Spring is that time of year where Strawberry and Rhubarb season overlap which means it's time for these Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Donuts! Not only are these baked strawberry donuts easy to make, but they are dairy-free & eggless too!
These strawberry baked donuts contain a homemade rhubarb-strawberry compote and tons of fresh orange juice for the fluffiest donuts made without eggs. Then, they are topped with a decadent strawberry rhubarb glaze that is thick, sweet, and SOO delicious.
What does rhubarb taste like?
If you've never had rhubarb before, let me tell you it is truly delicious once cooked.
Believe it or not, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. It has a tart flavor that, when mixed with sugar or sweet strawberries, is pure bliss. While leaves of rhubarb are toxic, the stems are completely edible though they do have to be cooked to taste good.
Sadly, I had never tried rhubarb before I moved to Seattle. Now, I practically add it to everything I make from May through June when it is in peak season. Last year, I made these Vegan Rhubarb Bars and my favorite Strawberry Rhubarb Margaritas. This year, I am all about the baked donuts instead!
How to make vegan strawberry rhubarb donuts
I do want to mention, the flavor of these baked rhubarb donuts only has the slightest flavor of strawberry and rhubarb until you add the glaze. That's because the real star ingredients of the donut batter are actually orange juice and zest!
Make the strawberry rhubarb compote
This step simply involved adding chopped rhubarb, strawberries, orange juice, vanilla, and water to a small saucepan. Then, cook everything together until the rhubarb softens and the sugar dissolves. This whole process really only takes about 5-8 minutes and is incredibly quick. You will know the compote is ready to be blended once the rhubarb is starting to fall apart when stirred.
Then, just add the ingredients to a blender (or use an immersion blender as I did) and purée until completely smooth. Make sure there are NO chunks left so the compote gets evenly distributed throughout the donut batter and glaze.
Make the vegan donut batter
While these rhubarb donuts do contain 2 Tbsp of the rhubarb compote, the flavor is very subtle. The orange juice and zest we add to the batter really adds the most flavor.
Luckily, making vegan donut batter couldn't be easier. It's the same steps as making cupcakes and can easily be made in ONE BOWL. Just add in the wet ingredients and whisk together. Then, add in the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until a thick batter forms.
After that fill up a mini donut pan with the batter. It's important not to cover the hole in the middle if you want that true donut shape. Then, let the batter rest in the donut pan and preheat the oven to 350F.
Tips for fluffy donuts:
- Similar to cupcakes or muffins it is very important NOT to overmix the batter. Otherwise, you will form too much gluten and the donuts risk being gummy or tough vs. fluffy and soft. Just mix the batter until the streaks of flour are gone.
- Make sure the donut pan is well greased, or else these donuts may stick
- Use liquid oil. I prefer olive oil in baked goods, but any oil works. I don't prefer coconut oil because it tends to be heavier, but grapeseed oil or avocado oil or other great options.
- Let the batter rest in the donut pan for 15 minutes before adding to the oven. I usually preheat the oven during this waiting period as it helps the batter become thicker and allows the baking powder more time to do its magic.
Bake the donuts
Once the oven has preheated, add in the donut pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. This recipe makes 8 mini donuts!
After the strawberry donuts have baked, removed them from the oven and gently run a knife along the edges. Then, let the donuts sit for 5-10 minutes to cool before inverting them. Giving them this extra time to cool helps them to stiffen slightly so they won't fall apart when you invert them.
How to make strawberry rhubarb glaze
How that the donuts are cooled, it's time to make the strawberry rhubarb glaze! This glaze is thicker than most of my glaze recipes because it contains fruit in the mix. However, we use orange juice to thin the glaze out.
Mix 2 Tbsp of the compote with 2 Tbsp orange juice. Then, gradually add in the sifted powder until a thick glaze forms. If for any reason your glaze gets too thick, add more orange juice. If it gets too thin, add more powdered sugar. In order for the glaze to set on the donuts, the glaze does need to be thick.
To glaze the donuts, dip them into the bowl of glaze or use a spoon to drizzle them with glaze. Then, let sit at least 5-10 minutes so the glaze can harden a bit before eating!
Since this glaze contains fruit, it won't harden as much as a standard glaze, but it will still stiffen up a bit. While I like to add a lot of glaze to my donuts, feel free to add as much or as little as you like!
Oh and by the way, if you have any leftover compote, save it to make a second batch of these donuts, use it in a cocktail, or pour it over some ice cream for a decadent treat!
FAQ & Substitutions:
I haven't tried it with this recipe, but I have had success baking with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Flour mix in the past. I do not recommend this recipe with anything other than a 1:1 gluten-free baking alternative.
