Most people think vegan baking is just swapping a regular egg for a flax egg and hoping for the best. It isn't. If you’ve ever tried a recipe for vegan doughnuts only to end up with something that looks like a hockey puck and tastes like disappointment, you aren't alone. I’ve been there. My first batch was so dense I’m pretty sure I could have used it as a doorstop.
The truth is that chemistry doesn't care about your ethical choices. It only cares about proteins and fats. When you strip away the eggs and the butter, you're removing the structural integrity and the richness that make a doughnut, well, a doughnut. But here is the secret: you can actually get a better crumb without the animal products if you understand how hydration works.
Stop Using Flax Eggs for Yeast Doughnuts
Seriously. Stop.
I see this in every "ultimate" guide on Pinterest, and it drives me crazy. Flax eggs are great for muffins or brownies where you want a bit of chew and density. In a fluffy, raised doughnut? They are a disaster. They add weight. They add a gritty texture. A yeast-leavened dough needs elasticity, not sludge.
If you want that Krispy Kreme-style airy interior, you need to lean on the flour’s natural gluten and maybe a bit of aquafaba if you’re feeling fancy. But honestly? Most of the time, you don't even need a binder. The yeast does the heavy lifting. You just need enough fat to keep the protein strands from getting too tight. That’s where the "melt-in-your-mouth" feeling comes from.
The Science of the Perfect Recipe for Vegan Doughnuts
Let's talk about fat. Butter is about 80% fat and 20% water. When you swap it for coconut oil, which is 100% fat, your ratios are off. Your dough will be greasier and less pliable.
I’ve found that using a high-quality vegan butter stick (like Miyoko’s Creamery, which uses fermented cashews) mimics the acidity of dairy butter. This acidity actually helps tenderize the gluten. If you can't find that, a neutral oil like avocado oil works, but you’ll miss that specific savory note that balances the sugar glaze.
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The Temperature Trap
Yeast is a living organism. It’s finicky. If your plant milk is over $110°F$, you are murdering your leavening agent.
Dead yeast means no rise. No rise means a sad, flat disc of fried bread. Use a thermometer. Don't guess. If it feels "hot" to your finger, it’s probably too hot for the yeast. It should feel like lukewarm bathwater.
I prefer using soy milk for this. Why? Protein. Soy milk has a protein content much closer to cow's milk than almond or oat milk. This helps with the "Maillard reaction"—that’s the chemical process that gives the doughnut its golden-brown crust. Almond milk often leaves the doughnuts looking pale and anemic even when they’re fully cooked.
Making the Dough: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
Get your scale out. Volume measurements (cups and tablespoons) are for people who like inconsistent results. 500 grams of flour is always 500 grams. A "cup" of flour can vary by 30 grams depending on how hard you pack it.
Mix your warm soy milk with a tablespoon of organic cane sugar and a packet of active dry yeast. Let it sit. If it doesn't get foamy in ten minutes, throw it out and start over. Your yeast was old.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients: 500g bread flour (higher protein equals better chew), 50g sugar, and a teaspoon of fine sea salt.
- Pour in the foamy yeast mixture and about 60g of melted vegan butter.
- Knead it. No, longer than that.
- You want the dough to be tacky but not sticking to your hands. It should look smooth, like a baby’s earlobe. That’s the professional standard, believe it or not.
The First Rise is Where You Win or Lose
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with a damp cloth. Now, wait. This isn't a race. You want it to double in size. In a cold kitchen, this might take two hours. In a warm spot, maybe 45 minutes.
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Don't punch the dough down like you're in a boxing match. Be gentle. You spent all that time building air bubbles; don't destroy them all. Roll it out to about half an inch thick. Cut your circles.
The Frying Myth: It's All About the Oil
People are terrified of deep frying. I get it. It’s messy and your house smells like a fast-food joint for three days. But a baked "doughnut" is just a circular muffin. It’s not a doughnut.
To get a real recipe for vegan doughnuts result, you need a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Canola or peanut oil are the kings here.
Maintain a temperature of $350°F$.
If the oil is too cold, the dough sucks up the grease like a sponge.
If it’s too hot, the outside burns before the inside is cooked.
Fry them for about 90 seconds per side. You’re looking for that distinct white line around the middle—the "proof line." That’s the mark of a light dough that floated high in the oil.
Glazing While It's Hot (Or Is It?)
There are two schools of thought here.
Some say glaze immediately.
I say wait three minutes.
If you glaze a boiling hot doughnut, the glaze just melts and runs off, leaving a thin, sticky film. If you wait a few minutes, the glaze sets into a thick, crackly shell that shatters when you bite into it.
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For a basic glaze, use powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla, and just enough plant milk to make it dip-able. If you want to get wild, whisk in some matcha powder or reduced strawberry puree.
Common Mistakes People Won't Admit To
Most home bakers over-flour their work surface. Every bit of extra flour you roll into that dough makes the final product tougher. Use the bare minimum.
Another big one? Not checking the expiration date on the yeast. We all have that jar in the back of the fridge from 2023. Toss it. Buy fresh.
Also, the "oven proofing" trick. People turn their oven on "warm," turn it off, and put the dough in. Often, the oven is still too hot ($150°F+$), which kills the yeast on the outside of the dough while the inside stays cold. It leads to an uneven rise and a weird, gummy texture. Just let it rise at room temperature. Patience is a literal ingredient here.
Is It Actually Healthy?
Let's be real. It’s fried dough covered in sugar.
Calling it "vegan" doesn't make it a salad.
However, by making them at home, you’re avoiding the trans fats and the weird preservatives like L-cysteine (which is often derived from feathers or hair—yuck) found in many commercial doughnut chains. So, it’s "healthier" in the sense that it’s real food. But it’s still a treat. Enjoy it as one.
The Next Steps for Your Vegan Bakery Journey
Once you’ve mastered the basic ring doughnut, the world opens up. You can use this same dough base for long johns, jelly-filled Berliners, or even vegan cinnamon rolls.
The most important thing you can do right now is get a kitchen scale and a thermometer. Those two tools will do more for your baking than any expensive stand mixer ever could. Stop eyeballing the milk temperature and start measuring.
Go grab a bag of high-protein bread flour. Check your yeast. Clear off a large counter space. The difference between a "vegan dessert" and a "delicious doughnut that happens to be vegan" is all in the fermentation and the fry temp. Get those right, and you’ll never look at a store-bought doughnut the same way again.
Actionable Checklist for Success
- Verify your yeast: Use the bloom test in warm liquid ($100°F$-$105°F$) before adding to flour.
- Choose the right milk: Opt for soy or pea milk for the highest protein content to ensure better browning.
- Maintain oil stability: Use a clip-on candy thermometer to keep your frying oil at a steady $350°F$.
- Proof by sight, not clock: Let the cut doughnuts rise until they look puffy and slightly "under-filled" with air; they should spring back slowly when poked.