We’re getting into the Easter spirit by making some delicious chocolate donuts! If you’re a fan of all things sweet and indulgent, then you’re going to love this recipe. We’ll be combining the rich and decadent flavours of chocolate with fluffy and moist vegan donuts, creating the perfect Easter treat for you and your loved ones. Read on for our small batch buttercream recipe and easy decorating tips as well.
Why You Need to Make This
If you’re looking for a new baking project or just want to satisfy your sweet tooth, my step-by-step guide will show you how easy it is to make these mouthwatering Easter chocolate donuts. One bowl mixing, everyday pantry ingredients and a whole lot of fun! This small batch recipe makes 6 full-sized ring donuts.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This is a dairy free and eggless recipe. Read on for my gluten-free recommendations and check out the FAQ for more recipe tips.
For the Donuts
Cake Flour: cake flour contains less protein than all-purpose (plain) flour and therefore creates a lighter baked good. To make your own, simply measure 120g (1 US Cup) of all-purpose flour, remove 6 grams (1 tbsp) of the flour and replace it with 6 grams (1 tbsp) cornflour. Sift the mixture two times before using it in the recipe. For a gluten-free option, substitute your favourite GF flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour and make the cake flour blend as above. Check out my cake flour post for more details.
Baking Powder and Salt: to help the donuts rise and enhance the flavours. If you are using salted butter, omit the salt.
Butter: I recommend using unsalted plant-based butter from a brick, rather than softer tub butter alternatives. Sub with dairy butter if you are not dairy intolerant.
Milk: I prefer using almond milk in my recipes but you can sub with any milk to suit your dietary requirements.
Cocoa Powder: I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder for a richer flavour.
Sugar: I recommend white sugar for this recipe. Sub with light brown sugar if you prefer a deeper flavour.
Apple Sauce: works as a binding agent. Sub with 1 egg if you are not egg intolerant.
For the Buttercream
Butter: I recommend using unsalted plant based butter.
Icing Sugar: a must! No need to sift unless your icing sugar is particularly lumpy.
Vanilla Bean Paste: for flavouring. Use vanilla extract if you prefer.
Water: to thin down the buttercream to a pipeable consistency.
Food Colouring: to create the gorgeous pastel green colour for the buttercream grass.
Candies: I found some fun allergen-friendly candies at a local dollar store. Sub with whatever Easter candies you prefer.
How to Make Chocolate Donuts
Preheat your oven to 425F / 220C and gather all of your ingredients and supplies. The butter and milk should be at room temperature before starting the recipe.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar and cocoa powder. Melt the butter in the microwave (takes approx 20 seconds) then add to the mixing bowl along with the milk and apple sauce. Mix until fully incorporated.
Pop a tipless piping bag into a tall glass or mug and add the donut batter. You can also use a ziploc bag if you prefer.
To secure the open end of the piping bag, either tie it with an elastic or use a chip clip! This will stop the batter coming out the wrong end when you start piping.
Spray the donut cavities with spray oil and evenly pipe the mixture between the cavities. Each cavity will be fairly full.
Tap the pan on the counter to level the batter then bake in your oven for 8-10 minutes.
Allow the donuts to cool in the pan before removing them onto a plate. They don’t take long to cool down. It’s quite normal for donuts to look like this when they are baked. If you are not decorating them, turn them over when plating them as the underside always stays smooth.
How to Make Buttercream
While the donuts are cooling, let’s make a small batch of buttercream. Add the butter and half of the icing sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined. Add vanilla bean paste, the remaining icing sugar and a splash of water. Top Tip – do not add all of the water at once as you may not need all of it, depending on the humidity in your kitchen.
Add a few drops of green food colouring until you achieve the desired pastel green colour. Continue to add water to the buttercream until it reaches a medium consistency that is soft enough to pipe but still holds its shape. My favourite light green colouring is Avocado by Americolour. This gel food colouring is allergen friendly and easy to use as you can squeeze out drops from the bottle.
Let’s Decorate!
Once the buttercream is made, it’s time to decorate! My kids love helping with this stage. For this, we’ll be using a piping bag, piping tip 233 (also known as the grass tip), a tall glass to hold the bag while we fill it, a spatula, and of course our buttercream.
Grass Tip 233
Let’s quickly talk about piping tip 233. This is also known as a grass tip as it has lots of tiny holes on top. It is perfect for creating grass with buttercream or royal icing. You can also make monster fur and lots of fun swirly designs on donuts, cakes, cupcakes and cookies.
Add the piping tip to a tipless bag (use a coupler if you prefer) then add half of the buttercream to the bag. Check out the video in the recipe card for the full bag setup and piping tutorial.
