. I have tried three times to make these and my dough comes out like cake batter. I have adjusted the amount of flour each time. Still too runny to cut out. I’m using bobs 1 to 1 flour.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      The all purpose flour could be the culprit. They are all made differently. I used my personal gluten free flour blend for this. https://www.livingfreelyglutenfree.com/the-best-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour/
      Before giving up try it with my personal flour blend. It is only 3 ingredients and WAY cheaper than buying a mix. Is your yeast activating properly and you are using eggs?
      If you still have problems you can put the batter in a ziplok and cute the corner off and squeeze the batter in the oil. They won’t be pretty, but will still taste amazing. I hate wasting batter!

    2. Hi, I make my own blend and it worked great. The gf blend I use is:
      2 cups brown rice flour (Anthony’s)
      2/3 potato starch
      1/3 cup tapioca starch
      You will need to add the xanthan gum separately. My donuts came out great! I did use some extra gf flour on my hands to shape the dough into jelly donut shapes because I could not use my donut cutter. But other than that I had no issues. Best of luck, hope this helps.

      1. livingfreelygf says:

        Thanks for sharing Mati! That is a great tip.

  9. 5 stars
    I made these donuts for my husband who is a donut freak and he loved them. So did my parents. I made a glaze of butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and milk and they were the closest thing to a gluten donut I’ve ever had. I had to shape them like jelly donuts because my donut cutter was not working well with this delicate dough. I am going to try again but buy a new cutter. Thanks for an awesome recipe 😊

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      I am so happy you enjoyed them. It is definitely a delicate dough, but worth the extra steps. Great tips for dealing with the sticky dough.

  10. Hello does the yeast need to be “self rising “? Also have you made these using your paleo flour mix yet?
    Is there a brand of coconut milk you recommend?

    Thank you!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Diana,
      I use active dry yeast for all of my recipes. I have not made these yet using the paleo flour mix. I almost always buy the Trader Joes organic or sprouts organic coconut milk if I am using canned coconut. Otherwise I buy the So Delicious organic unsweetened carton and that is what I use.

  11. 5 stars
    GUYS!!!!!! These donuts are IN CRED IBLE! My boyfriend and I made them yesterday. We followed the recipe to a T except we used vanilla instead of maple in the frosting because I didn’t have maple! We used her flour blend and everything. They turned out freaking AMAZING!!!!!! So so good. The most difficult part is getting the oil to the proper temperature. Guys … I haven’t been able to have a fried donut in years because I have celiac (and I also cannot eat dairy). Do yourself a favor and make these. My boyfriend doesn’t have any food allergies and he loves these. My granny who has baked her whole life is impressed (she hasn’t tasted them but my oh my I sent pictures y’all). MAKE THESE. And I’d highly suggest using her flour blend. I think the ingredients in total cost us about $12. So affordable. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE DONUTS!!!! They’re so good and my boyfriend and I had so much fun making them together. Thank you a million times over.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      I am so happy that you are enjoying donuts again, because everyone needs donuts! Thank you for this awesome comment and I am so glad you found me on Instagram too.

  12. Hello!

    I really would like to bake these for a friend who is allergic to gluten, among other things, but I’m very new to gluten free baking. If I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour, should I leave out the xanthan gum? She is also allergic to coconut, what would be the best oil to sub in the doughnut? Is vegetable oil ok? Thanks!!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Megan,
      You are so sweet to make these for your friend. You would not add the xanthan gum. I have had readers who have used a store bought flour and the dough didn’t turn out as amazing as it could. If you can swing it please try to make the flour blend. It’s just 3 easy ingredients. If she can’t have coconut oil you can fry in any other oil like vegetable oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

  13. I am wondering what advice you may have when making these in a tropical, humid climate. Every recipe I follow for GF goodies always need extra liquid. To this doughnut recipe I tripled the amount of liquid and still had a firm dough. When I fried them they remained stodgy/semi-raw in the centre. I want to make them again, though would love a few tips before I start.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Naomi,
      My first question would be what flour blend did you use? Also, when you scoop the flour into your measuring cup a tip is to spoon the flour in instead of just scooping it. This is somewhat of a firm dough already and you will want it to be slightly firm in order to cut out the donuts. Let me know the answers to those questions and then I will help you trouble shoot through it.

  14. I have celiac and I need a donut recipe like yesterday so I really want to try these! Maple bars used to be my favorite thing and my life is tragic without them, I’m sure you know. But I don’t cook/bake dairy free. I commend you for doing that but oh man, the celiac crap is bad enough for me, I can’t do both / go vegan! So I have no knowledge about that stuff with baking.

    The substitution of coconut milk I don’t care as much about, buying a can of coconut milk is pretty cheap and I have no issues consuming coconut, but vegan butter is rather expensive. If I use regular butter am I going to screw this up? And what about the salt content (does vegan butter do salted/unsalted)? I’m sure there are differences in fats/proteins and that makes me really nervous.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Logan,

      You can totally use regular butter and it will not screw it up!

  15. Shouldn’t use metal with yeast or ferments

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      I have never heard that before, but I typically use a silicone donut mold to make these donuts.

    2. Can I make these dairy??? We are allergic coconut.

      1. livingfreelygf says:

        You definitely could. The measurements would be the same.

        1. karin hoskin says:

          aMazing!!
          do you think there’s a point where I could stop the recipe and then fry them in the morning?

          1. livingfreelygf says:

            Stopping and storing them would mess up the rise and I’m not sure how they would turn out, but I imagine very dense. I would recommend making them and then frosting or glazing right before serving. I have a reader that froze them glazed and then popped them in the microwave after thawing and loved it.

