Delicious Recipe: The Best Cinnamon Cream-Filled Vegan Donut

|Updated Oct 29, 2020

@the_bananadiaries

As you cozy up on the couch, sipping your hot cup of coffee, the only thing missing is a delicious vegan donut with a cream filling. This could be your perfect morning of self-care and a little R&R.

The Beet found the most incredible, easy-to-make, cinnamon vanilla cream-filled donuts. This recipe is unlike any other because it doesn’t contain dairy, eggs, and is baked instead of fried, like most traditional donuts. Brittney, also know as The Banana Diaries, is the recipe developer of this delicious treat and specializes in vegan baking, only makes the best treats that everyone will love.

When it's time to start baking, get creative with the dough. You will start from scratch and roll it out yourself and form them into little donuts, kids especially love the hands-on process. Then, you lather them in cinnamon and sugar. If you’re feeling festive, add a little nutmeg or pumpkin spice is to the mix. After, you let them bake while you make the vegan cream filling to stuff your donuts with.

The best part? You don’t have to run to the bakery to find plant-based sweets, this recipe is easy to make and you might already have the ingredients on hand. You will love this recipe and add it to your book of sweet vegan recipes.

Message From the Recipe Developer: "This incredibly easy cinnamon vanilla cream-filled vegan doughnut recipe is baked instead of fried for a lighter take on the classic! Filled with a dairy-free cinnamon vanilla cream, these baked vegan doughnuts are easy to make and fun to eat!"

Recipe Developer: Brittney, @the_bananadiaries

Why we love it: What’s not to love? The warmth of a crisp donut is the best way to indulge in comfort food. This recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious. Save the leftover dough in the fridge and pop them in the oven when you need an extra treat.

Make it for: Breakfast, snack, or a dessert. Pack them in your kids' lunchboxes and surprise them with a treat they would have no idea is vegan. The baking process is creative and fun for everyone so get your whole family involved and bake these warm, sinful, and plant-based donuts.
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 40 minutes

Cinnamon Cream-Filled Vegan Donut

Yields 15 donuts

Ingredients

Vegan Donut:

4–4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet activated yeast
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 1/4 cup dairy-free milk, unsweetened
1/4 cup vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp vegan butter, melted (for brushing the doughnuts before baking and before dipping into sugar)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (you won’t use all of it, just enough to easily coat each doughnut)

Cinnamon Cream Filling:

4 tbsp vegan butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1–2 tbsp dairy-free milk

Instructions

Heat the coconut milk until it reaches 110F.
Add in the yeast, sugar, and a tablespoon of flour into the warmed milk in a large bowl, cover, and allow the mixture to activate for 10 minutes.
Once activated, add in the vegan butter, applesauce, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and 4 cups of flour to start. Knead the dough together. You can add in the 1/2 cup extra flour if the dough is sticky, as it shouldn’t be sticking to your hand.
Continue kneading the dough lightly, for 2-4 minutes, then place the dough into a bowl greased with olive oil, cover with a cloth or wrap, and place it into a warm area to let rise for 1 hour. It should be double in size.
After the dough has risen in size, punch down the dough and roll it out on a clean and floured surface to be a large rectangle (6 in x 12 in).
Use a round cookie cutter (about 4-5″ wide, depending on how big you want the doughnuts to be), and gently press the cookie cutter into the dough. Repeat to create more doughnuts. Remove the excess dough and use a spatula to transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet.
Lightly knead the dough again until smooth to roll out once more and repeat Step 6 until all of the dough is used. You should get between 12-15 doughnuts.
After you’ve placed the doughnuts onto the baking sheet,, cover them again with a clean towel, and place the baking sheet near or on top of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Once the oven is preheated, lightly brush each doughnut on both sides with vegan butter. Place the doughnuts (uncovered) into the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the doughnuts are puffed and lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and allow the doughnuts to cool completely before making the filling (otherwise, the filling will melt out of the doughnuts).
After the doughnuts have cooled, lightly brush each doughnut with vegan butter again and dip each doughnut into granulated sugar to cover completely. Place each doughnut back onto the baking sheet. To make the slits where the cream will go, use a 1″ wide sharp knife and carefully make a slit to the center of the doughnut. Repeat for each one.
To make the cinnamon cream filling, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the vegan butter until creamed. Add in the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and 1 tbsp of dairy-free milk to start, and begin to beat again until fluffy and creamy. If the texture isn’t smooth, you can add in an additional tablespoon of dairy-free milk.
Fill a piping bag with your desired tip with the filling. Press the piping bag into the slit that you made earlier and gently fill with filling. Repeat for each doughnut.
Store in the fridge, or serve immediately and enjoy!