Vegan Donuts (no butter, sweetened with agave)
We made doughnuts, more commonly spelled “donuts”, lately and were delighted! Even if there is no significant difference between these sweets and Austrian traditional “Krapfen”, I like to give this recipe the name Donuts.
I have the tendency to find the most simple and natural way of preparation whatever I prepare, if possible with the most simple and not too expensive or exotic ingredients (with only a few exceptions:-) ). Thus, for making the donut dough, I replaced the usual (vegan) butter with oil and it worked super well! The same with the usual (cane) sugar. Mine works with agave nectar (or any other natural liquid sweetener). In addition to that, I applied my low-yeast-method also here and it still resulted in a fluffy dough-nut 🙂 In my opinion, people use in general far too much yeast, it is simply not necessary, more expensive and gives the intestines more work to do to get all this air out again…
Enjoy this beautiful American inspired sweet plant-based snack!
A few historical and etymological lines about Donuts
Donuts, with origins tracing back to Dutch settlers in the 18th century, have become a beloved treat worldwide. Traditionally made from a sweet, yeast-based dough, they are deep-fried until golden and often coated with sugar, glaze, or filled with jams and creams. Donuts are typically served fresh, often alongside coffee, and come in various shapes, with the ring and filled varieties being the most popular.
The name “donut” (or “doughnut”) likely comes from the original term “dough nut,” used to describe small, nut-sized balls of fried dough. These “dough nuts” were sometimes filled with nuts or fruits, which may have contributed to the name. The word evolved over time, with “donut” becoming a popular, simplified spelling, particularly in the United States.
Vegan Donuts (no butter, sweetened with agave)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plant milk I used homemade almond milk
- 4 g active dried yeast
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (sunflower, sesame)
- 3 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 + 3/4 cups all purpose flour and a little more
- cinnamon, cane sugar, vegan chocolate or else for coating
Instructions
- Warm your milk up to hand warmth (not hot!).
- In a large bowl, combine the milk with the yeast and salt, stir a little with a wooden spoon or your hand.
- Add the oil, the agave nectar and the flour. Knead until you have a smooth but not sticky dough. Wrap the bowl in a plastic bag (I always use the ones from shopping), alternatively a lid or plate and let rise until doubled in size (ca 1 hour).
- Cut the dough in 7 pieces. Fold and roll each piece to a ball, then make a hole in the middle with your fingers. Place the rings on a tray lined with baking paper.
- Heat up some oil – approximately 2 cm high – I recommend to use a small pot, this way you don’t waste so much oil!Fry your donuts one by one in the oil, turning them on the other side when browned on the bottom side. Let your donuts drip off on kitchen paper.
- Coat or cover the donuts with a cinnamon-cane sugar-mixture or chocolate melted in bain-marie.