I’ll admit it: I can’t stop making donuts! I’m not sure if it’s the result of all the extra time spent at home during the pandemic or just a strong, second trimester craving, but I am hooked.
It could also be because my favourite vegan donut baker is on hiatus. It’s not easy to find vegan donuts in the Royal City – it’s impossible, actually. And there’s only so many times I can drive into Vancouver for a donut before I start to feel silly.
So my DIY spirit got the better or me and I started experimenting with homemade donuts. Some are pillowy yeast donuts topped with chocolate icing or filled with raspberry jelly. Others are decadent cake donuts, like these perfect-for-fall pumpkin spice donuts dipped in maple glaze.
The nice thing about these is not only are they delicately spiced and completely delicious, but they’re quick! There’s no chilling the dough overnight or proofing for hours. You can whip them up on a Saturday morning and be dipping them in your second cup of coffee before the clock strikes 12.
First, you start by preparing your flax “egg” and your “buttermilk” and let them sit for 10 minutes or so. Mix the flax egg in a large or medium bowl and set aside. The flax and water get thick and gel up nicely, making them a lovely substitute for the ones that come out of a bird. And the lemon juice and plant milk can curdle a bit and turn into a passable non-dairy buttermilk.
Then, while those two are setting, get out a large bowl and combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. To the bowl with the flax egg, add the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, butter and vanilla, and whisk.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and incorporate the wet, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. It will seem a little dry at first, but just get in there with your hands and work the dough until it comes together.
In a Dutch oven or similar, heat your oil to between 350° and 360° F (176-182° C). While it’s heating up, roll out your dough and begin cutting your donuts and holes. You can use a donut cutter like this one, or a combination of 3″ and 1″ cookie cutters, or a glass if you’re really in a pinch! You can make a hole in the centre with a chopstick and spin the donut around it to widen the hole.
I accidentally order a very small donut cutter, so your version might not yield the huge quantity you see in my pictures, but don’t worry! I’m stuck making mini donuts for now. I will say, while you have more frying and glazing to do, the mini donuts are quite a delightful snack size. Plus, you can fry them four at a time!
Set up a drying rack over a baking sheet before you begin frying. That way, you can set the hot donuts on the rack and let any excess oil drip off before the glaze them. I recommend doing all of your donuts, then the donut holes, then mixing up the glaze while they all cool off. That way, you can dip your treats without burning your fingers.
The first batch of donuts I ever made, I used tongs to get them out of the hot oil. I quickly realized that this was not a one-off, so I went to a big box store (sorry, I live in the suburbs, we don’t have a cool, locally owned kitchen supply store) and grabbed a spider – that’s what those metal frying baskets are called – for about $3.50. Hot tip: shop the Asian cooking accessories are far cheaper than the rest of the selection.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Spider or metal tongs
- Deep frying thermometer
- Donut cutter, cookie cutters
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Donuts
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 5 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup plant milk, oat, almond or soy milk will work
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp baking powder
- 2-3 tsp pumpkin spice:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix!
- 2 tbsp vegan butter Vegan Becel or Earth Balance
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4-6 cups oil for frying, canola or vegetable
Maple glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp milk or melted vegan butter
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Homemade pumpkin spice
- If you don't have pumpkin spice on hand, you can easily mix up your own. Whisk together 3 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground allspice, and 1 tsp ground cloves. Store the remainder in an airtight container for future recipes.
Donuts
- Start by mixing the ground flax and water in a medium bowl and setting aside for roughly 10 minutes.
- Then, add one tbsp of lemon juice to a measuring cup and top with plant milk until you have 1/2 a cup of liquid.
- While your flax egg is gelling and the buttermilk is coming together, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, spice ,and salt in a large bowl.
- To the bowl containing the flax egg, add the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, vegan butter, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet, stirring again. Use your hands to work the dough together if the mixture becomes difficult to stir.
- Begin to heat oil in your Dutch oven with a deep-frying thermometer, bringing it up to 350°-360° and adjusting the heat to maintain an even temperature. Medium to medium low should do it.
- While oil is heating up, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. Begin cutting out your doughnuts and holes, reworking the dough scraps and rolling it out again and cutting, repeating until all your dough is gone.
- *If you don't have a donut cutter, use a cookie cutter or wide glass to cut out your donuts, then take a chopstick and create a hole in the centre and spin the donut until the hole widens.
- Before you start frying, take out a baking sheet and place a cooling rack on top. Have this near your Dutch oven.
- Slowly drop 3-4 donuts into the hot oil – they will sink to the bottom initially, this is normal! Once they float to the top of the oil, let them cook 1-2 minutes per side until they are nicely golden brown. Remove from the oil using a spider or tongs and transfer them to the rack to drain.
- Repeat with all of the donuts and holes until none are left. Then, combine all of your glaze ingredients in a small to medium bowl, whisking until smooth.
- Set up another rack on a baking sheet. If you don't have a second cooling rack and baking sheet, transfer the cooked donuts and holes to a bowl and reuse the cooling rack and baking sheet used for draining.
- Starting with the donuts, dunk one side into the maple glaze and then the other, allowing the excess glaze to drain off before setting on the rack. Repeat with all the donuts until only the holes are left. Then, dump the holes into the rest of the glaze, stirring to coat and transferring them to the rack with the glazed donuts. Enjoy!
