Actually I’ve never been a big donut fan before I turned vegan. I’d always take muffins and cookies over donuts any time. Mostly because I don’t like that a lot of them are super sweet. But now that I tried so many new things in the last couple of months, I thought what the heck why not just give vegan donuts a try. So I ended up with these delicious vegan chocolate hazelnut donuts with chocolate glaze.
It’s probably hard to believe, but I used kidney beans for the donut batter. At first, I was really skeptical about baking with beans. But when my black bean brownies turned out so delicious and moist a couple of weeks ago, I thought I really needed to use beans for other baked goods as well. However, I also added a cup of whole wheat flour this time, so the vegan donuts are not gluten-free, but it’s very easy to change the recipe. People would probably never guess that there are beans in these vegan donuts, they are just so damn chocolaty and delicious!! I made these for my family a couple of days ago and everybody just loved them! I’m telling you they were gone so fast! They are already used to my crazy bean recipes and weren’t even a bit surprised when I told them that I used kidney beans for the batter. Haha, they know me and my vegan recipes pretty well by now. ;-)
I bought a special donut baking tray a couple of weeks ago and I love how easy it is compared to frying donuts. First place the drained kidney beans in a blender together with brown sugar, almond milk, and cacao and blend until the mixture is smooth. Then transfer it to a medium bowl and stir in the whole-wheat flour, the baking powder, and vanilla. Spray the donut pan with cooking spray or grease it with vegan butter such as Earth Balance. Then either use a spoon to fill each donut or fill the batter into a Ziploc bag and cut off one edge. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the vegan chocolate hazelnut donuts for 9-11 minutes. Allow to cool down in the pan for a couple of minutes, then move them to a cooling rack.
In the meantime, make the chocolate glaze. Melt a 3.5-ounce package vegan dark chocolate either by using a microwave or place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place it over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, cover the donuts with the chocolate and sprinkle with hazelnut brittle. I used store-bought brittle, but of course you can also sub it with chopped hazelnuts if you want. Or use other decorations like sugar sprinkles or coconut flakes.
Did I make you hungry yet? Then I guess you should start baking. ;-) What’s your favorite donut recipe? My next recipe is definitely going to include some kind of pumpkin or pumpkin spice. I simply love eeeeverything with pumpkin in it these days!!
As always, I love hearing from you in the comment section below, on Facebook, or Instagram. :-)
Have a great weekend and talk to you soon!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 9-11 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 15 oz can kidney beans
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 3.5 oz package vegan dark chocolate
- 4 tablespoons hazelnut brittle You can also sub it with chopped hazelnuts, or use sugar sprinkles or coconut flakes instead
Ingredients
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- Rinse and drain the kidney beans. Place them into a blender together with the brown sugar, almond milk, and cacao and blend until the mixture is smooth.
- Then transfer it to a medium bowl and stir in the whole-wheat flour, the baking powder, and vanilla. Spray the donut pan with cooking spray or grease it with vegan butter such as Earth Balance.
- Either use a spoon to fill each donut or fill the batter into a Ziploc bag and cut off one edge.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F and bake the vegan chocolate hazelnut donuts for 9-11 minutes. Allow to cool down in the pan for a couple of minutes, then move them to a cooling rack.
- In the meantime, make the chocolate glaze. Melt a 3.5-ounce package vegan dark chocolate either by using a microwave or place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place it over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, cover the donuts with the chocolate and sprinkle with hazelnut brittle.
These are epic Sina!!!!!!!! That bite missing shot with the perfect gaze crackle just makes me want to steal them right from the screen! And brown sugar with chocolate is so rich, I just love everything about these donuts <3
Thanks, Natalie! :-) I actually never really liked donuts before I turned vegan, but I just love these. And the kidney beans make them so moist. If you’d told me this a couple of years ago, I probably would have laughed. I mean beans in sweets sounds pretty weird, right? But it’s amazing!! :-)
Can you replace kidney beans with something else? I’m allergic to them! :(
Hi Ashley, Are you allergic to beans in general or just kidney beans? If not you could replace them with black beans. :-)
Omg seriously?! These look incredible! I could eat 5 right now! And I love that you used kidney beans instead. I have wanted to try those in some brownies instead of black beans, because they are much softer and would mush/blend so much better. I’m in love with these. All that cocoa powder would definitely mask the beans. Great recipe!
