Name: Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 34 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 120g smooth runny almond, hazelnut butter or tahini; 120ml maple syrup; 120ml plant-based milk; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp (30g) thick plant-based yoghurt; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 60g oat flour; 70g plain or GF plain flour; 50g cocoa powder; 2 tsp baking powder; Spices: ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg; A pinch of salt; 90g dark chocolate, chopped small; 1 tbsp coconut oil; Edible sugar eyes; Pretzels; Glacé cherries

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Rich and delicious, these Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts are baked not fried and have a dark chocolate glaze before being decorated as little reindeers. Plus, these are vegan, gluten-free and easily nut-free.

I have one more festive recipe to share for Christmas 2022 before it is full-blown Veganuary mode and these doughnuts were too good to miss out on. Fear not, you can make them without the reindeer faces and they will be just as delicious, cakey and soft. With a wholesome doughnut batter, a dark chocolate dip and lots of good-for-you ingredients, these indulgent doughnuts are a great bake all year round.

Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts stacked up on a wire rack — Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts

Why will I love these doughnuts?

These chocolate bakes are delicious, they are:

Rich, chocolatey and indulgent
Light, fluffy and cakey
Baked not fried
Easy to make in one-bowl
Made with wholesome ingredients like nut/seed butter, yoghurt and cocoa powder
Naturally vegan and easily gluten-free and nut-free
Great to make with little ones
Delicious as a festive bake
Just as delicious all year round

If you already love the sound of these doughnuts, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

Some Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts on a wooden board — Dipping a doughnut into chocolate

What ingredients do I need?

Here’s what we need for the doughnuts:

Smooth runny nut or seed butter: this must be smooth and runny for the smoothest doughnuts. I love to use almond or hazelnut butter o tahini for a nut-free option. My favourite brand is KoRo for hazelnut butter and I love the Belazu tahini.
Maple syrup: for sweetness and moisture. You can also use agave syrup or vegan honey.
Plant based milk: any dairy-free milk is great here like oat, almond, rice or coconut (from the carton).
Lemon juice: this curdles the milk to form a buttermilk and helps to bind the batter. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
Thick coconut yoghurt: this adds moisture and fat, keeping the doughnuts light and tender. I use the original or vanilla Cocos Organic yoghurt as it is important for the bakes that the yoghurt is really thick and creamy like a Greek-style plant-based yoghurt.
Vanilla essence: for flavour.
Oat flour: I love adding some oat flour to regular plain flour for a boost of fibrous goodness. You can make your own oat flour by blending oats to a fine powder.
Plain or GF plain flour: this makes sure these baked goodies are light and fluffy. To make them gluten-free, use your preferred GF flour blend that contains a thickener like xanthan gum to hold the batter together.
Cocoa powder: for the chocolate richness. I use cocoa powder over cacao powder here as it is more acidic and will lead to fluffier doughnuts.
Baking powder and salt: baking staples.
Gingerbread spices: for the gingerbread spices we need ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Dark chocolate: use your favourite dark chocolate for the dipping. I love the dark pink Himalayan chocolate from Divine, which I used for this recipe.
Coconut oil: this allows the chocolate to set so it is shinier, smoother and less likely to crack when you bite into the doughnuts.
Reindeer decorations: for the reindeer faces we need some pretzels for antlers, edible sugar eyes for the eyes and glacé cherries for the noses.

A stack of three Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts — Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts

5 Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts on a wooden board — Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts

How do I make these?

These doughnuts come together much like a cupcake:

Start by whisking together all the wet ingredients: till smooth.
Sift in the dry ingredients: and stir or whisk to a smooth batter. Do not overmix!
Transfer the mix to a piping bag and spin off the end: this allows you to evenly fill the doughnuts moulds.
Pipe the batter into the moulds: and smooth over the tops.
Then bake till fluffy and risen: about 13-14 minutes.
Allow to cool fully in the silicone moulds: they are delicate while warm.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil: and pour into a large bowl.
Dip each doughnut into the chocolate: and allow the excess to drip off.
Decorate with reindeer faces: or leave as they are and enjoy.

Close up of a Reindeer Chocolate Doughnut — Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts

Are these gluten-free and nut-free?

These bakes are easily gluten-free, make sure your oats/oat flour are gluten-free and that you use your preferred 1:1 blend of gluten-free flour. To keep these nut-free, use tahini or sunflower seed butter and check that your yoghurt and chocolate are nut-free.

How long will they last?

These will keep for 2-3 days in a sealed container. Note that the pretzel antlers will soften over time and the edible sugar eyes may bleed so it’s best to decorate them on the day you’re serving them. You can freeze the doughnuts, without the reindeer faces for up to 1 month and allow to defrost at room temperature.

Close up of some Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts — Reindeer Chocolate Doughnuts

What else can I bake?

If you are looking for other chocolate bakes and ideas, how about my: