The Ultimate Gluten Free Doughnuts (Yeast Donuts) - The Loopy Whisk (2024)

This is the only gluten free doughnuts recipe you’ll ever need. These doughnuts are PERFECT: pillowy-soft and fluffy, with a golden exterior and so incredibly delicious. They’re also super easy to make: the dough comes together in no time and, after a chilling step, is a joy to handle. Here, I take you through the whole process step by step – and I’ve also included all my top tips for gluten free doughnut perfection.

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Here it is: the first recipe of 2022 and it’s a fabulous one. Get ready to be blown away by the awesomeness that are THE PERFECT gluten free doughnuts.

And these are the real deal. These aren’t cake doughnuts – which are really just cake masquerading as doughnuts and can never measure up to the real thing. (And don’t try to argue with me about this, you know I’m right.) These are proper fried, yeasted doughnuts with a golden exterior and a pillowy-soft, fluffy interior.

I’ve made doughnuts pretty much every day for the last two weeks to get them as close to perfection as possible… and this is it.

They’re super soft, airy and fluffy with a gorgeous open crumb that hits just the right balance between tender and very slightly chewy. They fry up to golden brown perfection, without being greasy or too oily. In fact, they hardly absorb any oil at all – so long as you make sure to keep your oil at the correct frying temperature.

And they’re incredibly easy to make!! Listen, I know that making your own homemade gluten free doughnuts from scratch might sound intimidating but I promise you that it’s actually really simple. The dough handles beautifully – once chilled, you can easily form it into balls or cut out the doughnuts using a round cookie cutter.

Really, the only thing I haven’t quite managed YET (!!!) is to get that white ring around the doughnuts. Because of the nature of gluten free flours and due to the absence of gluten, these gluten free doughnuts aren’t quite as light as “regular” ones made from wheat flour. This doesn’t in any way make them less delicious (they’re still soft and fluffy and scrumptious!!) but it does result in the absence of that coveted white ring.

But don’t worry, I’m *very* stubborn and I’ll keep working on making this recipe even better.

However, the recipe as it is now is already soooo good that it simply wouldn’t be right not to share it with you ASAP. So, without further ado: here’s how you can make the most amazing gluten free yeasted doughnuts.

Before we get to the bits and bobs of making these amazing doughnuts – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!

Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.

How to make THE BEST gluten free doughnuts

I know that making your own homemade GLUTEN FREE (!!!) yeasted, fried doughnuts might sounds scary – but believe me when I say: it’s actually really easy. And the results are so very, very worth it.

I recommend making the dough with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. The mixer makes the process much easier *and* the final dough will be much smoother. However, if you don’t have a stand mixer (or you don’t feel like using it for whatever reason), you can also make the dough by hand. Just make sure to knead it thoroughly until smooth.

This recipe is actually based on the gluten free doughnuts recipe from my gluten free cookbook, Baked to Perfection. You can find more information about my book and all the links to buy it here!

