These healthier vegan Carrot Cake Donut Holes (munchkins) will absolutely melt in your mouth! This recipe is made with freshly grated carrots, oats, and spices. They are baked and not fried and they taste like little most bite-sized mini carrot cakes! This simple family-friendly recipe is perfect for Easter or any other springtime occasions. Everyone will love them and no one will guess they're vegan and gluten-free friendly.
Carrot Cake Donut Donut Hole Ingredients
- Carrots: Essential for carrot cake - anything! We use freshly grated carrots in this recipe for moister and carrot cake flavor.
- Butter: To keep this recipe vegan, we use non-dairy butter. If you are not vegan, feel free to use regular butter. You can also use coconut oil. We recommend adding a pinch of salt if using coconut oil because it is naturally sweeter than butter.
- Milk: To keep these carrot cake donut holes vegan, we use non-dairy milk like almond milk or oat milk. If you are not vegan or dairy-free, feel free to use regular milk such as : 1% milk, 2% milk, or whole milk.
- Maple Syrup: A little maple syrup goes a long way and gives this carrot cake donut hole recipe a yummy maple flavor.
- Sugar: We recommend using either organic cane sugar, coconut sugar, or purecane sugar-free substitute. Thank you to purecane for sponsoring this recipe!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Gives us that lovely carrot cake flavor!
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: To give our fluffy donut holes a little lift! No eggs needed!
- Vanilla Extract: For yummy cake flavor!
- Spices: Spices commonly found in carrot cake (cinnamon and nutmeg) are used to spice up these delicious vegan carrot cake donut holes! We also add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness and enhance flavor.
- Oats: To make these carrot cake munchkins more filling and healthy, we use quick oats. The quick oats make the texture soft and fluffy. If you don't have quick oats, you can pulse old fashioned oats in a food processor to break them down. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but if you are gluten-intolerant, be sure to grab certified gluten-free oats to ensure there is no cross-contamination during the manufacturing process.
- Flour: We recommend using either regular or gluten-free all purpose flour in this recipe. Our favorite gluten-free flour is King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Click Images for my Silicone Donut Baking Molds
How To Make Healthy Carrot Cake Donut Holes
Step 1: Preheat the oven. Grease about 60 silicone donut hole molds or 14-16 silicone full-sized donut molds with baking spray. Grate your carrots and add them to a medium mixing bowl. Next, add your melted vegan butter, maple syrup, almond or oat milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl and mix well.
Step 2: Add your flour and oats and mix until a thick batter is formed. Then, use a tablespoon to scoop about 1 tablespoon of batter per donut hole into the molds. Alternatively, you can fill 14-16 full-sized donut molds about ⅔ full with the vegan carrot cake batter.
Step 3: Bake for about 15 minutes or until the carrot cake donut holes are fluffy and golden. Your kitchen is going to smell delicious! While the donuts bake, prepare the homemade vegan cream cheese frosting.
Step 4: Allow the donut holes to cool for a couple of minutes before drizzling them with vegan cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Powdered Sugar - or purecane powdered sugar substitute for a sugar-free alternative!
- Vegan Cream Cheese - or regular cream cheese if you're not vegan or dairy-free!
- Vegan Butter - or regular butter if you're not vegan or dairy-free!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! My super moist vegan and gluten-free friendly carrot cake recipe can be found here!
Yes! Be sure to try my famous powdered sugar donut holes or cinnamon sugar donut holes!
We recommend storing these in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Remember, refrigeration can dry out baked goods so I don't recommend storing in the fridge. We love these warm, so feel free to microwave for 15 seconds to rewarm before serving.
Carrot Cake Donut Holes
Ingredients
Vegan Oatmeal Carrot Cake Donut Holes
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ¼ cup melted vegan butter
- 1 cup room temperature oat or almond milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup sugar or ¼ cup purecane sugar substitute
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- 1 ½ cup regular or gluten free all purpose flour If gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Please don't substitute any other flour such as almond flour, baking flour, etc.
- ½ cup quick oats
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar or ¾ purecane powdered sugar substitute
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese
- 4 tablespoon softened vegan butter
Instructions
Vegan Oatmeal Carrot Cake Donut Holes
- Preheat the oven to 375
- Mix the carrots, melted vegan butter, oat milk, maple syrup, purecane or sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, salt, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon together. Add the flour and oats and milk until a thick batter forms.
- Spoon the batter into 60 greased silicone donut hole molds or about 16 regular silicone donut molds. Fill each mold to about ⅔ full. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until they've risen and are golden. You may need to bake a little longer for full-sized donuts.
- While the donuts are baking, use an electric hand mixer to make the vegan cream cheese frosting. Allow the donuts to cool by removing them from the molds and placing them onto a wire cooling rack. You may melt the frosting for 15 seconds in the microwave before dipping each cooled donut into it. Melting it makes it easier for dipping. Enjoy!
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
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