Thanks, Brandi! Haha! I could have eaten five of them too, but they were gone way too fast! :D I didn’t even have a chance to have a second one. ;-) But I don’t wanna complain, I love it when my family loves the vegan stuff I bring over. I definitely like baking with beans, it makes them so moist and yeah you’re right the cocoa powder totally masks the beans. You probably wouldn’t even guess that there are beans in them. :-)
Oh my God, these look absolutely devine! I can’t believe they are vegan! I want them!
Thanks, Tori! So glad you like them. :-)
Amazing!! I LOVE that you used kidney beans! Healthy donuts…sign me up! And these pictures are stunning!
Thanks, Jenn! :-)
These turned out so well! Kidney beans are awesome in vegan desserts. I have a doughnut-shaped baking pan at home too. Going to test out a variation of this!
Alessandra | The PumpUp Blog
Those are simply chocolatey doughnuts of joy!!! I love the hazelnut!
Thanks, Rebecca! I do too! :-)
What a great way to get in some extra fiber! I just love chocolate..these look so chocolatey and delish too! Can’t wait to try!!
Thanks, Joscelyn! So glad you like the recipe. You wouldn’t even guess that there are beans in them.You can’t taste them at all (the cocoa powder totally masks their taste), but they make the donuts so moist and chocolatey. If you make them, let me know how you liked them. ;-)
Donuts haven’t ever been my absolute favorite treat either, but these look amazing! I love that you snuck in kidney beans! :P I never would’ve guessed that!
Thanks, Farrah! I know, isn’t it crazy that you can bake with beans? :-) I was pretty skeptical at first, but when I made black bean brownies a couple of weeks ago and they turned out absolutely delicious, I just had to come up with another bean recipe.
Oh my gosh, these donuts are amazing! I love that you made them with beans and that they’re vegan! My husband and I have a secret weakness to donuts so these are just calling my name! That glaze though! Swoon!
Thanks, Kelly! So glad you like them! :-) I simply love baking with beans!
These look amazing! And the include kidney beans – that is really neat. I want to try this recipe. Thanks!
Thanks, Trish! :-) If you try it, let me know how you liked them. ;-)
Love baked donuts and would love to try these! Love that you used beans! The chocolate hazelnut combo is perfect!
Thanks so much, Mira! :-)
These look amazing! They definitely don’t look like they were made with beans and I’m sure they don’t taste like it either.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
Thanks, Allison! No, you wouldn’t even guess that they are beans in them. They taste really chocolatey and the cocoa powder totally masks the beans. But they make the donuts really moist and I simply love baking with them. :-)
OMG! What a stunning idea of adding kidney beans to the donuts. My daughter is a big donut sucker, and this seems like the best way to make her eat some extra fiber! YUMMY! :)
Thanks, Anu! So glad you like them! I was a bit skeptical at first, but when my black bean brownies turned out really delicious a couple of weeks ago, I just knew that I had to do some more baking with beans. :-)
wow these look amazing!!
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When I looked at this donuts I said OMG! when I read ingredients I said WOW….. I have to make them ASAP. Totally yummy:)
Haha! Thanks, Ilona! So great to hear that you like them. Let me know how they turned out. :-)
Oh my, these look so good. I rarely ate doughnuts before I was vegan, but now I sometimes crave them. Probably because it’s so rare to find them.
Thanks, Debbie! You’re right, they really are pretty hard to find. I actually just had vegan donuts once when I was in New York and I haven’t seen any since then. But this recipe is so easy, so I’ll definitely make this more often. :-)
chocolate and hazelnut! YUM! totally need some of these! chocolate donuts sounds amazing right about now! ;-) these looks delicious! happy weekend girl!
Thanks, Michele! I wish I could send you one over the internet. ;-) Have a great weekend too!
oh my…these look amazing! I love how few ingredients you need to make such a decadent dessert/breakfast. YUM! Your pics are absolutely beautiful. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you used beans. Great idea to add some protein!
Thanks, Michaell! So glad you like the recipe. I love baking with beans!! They made the donuts so moist. :-) Unfortunately they were gone way too fast, my family just loved them. :D
OMG! Being lactose intolerant and allergic to cow milk I never really approached eating a donought. BUT your recipe is just amazing I almost feel as if i can acctually smell the chocolate in the air! I love chocolate! Thanks for sharing I will definitely try to make them.
Thanks, Sarah! So glad you like it! :-) I love how easy the recipe is. If you make them, let me know how they turned out. ;-)
These look amazing! And that chocolate! And the hazelnut brittle! Yumm! Using kidney beans in the donuts is simply genius :)
Thanks, Bianca! :-) I just love baking with beans!
