Almond Flour & Oatmeal Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts (Made Gluten-Free)

Here's a scrumptious donut recipe that's gluten free, high in fiber and nutritious! Made with almond flour, oat flour and applesauce, this is one donut recipe that you can eat guilt-free.

Are these donuts or just donut holes? Well, I call them donuts because they taste and feel like the most comforting home-cooked cinnamon donuts I’ve tried.

When you think you know almond flour, what it can and can’t do, you find new ways of using the handy wheat flour substitute. I recently discovered when paired with oatmeal, you get yourself a new winning combo. One that shines best when making almond flour and oatmeal cinnamon & sugar donuts.

Rolled oats or instant oats, it doesn’t matter; they come together with almond flour and a few other baking staples to deliver a batch of baked donuts that just tastes like the falling of the leaves. I think I say this too often, but this one is an instant classic!

These donuts are also gluten-free, and each is under 100 calories. Let’s call them healthier donuts that are as tasty (if not more) as regular cinnamon-scented donuts. I’m adding some recipe variations and substitutions, too, so play around with the recipe and make these comfy hole-less donuts your own. I’m still calling them donuts, though, but call yours any way you like!

Ingredients used to make this

_{**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• Almond flour – I used blanched almond flour. But you can also make your own by blending raw or blanched, slivered almonds in the food processor and sifting them through a sieve. If don't have almond flour at home, you can use equal amounts of oat flour, whole wheat flour, plain flour or more sweet rice flour.
• Oatmeal - Oatmeal acts as a binder in this recipe. Plus it adds a satisfying chew! You can use old-fashioned (rolled) or quick-cooking oats, but I wouldn't recommend using steel cut for this recipe. If you want to keep this strictly gluten-free (some oats are produced in the same facility as wheat), be sure to buy the one with the GF label like this one. 
• Applesauce – preferably unsweetened. The pectin that’s naturally found in applesauce helps bind the ingredients together without the addition of oil or egg.
• Eggs – I used regular large eggs. I haven't tried using egg replacements like flax or chia yet, so you might not get the same results if you decide to substitute.
• Salt – Pink Himalayan salt is what I have at home, so it’s what I use, but you can use any kind for this recipe.
• Sugar – You can use any granulated sugar of your choice, but coconut, date and maple sugars are less processed sugars I would recommend. Honey and maple syrup should also work. For keto options, you could also use stevia (but be sure to convert according to package instructions). For this recipe I used honey powder.

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How to Make

1. Mix oat flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl
2. Add the wet ingredients (egg, applesauce) and use a whisk to quickly stir the ingredients together and the batter is smooth.
3. Grease a mini muffin pan with oil (don't forget this step!)
4. Use a small scooper to portion the batter into the pan
5. Bake 350F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

• Add some nuts, dried fruits or mini chocolate chips to keep these baked donuts interesting.
• Chocolate Chip! Just fold in some chocolate chips to the batter.
• Love chai or cardamom flavors? They go well with the cinnamon! Try adding 1 tsp of Cardamom spice, or even Chai Tea Powder.
• With natural flavoring / extracts. Feel free to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn't feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or other flavorings or extracts, such as cinnamon extract or orange peels.

How to Make this Healthier

• Make this even healthier by adding a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition.
• Looking to lower calories? You can also reduce the sugar by half (to make this less sweet), or substitute the sugar with a sugar-free substitute.

What are some ways you can eat these?

• Plain and warm. Microwave before eating if cold.
• Instead of the cinnamon sugar, you can dust these donuts with powdered sugar or sugar-free powdered sugar.

How to Store

• You can store these donuts covered at room temperature for up to 48 hours. For longer storage, you can place them in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze up to 4 months.

Final Tips

• Baking time (as well as serving size) will vary based on the size of your muffin pan, the material (silicone vs metal) of the pan. Bake the donuts until the color is golden-brown on the top, or until a toothpick comes out clean/dry when poked into the middle.

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