Gluten Free Cereal and Milk Donuts Recipe
Updated Jul 10, 2025, Published Jan 18, 2012
This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
When one is married to a gluten free food blogger and recipe developer I suppose one feels obligated to try everything said food blogger and recipe developer cooks. And when one really likes what they try, they may be inclined to do more than have just a taste. And when one does more (a lot more) than taste, one may just tend to put on a few pounds.
Such was the case with my hubby. There were lots of treats being created in my kitchen this past holiday season, not just professionally but personally too. (I should also mention that in addition to the “trying” of recipes developed he also has a penchant for stealing cookies and marshmallows intended to be given away as gifts.)
So the hubby came to me asking for help in shedding a few of the unwanted pounds that he has “inexplicably” put on. I was happy to oblige, I don’t mind being the food police and to him the whole weight loss thing seems daunting and mysterious.
Well the truth of the matter is it’s pretty simple. You want to lose weight you need to cut calories. It’s just math – you need to burn more than you consume. In my experience the best way to do this is to cut back on starches, carbohydrates and fats, to cut out sugar, fried food and dairy (and of course, gluten) and to consume plenty of veggies, lean, protein and some fruit. And to eat less – but when you eat less you need to make every calorie count – more nutrition packed foods to fuel the body. And cut Krispy Kreme doughnuts!
The problem with being the food police is there is no such thing as the “good cop.” You are always the bad cop, saying “no,” watching the “suspect” like a hawk and smacking their hand if they reach for something they shouldn’t. It is a pretty thankless job, instead of being the hero that you are, you become the enemy – the person standing between them and culinary happiness. You become the brunt of grouchy rants, dirty looks and not-too-flattering nicknames like “food Nazi,” “harbinger of EVIL” and others too dirty to write in public.
But I have also learned that the trick to staying on any kind of diet (or eating plan as I like to call it) is to indulge in a few modified treats here and there that help curb the urge for bad things like, oh, Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
With that in mind I made some baked donuts that were not just gluten free but also dairy and sugar free. And I decided to throw in another treat relegated to the “not ‘til you lose the weight” category; cereal and milk. Thus Gluten Free Cereal and Milk Donuts were born. A little bit of starch and carbs, a tiny bit of fat but a zillion calories less than regular doughnuts (that’s a rough estimate) and none of the forbidden things like gluten, sugar, dairy and frying.
Are these donuts just like a Krispy Kreme? Nope. Not gonna lie to you. Are they tasty, sweet and satisfying? Yep. You bet! Will they keep the hubby from sneaking off to grab a hot doughnut from the K.K. drive through? Well, they’re donuts, not invisible-24-hour-surveillance-devices with a stun gun, so your guess is as good as mine – but they stand a really, really good chance.
These donuts are plenty sweet thanks to Zero, a calorie free sweetener from Wholesome! with a carbohydrate content of 0 and a glycemic index of 0. I was not about to use artificial sweeteners, I don’t care for the taste of stevia (sorry all you stevia lovers and proponents, I just don’t like it), my go-to refined sugar free alternative of Agave has calories and Xylitol not only has some calories and carbs but causes tummy issues for the hubby. Zero comes from sugar and tastes a lot like sugar. I even made powdered sugar from it for my donut topping!
So if you’re trying to shed a few pounds or just trying to eat a cleaner diet, these just may help you stay on track. I know that in my home I have gone from “wicked diet witch of the West” to “the most wonderful woman in the world.” At least for today!
Gluten Free Cereal and Milk Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
- Gluten free, - non-stick cooking spray
- 2 cups fruit juice sweetened brown rice crisps or toasted rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups Zero sweetener, - use divided
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
- ¼ cup grapeseed, - (or other neutral tasting) oil
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, - use divided
- ¾ cup rice milk
- 1 teaspoon corn or tapioca starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two - 6 count donut pans with cooking spray.
- Pour the cereal into a baking pan and cook for 7 – 8 minutes or just until fragrant. Let cool.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, add 1 cup of Zero sweetener, the agave, 2 teaspoons vanilla and ½ cup rice milk. Whisk to combine, add to the flour mixture and mix well. Add 1 cup of the toasted cereal to the batter and stir.
- Fill the donut pans about 2/3 full and bake for 13 – 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. You may need to run a knife around the edges to help remove (especially if you fill them too full).
- Place the remaining cup of Zero into a blender with the corn or tapioca starch. Blend on high speed until it resembles powdered sugar. Pour into a mixing bowl; add the remaining teaspoon of vanilla and remaining ¼ cup of rice milk. Stir until it turns into a thick frosting (you may need to add a drop or two more of rice milk if it is too thick – it should be spreadable).
- Frost each donut and then dip the frosted side into the remaining cereal.
- These donuts are best eaten the day they are made.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.
Thank you for the great post. Anyway take it easy and keep the great work!
Thanks Yuri
Carol, this is yet another reason I’m dying for a donut pan! Also, I’ve done a little baking with erythritol (the sweetener in Zero) but I need to experiment more. I especially love the idea powdering it to use in the icing. These are some seriously fab donuts!
Thanks Cara – I am really loving erythritol (Zero) – I now use it in my coffee and a lot of baking. And I love my little donut pans! So happy I got the, now I can make healthier donuts whenever I want :)
These look fantastic! I’m going to give this recipe a try in my next round of breakfast baking.
Thanks Dawn, enjoy!
That frosting is really interesting. I’ve been wanting to make cereal bars with a milk “glue”; does this frosting harden? Would really appreciate your help!
Hi Laura, yes it does harden. You can even use it to frost cookies if you like. Enjoy!
You mention that Zero has no carbs and no calories, except that it actually does. The serving size is 6 grams, which is pure carbs because on the nutritional label is says it contains 6 grams of carbs. Since it’s not quite as sweet as sugar you use more and the carbs really stack up. Zero also has 0.2 calories per gram so it’s actually 1.2 calories per tiny 6-gram serving. Yet somehow that translates to 0 calories on their nutritional label? Makes no sense. It’s over 1 calorie. That’s not zero. And when you’re using it for baking like this, you might end up with 30 calories that you didn’t count for because you just assumed 0.
I am not going to worry too much about 30 calories in a batch of doughnuts but thanks for pointing this out.
Hmm. That Zero sweetener… You say it’s free of refined sugar but it’s just sugar that’s been refined further. I guess it being calorie-free and doesn’t spike your blood sugar/pressure is a good thing though. Still seems a bit fishy.
I personally use honey or maple syrup where I can. Would it do as an alterative in this recipe?
I don’t know Katie because the point of this recipe was to be very low in calories. Zero is Erythritol which is almost noncaloric, does not affect blood sugar, and does not cause tooth decay. You can always try it out with maple syrup or honey.
My favorite 84 year old Uncle cannot have gluten or suger. Although I live walking distance from a “gluten free” bakery, when he asked for doughnuts I was stumped! I will try this recipe and I’m sure he will be most appreciative. Thank you for posting:)
My pleasure Lauren, I hope he enjoys the recipe!