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Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

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Cinnamon sugar donuts have always been one of my favorites so I was really pleased when I saw this recipe for gluten-free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins from Johnna (In Johnna’s Kitchen). Yep, these muffins are yet another creative and delicious recipe in our March Muffin Madness event! These muffins are not only gluten free, but are also dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free, and vegan.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins from In Johnna's Kitchen

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Enjoy learning more about Johnna and her Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins and see the whole line-up of bloggers, blogs, and muffin recipes here.

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Johnna is a Living Foods Chef, Certified Nutritional Education Trainer and fan of real food. She loves helping folks learn to eat healthy via her blog and in cooking classes held in the Kansas City area and beyond.

Johnna lives in a little suburb outside of Kansas City with her favorite fella, three adorable dogs and a small flock of backyard hens. When she is not in the kitchen, Johnna is an artist, most often sculpting with balloons, and enjoys lots of travel, adventure and fun.

Johnna Perry of In Johnna's Kitchen

Johnna Perry of In Johnna’s Kitchen

I met Johnna through a mutual blogger friend. We discovered we shared a love of and great respect for many things, even certain people—such as whole foods, desserts, simple recipes, and Seth Godin.

I loved Johnna’s warm positive spirit and I “oohed” over her recipes from the beginning, but really started marveling at them when I was able to get together with her in person and enjoy her recipes firsthand. If you’re gluten free, you’re going to love her recipes and if you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’ll appreciate her recipes even more!

I mean who knew there was such a thing as delicious Faux Pork that’s made out of just a few real food ingredients (no chemicals or processing)? It’s really an amazing recipe, yet super simple. And it looks like pork and tastes like pork. I’ve seen it served to meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans and all loved it and were most impressed.

Since then Johnna has created all kinds of variations using her same “secret” base ingredient:  Korean BBQ Tacos, Reuben Dip, Reuben Sandwich, Carolina Style BBQ, Tamale Bites, and Tacos in the Crockpot.

As she shows us today with her Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, Johnna is also terrific at creating delicious desserts that might be free of a lot, but aren’t lacking for anything. She managed to carry her Peach Bourbon Push-Up Pops cross country so a group of us could enjoy them, and enjoy them we did! (Another time it was her Mini Vegan Pizzas that she packed in her suitcase; those saved a small group of us on a sailing charter.)

Most of us went a little crazy when we saw Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies in her kitchen just the other day. (Yes, there’s a vegan option). And recently her Ultra Lemon Brownies made a nice sunny splash. Her Brigadeiros (a.k.a. Chocolate Truffles) have long been one of her most popular dessert posts!

Last, I’m a huge fan of Johnna’s discussion posts such as those in her Soften Saturday series. She really offers some great “food for thought” in those, often tackling some tough subjects. I always benefit from her insight and the insight from others who contribute guest posts for the series. Here are just a few of the posts in that series:

~ Finding a New Normal with Dietary Changes

~ Seven Things I Wish I Knew When I Was Over 300 Pounds and Decided to Lose Weight

~ Five Words to Reconsider

~ Being Soft to Less-Than-Supportive Folks

But now I’ll let Johnna say a few words and share her recipe!

cinnamon-sugar-donut-muffins-in-johnna's-kitchen

My journey in blogging began writing about donuts.  My plan was to visit 52 donut shops in a year, indulging in one donut each week.  Because the donuts were my one permissible indulgence each week, I didn’t put much thought into what was in the donuts I was eating.

Midway through the 52 Donuts year, my doctor advised me to eliminate gluten.  I learned lots about reading labels and eating naturally gluten-free foods quickly. One of the benefits of becoming a skilled label reader to eliminate gluten is that I’m much more mindful of the ingredients in everything I eat, which includes my indulgences.

These muffins are an example of that.  While still a bit of an indulgence, I feel good about eating them because I’ve chosen the ingredients carefully.

Not only are these muffins gluten-free, they are packed with lots of healthy ingredients.  They contain chia seed, which is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium and fiber.

I’ve spiced the muffins up with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, all ingredients which support digestion.  I never would have known all of this if I had continued eating gluten!

I did fear when I eliminated gluten that there would be no more donuts in my life.  Not true at all…and now there are even donut muffins.

These muffins remind me of a cinnamon sugar cake donut from a locally owned donut shop, the kind of donut shop with chrome-trimmed stools at a formica countertop, staffed by white paper hat wearing fellas who serve up bad coffee and delectable donuts and know all of the best town gossip. They are delicious warm out of the oven, yet still perfect later in the day with a cup of hot tea.

cinnamon-sugar-donuts-plate-in-johnna's-kitchen

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins Recipe

Yield: 9

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

cinnamon-sugar-donuts-plate-in-johnna's-kitchen

Johnna says "These muffins are delicious warm out of the oven, yet still perfect later in the day with a cup of hot tea."

Ingredients

Batter:

Topping:

  • 3 Tablespoons liquefied coconut oil
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Using coconut oil or cooking spray, lightly oil nine cavities of a muffin tin.
  2. In a small bowl, combine chia seed and hot water. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients until well incorporated.
  4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in milk, coconut oil, chia gel and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
  5. Fill each of nine muffin cavities with a scant 1/3 cup of batter. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
  6. While muffins are baking, mix together ¼ cup coconut sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, place 3 Tablespoons liquefied coconut oil.
  7. When muffins are done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool just until they are cool enough to touch, yet still warm. Remove them from the muffin tin.
  8. Dip each muffin top into the coconut oil, then immediately dip it in the cinnamon sugar topping.
  9. Invert and set on a cooling rack if you do not intend to eat them warm. These are terrific warm or at room temperature.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Shirley Braden
Category: Breakfast, Dessert

Originally published March 18, 2014; updated November 6, 2018.

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Comments

  7. Laurel says

    I can eat these! I won’t have to spin on my head or anything. Hooray, Thanks Johnna. Now I’m going to compare your Lemon Brownies to mine while I formulate my Return to the Kitchen Attack.

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      You’re welcome! Best wishes on your Return to the Kitchen Attack. Sounds like you are on my kind of path with muffins and brownies! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Linda S says

    Wow! I feel so fortunate to have found Miss Shirley Braden and her wonderful blog. 🙂 So many fantastic recipes and new blogs to explore, as well. These are next on my list and I’m sure my husband will love, love, love them. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      Have you experimented with sunflower seed meal (sunflour)? I use it frequently when baking for a friend who cannot have nuts. It’s not as sweet as almond meal but works in many recipes. It may turn the end result green, but still tastes great!

      Reply

  17. cheryl harris says

    Johnna,
    These look amazing! I wonder if you’ve experimented with using a grain free flour blend as well? I’m definitely tempted to give these a go.

    Shirley,
    Clearly your blog-ghost wants some donut muffins 😉

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      Thanks, Cheryl! I haven’t not experimented with a grain free flour blend in this recipe. If you do, I’d love to hear how they turn out!

      Reply

    • Johnna says

      I use sunflower seed meal often as a sub for almond flour. I haven’t tried it with this recipe yet, but it will be my first choice when I do try to make these nut-free. 🙂

      Reply

  19. Ronalyn Hurley says

    I’ll bake these in my mini-muffin pans and freeze them. They will be a perfect little treat for my grandchildren.

    Reply

  22. Molly (Sprue Story) says

    Oh dear! Bad timing to have to go gluten-free midway through a year of donut blogging. Glad you found a way to still have donuts in your life—and I’m excited to welcome your way into MY life too. These look awesome. 🙂

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      It did seem like bad timing initially, but I’m so grateful now. It helped me learn so much about what I really enjoy eating and how to make it work for me. I’m grateful, too, for donuts and wonderful folks like you. Enjoy the muffins!

      Reply

  26. Megan says

    These look anazing! I’ve been looking for something along these lines that I can have, can’t wait to try this! Thank you 🙂

    Reply

  28. Joyce Y. says

    This sounds really good. My 4yr old grandson is gluten free diet, wheat free, dairy free and egg white allergy…always try to help the little fellow out. I also want to know if these freeze well? Thank you for your help.

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      Thanks! I haven’t managed to keep any long enough to get them into the freezer. If you try freezing them, I would love to hear how well they do.

      Reply

  29. Susan says

    Oh, yum! I love cinnamon sugar on almost anything (except maybe steak … )! I really love cinnamon with nutmeg and vanilla. Thank you for posting this recipe!

    Reply

  31. melissa says

    First off these looks absolutely delicious!!!!

    Can you sub. Regular white sugar for cocunut sugar and can you use regular milk instead of almond milk?

    Thank your for your time!

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      Thanks, Melissa!

      I feel pretty confident that dairy milk would work in place of the almond milk. I am not as certain about using white sugar. I have not tested this recipe with white sugar, but did recently test one of my cupcake recipes that was developed with coconut sugar. I subbed white sugar and they were a failure. If anything, you might try at 50/50 blend of white and brown sugar. 🙂

      Reply

    • Johnna says

      I love donuts and certainly miss visiting donut shops. These muffins are a great way for me to soothe that craving. I hope they are for you, too, Heather!

      Reply

    • Johnna says

      I haven’t tested this recipe with regular, refined sugar so I can’t speak with any certainty as to whether or not it would be a success. I would definitely not suggest subbing all white sugar, but instead perhaps trying 50% white sugar and 50% brown sugar.

