Plant-based Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts

What’s a person gonna do when they want an indulgent doughnut but said person is looking for a plant-based version of this delicious treat? Well, behold my Plant-based Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnut recipe!

When I tell ya these taste as good as they look, I ain’t lying. They’re chocolatey and fudgy and just perfect to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours. Even if you’re not vegan or following a plant-based diet, I highly recommend giving these a try!

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What’s the difference between Vegan and Plant-based anyhow?

This is something I googled recently. I hear these terms used interchangeably a lot. Or, at least I think they’re used interchangeably. And maybe in some cases they are. But what I’ve come to learn is that they do mean two different things. Related, but different.

Veganism is a lifestyle choice. It typically means the individual chooses not to eat any animal products and chooses not to use or consume animal products in any other aspect of their life as well. Think shoes, soap, perfume, handbags, shampoo, lip balm, etc.

Plant-based is a diet choice. So, people choosing to follow a plant-based diet choose not to eat animal products, however, they may not adopt other aspects of being vegan in other parts of their life.

So, now that that’s cleared up, onto the reason we’re here. The plant-based food! Eating a mostly plant-based diet has become very popular recently as a means of improving overall health.

There’s tons of research ongoing about the health benefits associated with foregoing animal products in your diet. So, I’m here to help support the cause and provide a plant-based sweet treat to help round out the spectrum of plant-based recipe offerings out there.

Just cuz we stopped eating animal products doesn’t mean we’re not still human, craving all things sweet to end a meal. Am I right?!

How to Make Plant-based Doughnuts

Preparing plant-based doughnuts is not much different than making regular baked doughnuts. There are a few ingredients substitutions to achieve a fully plant-based recipe, however, these ingredients are relatively easy to find in most grocery stores.

So, it’s easier than ever to make healthy-ish lifestyle choices such as baking these delicious doughnuts and subbing out animal products in some or all of your meals.

This recipe starts by making the flax eggs. This is really just a combination of water and flax meal. When they are allowed a few minutes to gel together, these ingredients take the place of eggs in plant-based recipes very well.

Then combine the dry ingredients, mix in the wet including those flax eggs and you’ve got yourself a plant-based doughnut batter. Pipe or spoon the batter into doughnut pans (a muffin tin can be used instead; they may need to bake a bit longer than the recipe calls for) and bake.

Then comes the best part – dip the doughnuts in a, you guessed it, plant-based chocolate glaze. Mmmmmmm…..

Tips for Making Plant-Based Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts

• There are many different substitutions for eggs in plant-based or vegan recipes. For this doughnut recipe, flax eggs are used. Flax eggs are a simple mixture of water and flaxmeal. They’re really not eggs at all, of course, otherwise they wouldn’t be characterized as plant-based or vegan. But, flax eggs do work as a great vegan substitute for eggs in recipes, hence the name ‘eggs’. I recommend preparing the flax eggs as the first step in this recipe as they need a few minutes to gel before being used. Feel free to use another egg substitute in this recipe. I have not tested it with other egg replacements, so I’d be love to hear how those work out for you if you try them
• Since I am not 100% vegan nor do I follow a purely plant-based diet, I had to google such things as “is brown sugar vegan?” The answer is, it depends. Mainly, whether or not your brown sugar is vegan depends on the brand and the ingredients used in making it. Some brown sugars use something called bone char as an ingredient. Bone char is, as it sounds, not vegan-friendly. I found the brand Wholesome Foods in my local grocery store and this brand of brown sugar is vegan-friendly. No bone char in sight!
• To fill the doughnut cavities, you can use a piping bag or create your own. Start by taking a gallon sized ziptop bag and fill it with the doughnut batter. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can and twist the top to close so the batter doesn’t squeeze out the top while you’re piping. On one bottom corner, snip a small diagonal piece off with a scissor. Squeeze the batter out into each cavity, filling only 2/3 of the way, and smooth the top of the batter with a butter knife or small offset spatula 
• Try not to overfill the doughnut cavities with batter. It may be tempting, however, the doughnuts will puff up while baking. And, you’ll lose the hole in the middle if you overfill. If this does happen, just take a sharp knife and cut out the middle once the doughnuts are cooled to get the center hole back. You may also use an apple corer, cupcake corer or a large piping tip to punch the center out. I like to dunk these little scraps in the glaze and pop em in my mouth while topping the doughnuts (baker’s privilege!)

Useful Kitchen Tools for Making Plant-Based Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts

Doughnut Pan

Piping Bag

Microwave-Safe Bowl

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Looking for more doughnut recipes? Give these a try:

• Baked Blueberry Cake Donuts
• Baked Apple Cider Donuts
• Baked Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
• Brioche Donuts with Vanilla Cream Filling
• Chocolate Glazed Donuts

Plant-based Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts

Making small changes such as substituting plant-based ingredients for dairy and eggs in baked recipes like in these Plant-based Baked Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts can lead to big changes in your health without sacrificing any of the flavor or satisfaction.

• Author: Kim | kickassbaker.com
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 12 doughnuts 1x
• Category: Donuts
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts: 

• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons (18 grams) flax meal + 5 tablespoons (74 ml) water)
• ⅔ cup (54 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ¾ cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free flour)
• 1 ¼ cups (238 grams) brown sugar, such as Wholesome Foods brand 
• ¾ teaspoon (2 grams) espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) kosher salt
• 1 cup (175 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips
• ¾ cup (177 ml) full-fat coconut milk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) apple cider vinegar
• ½  cup (118 ml) melted coconut oil

For the Chocolate Icing:

• 1 cup (175 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons (60 grams) coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the wells of two standard doughnut pans with coconut oil spray. Set aside
2. Prepare the Flax Eggs: In a small bowl, place the flax meal and pour in the water. Stir to combine and set aside for at least 5 minutes while you begin preparing the doughnut batter
3. Prepare the Doughnut Batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flax eggs, coconut milk, vanilla, and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to blend. Add in the melted coconut oil and stir until evenly combined. The batter will be thick
4. Bake: Spoon batter in a gallon-sized ziptop bag and cut a ½-inch triangle off one of the corners to create a piping bag. Twist the top of the bag to prevent batter from pushing out of the top while you’re piping. Pipe the batter into prepared pans, filling them to the top but not overflowing. Bake doughnuts for 11 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and allow to cool in pans for 1 minute. Carefully turn doughnuts out onto a wire rack and allow to cool
5. Prepare the Icing: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and coconut cream. Heat for 45-60 seconds, or just until the coconut cream is steaming and starting to bubble. Stir until the chips have melted and the icing is smooth. Dip the top of each doughnut in the icing and set on wire rack

Notes

• Doughnuts will keep at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power prior to serving
• Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

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