I shared a snippet of me eating one of these gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free maple tahini glazed baked donuts a few weeks back on Instagram and Facebook, and have since then been getting contacted with the "where can I find this recipe" question nearly daily all over the place. Who knew this little glazed donut would be so popular! Well, actually I knew that -- these are seriously delicious :). I've been meaning to share the recipe straight away, but I kept getting time-sensitive reader requested recipes streaming in and so I just kept on putting these on hold, thinking this will be the next recipe up...
And so it's been almost three weeks and I've finally decided I NEED to make time to share this recipe. Because I know you need to make these :). After all, when's the last time you had a freshly baked maple tahini glazed donut? I thought so. These donuts were just plain amazing, and made an especially wonderful side to a morning coffee...
P.S. This maple tahini glaze is a wonderful thing that does not necessarily require donuts -- feel free to make it {can skip the oil/butter if using as a spread} and glaze everything with it. I'm pretty sure it'll make most things in the world a {very big} tad better. Just saying ;)
PrintMaple Tahini Glazed Baked Donuts
A gluten-free, vegan, refined-sugar free recipe for warm, fresh maple donuts with a twist.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 6 donuts
- Category: Donuts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- 5 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- 9 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
Dry:
- 7 tbsp brown rice flour
- 5 tbsp tapioca starch
- 4 tbsp sweet sticky rice flour {also known as glutinous rice flour/mochi/mochiko flour}
- ½ tsp guar gum
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp of each of the following: allspice, nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking soda
- dash of salt
Maple Tahini Glaze:
- ¼ cup thick tahini
- 2 tbsp softened non-dairy butter or coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- dash of salt {unless using salted butter}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 6 donut pan and set aside. Have a piping bag {or sturdy large ziplock bag} + pair of scissors handy.
- Mix all wet ingredients in a bowl. Add in all dry ingredients and mix to thoroughly combine. Let mixture stand for 1 minute.
- Transfer the batter into a large pipping bag {I set mine inside a tall glass for easier handling}. Cut off the tip and carefully pour the dough into the donut pan. Be careful when first snipping off the tip of the bag -- the mixture will be runny, so you want to pipe with care.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 17-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.
- Prepare the glaze by blending all ingredients together {I used my magic bullet for this, but a small food processor, blender, or immersion blender would work just as well}.
- Once the donuts are completely cooled, dip each one into the glaze in the bowl {I put mine in upside down and then lifted the donuts up out of the bowl in a twisting motion}. If you want the glaze to harden a little, first make sure the donuts are completely cool and then place in the fridge for 15 mins after glazing, or enjoy straight away.
Notes
Note: if you use a sweetener other than maple, obviously you'll lose the "maple" flavor in these donuts. They'll still be great with whatever sweetener you use though.
You can replace the olive oil in the donut recipe with some more applesauce and they will still come out delicious, but they will not store well. So you'll need to eat them all straight away. The oil helps to keep them moist, so I recommend leaving it in.
Store leftover donuts in the fridge.
Chris says
These are delicious! The texture and flavor of the doughnut are both perfect. It's a bit sweet for me, even without the glaze; how would you suggest decreasing the sweetness without affecting the texture? Could I substitute a bit of nut milk for some of the maple syrup, for example?
Audrey says
Hi Chris, I'm glad you enjoyed these!
I haven't tried it with less sweetener, but for the doughnut part I would replace some of the sweetener with a bit more applesauce and olive oil, rather than nut milk. And for the glaze, you can just lessen the maple syrup there with no issues.
Chris says
Thanks, Audrey--I'll try that!
Amy Robison says
You've ruined me!
I'm not able to keep any nut butter in the house, because I can't help but digging in with a spoon (and sometimes chocolate chips) and eating too much on a daily basis.
I thought I was safe with tahini, though...until now! I don't have a donut pan but the glaze sounded amazing. I made it...and it IS amazing. And it is also gone. So much for being able to keep tahini in the house now. :)
I'm new to your blog. I can't wait to try your other recipes! Thanks for doing what you do!
Audrey says
Oh Amy, you made me laugh so hard ? I hear you. The nut butters are a dangerous thing! So happy you liked this.
ale says
hi I wonder if there is any substitute for sticky rice? hope u can help me out
Audrey says
Hi Ale,
I sort of think it's an essential to the texture of the recipe because that's what makes these donuts fluffy and bouncy. You can try a bit of ground up quick oats or sorghum flour instead, which I think will get it close to the original. Otherwise, you can try to just use more rice flour and a bit more starch, but I find that makes things a tiny but grittier than I like.
I hope one of these substitutes will work for you. Otherwise, sweet sticky flour (also known as glutionous rice flour or mochi) usually costs close to $5, and can be found in the Asian aisle of grocery stores here, in Asian shops, or in bulk stores, and occasionally in the regular baking section (which might carry Bob's Red Mill). You can also find it online on Amazon. It adds wonderful bounce and texture because it's a super finely ground flour.
Brianna says
I really want to make these donuts, especially because I have an unopened jar of tahini that I want to try, but I don't have more gum, brown rice flour, or tapioca starch. Could brown rice be ground up into brown rice flour? Or is there a substitute? Like regular flour?
Audrey says
Hi Brianna,
Brown rice can be ground up into a flour {any rice can be}, which works great for things that aren't too texture-sensitive. I do that sometimes when in a pinch. But you'll not be able to get it to be as fine as the store-bought stuff {they have special equipment to make it super-fine}, so it's not my favorite in cake.