      Reply

  43. Linda says

    Those look delicious. And of course, Johnna is the best! By the way, I like Seth Godin too. I’m sure you know his wife owns “By The Way” – a gluten free bakery.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Yes, Johnna is the best! And everyone who has made these doughnuts is raving! And, wow, no, I had no idea that Seth Godin’s wife owned By the Way Bakery! I just enjoyed her baked goods this weekend. Son’s girlfriend brought them when they visited. I wish I had known then. Thanks, Linda! And how about that? Another Seth Godin fan! I have a Seth Godin action toy thanks to Johnna, do you have one? 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

      • Linda says

        I did have one, until I gave it to an over-the-top fanboy at an event where Seth was speaking. Fanboy ended up taking a selfie with Seth, the Action Figure, because he couldn’t get close enough to the actual man. It was weird, because I think fanboy may have been more excited about the toy. Like it was a Happy Meal prize, or something.

        Reply

        • Shirley says

          Oh my gosh, that made me laugh so hard, Linda!!! I foresee a get together of the three of us in the future—with or without Seth, and definitely without Fanboy! LOL

          Reply

          • Johnna says

            I had no idea! I spent a weekend at a Seth Godin event with a relatively small group of people. There were gluten-free muffins there but none of the food was labeled to address any dietary restrictions. Just Seth’s comment, “If you don’t like what I ordered, Chipotle is around the corner.” (I kinda like that approach.) Now I must know more about this bakery!

            And yes, we must get together!

  52. Stephanie says

    I made these Sunday afternoon and they are perfectly delicious! This one will definitely be in my favorites file. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  58. Teufelchen says

    I love cinnamon sugar Donuts and can’t have them, then I saw These and hoped for the best, but I can’t have Rice either. Does anyone know a good Substitute for the Rice flour?

    They look so delicious.

    Reply

    • Johnna says

      I have not made these without using a gluten-free flour blend that is heavy on rice flour. Do you have an all purpose blend that you usually use in recipes, one that is free of rice? I’d love to hear what you usually use and I’ll also explore to see what I can find. Thanks!

      Reply

  61. Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says

    I need these in my belly now! YUM Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂

    Thank you for linking up! Its because of awesome bloggers like you that our link up is a success!

    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

    Reply

  63. Lewann Rice says

    I have been missing donuts for the last 3 years. Thanks to this recipe I can indulge in what used to be our Sunday morning breakfast!

    Reply

  69. Megan says

    Thank you for the recipe! I made these today, they turned out great! I omitted the sugar and they still taste wonderful (and very filling) 🙂

    Reply

    • ME says

      Did you omit all of the sugar, or just the sugar in the topping? No sugar in the muffins doesn’t sound right… there’s nothing else sweet, unless the almond milk is that sweet? I like much less sweetness than most, but I can’t imagine a muffin (donut flavored, no less) with no sweetness!

      Reply

      • Shirley says

        Hi ME–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Johnna’s recipe uses coconut sugar as the sweetener. Are you familiar with it? It’s a natural sweetener. It’s similar to brown sugar in its flavor, but a bit more caramel-y tasting. You can most likely substitute brown sugar if you’d prefer. Hope that helps!

        Shirley

        Reply

          • Shirley says

            Oops, sorry. I see that now! I don’t know if Megan is still reading/subscribed to comments. I can only guess that she might have used sweetened almond milk and/or doesn’t eat sugar normally and found enough sweetness in the almond flour, coconut oil, and cinnamon. I’m sure I’d personally have to add some sweetener myself.

  74. Lori Lewis says

    I loved eating cinnamon toast as a kid, these photos remind me of the sweet treat we’d sometimes have on weekends. Will have to try this recipe, thanks!

    Reply

  76. Joseph says

    I just made this recipe with a few substitutions and it turned out great! Do you think it would work if I added blueberries or something, or would other parts of the recipe need to be changed?

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Joseph–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 So glad to hear that Johnna’s recipe was a big hit for you, even with some substitutions. 🙂 Hopefully, Johnna will see your comment and reply soon. It’s her birthday today so she might not reply today, but I’m sure she’ll reply. I can’t venture a guess myself as I haven’t worked with these ingredients to make this recipe. Hope that makes sense!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Johnna says

      I have not tried this with any additions yet. I would venture a guess that you could stir in 1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh of frozen blueberries with success. If you give it a try, will you let us know how it turns out?

      Reply

      • Shirley says

        Johnna–Thanks so much for replying to Joseph! We’ll all be waiting to hear how these muffins turn out with blueberries added. 🙂

        Shirley

        Reply

  78. April J Harris says

    I adore wholesome recipes like this! These Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins sound like a real treat. Thank you so much for sharing them with us at the Hearth and Soul hop, Shirley 🙂 Sharing!

    Reply

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