My parents eat gluten-free and avoiding gluten often prevents them from enjoying things that they used to love in the past. One of my favorite memories is going to the bakery section of our local grocery store to pick out some cake doughnuts with my mom. Our grocery store had the best cake doughnuts. They were super moist with a thin glaze that crackled when you bit into it.
Fast forward a few years and now I am working on developing some gluten free versions of those fabulous doughnuts for my parents to enjoy just like old times. Last year, I made a batch of flourless chocolate doughnuts that are gluten-free and super indulgent, but today, I am using one of my moms favorite ingredients to make a batch of delicious, cakey pumpkin doughnuts that are gluten-free and a little lower carb than a lot of doughnuts typically recipes are.
And don’t think for one second that just because these doughnuts are gluten-free that they will not be sweet, rich and indulgent. After we bake up a batch of these beautiful gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts, I am dunking mine in a creamy mascarpone glaze and sprinkling a few candied walnuts over them too.
Sound good? Well, then let’s get them started…
To make these gluten-free pumpkin doughnuts, you will need 3 large eggs, 1/3 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 1 1/3 cup of super fine almond flour, 1 teaspoon of coconut flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice and 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger.
Note: For the spices, if you happen to have a batch of pumpkin spice or chai spice blend in your pantry, you can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of that instead.
Begin by whisking 3 large eggs, 1/3 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in a medium bowl until fully combined.
Place a mesh sifter over the bowl and add 1 1/3 cup of super fine almond flour, 1 teaspoon of coconut flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice and 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger in it.
Gently sift the dry ingredients into the bowl and then mix until all of the ingredients are just combined. Avoid over mixing this batter. Over mixing batter can lead to tough, dense doughnuts and these doughnuts can be really light and fluffy, so just mix enough to bring everything together and then toss that whisk in the sink.
Once the batter is ready, transfer it all into a pastry bag or a large ziplock bag.
The step is optional, but makes for really clean, easy filling of the doughnut pan.
Grease your favorite doughnut pan and fill each cavity about two thirds of the way. This recipe will make 8 large doughnuts, 12 medium doughnuts or about 24 mini doughnuts.
Bake the doughnuts on the center rack of a 350 degree oven for 12-18 minutes (depending on the size of the doughnuts) or until they are golden brown and set to a light touch.
Once the doughnuts are baked, transfer them onto a cooling rack.
If you are planning on enjoying them as is, I recommend enjoying them warm soon after you pull them out of the oven, but if you are planning on glazing them, allow them to cool fully before glazing or frosting them.
While your doughnuts are cooling, whisk together 4 ounces of room temperature mascarpone or cream cheese with 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of whole milk. Add another tablespoon of two of milk until a smooth, pourable consistency has developed.
If you are interested in making some of those candied walnuts (they only take about 10 minutes!), check out my super simple quick candied walnut recipe. They are so good sprinkled over these doughnuts with that glaze!
Once the doughnuts are fully cooled, dip they top halves in your mascarpone glaze and return them to the cooling rack. This glaze does not set hard, but it will firm up a bit after a few minutes.
Sprinkle some crushed candied walnuts over the glaze and get ready to enjoy a really delicious doughnut…
There is something about the combination of the moist, cakey pumpkin doughnut dipped into that creamy, luxurious mascarpone glaze and topped with those sweet, crunchy candied walnuts…. its a very delicious combination.
These doughnuts have an amazing texture. It’s light and fluffy, but really moist with great flavor. Lightly pumpkiny with bold spices and a hint of nuttiness. I love them, you will love them and my parents are going to love them.
Thats a win…win…win!
Enjoy!
Gluten-free Pumpkin Doughnuts
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cup of super fine almond flour
- 1 teaspoon of coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
Mascarpone Glaze
- 4 ounces of mascarpone (or cream cheese), room temperature
- 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 2-5 tablespoons of whole milk
Candied Walnuts
- 1 cup of walnuts, halved or whole
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Doughnuts
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 large eggs, 1/3 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup of pumpkin purée, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar until fully combined
- Place a mesh sifter over the bowl and add 1 1/3 cup of super fine almond flour, 1 teaspoon of coconut flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice and 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger into it
- Carefully sift the dry ingredients into the bowl
- Mix until all of the ingredients are just combined (avoid over mixing the batter)
- Fill the cavities of a greased doughnut pan 2/3 of the way
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes (depending on the size) or until golden brown and set to a light touch
- Transfer the baked doughnuts onto a cooling rack to cool fully before topping
Mascarpone Glaze
- While the doughnuts cool, combine 4 ounces of room temperature mascarpone with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of whole milk in a medium bowl and mix until smooth and creamy
- Add 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
- Mix until fully incorporated
- Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your desired consistency has developed
Candied Walnuts
- Set a sheet of parchment paper onto a cutting board
- Add all of the ingredients into a medium non-stick skillet
- Place the skillet over medium heat
- As the butter and sugar begin to melt, stir constantly until all of the walnuts are completely coated
- Immediately transfer the coated walnuts onto a sheet of non-stick parchment paper and separate them
- Allow the candied walnuts to cool for 10 minutes
- Use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to crush some the walnuts into smaller pieces for sprinkling over the glazed doughnuts
Assembly
- Once the doughnuts have cooled, dip into the mascarpone glaze
- Dip or sprinkle with candied walnuts
- Allow the topped doughnuts to sit until the glaze sets up a little
- Enjoy!
