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Foodie Loves Fitness

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Baked Churro Donuts {vegan + gf}

Let’s treat ourselves to dessert for breakfast, shall we?

In my first trimester of pregnancy, my normal sweet tooth kind of waned. While I was obsessed with fruit (I’ll chat more about my eats in more detail in a first trimester recap soon), besides loading up on nature’s candy, I didn’t really crave baked good sweets. I was still baking for blog recipes, loved ones, and occasions, but I found myself mostly staying away from sweets simply because they weren’t calling to me. It was unusual for my normal sweet tooth!

But then when I was 12 weeks along, I had an ultrasound appointment – where I was amazed to see my little one move around a ton and stretch out with her arms behind her head so early in my pregnancy! – and afterwards, I all of a sudden had a craving for donuts strike.

So I did what any pregnant chick would do and I found a donut shop to grab some sugary treats. It was a highly rated place that offers wild, elaborate donuts. The funny part is that I nabbed five donuts, had a few bites out of each one, and while they were amazing, I was kind of done with them for the day.

I think that my donut outing marked the beginning of a bit of a sweet tooth coming back, and it reminded me that there was a churro donut recipe I had tested awhile back but still had been wanting to play around with the ingredients a bit more. Hence how we arrived to today’s recipe: baked churro donuts, sans dairy or gluten.

I healthified these donuts up by using oats & almond flours as my base instead of using regular white flour. I wanted to sweeten the donuts with cane and brown sugars to keep an authentic churro flavor, but instead of packing the donuts with cups of sugar, I limited it to a more reasonable quantity. I promise that they’re still deliciously sweet! I also kept the donuts vegan by using a dairy free buttery spread and a flax egg.

So the next time you’re craving donuts, try whipping up these baked churro donuts! These babies are a cinnamon sugary good treat that everyone will love.

Baked Churro Donuts {vegan + gf}

Foodie Loves Fitness
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Servings 6 donuts
Calories 315 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup vegan buttery spread like Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/3 cup cane sugar
  • 1 flax egg: 3 T water + 1 T group flaxseed
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 TSP vanilla extract
  • 1 TSP cinnamon
  • 1 TSP baking powder
  • 1/2 TSP salt

For the cinnamon sugar topping:

  • 1 TBSP vegan buttery spread melted
  • 1/4 cup cane sugar
  • 2 TBSP brown sugar
  • 2 TSP cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 6-donut pan with cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the ground flaxseed and water to make the flax egg.
  • Use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and cane sugar.
  • Beat in the vanilla, almond milk and flax egg.
  • Fold in the flours, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Briskly stir together with a spatula.
  • Pour the batter into the donut pan. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the donuts are mostly firm and lightly browned on the bottoms.
  • Allow the donuts to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix the cinnamon + cane and brown sugars together. Transfer to a quart sized plastic bag.
  • Brush the tops of the donuts with the melted butter. One by one, carefully place a donut in the plastic bag and shake to coat the donut with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Enjoy!

Notes

*I only use 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture, but I find it better to have a bit extra to shake up the donuts with.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gFiber: 5gSugar: 17g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tell me… Are your food cravings usually more sweet or salty? 

Spread the love

March 18, 2019 4:00 am foodielovesfitness 12 Comments Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert, Pregnancy, Recipes, Snacks

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ali says

    March 19, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    Oh my goodness these look so good. I feel like I’m always craving donuts, ha ha!

    Reply
    • foodielovesfitness says

      March 29, 2019 at 1:45 pm

      Thanks, I hope that you try the recipe!

      Reply
  2. David @ Spiced says

    March 20, 2019 at 3:52 am

    Haha! Laura’s pregnancy craving led us to the Italian bakery and cannolis…not that far off from donuts! These churro donuts sound fantastic! I’m a huge sucker for anything cinnamon-sugar. 🙂 Hope all is going well, my friend!

    Reply
    • foodielovesfitness says

      March 29, 2019 at 1:45 pm

      Oooh yes to Italian bakeries! I need to find a good one around here… Funny, I was just reading on your blog this week about how cinnamon-sugar is a staple in your pantry 🙂

      Reply
  3. Patrick@looneyforfood.com says

    March 20, 2019 at 4:56 am

    Can’t beat dessert for breakfast

    Reply
    • foodielovesfitness says

      March 29, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      So true!!

      Reply
  4. marcie says

    March 20, 2019 at 8:41 am

    5 stars
    Aren’t those ultrasounds exciting?? And I had mad donut cravings for my second son — I don’t even normally eat donuts. haha These churro donuts are such a great healthier way to indulge!

    Reply
    • foodielovesfitness says

      March 29, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      Yes, the ultrasounds are fun! I have my 20-week one coming up in a few weeks and I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

      Reply
  5. Deborah Brooks says

    March 20, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    Well those look like a really yummy treat!

    Reply
    • foodielovesfitness says

      March 29, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Thanks! They totally were!

      Reply
  6. Ashley@CookNourishBliss says

    March 21, 2019 at 10:32 am

    Baked churro donuts?? Yes please! I’m not a huge donut person but every once in a while I get a craving for them. And you just cannot go wrong with all things cinnamon! SO GOOD.

    Reply
    • foodielovesfitness says

      March 29, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Same! I NEVER used to eat donuts but nowadays I enjoy them here and there… And a baked donut pan changed the game for me!

      Reply

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I'm Nicole, and I’m passionate about all things food, fitness and healthy living. I'm a toddler mom, certified health coach, freelance writer, and long-time health nut. Here I share my vegetarian recipes, workouts, fitness trends, travel adventures, and motherhood & health musings. Read more about me…

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