Gluten Free Healthier Red Velvet Doughnuts Recipe
Who doesn’t love a good doughnut? The problem is, doughnuts are typically filled with fat, calories, and sugar, and are deficient in nutrients. These Red Velvet Doughnuts are baked instead of fried, free of refined sugar and artificial coloring, and are nutrient-dense thanks to beets and cashews. To keep things simple, we used jarred beets instead of roasting or boiling fresh beets – just make sure you don’t get the pickled variety.
Gluten Free Healthier Red Velvet Doughnuts Recipe
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 172kcal
Ingredients
- Gluten-free nonstick cooking spray
- 1 cup jarred or canned beets not pickled
- ¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral flavored oil
- 1¼ cups gluten-free flour blend
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk any kind
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 batch Maple Cashew “Cream Cheese” Frosting recipe follows
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios or cashews optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray 2 (6-count) doughnut pans with cooking spray.
- Combine the beets and oil in a food processor and process until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the beet mixture, maple syrup, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Spoon or pipe the batter into the doughnut pans, filling each form about ¾ full. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the doughnuts spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into a doughnut comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Frost with frosting and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Healthier Red Velvet Doughnuts Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 172
Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 28mg9%
Sodium 260mg11%
Potassium 209mg6%
Carbohydrates 24g8%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 85IU2%
Vitamin C 0.6mg1%
Calcium 80mg8%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Maple Cashew “Cream Cheese” Frosting Recipe
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 63kcal
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
Instructions
- Cover the cashews with boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Drain. Place in a food processor or blender and process until very smooth, scraping down the sides, as needed. Add the maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and process until fully combined.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Maple Cashew “Cream Cheese” Frosting Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 63
Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Sodium 25mg1%
Potassium 68mg2%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
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What else can we sub for the beets. My husband hates beets. Are they tasteless in the recipe? Thanks
You won’t taste them! Unfortunately I don’t have a substitute for the beets, as this was specifically made to be a healthier donut recipe made with beets for the red velvet color.
What can you use if you do not have a donut pan?
Hi Krista,
You could make these in muffin pans and call them “cupcakes” instead! You’ll have to bake them longer though, so just start checking at about 10 minutes and then add time from there. I haven’t tried them myself in a muffin pan, so if you try it feel free to pop back in and let me know how long it took them to bake!
I am going to try the donuts, but I noticed on the frosting recipe it is a cream cheese frosting. I don’t see cream cheese as an ingredient. Is it missing?
Hi Rose, it’s “Cream Cheese” frosting – as in it’s like cream cheese frosting but it’s actually not. It’s made with cashews, so it’s a healthier knockoff of cream cheese frosting!