Ingredients for homemade gluten free doughnuts

• Active dried yeast. Unlike cake doughnuts that use only baking powder and/or baking soda for leavening, these are proper yeast doughnuts. The yeast contributes to their wonderful flavour and makes them wonderfully pillowy-soft. If using active dried yeast, you’ll need to first activate it in a bit of warm milk – this also tells you whether or not your yeast is active. If you don’t see any bubbles or frothing appearing on top of the milk-yeast mixture after about 5-10 minutes, then your yeast isn’t active and you need to use a new batch of yeast. (If you want to use instant yeast instead, check out the substitutions section and the recipe below.)
• Sugar. You can use either caster/superfine or granulated sugar for this recipe. The sugar plays two roles: firstly, it makes the doughnuts slightly sweet and, secondly, it gives the yeast something to feed on, which in turn makes the yeast more active. Note that the doughnuts themselves aren’t super sweet. Because any fillings and toppings (jam and cinnamon sugar in this case) are plenty sweet already, the doughnuts as a whole work best if the dough isn’t overly sweet.
• Warm whole milk. You’ll use this milk to activate the yeast, that’s why it’s important that it’s either warm or lukewarm.
• Psyllium husk. This acts as a gluten substitute and it’s what gives the final, fried doughnuts their pillowy-soft and slightly chewy texture. Without psyllium husk, you won’t get a dough that you can actually handle and shape, and the doughnuts won’t proof properly. You can’t substitute the psyllium husk with another ingredient. This recipe uses WHOLE psyllium husk, but you can also use psyllium husk powder – if you use the powder form, use only 85% of the amount listed in the recipe below. You can read more about the role of psyllium husk in gluten free baking here!
• Cold water. Unlike milk, you want to use COLD water (it doesn’t need to be chilled from the fridge, just cold from the tap is OK). That’s because the dough, once made, will go straight into the fridge to chill. It will chill down faster and with minimal proofing if you use cold water.
• Tapioca starch. (For substitution options, check out the substitutions section or the recipe below.)
• Millet flour. (For substitution options, check out the substitutions section or the recipe below.)
• Sorghum flour. (For substitution options, check out the substitutions section or the recipe below.)
• Xanthan gum. This also acts as a gluten replacement. In enriched dough recipes, such as cinnamon rolls or doughnuts, I like to use a mixture of psyllium husk and xanthan gum (unlike with artisan loaves, where you can use only psyllium husk). Using the mixture of both binders gives a softer, more delicate crumb. In comparison, using psyllium husk only would give a more robust, hearty, chewier crumb. You can read more about the role of xanthan gum in gluten free baking here!
• Salt. It’s important to add salt to any bread recipe, as it brings out all the flavours.
• Baking powder. Yes, we’re making *yeasted* doughnuts – but we’ll still be adding baking powder. I’ll explain more about this below, but in short: baking powder makes these gluten free doughnuts much softer and fluffier, and therefore closer in texture to “regular” doughnuts made from wheat flour.
• Cold egg. Much like with the cold water, using a cold egg will speed up the chilling step and will therefore save time.
• Softened unsalted butter. This gives richness to the doughnuts. However, compared to “regular” doughnuts made with wheat flour, we’ll be using a smaller amount of butter. Using too much butter can weigh the gluten free doughnuts down too much and can make them too dense.

In addition to the ingredients above that are required to make the dough for the gluten free doughnuts, you’ll also need:

• Oil for frying (I like to use sunflower oil, but if you have another favourite oil for frying you can use that – just make sure that it’s neutral in flavour and that it has a high smoking point).
• Cinnamon sugar for rolling the doughnuts.
• Jam of choice for filling (any jam will work well, so long as there aren’t any large pieces of fruit in it – I filled a few doughnuts with strawberry jam and a few with apricot jam).

Side note: baking powder in yeast doughnuts???

First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way: we are making yeast doughnuts here. We’re not making cake doughnuts.

And yes, yeast doughnuts typically don’t contain any baking powder – they rely entirely on yeast for their fluffy, soft texture and open crumb.

However, I’ve tested this recipe both with and without the added baking powder and there’s a marked difference between the two: the gluten free doughnuts made WITH baking powder are noticeably fluffier and softer compared to those made without baking powder. They puff up more during frying, so that they end up larger (greater in volume) than those without baking powder.

So, even though adding baking powder to yeast doughnuts isn’t “traditional” or “typical”, it does help them to achieve a better, more delicious texture. And even though some might consider this “cheating” – in the end, at least to me, the final result is the most important part. So, if you want your gluten free doughnuts to be wonderfully fluffy and soft: trust me and add the baking powder.

The recipe uses 2 teaspoons baking powder per one batch of 8 doughnuts. I’ve also tested it with just one teaspoon of baking powder, and I prefer the version with more baking powder. However, both versions are incredibly soft and delicious: so, while I recommend using 2 teaspoons, you could also use just one teaspoon.

Making the gluten free enriched dough

There’s nothing complicated or difficult about making the dough for these doughnuts: just activate the yeast and make the psyllium gel (by mixing the psyllium husk with water), and then combine all the other ingredients except the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or just a large bowl if making them by hand) and knead everything together into a smooth, sticky, soft dough.

Add the butter and knead until it’s fully incorporated. The final dough will be fairly soft and sticky – that’s okay! The next chilling step will make the dough much less sticky and easier to handle.

Chilling the dough

Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.