  16. Hi, Jennifer.

    Thanks for sharing your recipes! I wanted to ask if it were possible to fry donuts that are both gluten-free and vegan and arrive at the same consistency and quality as the maple recipe above?

    Also, I saw in one of the comments above that you recommended different measurements for Almond and Coconut flour as well as to add starch. Would you be able to share those measurements?

    Thank you!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Hassan,
      I have not made this grain free yet, so I don’t have exact measurements. You could use my paleo flour blend instead of the gluten free blend. Here is that recipehttps://www.livingfreelyglutenfree.com/grain-free-all-purpose-flour/
      I have never made these vegan and I am sure the consistency would change without eggs.

  17. Thanks, Jennifer. That is super helpful. I do have another question, but for context: I plan to bake donuts and would like to reduce the carbohydrates (i.e., remove potato starch) for the next cook, and I noticed in your baked donut recipes you used much less all purpose flour in absolute terms (Bkd: 2 cups vs. Frd: 4 cups) and proportionately (Bkd: 2 cups for 18 donuts vs. Frd: 4 cups for 10 donuts). Seeing that I will only be making a batch of 6, would it be okay to replace the potato starch with the tapioca starch (leaving the coconut flour as is) considering I will only have 2/3 of a cup of flour? Could I just make do with almond flour and leave the other 3 out?

    Thanks!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      I would recommend following the directions.

  18. Renee Atkins says:

    5 stars
    I just made these. They came out fantastic!!! I followed the directions exactly except I let them rise for more than 20 minutes. It was more like an hour in a slightly warm oven. They seemed to need more rising. They almost doubled in size before frying. The texture was amazing, but they still were a bit dense. Is this cause I let them rise too long or should I have let them rise even longer? Or are gluten-free donuts going to be dense no matter what? This is the first gluten free baking/frying i have ever done so I am clueless.

    Thank you so much for the recipe!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Renee, I am so excited that you made these. This donut recipe is one of my absolute favorites. A lot of gluten free baked goods in general are going to be somewhat more dense than traditional baked goods. I don’t think you should let them rise more, because then they might take longer to fry and get chewy on the outside while still raw on the inside. It sounds like what you did was perfect. I would following the directions as far as the rise goes and see f=if that helps eliminate some of the dense texture.

      1. Renee Atkins says:

        Thank you for the advice. I forgot to mention also I started frying them at 280-290 and they weren’t browning. I had to turn it up to 310-320 to get that brown crispy exterior, The interior seemed about the same at both temperatures. I made them a second time and tried adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk mixture and 1/2 tsp of baking powder to the dry hoping it would make it more fluffy. It changed the texture a bit, but I can’t decide if it’s better or worse. The second time used a pin to roll out without plastic wrap. I just dusted liberally with extra gluten-free flour on both the cutting board. It was much faster this way and the donut cutter worked great. I gently dusted the extra flour off of some of them but it didn’t seem to make a difference.

        Also, FYI, they are even better the next day after a few seconds in the microwave!

        1. livingfreelygf says:

          Thanks for all of the tips! I’m glad you enjoyed them the next day. I can’t wait to make them again and try these out.

  19. Jamila Choubassi says:

    5 stars
    These taste so amazing!! I think the most difficult step for me was cutting them out, for the first half i dipped the cutter in flour and floured my hands to try and handle them. For the second half i tried using water. I think the water made it easier to handle but the donuts i handled with flour turned out better! Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂 It’s amazing to know that with some work it can be done

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Thank you Jamila! I am so happy you made them and enjoyed some yummy donuts. The dough is definitely delicate being gluten free, but the elbow grease is worth it! 🙂

  20. hi can i make the dough in advance and put it in the fridge overnight? im afraid they wont rise aswell.
    thank you

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      I have found that chilling the dough reduces the rise. I wouldn’t recommend it.

      1. 5 stars
        Your Doughnuts are absolutely AMAZING!! They came out amazingly and they are my go to recipe for doughnut and sunrise

        1. livingfreelygf says:

          I’m so happy to hear that!

  21. 5 stars
    Make 30 donuts from the batter! I used a mix of 1/3 Paleo flour in with Cassava, potato starch and a rice blend. I just don’t like the lack of protein in some of these gluten blends sold so I always blend. They turned out extremely airy and not gooey to me! My daughter who is not used to that gooey-ness of gluten free foods actually liked these! Maple is one of my favs– thus a 5 star rating! Thank you for the recipe.

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Thank you Rebecca. I am so glad you enjoyed them and they worked with the paleo blend. I might have the try them with my paleo flour recipe! Enjoy!

  22. 5 stars
    This recipe looks amazing! I’ve been looking for a gluten free real donut recipe and am very excited to try this one. Is there a reason you add coconut oil to the vegan margarine? How does it affect the consistency. Thanks so much!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Sharon,
      The coconut oil is for frying the donuts. You can use a regular vegetable oil instead, but it is my favorite oil for high heat frying. Enjoy the donuts, they are delicious!

  23. I’m so excited to try making these for my mom. She’s gluten free and I am often making sweets she can’t eat so I’m going to make a big batch of these since donuts are her favorite. I have two questions. Do you think I can make them in an air fryer and do they freeze well. Thanks!

    1. livingfreelygf says:

      Hi Sarah. I would not recommend making them in the air fryer. Gluten free pastries are super temperamental and I wouldn’t want all your hard work to go to waste. You can freeze the donuts, but I would recommend freezing them unfrosted and then frosting before you serve.