Caramel Donuts
This caramel donuts recipe creates pillowy soft donuts with a crispy crust dipped in a gooey, delicious caramel sauce and topped with chopped peanuts. If you’re looking for a perfect breakfast indulgence, look no more!
When it comes to donuts, or any sweets for that matter, I want them to be the best! That’s because if I’m going to spend my limited caloric budget on it, it had better be good! These caramel donuts are in that category. They’re soft and tender in all the right places and served with a perfect caramel topping!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Using ground nutmeg in the donut batter is a secret ingredient that makes these donuts taste like coffee-shop quality donuts
- Adding molasses to the batter infuses a caramel flavor to every bite
- Topping these donuts with a caramel frosting and chopped nuts gives it a payday-candybar-like flavor that is undeniably delicious!
What You Need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Lemon — We’ll use both the zest and the juice of the lemon.
- Oats — I used rolled oats for this recipe, but you can substitute instant oats.
- Chia — We’ll add some ground chia seeds to create a thicker texture. You can use whole chia seeds; I just prefer ground because it creates a smoother finished texture.
- Syrup — I used maple syrup, but you can substitute agave nectar.
- Milk — We’ll use almond milk for the best overnight oats! Substitute your favorite plant-based milk.
- Yogurt — I love adding some plant-based yogurt (plain, unsweetened) for an even more tangy flavor.
- Protein Powder — I add some vanilla protein powder for increased flavor and nutrients. If your protein powder is not sweetened, you may want to add an extra teaspoon or two of sweetener.
- Cornstarch — We’ll use cornstarch to thicken the lemon curd topping.
- Turmeric — A pinch of turmeric makes that lemon curd sunny yellow.
- Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour, but you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour or high-quality gluten-free baking flour.
- Brown sugar — Use light, dark, or homemade brown sugar.
- Salt
- Baking powder + baking soda — Make sure yours is fresh by testing a bit of baking powder in hot water and baking soda in vinegar. If it bubbles, your batch is good to go.
- Ground nutmeg
- Vegan Butter — If using storebought, I recommend Earth Balance or Miyokos, or you can use homade vegan butter.
- Vegan yogurt — I recommend plain vegan yogurt such as Forager or Silk. You can substitute vegan sour cream.
- Molasses
- Chopped peanuts — This is an optional topping, but highly recommended.
- Vanilla extract
- Vegan creamer — I prefer using thick vegan creamer (the kind poured into coffee) or coconut milk. Other thick plant-based milk options would be cashew milk, soy milk, or vegan evaporated milk.
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Caramel Donuts
- Stir together the dry ingredients.
- Stir together the vegan butter and vegan yogurt. Then stir in the molasses and water.
- Make the batter by stirring the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture.
- Spoon the batter into the donut compartments.
- Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the donuts are done.
- Make the caramel glaze by bringing vegan butter and brown sugar to a boil.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and cream, and then stir in the powdered sugar.
- Dip donuts in the caramel glaze and add chopped peanuts.
Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions.
Step One: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, spice, salt, and baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
Step Two: Combine Wet Ingredients
In a microwaveable bowl, place the vegan butter. Heat for 20 to 30 seconds, until the butter is melted. Add it to a bowl with the vegan yogurt and molasses and stir to combine. Stir in the water.
Step Three: Make the Donut Batter
Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. It should be a thick batter without lumps.
Step Four: Spoon and Bake
Use a tablespoon to carefully distribute the batter into the donut compartments, filling them generously and equally.
- Make up to 12 smaller donuts — Use 3 tablespoons of batter per compartment.
- Make 8 or 9 larger donuts — Use 4 tablespoons of batter for thicker donuts.
Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the donuts are puffy in the middle and done.
Step Five: Glazing Donuts
Here’s the steps to glazing the donuts:
- To make the caramel icing, heat vegan butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Stir and boil for up to a minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and cream. Allow it to cool for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar and stir to combine. This glaze will thicken as it sits, so be prepared to add 1/2 teaspoon of additional cream as needed.
- Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, dip the top part of each donut in the glaze and add chopped peanuts while the icing is still wet.
Topping Ideas
Caramel combined with peanuts reminds me so much of Payday candy bars. Here are some more topping ideas for your donuts:
- Large flakes of sea salt will make salted caramel donuts.
- Sprinkles will make them festive.
- Coconut flakes are always amazing on donuts.
- Mini chocolate chips (see my dairy-free chocolate chip guide to find vegan mini chocolate chips) would be beautiful and delicious.
- Chopped bacon-flavored almonds would add bits of crunch and smoky flavor.
Storage Tips
Store donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
More Vegan Donuts
If you love these caramel donuts, you’ll definitely want to try even more vegan donuts:
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Caramel Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
- ⅔ cup vegan yogurt
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts
Caramel Glaze
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon vegan creamer (see note)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and coat a regular-sized donut pan with vegetable spray.
- In a bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, spice, salt, and baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
- In a microwaveable bowl, place the vegan butter. Heat for 20 to 30 seconds, until the butter is melted. Add it to a bowl with vegan yogurt and molasses and stir to combine. Stir in the water.
- Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. It should be a thick batter without lumps.
- Use a tablespoon to carefully distribute the batter into the donut compartments, filling them generously and equally. Use 3 tablespoons of batter per compartment for smaller donuts and 4 tablespoons of batter for thicker donuts. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the donuts are done.
For the Caramel Glaze
- To make the caramel icing, heat vegan butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Stir and boil for up to a minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and cream. Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes, then add the powdered sugar and stir to combine. This glaze will thicken as it sits, so be prepared to add 1/2 teaspoon of additional cream as needed.
Glazing Donuts
- Once the donuts are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Once they're cool enough to handle, dip the top part of each donut in the caramel icing. Add chopped peanuts while the icing is still wet.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
I just made these: the donuts are yummy and fluffy but the frosting didn’t work 🙁 I made straight-up caramel, and I tried it twice. I don’t know what I did wrong. It is far too hard to spread so I’ll have to make a glaze and just eat this caramel as a snack.
These look so good! I actually got one of those donut pans for Christmas last year and haven’t even used it yet! Shameful, but these might make me get into the kitchen and put it to good use!
I have a few dishes like that as well. Maybe you’re just waiting for the right recipe to get it started. I love baked donuts – can’t imagine them any other way now!