Wonderfully moist Gingerbread Cake Donuts with Cranberry Glaze are gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free — a perfect holiday breakfast treat.
With only three days until Christmas, I should be doing last-minute shopping, but instead I’ve been stuck at home fighting a stubborn virus. Between that and my husband’s broken foot, we haven’t been very productive — though we’ve watched more holiday movies than I care to admit. Through it all, these gingerbread cake donuts have been on repeat, and I haven’t minded one bit.
These gingerbread cake donuts are gluten-free, refined sugar–free, and vegan. Made from a blend of almond flour, sorghum flour, sweet white rice flour, and tapioca starch, they deliver that classic gingerbread flavor with the tender, moist crumb you expect from a gingerbread cake.
These festive donuts are delicious on their own, but the cranberry glaze elevates them into something special. I took inspiration from my mom’s cranberry-orange relish and my fondness for pairing orange with gingerbread, so I added a touch of orange zest to the glaze — a subtle addition that brightens the whole flavor profile.
While the donuts bake and cool, the glaze comes together quickly. Fresh cranberries simmer down with a little water and orange zest until jammy, then the unrefined cane sugar is blitzed into a powder and blended with the cranberry mixture until smooth. The result is a bright, tangy glaze that complements the warm spices in the donuts.
Drizzle — or smother — the cooled donuts with cranberry glaze, sprinkle with unsweetened shredded coconut for a festive finish if you like, and you have a holiday breakfast that feels indulgent without refined sugar or animal products. These are easy to make, full of seasonal flavor, and sure to become a holiday favorite.
Wishing you a season filled with warmth and laughter. Merry Christmas! xo.
Make a Salted Plains recipe? I’d love to see. Tag your creations on Instagram with #saltedplains!
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Cake Donuts with Cranberry Glaze (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Ingredients
For Donuts
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp warm water, set a few minutes)
- ½ cup sorghum flour
- 1 cup almond flour/meal
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup sweet white rice flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground cloves
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil, cooled
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Glaze
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ¼ teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup organic unrefined cane sugar (to blitz into powdered sugar)
- Pinch of salt
- Unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 6-cavity nonstick donut pan with coconut oil (two pans help if you have them).
- Prepare the flax egg in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, sweet white rice flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and spices. Stir in the cooled melted coconut oil, almond milk, molasses, vanilla, and the flax egg until combined.
- Spoon batter into the donut cavities, filling about ¾ full. Bake 19–21 minutes, until edges and tops are golden. Let donuts rest in the pan 3–5 minutes, then loosen with a knife and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While donuts cool, combine cranberries, orange zest, and water in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring and crushing the berries until jammy, about 8–9 minutes. Let cool.
- Place 1 cup unrefined cane sugar in a blender and blitz to a powder. Add the cooled cranberry mixture and a pinch of salt, then blend until smooth to make the glaze.
- Set a sheet of parchment under the wire rack, spoon or drizzle the cranberry glaze over the donuts, and top with shredded coconut if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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