There’s something magical about a hot, sugary doughnut straight from the fryer. Crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, and impossible to stop at just one.

The best part? You don’t need a fancy bakery or a trip to the show to enjoy them.

With a few pantry staples and a pot of oil, you can whip up a batch of gluten free doughnuts at home that taste every bit as indulgent as the classic version.

Gluten Free Fried Doughnuts

Nothing beats a warm, sugar-dusted doughnut, aka donut hole. This gluten-free version proves you don’t need gluten to have all the fun. Simple ingredients, a pot of oil, and you’re minutes away from golden, fluffy perfection.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Servings 15 small donuts

Ingredients

1.5 litres vegetable oil
405 g gluten free plain flour
105 g caster sugar
3¾ tsp baking powder
3 eggs
180 ml milk
3 Tbsp butter or dairy-free spread

Instructions

Pour the oil into a medium saucepan so it’s about 4cm deep, then pop it over medium heat. You’re aiming for 170–180°C. No thermometer? Just drop in a little batter – if it sizzles nicely without spitting, you’re good to go.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and caster sugar.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and melted butter (or dairy-free spread) until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until you’ve got a thick, lump-free batter. It should cling to the whisk rather than streaming off like pancake batter.
Once the oil is ready, scoop the batter with an ice-cream scoop and carefully drop it in from just above the surface. A quick, clean drop helps keep the doughnuts round – it might take a couple of goes to nail the shape.
Fry each doughnut for 1–2 minutes, flipping if needed so they brown evenly. Keep an eye on the oil temperature as you go. Once golden, lift them out with a slotted spoon and rest them on kitchen paper to drain.
Roll the warm doughnuts in sugar, then dive in. For an extra treat, serve with a little jam for dipping – next level delicious.

Handy Tips

Using an ice-cream scoop makes dropping the batter into the hot oil so much easier, and it’s the secret to getting those perfectly round doughnuts.
Don’t overcrowd the pan. Frying too many at once drops the oil temperature, which can leave your doughnuts uncooked inside.
Notice a little “tail” on your doughnuts where the batter dripped in? No stress – just trim them off once they’ve cooled for a neater round shape.
If your doughnuts are browning too quickly on the outside but still raw in the middle, your oil’s running too hot. Lower the temperature so they cook through evenly.
A digital cooking thermometer takes all the guesswork out of frying, but if you’ve got a deep fryer, even better – it keeps the oil at the perfect temperature for you.
Let the doughnuts drain properly on kitchen paper before rolling them in sugar. This keeps the coating crisp and stops it turning claggy.