So glad I found your blog. These donuts look absolutely TO DIE for, and amazing that they are vegan too!
Thanks, Lucie! So glad you like them! I’ve been following your blog for quite a while and it’s amazing! I love your food photography! :-)
You weren’t a donut fan??? I dont understand. How is that possible??? lol. These look absolutely amazing!
Haha! I don’t know, Erin. I mean I didn’t hate them, but I just liked muffins so much better, because donuts are always pretty sweat. But my boyfriend can’t get enough of them, so he made me make this vegan version and I absolutely loved it!:-)
These are amazing Sina!!! I love how you added kidney beans. Wow! I’ve been making so many donuts recently – they’re so fun to make. I can’t wait to try these!
Thanks, Harriet! :-) They really are fun to make. I bought a donut pan and it’s so easy. I always thought making donuts would be quite complicated.
Wowza! These look amazing, Sina! And the hazelnut brittle sounds so perfect for a topping! I love healthier versions of typically not so healthy treats. Great idea to use the beans!
Thanks, Melissa! I do too! I mean it’s still not super healthy, but already a lot better. And I just love baking with beans!! :-)
Wow, I can’t believe you made these with kidney beans! They look like a bakery donut but better and better for you. Can’t pin fast enough :)
Thanks, Brie! :-) I know, it’s crazy what you can do with beans! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh, these look like perfection!
Thanks, Becky! :-)
Made these yesterday and they were amazing! My boyfriend tried one and was in shock when I said it has beans in it! Definitely a keeper recipe. They are very tasty today as well :)
Thanks so much for your comment, Anna! So glad you guys liked them! :-) Haha! I know, that’s the typical reaction when you tell people you used beans for baking. :D
Is it possible to make muffin with the same dough?
Hi Beatrice,
Yes,I don’t see why this shouldn’t work. :-) Let me know how you liked them.
Hi Beatrice, I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m sure it would work as well. :-) Let me know if you give it a try!
Could these be made with gluten free flour ? If so, would you adjust anything ? Thanks !
Hi Kellie, I haven’t tried making them with gluten free flour yet, but I think this should work as well. :-) What kind or flour are you using?
Hi Kellie, Sorry for the late reply! Unfortunately I haven’t tried making these with gluten free flour yet, but I’ll give this a try soon. :-) Have you seen my black bean brownies yet? They’re completely gluten-free, so maybe you’d like these too. :-)
These are sooo good Sina!
I love baking with beans and they also don’t contain that much sugar! I love it!
(Your pictures are beautiful as always!
So glad you liked them, Carla!! :-) And thanks for the compliment. ;-)
That seems like a lot of cocoa powder! Did you just use regular unsweetened cocoa powder? Do the donuts taste sweet at all without the glaze? I am excited to try these.
Hi Dianna,
Sorry for the late reply! Yes, I used unsweetened cocoa powder and they do taste sweet by themselves, but I’d definitely recommend giving them some glaze for extra flavor. :-) Hope you like them! Let me know if you give them a try. ;-)
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made 12 cupcakes with oat milk instead of almond milk.
You can’t believe how delicious they are and how soft the texture is :)
I baked them fo almost 20 minutes and they are perfectly soft. I’ve never made such perfect cupcakes!
Hi Emilia, So glad you liked them and thanks for the compliment. :-) Making cupcakes instead of donuts is such a great idea!
I actually convinced a lot of non-vegans! My best friend said that they are the best cupcakes she has ever eaten so far!
I recently found out that your blog is also available in German, is there any difference between the recipes? (I’m from Germany^^)
Hi Emilia,
oh, that’s so great to hear! :-) So glad you guys liked them! No, there is no real difference except from the measurements (grams and cups). I started with the German blog, but over the time the English blog became my main focus. I try to post at least some of the recipes on the German blog as well, but right now I’m pretty busy with my master’s thesis, so unfortunately this doesn’t work out too great. But I usually post at least one new recipe on the English blog per week. :-)
Hey again!
Thank you for your quick answer. I love your recipes^^ Keep going :)
Hello
I am going to try these out today, however confused as my oven only goes to 250degrees not 350… Is the recipe above a mistake or do I have a sad oven?
