Nothing says fall like a donut fresh out of the oven! These gluten free cinnamon streusel donuts have all the flavors of autumn packed into one delicious treat! Make a batch of these and enjoy with a cup of hot cider or tea.

Fall is just about here, and I’m ready to break out all of my fall recipes. Bring on all the fall ingredients – cinnamon, apples, pumpkin, and anything else warm and cozy.
Once the weather cools down, I love to make all of our favorite autumn treats like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin spice cake, and now these cinnamon streusel donuts.
These donuts are extra special. Donuts are always special, but these have a light, cakey interior, and are topped with a buttery, sugary streusel. My sons were big fans of the topping!
These donuts are easy to make at home with a donut pan. A donut pan is one of my favorite pans – if you have food allergies, you know how hard it is to find safe donuts. Most bakeries are huge cross contamination risks for so many allergens.
I think it’s easy and fun to make my own bakery style treats at home. My boys love helping me bake, and donuts are a perfect project to make together.
Suggested Gluten Free Flour Blend
I used ¾ cup of my homemade gluten free flour blend in this recipe, along with ¼ cup of oat flour. This combination created a really light, soft texture. If you leave the oat flour out, the texture will be a little heavier.
There’s no xanthan gum in this recipe, and it’s really not needed. These donuts held together really well. When you add various gums to baked goods, they texture can get a little heavy and gummy.
Substitutions
If you can’t have oats, you can use a full cup of gluten free flour, and then use gluten free flour to make the streusel as well. You could also use shredded coconut to make the streusel if you want more of a crunch.
Applesauce is used as an egg replacer in this recipe. If you can’t have apples, try using pumpkin puree, banana puree, or even pear puree. Any of those should work just fine.
If you’d like to use only oat flour in this recipe, that might work, but the donuts will most likely be quite delicate and crumbly. You will have to be very careful trying to get them out of the pan.
For that reason, I recommend using a combination of a gluten free flour blend and oat flour.
How to make cinnamon streusel donuts
- Place the vegan buttery spread, applesauce, and sugar in a bowl and stir. Add the other dry ingredients.
- Stir until smooth.
- Spoon the batter into the donut pan. Top with the streusel oat topping.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Storage tips
Store these in an airtight container. These are best eaten within two days.
More Gluten Free Vegan Donuts
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Cinnamon Streusel Donuts (Gluten Free, Vegan).
These cinnamon streusel donuts are perfectly tender and delicious, and have a crunchy, sugary, oat topping. These are just right for autumn.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegan buttery spread melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup gluten free flour
- ¼ cup gluten free oat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- â…› teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ½ cup water or apple cider
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
For the Streusel Topping:
- 1 ½ Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons certified gluten free oats
- 1 Tablespoon vegan buttery spread
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a donut pan. (I recommend greasing and flouring the pan even if it is non-stick. It just makes it easier to remove the donuts).
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Put the vegan buttery spread, brown sugar, and applesauce in a bowl and stir well.
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Add the gluten free flour blend, oat flour, salt, baking powder, and spices to the bowl. Add the vinegar and water and stir until smooth.
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Spoon the mixture into the donut pan, and smooth out with the back of the spoon.
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In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, vegan buttery spread, and oats. Sprinkle this streusel topping on the donut batter in the pan.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then overturn the pan and tap on the bottom to remove donuts.
Recipe Notes
Store leftover donuts in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for two days.
Julie
I’m allergic to oats. Can buckwheat flour be used in place of the oat flour? If not, can you recommend a suitable substitute? I would love to make these!
Kelly Roenicke
I haven’t tried that, but I think it should work. Alternatively, just use the full amount of a gluten free flour blend.
Darryl
Yum! These donuts are awesome. I love the topping.