Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

Soft, sweet vegan cinnamon sugar doughnuts are a simple, comforting breakfast. Made with 6 healthy ingredients, totally naturally sweetened.

Happy Monday! I can’t think of a more appropriate way to start thanksgiving week than with cute little vegan cinnamon sugar doughnuts. What plans do you guys have for the big day?! Are you visiting family, having a friendsgiving (we want to do this, hopefully next year!), or hosting? Wednesday we’re off to Denver with my husband’s parents to visit my sister-in-law and her husband. I know the area is absolutely beautiful, so hopefully we’ll get to do some hiking and such!

We’ll be in Denver on thanksgiving day, but yesterday we had my parents, grandpa, and younger brother and his girlfriend at our house to host an all vegan thanksgiving dinner! It was amazing. I definitely understand why people get stressed/overwhelmed/exhausted by hosting, cause damn, it is a LOT of work, and my family is super laid back! All the planning and prep aside, it was so, so much fun. Nothing makes my heart happier than enjoying a meal with the people I love most, especially knowing that no animals were hurt in the process. This is our first holiday season in our new home, which made it even more special.

I’m going to post more on what we ate and all those fun details that later this week, so keep an eye out for that! But enough rambling…we’ve got doughnuts to talk about, for goodness sake.

I’ve been SO excited to start approximately seven hundred fun holiday traditions as a little family in our brand new home this year, and one of them is big holiday breakfasts. Whether it’s thanksgiving, Christmas, or something else entirely, doughnuts just scream FUN, special breakfast to me. There’s nothing that can quite match the sheer fun and indulgence of a sweet little doughnut.

These vegan cinnamon sugar doughnuts are perfect for thanksgiving breakfast/brunch snacking before your big meal, or for breakfast on Christmas morning, of course. Or heck, any morning of the week. They’re healthy, so it’s fine.

Ingredients for vegan cinnamon sugar doughnuts

• Rolled oats: you’ll blend the oats to flour consistency, which will hold the doughnuts together. Because it’s the only grain in the recipe, the oat flour will give the doughnuts a dense texture – they’re not light like and airy, but hearty and satisfying.
• Cinnamon: the warm spice is essential for anything snickerdoodle.
• Medjool dates: you’ll blend the dates with hot water to make a paste, which gives the doughnuts natural sweetness.
• Ground flaxseed: you’ll make a flax egg, which helps to thicken the batter.
• Nondairy milk: milk brings the doughnut batter together. I always use unsweetened almond milk, but any nondairy milk should work.
• Cinnamon + stevia: you’ll roll the doughnuts in this sweet + spiced mix for even more flavor after baking.

Tips for making vegan cinnamon sugar doughnuts

• Measure the rolled oats before blending into flour. I always list the amount of oats used BEFORE they’re blended for flour. So in this case, you’ll measure out 2 cups of whole, rolled oats, then put those 2 cups into your blender to make flour.
• Use a nonstick or parchment-lined pan. Make sure you use a nonstick pan, lightly spray it, or line it with parchment paper to avoid any sticking.
• Portion any leftover batter between the 6 doughnuts. Use a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter into the 6 spaces in the doughnut pan. There will be some batter leftover, so just evenly portion it between the 6 doughnuts.
• Let them cool completely. This is a critical step! If you turn these doughnuts out while they’re still hot, they’ll fall apart. Letting them cool helps them firm up quite a bit, so be patient.
• Roll the doughnuts in the cinnamon + stevia while they’re still warm. As soon as you turn them out of the pan, roll them in the cinnamon + stevia mixture for more flavor and texture.

These vegan cinnamon sugar doughnuts are simple but so satisfying. With a few simple, healthy ingredients, you’ll have a fun new tradition for holiday breakfasts in about 30 minutes time.

Wishing you all a safe, healthy, happy thanksgiving, friends. Spread love and compassion to your loved ones, and be a voice for the animals by leaving turkeys and animal products off your plate. Start new traditions with amazing vegan food!

Xo,

Sara