Chilling the dough is pretty crucial, as it cools down and sets the butter in the dough, which in turn makes the dough firmer and easier to handle and shape into the individual doughnuts. It also gives the gluten free flours time to properly hydrate (that is, to absorb the moisture in the dough), which also makes the dough less sticky.

You could even chill the dough overnight, and then shape, proof and fry the doughnuts the following day!

Shaping the doughnuts

Although most doughnut recipes will ask you to cut out the individual doughnuts with a large round cookie cutter, I’ve found that I get the best results by shaping the doughnuts into balls and then flattening them slightly (almost like making burger buns that you pat down slightly to make them flatter).

By shaping the doughnuts by hand into flattened balls, the final fried doughnuts have a nicer, rounder shape. In comparison, doughnuts that have been cut out with a cookie cutter are flatter in shape (though they still puff up nicely during proofing and frying), with a less rounded top.

That said, you can also cut out the doughnuts if you find it easier and more convenient. The doughnuts will still be fluffy and delicious, but they won’t have the same rounded shape. If you go down the cut-out doughnut route: roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1 inch (2.5cm), and then use a round cookie cutter about 3 inches (7.5cm) in diameter to cut them out (dip the cookie cutter in a bit of flour to prevent sticking). Re-roll any scraps to make more doughnuts.

To shape the doughnuts into flattened balls, first divide the chilled dough into 8 equal pieces (each piece should weigh about 88g). I recommend using a digital food scale to get all pieces the same weight, as that will ensure that they all cook at the same rate and will therefore prevent any doughnuts from being undercooked.

Then, shape the doughnuts into balls, as you would dinner rolls or burger buns, and finally flatten them. Make sure to work on a lightly floured surface (I usually use millet flour for flouring). Here’s the step by step process of how to do it:

1. First, flatten one piece of dough.
2. Take the corners and bring them in towards the middle,
3. until you get something resembling a pouch. Pinch the ends together.
4. Turn the piece of dough upside down, so that the seams face downwards.
5. Form your hand into a “claw” over the piece of dough and move it in a circular motion on the surface. This will essentially rotate the dough in place, which will help to form a perfectly round ball and also seal the seams together.
6. Finally, gently flatten the ball until it’s about 1-1 ¼ inch (2.5-3cm) thick at the centre point (take into account that it will have rounded edges and it will therefore be thinner towards the edge), and about 3 inches (7.5cm) in diameter. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces.

Proofing until about doubled in volume

I like to proof the doughnuts by placing them on individual squares of parchment/baking paper on a large baking sheet. These squares of parchment paper will make placing the proofed doughnuts into the frying oil much easier and pretty much stress-free.

You’ll need to proof the doughnuts in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours or until about doubled in volume. Lightly cover them with a sheet of cling film to prevent them from drying out. If your kitchen is on the cold side, you can proof them in a lukewarm oven (the ideal proofing temperature is around 79ºF/26ºC).

Frying until golden brown

After the doughnuts have been proofing for about 1 hour, you can start setting up the “frying station”. For this, you can use a large heavy-duty pot or deep pan, a large cast iron pot or a deep fryer if you have one. If you’re using a pot or a deep pan, make sure that you fill it with enough oil so that the oil is at least 2 inches (5cm) deep.

The best oil for frying is one that’s neutral in flavour and has a high smoking point. I prefer to use sunflower oil, but you can use your favourite frying oil instead (so long as it fulfils those requirements).

Heat the oil to 320-330ºF (160-165ºC). In this temperature range, the doughnuts will get beautifully golden brown by the time they’re fully cooked through and they’ll absorb only a very minimal amount of oil (pretty much negligible). A lower oil temperature can leave them pale and can also result in them absorbing some of the oil, which can make them greasy. A higher oil temperature will cause them to brown too much and too quickly.

It’s best to use a digital food thermometer, a candy thermometer or a deep-fry thermometer to make sure that your oil is at the right temperature.