Here’s a close-up of the grass tip with a small amount of buttercream coming out of the tip. Look at those time strands of buttercream. It is such a fun tip to use!
Pipe grass on each of the donuts by holding the piping bag above the surface of the donut, squeezing the bag slightly and pulling away to create short strands of grass.
There is no wrong way to do this, just remember to keep the tip of the bag above the surface so that you don’t flatten the ‘grass’.
Keep going until the top surface of the donut is decorated.
Finish the donuts by adding some Easter candies on top. These vegan chocolate easter buttercream donuts are sure to be popular with family and friends. I hope you enjoy making them.
Common Questions
This small batch recipe yields 6 ring donuts. You could also make mini donuts if you prefer. Check out the recipe card to easily scale up the recipe for larger batches.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The buttercream will naturally crust over slightly.
Absolutely! Simply swap out the cake flour for a gluten-free substitute. Check out the substitution guide in the main post for my easy homemade solution.
Yes! This buttercream will crust over once exposed to air but still maintains a soft bite when you eat it. It is fantastic for icing cakes and cupcakes as well as creating fun designs with different icing tips.
Check out my webstory for this recipe for a quick overview of how easy they are to make!
One Last Look
Let’s have one last look at these colourful treats. I just adore the cute buttercream grass on top of the rich vegan chocolate Easter themed donuts. A great allergy friendly option for your Easter dessert table.
More Easter Recipes
Easter is a wonderful time to try out some new baking. Here are a few more family favourites:
- A classic Ultimate Carrot Cake (Dairy Free, GF and Vegan options)
- The easiest 4 Ingredient Easter Jelly Bean Bark (Vegan)
- A fun kids no-bake treat – Easter Birds Nests (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- You can’t celebrate Easter without making my amazing Hot Cross Buns (Vegan, GF option)
Vegan Easter Chocolate Buttercream Donuts
Equipment
- Tip 233 (Grass Piping Tip)
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 120 grams Cake Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 15 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted)
- 90 ml Plant Based Milk
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 70 grams White Sugar
- 50 grams Apple Sauce
For the Buttercream
- 100 grams Plant Based Butter
- 300 grams Icing Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 40 ml Water (You may not need all of the water – see instructions)
- Avocado Food Colouring
- Assorted Easter Candies
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F / 220C and gather all of your ingredients and supplies. The butter and milk should be at room temperature before starting the recipe.
For the Donuts
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar and cocoa powder.120 grams Cake Flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder, 0.5 tsp Salt, 70 grams White Sugar, 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- Melt the butter in the microwave (takes approx 20 seconds) then add to the mixing bowl along with the milk and apple sauce. Mix until fully incorporated.15 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted), 90 ml Plant Based Milk, 50 grams Apple Sauce
- Add the donut batter to a tipless piping bag or ziploc bag. Spray the donut cavities with a spray oil and evenly pipe the mixture between the cavities.
- Tap the pan on the counter to level the batter then bake in your oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan before removing them on to a plate (they don't take long to cool down).
For the Buttercream
- While the donuts are cooling, make the buttercream. Add the butter and half of the icing sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined.100 grams Plant Based Butter
- Add vanilla bean paste, the remaining icing sugar and a splash of water. Top Tip – do not add all of the water at once as you may not need all of it, depending on the humidity in your kitchen.300 grams Icing Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste, 40 ml Water
- Add a few drops of green food colouring until you achieve the desired pastel green colour. Continue to add water to the buttercream until it reaches a medium consistency that is soft enough to pipe but still holds its shape.Avocado Food Colouring
- Add the piping tip to a tipless bag then add half of the buttercream to the bag. Pipe grass on each of the donuts by holding the piping bag above the surface of the donut, squeezing the bag slightly and pulling away to create short strands of grass (check out the video for the full bag setup and piping tutorial). Finish the donuts by adding some Easter candies on top.Assorted Easter Candies
Video
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 ring donuts and can be easily scaled up to make larger batches.
- Storage: Store any remaining donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Both the donuts and buttercream can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Gluten Free: For gluten free donuts, sub the cake flour with a gluten free substitute. Check out my substitution list for a handy homemade version.
- Nutrition: Nutrition information is provided as a guide only and is based on the actual ingredients that I used to create this recipe.
- More Recipes: check out my collection of Easter recipes for more tasty allergy friendly treats.
- And Finally: if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star review. I love hearing from you. Happy Baking!
These look amazing! I love your tip to pipe the batter as well! So clever. Thank you.
It’s a great way to stay mess free when making donuts 🙂