Hi Rebecca,
Are you using Celsius? Because the recipe is in Fahrenheit, so no magic oven involved here. ;-) 350°F is about 180°C, so that’s what you should be using. Let me know how you liked them. :-)
Made them for the family last night and they loved them.. We are 4 months into a vegan life and loving it.. Finding yummy blogs like yours sure helps keep the husband on board! Thank you
Oh, and sorry for the confusion! ;-)
Can’t wait to try these! I am going to use freshly soaked and boiled beans though – not canned. Any idea what the weight of the beans should be then? Thank you!
hi can i use something other than almond milk my babys allergic to almonds would coconut milk work.
Hi Lara,
I’m SO sorry for the late reply! I haven’t tried making them with coconut milk yet, but oat or soy milk work just as good. And I don’t see why coconut milk shouldn’t work. :-) Let me know how you liked them and how they turned out.
Best, Sina
I Love how simple this recipe is! I have to try it definately
But can i bake them in a muffin tray? I dont have one for donuts
Hello! I made your wonderful Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut donuts, and I was wondering how would I go about making an ingredient label for them?
Thanks!!
Hi Tiffany,
So glad you liked them! :-)
I made these donuts today. I made one batch because I couldn’t believe donuts with red kidney beans wouldn’t be disgusting. OMG!! They are absolutely amazing! My husband will eat these for a quick protein fix after playing hockey (7 g of protein) instead of eating a store bought protein bar. I made 3 dozen. I couldn’t get the dark chocolate cubes so I used 100g of dairy free mini chocolate chips instead. Also I used 1/2 C nuts instead of the brittle. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thanks so much for your comment, Jill! So glad you guys like them! :-) Haha! I know, I was pretty skeptical about baking with beans too, but I absolutely love it. Have you checked out my black bean brownies yet? I think you might like these as well. I got two versions: https://veganheaven.org/recipe/vegan-black-bean-brownies/ or https://veganheaven.org/recipe/oreo-peanut-butter-brownies/
Can I replace the 1 3.5oz of dark chocolate w cocoa powder?
Thank you!
Wow! I want to try it for sure :)
Did you boil the beans before grinding them or just rinsed with water?
I made these this morning for breakfast. They’re good, but they are really dense. Is there any way to make them a little less dense? We found them a little difficult to eat.
Does the recipe make 12 donuts or just 4 ? wasn’t sure because it says four servings so wanted to clarify before baking them. Will be trying these very soon
Hi PJ, The recipe makes 12 small donuts. Hope you like them! :-)
These donuts look so incredibly divine. I haven’t baked with beans yet but I tried some cupcakes a friend made with beans and they were great so obviously I need to jump on board! I will make these soon.
So I made donuts and tried to make muffins. They tastes the same way. I could say that frosting makes all the difference. Without it it’s kind of tasteless. I would add maybe little bit more of sugar or even honey for more flavor. But still thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hi Julija, I wouldn’t recommend using the batter for muffins and I definitely recommend using the chocolate frosting and the hazelnut brittle. They both function as additional sweeteners. So I’d say in this case it’s best to keep to the recipe. :-) Of course you can always adjust the amount of sugar to your personal preference and add a little bit of more sugar as you said. Hope that helps!
Hi
I haven’t got a donut tin. Can I try them as muffins?
Thanks
These are AMAZING!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Sina, Is there a reason you use kidney beans instead of black beans? Also, do you think these will still turn out great with light brown sugar instead of regular? I’m just trying to use what I already have :) Thanks for posting the recipe!
Hi Sam, I liked kidney beans better for this recipe because of their texture, but you can also use black beans. No problem at all! I use them for black bean brownies all the time. And light brown sugar is fine as well. Let me know how they turned out. :-)
I’m just venturing in these life changes and saw your post. I’m so curious about cooking this way, i really hope qe can make the switch now that our kids are young.
My only concern is the sugar… just watched FED UP and I’m freaking out about sugar haha so many things to stay away from :)
What can I use instead of sugar?
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing recipe but after making
this doughnuts I would like to share my
Experience. First it is unclear if you are
using the mini pan which makes 12, or
the traditional sized doughnut pan. The
Amount of batter the recipe yields
12 minis that were overfilled & 6
regular sized that I also overfilled. The
Dough is extremely stiff and not very
sweet, & lacks the depth of flavor
so one must rely on the chocolate
frosting in order to qualify as a sweet treat.
Also, the texture is interesting not bad just different. For me the recipe is not a keeper but
I liked the idea of baking with beans so
will experiment further to get a product
That I like and would share with friends. I’m
not trying to be critical but provide feedback
for others considering baking this product.