To fry these gluten free doughnuts to perfection:

1. Make sure that the oil is heated to 320-330ºF (160-165ºC) before you start frying the doughnuts, and make sure to maintain this temperature throughout the frying process (you might need to adjust your stove’s heat to maintain the oil temperature at the correct temperature range).
2. Carefully place the doughnuts into the hot oil. Use the squares of parchment paper to help you lower the doughnuts into the oil. The number of doughnuts that you’ll be able to fry at the same time will depend on the size of your pot, pan or fryer. Don’t crowd them together too much. I used a large, deep pan so I was able to fry 4 doughnuts at the same time.
3. After 10-15 seconds, you can use kitchen togs to remove the squares of parchment paper out of the oil.
4. Fry the doughnuts on this first side for about 2 ½ minutes or until deep golden brown, then flip them over.
5. Fry them on the other side for a further 2 ½ minutes.
6. Then, use a slotted spoon to remove the doughnuts out of the oil and onto a large plate or wire rack lined with paper towels. Make sure to drain your doughnuts properly before placing them onto the paper towels. I like to cover them with a layer of paper towels on top as well, just to absorb any oil on top of the doughnuts.

Note that the doughnuts will initially have a crisp crust immediately out of the hot oil, but the crust will soften after a minute or two.

Assembling gluten free jelly doughnuts

There are two parts to assembling these doughnuts: first, rolling them in cinnamon sugar and, secondly, filling them with jam.

It’s best to roll the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar while they’re still hot or at least very warm, as that will help it to adhere to the doughnuts. For the cinnamon sugar, I like to use superfine/caster sugar (again, it simply gives a more even coating on the doughnuts), but you can also use granulated sugar instead. (Also, if you prefer your doughnuts dusted with powdered/icing sugar, you can do that too! In that case, dust them with sugar after you’ve filled them.)

Then, it’s time to fill them. It’s best to fill the doughnuts when they’re either lukewarm or cooled completely to room temperature. First, make a hole in the doughnuts – I like to use a long thin knife for this, but I’ve seen people use everything from scissors to skewers. Making a hole will make filling the doughnuts much easier.

Then, transfer your jam of choice to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle. Now, ideally, use a Bismark piping tip for filling the doughnuts – because it has a long tip, it’s perfectly suited to filling the very centre of the doughnuts (instead of having all the jam in just one half, which I find really annoying). If you don’t have a Bismark piping tip, a round piping nozzle will work in a pinch.

Fill the doughnuts until the jam starts coming out of the hole – that tells you that the doughnuts are filled to their maximum capacity. If you want to get precise about it, I fit about 35-40g of jam per doughnut.

And that’s it!! All that’s left is to tuck in and enjoy.

What’s the best temperature for frying gluten free doughnuts?

The best oil temperature for gluten free doughnuts is 320-330ºF (160-165ºC). In this temperature range, the doughnuts will get beautifully golden brown by the time they’re fully cooked through and they’ll absorb only a very minimal amount of oil (that is, oil absorption is pretty much negligible).

A lower oil temperature can leave them pale and can also result in them absorbing some of the oil, which can make them greasy. A higher oil temperature will cause them to brown too much and too quickly.

It’s best to use a digital food thermometer, a candy thermometer or a deep-fry thermometer to make sure that your oil is at the right temperature.

Can you cut out the doughnuts (instead of shaping them into balls)?

As mentioned above, I’ve found that you can get the prettiest doughnuts (ones that have a lovely, rounded shape) by forming them into flattened balls.

However, if you find it easier and more convenient, you can also cut them out with a large round cookie cutter – the doughnuts will still be fluffy and delicious, but they won’t have the same rounded shape (they will have a flatter top and bottom).

To cut out the doughnuts, roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of about 1 inch (2.5cm), and then use a round cookie cutter about 3 inches (7.5cm) in diameter to cut them out (dip the cookie cutter in a bit of flour to prevent sticking). Re-roll any scraps to make more doughnuts, you should get 8 doughnuts in total.

Can you make ring doughnuts instead?

Yes, definitely! This recipe is actually based (with a few tweaks) on my recipe for gluten free ring doughnuts from my book, Baked to Perfection!

To make ring doughnuts, I recommend cutting them out. Unlike filled doughnuts without the hole, ring doughnuts will be nicely rounded even if you cut them out with a cookie cutter.

