
I grew up in a house where even the throw blankets and flags were swapped out in celebration of a pending holiday. We had a special plate that we got when it was our birthday, and boxes upon boxes of Christmas decorations that would take multiple days to set up and take down. It seems like there's a “national day” for everything these days, but I love a good holiday and and will always jump on the chance to celebrate something silly – like doughnuts! So, in commemoration of National Doughnut Day on June 7, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create this recipe for Caramel Glazed Doughnuts.
You probably remember my killer pumpkin doughnuts from last year, but that recipe is associated with Autumn in my head, so this holiday needed its own creation. There's not really too much to say about doughnuts, and what there was to say was already said in the pumpkin doughnut (donut?) post, so I'll just put a bunch of mouth-watering photos in front of you and allow you to drool on your keyboard. And feel the urgent need to purchase a doughnut maker.

Oh, one last thing. I purposefully made these doughnuts nut-free for all of my readers who have allergies, but then my scattered brain went and put almond butter in the glaze! So if you want these truly nut-free, use either one of the frosting choices from the pumpkin doughnuts I mentioned above. Chocolate or maple with bacon ‘sprinkles.' Otherwise enjoy this satisfyingly gooey, honey caramel glaze and top with sliced almonds for a little crunch. This recipe makes 6 mini doughnuts in my doughnut maker. If you use a doughnut pan, the quantity will depend on how big your mold is. Feel free to double the recipe, but I suggest measuring the coconut flour out twice. It is really finicky and even 1/2 teaspoon extra will make a difference.


Alicia K
These look perfect! Do you think ghee would work in place of butter?
Against All Grain
Yes, I think that would work just fine!
Nicole
These look wonderful and so glad of the flavoring. Making them tomorrow. Question what doughnut maker do you use? Thanks
Against All Grain
Here’s the link to the doughnut maker that I use.
https://astore.amazon.com/againstallgrain-20/detail/B005PO9TT4
JacquieK
These make me want to buy a doughnut maker! Thanks for this recipe. It looks amazing!
KJR
Making these for my son before school tomorrow! He will love eating them knowing it is in celebration of National Doughnut Day!
Mia
Guess what we are making for dessert tonight?! I have everything called for including the mini donut maker. The family and I are happy :o)P
mountain girl
These look amazing! Is it 1/4 CUP of coconut milk? I don’t imagine it would be 1/4 of any other measurement.
Against All Grain
Yes! Sorry about that 🙂
Phaedra
Ooh those look amazing. By the way, I noticed a little smiley face on the right near my scroll bar. How cute!
Angela Stanford
What a delicious looking dessert Danielle. I haven’t had a doughnut in years, and neither have many of my clients! I cannot wait to give this recipe a try! Will let you know how they are received by me and my family!
Healthy Food, Healthy You!
Amber
In the directions you list water for the glaze, but I’m not seeing water in teh ingredient list for the glaze?
I just made them anyway and SWOON!! They are amazing!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Amber
*the
(I need auto-correct on my computer)
Kristen
Ahhh bacon sprinkles. What a treat!
Kathryn
Can you substitute almond milk and almond flour for the coconut? If so, would you use the same amounts?
Against All Grain
I specifically made these to be nut-free, but you could try it and just double the amount of almond to coconut, but the milk would be 1 to 1.
Kathryn
Thanks. They turned out great and my kids love them!
Ryan
Do you know of any doughnut maker that does not have a nonstick surface? I stay clear of any products that have teflon or any other non stick coating (health reasons).
Against All Grain
No, but here’s a silicone doughnut mold you can use. https://againstallgrain.com/shop/
Saira
what is a good substitute for grass fed butter?
jill king
I’m guessing its a quarter cup of coconut milk? 😉 I’m making my own especially for this recipe. So excited! !
Against All Grain
Yes! Sorry about that 🙂
Alicia
And my donut maker was starting to collect dust going gluten free! Thank you for something to put in it once again! These look amazing!
Mia
Reporting back:
This is the best donut recipe I have ever made. And the caramel glaze is so close in taste and texture to “regular” caramel that it will now be an addition to using as a topping for coconut milk ice cream; and even to make candies. Caramel is my absolute favorite so you do not know how happy I am to have made this! That book cannot get here fast enough.
Thank you so very much:)
Heather Rosen
First, these look amazing, and I can’t wait to try them. Second, how much coconut milk is used? It says 1/4 coconut milk. I assume it’s 1/4 cup ^_^
Against All Grain
Oops! Yes 🙂 Thank you for catching that!