If you can use regular flour {you mean not gluten-free, right?}, then that's the easiest route to go. The baking mix I use mimics a regular flour blend, so just use 3/4 cups regular flour {16 tbsp} and no need for the gum.
Otherwise, if you want to make these gluten-free, I'd wait until you pick up the right ingredients -- wouldn't want you to have messy donuts on your hands and a waste of ingredients.
Antonina Javier says
Is the sweet rice flour in this recipe the same as mochi rice? Sweet sticky rice flour?
I just wanted to clarify before I attempt making these. :)
Audrey says
Hi Antonina -- yes it is. Thanks for the catch, I normally specify! Enjoy the donuts :)
Joanne (JoMakesStuff) says
Yes, you are right Audrey. Black tahini has a deeper smoky-like flavour. It may not work. I will try it on one doughnut and see if I like it. Another option might be cashew butter as I have been eating that exclusively lately and have developed quite a liking to it.
Audrey says
Yes, cashew butter would be amazing -- I love combining it with maple!
Joanne (JoMakesStuff) says
I'm sold!!! These doughnuts sound amazing! Question for you, I know you used a special doughnut pan for these but just wondering if I could pipe them free-hand onto a baking sheet. Or is the batter too runny? Also, this might be an opportunity for me to use my black tahini in the glaze since I already have that in my cupboard. It may appear kind of chocolatey or not, haha! Anyway, just thinking out loud. :-)
Audrey says
Hi Joanne,
Yay -- I think you'll like these. They won't work piped -- it'll be too runny. But you can bake this in muffin tins instead and it'll work just as well. The black tahini has a different flavor to me, but I'm sure it'll still taste great with the maple syrup. I'd love to know how it turns out if you try it!
Lucie says
I absolutely love the idea of tahini in the frosting!!! Dang, now I need a donut pan :D Maybe I'll put just the frosting on some muffins first :)
Audrey says
Lucie -- that frosting will go well on EVERYTHING. Seriously! :)
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
You said it best, "glaze everything with it.." That is exactly what I want to do. I love that you added allspice and nutmeg to this as well, I can only imagine how well those two spices pair with the maple and tahini! Pinning now :)
Audrey says
Thanks Christina :) Yes, the spices add a really nice warmth to the recipe and go well with the maple-tahini flavor.
Leah M @ love me, feed me says
Preeeeetty sure I could eat the maple tahini glaze with a spoon haha. These are beautiful!!
Audrey says
I knew you'd like this, Leah, because I've seen your love for maple tahini ;) It's the best combo and there is definitely a lot of eating this with a spoon going on :)
Nissrine @ Harmony a la Carte says
These look amazing Audrey. I can't wait to try them.
Audrey says
Thanks Nissrine :) #tahinitakeover at its finest ;)
Leah says
Genius! I would have never thought to use tahini in this way!
Audrey says
It's really good, Leah. I actually eat so much tahini daily that I inevitably end up tasting it with different flavors -- sweet, savory, whatever. Tahini with maple is just amazing.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
These have stolen my tahini loving heart!
Audrey says
I thought you might like this one, Rebecca :) Hi-five on the tahini ♥
Melissa @ vegan does it says
Donuts are one of those foods I seldom get to enjoy being vegan. If I want one I have to make it or drive about an hour away to the closet vegan bakery so yeah it's been a while since I've had one. These look fabulous and sound so delicious I just may have to make them:)
Audrey says
Thanks Melissa! At least you have the option to drive to a vegan bakery, Melissa. Try finding some gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free ones... ;)
Melissa @ vegan does it says
This bakery actually happens to be gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free so if you ever in the Orlando, Fl area we got you covered.
Audrey says
Babycakes? :)
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says
These look delicious! That tahini glaze is such a creative idea, and I imagine it would be good on many things. Cupcakes, breads, a spoon...:) I knew there was a reason I invested in that donut pan! I know it doesn't actually change the flavor, but for some reason when things are in donut shape they just taste more reminiscent of those fried sugar-filled dough rings even though they are much healthier!
Audrey says
Thanks Natalie. And yes -- don't know why, but things baked into a donut shape are somehow special. And that glaze is so good on everything -- you can skip the oil too. I actually often find myself in the kitchen with a spoon, a jar of tahini, and a jar of maple syrup... ;)
Terje says
Damn it, I was looking at donut pans just a week ago and didn't buy one because I wasn't sure I'd ever use it. Would definitely use one now! I'll have to remember this awesome recipe for when I stumble upon donut pans again - this time I would definitely get one.
...do you think this might work in a muffin pan as well? If I filled them only half-way so they aren't too thick.
Audrey says
Absolutely, Terje. Bake it any shape you like. You can even just make a small cake and glaze it, and it'll be wonderful. Just adjust the baking time a little depending on how big your pan is...
I grabbed my donut pan a while back but haven't put it to good use until recently. There is something fun about things that are donut shaped, but it's definitely not a requirement for enjoying delicious baked goods :)
Terje says
Hm, the cake idea does sound good! Though I'd have to switch some stuff in the glazing, since my silly body doesn't take sesame seeds too well :(
Audrey says
Sunbutter... almond butter... coconut butter.. peanut butter... any winners? :) I think anything in that family would work great!
Terje says
Hm, three from that list would work perfectly :D I've been thinking about finally making some coconut butter anyway, so that would be awesome for the glazing as well.
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
One word, Audrey. Luscious! Beautiful job, dear. Tahini is an ingredient that I often forget about. I need to remedy that!
Shirley
Audrey says
Thank you, Shirley! Tahini is actually one ingredient I have a hard time forgetting about -- I have it with lunch and dinner, and then as a snack with a spoon sometimes too :)