First, cut out the doughnuts themselves with a 3 inch (7.5cm) round cookie cutter. Then, cut out the hole in the middle of each doughnut using a 1-1 ¼ inch (2.5-3cm) round cookie cutter. If you don’t have such a small cookie cutter, you can use a large piping nozzle turned upside down instead. Make sure to dip your cookie cutters and/or piping nozzle in flour to prevent the dough from sticking to them.

Is it possible to prepare the dough ahead of time?

Yes!! The great thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the dough one day, keep it in the fridge overnight, and then shape, proof and fry the doughnuts the next day. The doughnuts will be just as soft and fluffy as if you fried them up the previous day.

I don’t recommend keeping the dough in the fridge for longer than one day, though.

How long do these gluten free doughnuts stay soft?

As these are gluten free doughnuts, you might think that they will get hard and dry really quickly… BUT THAT’S NOT THE CASE AT ALL!! In fact, these gluten free doughnuts stay lovely, soft and fluffy for up to 5 hours after frying!!!

Now, they are definitely at their most delicious while they’re still slightly warm or within about an hour of frying. However, you can keep them for up to five hours either lightly covered with paper towels or a clean tea towel, or in a closed container.

I tried storing them until the next day and re-heating them, and while they’re not bad they’re definitely not as soft and lovely as they should be. So, I definitely recommend eating them on the first day – honestly, they’re so delicious that they’ll be gone within the hour anyway.

Possible substitutions

Although all the ingredients in the recipe should be easily accessible either in your local grocery store or online, I still wanted to include a list of substitutions you can make. (NOTE: all substitutions should be madeby weightand not by volume.)

• Active dried yeast: You can use instant yeast, in which case you don’t need to activate it, but just add it straight to the dry ingredients along with the sugar. Add the milk that would be used in activating the active dried yeast to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel and egg. You’ll need a slightly smaller quantity of instant yeast due to the way in which it’s produced and processed, use about 8g.
• Psyllium husk: YOU CAN’T SUBSTITUTE IT WITH A DIFFERENT INGREDIENT. But if you use psyllium huskpowderas opposed to the whole psyllium husk, use only 85% of the weight listed in the recipe.
• Tapioca starch:You can use cornstarch, potato starch or arrowroot starch instead.
• Millet flour:You can use finely ground/milled brown rice flour instead, but your doughnuts might be slightly less fluffy.
• Sorghum flour:You can use white teff flour, light buckwheat flour or oat flour instead (the latter only if you’re not sensitive to oats).

A note on measurements (tl;dr: if possible, use a scale)

While I’ve included the volume measurements (cups and spoons) in the recipe card below, if at all possible (and I really cannot overemphasise this): USE METRIC GRAM MEASUREMENTS IF YOU CAN.

They’re much more precise and produce more reliably delicious results. This is true for pretty much all of baking – a kitchen scale will invariably give better results than cups and tablespoons. Ideally, I recommend using a digital kitchen scale with a 0.1g precision.

And there you have it, friends. This completes everything you need to know in order to make the most glorious gluten free doughnuts. As per usual, this blog post ended up much longer than I expected – but I really want yoo to have as much information as possible, so that gluten free doughnut success is basically guaranteed.

Now, this recipe gives you jelly doughnuts (or jam doughnuts, if you’re from the UK). I decided to start with this doughnut flavour because it’s pretty much the simplest one to make, and it’s therefore a wonderful introduction to the gluten free doughnuts recipe.

However, once you know how to make these, the options are pretty much endless. You can play around with the fillings and toppings as much as your doughnut-loving heart desires. For instance, I’m really looking forward to sharing with you a recipe for gluten free Boston cream doughnuts – these are hands down my favourite… I’m honestly a teeny tiny bit obsessed with them. But even beyond these classics, the range of possible flavour combinations has no limits.

So, if you’ve been missing doughnuts because you can’t eat gluten – go forth and get frying and enjoy.

Happy doughnut making!

More gluten free bread recipes

If you’re looking for more amazing gluten free bread recipes (that are nearly indistinguishable from their “regular” equivalents made from wheat flour), you’re definitely in the right place!

• The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread (Artisan Style Loaf)
• Gluten Free Seeded Loaf (Mixed Seed Bread)
• Gluten Free Poppy Seed Rolls
• Gluten Free Danish Pastry (Pain aux Raisins)
• Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

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