The donuts and strawberry rhubarb compote can be made sugar-free with coconut sugar or maple sugar, however, it will change the color of the donuts. The glaze really works best with organic powdered sugar, so I don't recommend making the glaze refined sugar-free. If you are looking for a refined sugar-free frosting check out my Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake where I topped the cake with a cashew maple frosting.
Like cupcakes and cake, these donuts store best in the freezer and will keep in a closed container for about 1 month. Just make sure to store them between sheets of parchment paper or they will stick together. While you can store these donuts in the fridge up to 1 week, I don't recommend it as it will dry out the donuts. I also don't recommend storing these donuts at room temperature longer than 24 hours because of the fresh fruit used in the glaze.
- In the doughnut batter, the orange juice can be replaced with apple cider vinegar and the zest can be skipped as it is there for flavor.
- In the compote, the acid from the orange juice helps to break down the rhubarb and strawberries faster. I don't recommend replacing it for ACV flavor-wise in the glaze, but again lemon juice works just as well.
For the glaze, the orange juice adds a really nice tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness of the compote. Again, lemon can be used 1:1 in the glaze. If you're okay with a sweeter glaze, the orange juice can also be subbed 1:1 for water or any plant-based milk.
I truly hope you all love these fluffy & eggless Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Donuts! Making baked donuts is truly one of my favorite activities and I promise investing in a mini donut pan is worth it just for making these cute mini donuts. Enjoy!
-TSG
More Vegan Donut & Cupcake Recipes you will love:
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Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Donuts
Ingredients
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- ¼ cup chopped strawberries
- ¼ cup chopped rhubarb stems
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon water
Strawberry Rhuharb Donuts
- ½ cup oat milk
- 2 tablespoon strawberry rhubarb compote made above
- 2 tablespoon olive oil can be subbed 1:1 with any liquid oil
- 1 tablespoon applesauce
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cup+1 tablespoon pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Rhubarb Glaze
- 2 tablespoon strawberry rhubarb compote made above
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted, add more for thicker glaze
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Compote:
- Add all of the compote ingredients to a saucepan. Then, cook over low heat until the rhubarb and strawberries begin to break down and all the sugar dissolves.
- Next, add the compote to a blender or use an immersion blend to blend together until completely smooth. Set the compote aside to cool completely before adding to the batter or glaze. To speed up the cooling time, add the compote to a bowl and place in the fridge.
Make the Donut Batter:
- Add the wet ingredients including the oat milk, compote, olive oil, applesauce, orange juice, and zest to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Then, add in the pastry flour, baking powder, and salt and mix together just until all the streaks of flour are gone and a thick batter forms.
- Spray the donut pan with cooking spray or coat with oil and then fill with the batter. Fill each donut circle up until ¾ full, making sure not to cover the center hole with any batter.
- Let the batter rest in the donut pan and preheat the oven to 350F. Once preheated, add to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the donuts are lightly browned and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and run a knife along the edges of each donut to help loosen it. Then, let the donuts rest at least 5 minutes before inverting them onto a cooling rack. Let the donuts cool completely before adding glaze.
Make the Glaze:
- To make the glaze add the compote and orange juice to a mixing bowl and stir together. Then, gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar until a thick glaze forms. It is important to sift the powdered sugar so no clumps form.
- Then, dunk the cooled donuts in a bowl of glaze or use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on top. Let the glaze sit for about 5 minutes to harden and then serve!
Notes
- In the doughnut batter, the orange juice can be replaced with apple cider vinegar and the zest can be skipped as it is there for flavor.
- In the compote, the acid from the orange juice helps to break down the rhubarb and strawberries faster. I don't recommend replacing it for ACV flavor-wise in the glaze, but again lemon juice works just as well.
- For the glaze, the orange juice adds a really nice tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness of the compote. Again, lemon can be used 1:1 in the glaze. If you're okay with a sweeter glaze, the orange juice can also be subbed 1:1 for water or any plant-based milk.
- These donuts store best in the freezer and will keep in a closed container for about 1 month. Just make sure to store them between sheets of parchment paper or they will stick together.
- While you can store these donuts in the fridge up to 1 week, I don't recommend it as it will dry out the donuts.
- I also don't recommend storing these donuts at room temperature longer than 24 hours because of the fresh fruit used in the glaze.
- I used this mini donut pan for this recipe
Lynn says
I have not made these yet but will definitely try this recipe! The video tutorial was incredibly helpful and I realized I can make these!
Megan Horowitch says
Hope you love them! 🙂