If you love hot cocoa, these Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Donuts make a delicious winter treat! Moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, these hot cocoa donuts are a kid-favorite!
Dip them into hot cocoa for a massive chocolate burst of flavor! If you are a donut fanatic like we are, you will want to check out all of my Gluten Free Donut Recipes!!
Click for Table of Contents:
We are getting a lot of holiday baking done early this year...I have been testing out fun recipes each week, and my kids tell me which recipes are worth making for the blog!
They are loving these gluten free hot cocoa donuts!"
Sometimes recipe development is tough work! It took three tries to get these donuts to turn out with that rich hot chocolate flavor! (I talk about these bloopers below!) Luckily my kids are still eager tasters. They love these Gluten Free Holiday Sugar Cookies and these Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Madeleines recipes. (These cookies are both perfect for dipping in hot cocoa!)
Is it cooling off where you live yet? Our weather is getting colder and colder and my kids love coming home from school to a hot mug of hot chocolate. It is something they really look forward to. It not only warms them up, but it gives them a little energy to start their homework!
If you have read my blog for a bit, you know I am a huge donut fanatic. (Check out all of the donut recipes on my blog.) I knew it was time to create a gluten free donut version using my kids' favorite hot cocoa!
For this recipe, you can use any prepared hot chocolate mix...just make sure it is sweetened. An unsweetened hot chocolate mix will make these donuts taste bitter!"
Recipe bloopers happen!
I really wanted to make my donuts with marshmallows, but they melted while cooking. I ended up with holes in my donuts from the marshmallows melting down. I couldn't get the mini marshmallows to cook inside the donuts in a way that would make donuts that didn't look like Swiss cheese!
And worse, melted marshmallows do not easy to clean off the donut maker!! Trust me, I learned the hard way that it is best to use these yummy marshmallows as a garnish :-). Are you ready to see how easy these Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Donuts are to make?
Instructions:
Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl. I used a lot of almond flour in my donut recipe. I like that the protein helps balance out the sugars in these donuts.
Gluten Free Tip: If your gluten free flour blend doesn't include xanthan gum, make sure you add 1 teaspoon!
Can you make these nut-free?
You can make these donuts gluten free but it will take a little work. First, use non-dairy milk that doesn't contain nuts like rice or coconut milk. Next, omit the almond flour and add an additional 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend.
You may need to add a little more liquid, try to make sure the batter consistency is similar to my photo below.
Add the wet ingredients and mix to blend it all into a semi-thick batter.
Donut maker vs donut pan
Add the donut batter to a BabyCakes Donut Maker. (*Note I have an older model of BabyCakes Donut Maker. The newer ones make 4 donuts at a time.)
If you don't have a donut maker, you can easily bake these donuts in a donut pan. I like to use this donut maker because it makes the outsides of the donuts slightly crispy and delicious.
Allow the gluten free donuts to cool. Dip each in melted dark chocolate. Add your favorite sprinkles and the little marshmallows for decoration!
What chocolate is best for dipping the donuts in?
I used these dark chocolate melting wafers to dip my donuts in but you can also melt chocolate chips, or shake things up and use white chocolate!
Which sprinkles are gluten free?
There are many brands of gluten free sprinkles out there, but some, including a very popular brand, use shared equipment. If you are Celiac, or very sensitive to gluten, try one of these gluten free sprinkles brands:
- Rainbow Sprinkles by Unpretentious Baker.
- Funfetti star-shaped sprinkles by Supernatural.
- Classic bright sprinkles by Sweetopia.
More gluten free donut recipes to try:
- Love ripe bananas? This Gluten Free Banana Donuts recipe is full of yummy banana flavor!
- These special Gluten Free Gingerbread Donuts are perfect for the holidays, or year-round!
- You are going to LOVE this Gluten Free Jelly Donuts recipe (these are fried and filled with jelly!)
- No grain, no refined sugar...no problem with this Paleo Apple Cinnamon Donuts recipe.
Things you need to make this recipe:
- A BabyCakes Donut Maker. I love how it makes the outsides of the donut crispy like it was fried!
- A donut pan in case you prefer to bake these donuts in the oven.
- Gluten free flour blend.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave me a rating and a comment. I LOVE hearing from you!! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest to see even more delicious recipes!
📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup hot cocoa powder (Any sweetened brand!)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the BabyCakes Donut Maker. (If using an oven, preheat to 350 degrees.)
- In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Add eggs, melted butter, and almond milk to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add a dollop of donut batter to each section in the donut maker. (If baking in a donut pan, add batter to each donut section.)
- Cook in the donut maker for 3-5 minutes until done. (Bake in oven for 20 minutes.)
- Melt dark chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 45 seconds to melt. Dip each donut into the melted chocolate.
- Optional, add sprinkles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you love the recipes you are finding on my blog, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free chocolate e-cookbook!)
(*This post was updated from an older 12/2018 post with more details and instructions.)
Christy
Is there a way to substitute the hot cocoa mix? Maybe adding more cocoa powder & sugar? We don’t have a dairy free mix and I want to try these soon! Thanks.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Christy, I am sure you can use cocoa and sugar, but I haven't tried it so I am not sure what proportions to recommend. If you try it, please do come back and let us know how it turns out. I also have a delicious gluten free chocolate donut recipe on my blog.
Lisa Bynum
These would be a perfect little snack while curled up in front of the Christmas tree!
Sandi Gaertner
I like how you think!