Julie Williams
Danielle,
Is there a problem with using yeast when you have an autoimmune disease?
These look wonderful. Looking forward to your cookbook. Will it be at Barnes and Noble’s? I have a gift card from there.
Against All Grain
I don’t know, it really depends on your symptoms, but yeast can be very harmful to your gut.
Jessica
These look awesome. In the directions for the glaze, you mention water. That isn’t listed in the ingredients. How much water should I add? Thanks!
Corinne
Can’t wait to bake these…. How much water do you use for the glaze?
amber
Nut free batter! Love it, Danielle. 🙂 Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
Beautiful pictures.
–Amber
Jane
Thank you for this fabulous recipe. I bought a doughnut pan and made these right away. Husband who doesn’t have to be grain free loved them too.
Kristin W.
Made these this morning and they were a hit. My husband said they were fantastic! This is a keeper! Thanks
Rochelle
Made these this morning! Great texture and loved the glaze. I used coconut oil instead of butter and sunbutter instead of almond butter. The swaps worked out great!
Susan
I used earth balance soy free dairy free spread….I feel they didn’t even look like yours nor probably taste like yours either! Do u think it was because I didn’t use grass fed butter?
Against All Grain
Possibly, I’ve never used that before, sorry!
Stacy
I would really love to try these. How do you measure the coconut flour? Use a spoon to put it into the measuring cup and then use a sifter? Or put flour in the sifter and sift flour into a measuring cup? Just wanted to get the exact technique so my donuts look and taste as yummy as yours!
Against All Grain
I measure and then sift it.
Beth
I am going to break out my abelskiver (sp?) pan and make these as filled doughnuts!
Jlukito
Can I make this in another type of pan other than a doughnut pan? I dont have one…
Against All Grain
I don’t know, I’ve only tried it with my doughnut maker and pans. Feel free to try it and let me know how it works!
Kristy
I used the waffle maker (after dusting it off!), and had to add a bit more coconut milk to make it the consistancy I needed…. It was amazing! Just make sure to use butter on the iron, cause it burns very easily! 🙂
Barbara J.
I thought using mini bundt pans might be a good alternative…
Amanda
I am wondering if I could sub honey for a powdered sweetener like stevia and what result that might have?
Does the honey contribute to texture a lot?
Against All Grain
I don’t use stevia so I don’t know, sorry! And yes, the honey is a liquid so it contributes to the texture.
Sheila H.
made these for Father’s Day and I had one happy husband (and 3 happy children). I used your glaze but also made a simple sugar glaze and it was soooooo good. Glad to have doughnuts again as a treat.
Michelle
Hi these sound amazing and so happy they are nut free. Was wondering about the glaze, can you sub sunflower butter for the almond butter so I can still make the caramel glaze which is a favorite around here? Thanks so much! : )
DeeDee
I don’t have a donut maker . . . .but I do have a waffle iron! OMG!! Fantastic! First breadlike thing I’ve had since going gluten free over a year ago. I’ll try reducing the honey for a savory sandwich base. Thanks so much.
Vicky
Your caramel glaze looks so shiny! I’m loving this recipe Danielle!
Jody
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to try them. Have you considered writing your recipes with weights (e.g.,grams) instead of cup measurements. Makes it much easier to be more precise for baking. And a kitchen scale isn’t expensive.
Kristy
I made this last night as a treat for my dear husband who has been missing Saturday Morning Coffee and Donuts. First of all, I had to use the waffle maker cause I didnt have a donut maker (YET!!!) and had to add a little more coconut milk because of that. BUT… it was amazing! You are a genius!!! Another fabulous creation to make all our mouth’s water!
Kelly
I love your recipes, especially the donut ones!.
Chana
This sound amazing! There is any egg subtitude??? Im about to downlad your book any ways!!!
Against All Grain
You could try a flax egg
Nancy
Wow. The cake part is out of control delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had such tasty paleo cake before in my life!!! I’m going to bookmark this cake and use it as a base for EVERYTHING in the future!! I love the fluffiness & coconut flavor 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!!!
Against All Grain
Thank you! Yes I plan to use it as a base for many more things 🙂
Stacie Bee
Just found your website and needed a sweet treat! Just made the donut recipe in a mini muffin pan, and they are wonderful. Thank you so much!
