Baked Strawberry Donuts with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting {vegan}

Healthier than your typical fried donuts, these vegan baked donuts use fresh strawberries, oats & cashew butter in the batter, & are topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting! 

I haven’t shared a sweet tooth recipe with you in a solid six weeks. The madness! 

Truth be told, I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen with new snack & dessert recipes, but many of them have been freelance projects. But today I’m back with a very delicious donut recipe… my very first donut recipe on the blog! 

Over the holidays, my hubby’s grandmom & mom gave us a gift card to Stonewall Kitchen, and I went ahead & purchased something I’d been meaning to nab for awhile… a donut pan! I’ve been playing around with my first batches of homemade donuts, & it may just be my new favorite thing.

Growing up, I never ate donuts, and I kind of just believed them to be saturated fat-filled, “bad” for you balls of dough that weren’t all that great. But that changed a couple of years ago when gourmet donuts became a trend. I visited a few donut shops and experienced what heavenly donuts are like. From lavender vanilla to banana cream pie, high-quality fancy schmancy donuts have become a go-to treat of mine from time to time.

And what do I usually do with any kind of food that I love to order out? Learn to make them at home too of course – hence the donut pan purchase, and my new obsession with baked donuts.

Today is my first donut recipe on the blog, but it’s sure to not be the last! With it being the start of springtime, I felt like strawberry donuts were a perfect idea. Strawberries have started to be in season here in Southern California, & I can never get enough of them.

To make a healthier donut recipe, I make the batter with a base of oats + whole wheat pastry flour. I also use cashew butter, a bit of coconut oil, and almond milk to hold these babies together.

The donut batter is made in my beloved food processor. First, we ground the oats. Then, we add in the other batter ingredients and pulse until it forms a smooth mixture. Lastly, we add in the fresh strawberries just until they’re chopped into the batter and start to turn everything a light pink hue.

While the donuts are baking, the frosting is whipped up by combining vegan cream cheese, strawberry preserves, powdered sugar and vanilla together until it forms a creamy mixture.

Once the donuts are baked and cooled, we spread the frosting on each and top with some sprinkles.

A few of the brands I use for this recipe include:

• Go Veggie vegan cream cheese – It’s made with coconut and non-GMO soy instead of dairy, though you can of course use regular cream cheese if you choose.
• Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour & oats… because this brand rocks.

These strawberry donuts make for one delicious breakfast treat, snack or dessert! They’d also make for an awesome Easter brunch idea if you’re looking for something different to make for the upcoming holiday that’ll be a crowd pleaser.

Baked Strawberry Donuts with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting {vegan}

Foodie Loves Fitness

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 6

Calories 275 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup fresh strawberries halved
• 1 cup dry oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 TBSP melted coconut oil
• 1/2 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 TSP baking powder
• 1/4 TSP salt
• Sprinkles optional {I used naturally colored ones}

For the frosting:

• 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP dairy free cream cheese such as Go Veggie or Daiya brands {can of course use regular cream cheese for non-vegan donuts}
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 TBSP strawberry preserves
• 1/2 TSP vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 6-serving donut pan with cooking spray.
• Place the oats in a food processor and process until they're mostly ground.
• Add in the cashew butter, whole wheat pastry flour, melted coconut oil, almond milk, cane sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Process until the mixture is evenly combined into a batter.
• Add in the halved strawberries and pulse for about 10 seconds, or just until the strawberries are broken into small chunks and the batter starts to turn a pinkish color.
• Spoon the batter evenly into the donut pan.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the donuts start to look golden brown and firm.
• While the donuts are baking, prepare the frosting: Place the cream cheese, strawberry preserves, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in the food processor (You may need to use a smaller processor bowl if you processor is pretty large). Process until smooth and creamy. Place in the fridge to slightly chill.
• Once the donuts are done baking, allow them to slightly cool in the donut pan, then carefully transfer them from the donut pan to a cooling rack.
• After the donuts cool completely, frost them with a butter knife and top each with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Notes

The donuts keep best stored in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 12.5gSaturated Fat: 6gFiber: 3gSugar: 17g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other fruity recipe inspiration? Check out a few of the recipes that I’ve created for Shape lately:

Blueberry Lemon Protein Cookies.

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve with a Caramel Swirl.

Blueberry Almond Flax Keto Muffins.

Tell me… Which is your favorite: cookies, cupcakes, or donuts?

My answers probably depends on the day!