Gluten Free Banana Bread Donuts
These gluten-free banana bread donuts are soft, moist and full of warm cinnamon flavour, just like classic banana bread. Made with almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour, they’re grain-free, easy to bake, and finished with a sweet maple cream cheese glaze in less than 20 minutes.
Why You’ll Love These Gluten Free Banana Bread Donuts
- Ready in 19 minutes: These baked banana donuts come together quickly, making them a lovely option for breakfast, an afternoon snack or dessert.
- Soft and moist: Ripe bananas and melted coconut oil help create a tender, banana-bread-style crumb.
- Gluten-free and grain-free: Almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour work together to create the perfect donut texture without traditional wheat flour.
- Finished with maple glaze: A creamy maple cream cheese glaze adds sweetness and pairs beautifully with the cinnamon and banana flavours, especially for fall.
- Easy to make: You don’t need to fry the donuts or work with yeast. Simply mix the batter, fill a donut pan and bake.
As fall approaches, I’m leaning into all the cozy, comforting recipes like these easy Banana Bread Donuts! With a sweet maple glaze, they are definitely at the top of my list. Soft, perfectly sweetened, and dipped in a creamy glaze, these donuts are everything you want in a fall-inspired treat.
Not only are they both gluten-free and grain-free, like my Grain-free Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze, but they’re also incredibly simple to make and ready in under 20 minutes from start to finish. That’s a major win for busy mornings or last-minute dessert cravings! Plus, they’re as moist as ever with the perfect texture.
They’re made with wholesome ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, and cinnamon, these donuts are a sweet treat you can feel good about. You will need a donut pan for this recipe, but they’re easy to find at most kitchen stores or online. Personally, I recommend using a silicone donut mold; it makes removing the donuts after baking a total breeze.
And when it’s time to glaze, don’t hold back — the maple glaze is what takes these to the next level. Sweet, creamy, and full of warm maple flavour, it pairs beautifully and gives these donuts that irresistible, bakery-style finish. My pro tip? Double dip them for a thicker, more indulgent glaze. Delicious!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Bananas: Use ripe or overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best sweetness and banana flavour. If using frozen bananas, thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before mashing.
- Flour blend: These donuts use a combination of almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour. Each flour serves a different purpose in the recipe, so I don’t recommend substituting them with regular flour or another gluten-free flour blend.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese for the maple glaze rather than spreadable cream cheese. Block cream cheese provides a thicker consistency, helping the glaze cling to the donuts.
- Maple extract: Maple extract gives the glaze its distinct maple flavour. Start with 2 teaspoons and add more, up to 4 teaspoons, to suit your taste. If the glaze is too thick, stir in a little milk or cream until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Tips for Making Gluten-Free Banana Bread Donuts
1. Choose ripe bananas. Use two brown, ripe bananas called for in the recipe. They provide sweetness and moisture. If using frozen bananas, thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before mashing.
2. Measure the flours carefully. Almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour each play a different role in the batter. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture, so avoid substituting or adjusting the quantities without testing the results. Sift the flours for best results.
3. Use block cream cheese for the glaze. Full-fat block cream cheese creates a thicker, creamier maple glaze than spreadable cream cheese. Sift the powdered sugar and use a small whisk to mix to help prevent lumps.
4. Let the donuts cool before glazing. Allow the donuts to cool completely before dipping in the maple cream cheese glaze so it doesn’t melt and slide off.
5. Remove donuts gently from the pan. Let the donuts rest for about five minutes after baking, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Silicone molds can make releasing the donuts easier, but nonstick donut moulds work pretty good too. I like to release the edges of the donuts with a spatula to ensure they don’t stick to the pan and break when released.
6. Adjust the glaze to your taste. Start with the smaller amount of maple extract and add more gradually until you reach your preferred flavour. Add a little milk or cream if the glaze is too thick.
How to Make Easy Baked Banana Donuts
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare 2 donut moulds to make 11 donuts. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the bananas, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and beat again until combined.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients.
To the same bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix with a hand mixer until completely combined.
Step 3: Bake the donuts!
Transfer the donut batter to the prepared donut moulds, filling them equally about 1/2 way. You should have 11 donuts.
Step 4: Make the glaze.
While the donuts are baking, make the maple cream cheese glaze. Add the softened cream cheese to a small bowl along with the powdered sugar and slowly whisk using a small whisk, incorporating the sugar gently. Then, add the maple extract and pinch of salt and whisk vigorously until completely combined and there are no chunks of cream cheese. If too thick, thin with a little milk. Start with 1 teaspoon and increase from there as needed. Set aside.
Step 5: Let the donuts cool.
Once baked, transfer the donuts gently to a wire rack to complete the cooling process. It helps to release the edges of the donuts from the mould using a small silicone spatula. This will prevent them from sticking to the mould and breaking. Cool completely before glazing so that it sticks well to the donut.
Step 6: Glaze the donuts.
Once the donuts have cooled completely, dip them one at a time in the bowl with the glaze, swirling to coat the top. I like to double dip them for a thicker glaze. Once glazed, enjoy!
FAQ:
Yes, you can also use unsalted, melted butter or olive oil.
I don’t recommend any substitutes for these flours as, when combined, they make a unique flour blend with a unique texture. I don’t recommend substituting with anything else unless you know the exact conversion as these flours do not measure 1:1 to regular flour or gluten-free flour blends.
I recommend storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge. This works whether they are glazed or not. They should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! You can bake the donuts a day ahead and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge until you are ready to glaze and serve.
Gluten Free Banana Bread Donuts
Equipment
- 1-2 Silicone Donut Baking Mould
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 brown bananas
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the maple glaze:
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons maple extract up to 4 teaspoons if needed for flavour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 small pinch sea salt
- milk or cream for thinning, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F, grease the donut pan and set it aside. (You do not need to grease the pan if you are using a silicone mould).
- In a medium-sized bowl, mash the bananas with the sugars until combined. Add the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- To the same bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Fill the donut moulds half-full and then bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Make the glaze: Add the cream cheese to a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds to soften it. Add the maple extract to the cream cheese and whisk to combine. Then, add the sifted powdered sugar and whisk again until smooth. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and set aside. Add extra maple extract if needed for flavour or milk or cream if needed to thin.
- Glaze the cooled donuts with maple glaze and enjoy!