Chrissy w/ Eat2Bee Healthy
Can these be made the day before needing to eat them? If so, is it best to store them in the fridge or counter covered? Thanks!!
Against All Grain
Yeah you can make them and keep them in the fridge.
Sandra Brigham
I made these and I think the doughnut would have been better without the glaze which just seeped into the doughnut almost immediately and made it wet. I did let the doughnuts cool long enough so I was surprised the glaze seeped through.
Kerry | Yum and Yummer
HOLY. MOLY. These are ridiculous! Granted, I took a bit of a detour and ended up dumping in about a 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips and then making a chocolate frosting instead for a truly nut-free donut, but next time I’m going to be adventurous and try your caramel recipe. Even though the almond butter will make me feel like horse poop. But I don’t care, it’s happening! I just. don’t. care.
Celena
Best tasting donut recipe I have found yet! I made the glaze with all natural peanut butter(my husband follows scd so he can have pb) because I didn’t have any almond butter. The glaze also makes a great dipping sauce for apples! My husband loved it!
Kat
These look outstanding! I want to make them but was wondering if you could tell me if they freeze well? If I make these I will want to make them ahead of time and would pop them in the toaster oven to warm up for my son. Would that work? Maybe not with the glaze, though, as it would probably melt all over the place….lol
Thanks for this recipe. 🙂
Against All Grain
I’ve never tried it, so you’ll have to test it out. I’ve only made them and stored them in the fridge for a day.
Patti
I made these the other day and all I can say is YUM! They are better the day after baking! I made them in mini-muffin pans and baked them for about 15 minutes. Just want smaller serving cause I can get carried away with deserts 🙂 I made 2 batches: followed your recipe and second batch omitted the butter and replaced with coconut milk and substituted stevia for the sugar. Loved them both! Thanks for the recipes! Awaiting the arrival of your book from Barnes and Noble.com.
Patti
These are crazzzzzy good! They are better the day after baking! I made them in mini-muffin pans and baked them for about 15 minutes. Just want smaller serving cause I can get carried away with deserts 🙂 I made 2 batches: followed your recipe and second batch omitted the butter and replaced with coconut milk and substituted stevia for the sugar. Loved them both! Thanks for the recipes! Awaiting the arrival of your book from Barnes and Noble.com.
Crystal
These were so perfect! I was able to use coconut oil in substitution for the butter and they still turned out great! They were my son’s fist doughnuts that he’s been able to eat! Always exciting to try new things for my little man with big digestive issues!
Amanda Nguyen
Looks awesome! But, not nut-free as stated, there is almond butter in the ingredients list.
shacone
Danielle is there a way to make threes and fry them in coconut oil? I am not a fan of the Teflon coated pans for health reasons, but am DYING to try these. …. Thanks
Kathleen Simis
I made these with this PTFE/ Teflon-free donut pan. Turned out really well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DS0U8I/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Saira
what is a good substitute for grass fed butter? i dont have that on hand
Danielle
You can use palm shortening or ghee 1:1.
Meghan
Any suggestions on a substitute for the apple cider vinegar? Apples are a no go for us due to an allergy. These look amazing!
stephanie
It says 6 donuts, but with the same donut maker I made 18 donuts !! It was a great surprise !
Veronica
What kind if flour could I use instead of coconut?
Belli
Question: is this more of a batter or a dough?
I want to try making doughnuts but don’t have a doughnut pan or doughnut maker. Would I be able to freehand these or is the batter too thin?
Miski
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter
Carrie Newton Grant
anyone have any idea the carb count for these (delicious) donuts? I have a diabetic in the family. I entered the recipe into Spark recipes and it says 40 carbs. Is this right? I know the honey is the big carb ingredient, but I can’t believe it’s really that high.
Lana
My other SCD donut recipe is now in the trash! This is fantastic. The flavour of the glaze is amazing. I’ll find other uses for that! I wasn’t expecting it to be so more-ish. I made my donuts in a donut pan and used home made almond milk instead of coconut milk. I got 10 donuts from this recipe. They did have a rougher outer texture on top using that pan as you stated, but I realized that if I dipped the bottoms in the glaze and flipped them, problem solved! A smooth rounded donut. I sprinkled a little coconut on some too. Delicious. Next time I’ll try toasting the coconut – which I know will look and taste amazing. Thank you so much! This recipe made my day. It made me not miss chocolate. And that’s saying something….
Danielle
You’re so welcome!!