These perfectly fluffy Chocolate Guinness Baked Donuts are tender, moist, and sure to become a favorite! They’re topped with a simple and delicious Guinness icing, and I promise you won’t be able to eat just one.

Chocolate Guinness Baked Donuts

It’s nearly St. Paddy’s day, which means I’ve got beer on my mind! What’s more classically Irish than a freshly poured Guinness? It wasn’t until I was in Northern Ireland that I realized I actually like Guinness draft. I swear it tastes better over there! Add it to a batch of cake donuts and you’ve got my heart! These donuts are tender, moist, and absolutely delicious. Plus, they go perfectly with a pint (or half pint) of freshly-poured Guinness 😉

For these easy, one-bowl donuts, you’ll reduce the Guinness for maximum flavor. This process takes a little while (about 12 minutes for me on a gas range), but I promise it’s worth it! If you’re going to put your beer into a batch of donuts, then you should be able to taste it! Now, the Guinness flavor here is light, but you’ll have leftover beer to sip alongside these amazing donuts!

What You’ll Need

• All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of the donut batter. I haven’t tested these with any other flours.
• Cocoa powder (the natural/regular kind) brings the chocolate flavor! For a richer chocolate flavor, up to half of the natural cocoa can be replaced with Dutched cocoa powder.
• Baking powder & baking soda leaven these donuts perfectly.
• Salt enhances flavor and cuts sweetness.
• Brown sugar has molasses in it, so it adds a bit more moisture than regular sugar. You’ll want to “lightly pack” it into your measuring cup as opposed to the standard of smashing it in there. Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar.
• Eggs bind these donuts together and keep them moist and cakey. For vegan donuts you can use the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free vegan egg replacer – I tried this and the donuts came out very tender and delicious!
• Olive oil adds moisture to these donuts. You can use avocado oil, light olive oil, or vegetable oil.
• Plant-based yogurt makes the donuts extremely moist and tender. I don’t recommend any substitutes as I’ve found that yogurt works best! If you’re not dairy-free, regular yogurt will work as well.
• Vanilla extract adds flavor to both the donuts and the glaze.
• Guinness is necessary for these donuts! It’s the classic dark stout beer, and I believe the nitrogen (each can has a nitrogen capsule in it) affects the leavening to create the perfect baked donut!
• Powdered sugar makes up the bulk of the icing. I don’t recommend any substitutes. 

Yield: 10 Donuts

Chocolate Guinness Baked Donuts

Print

Fluffy and tender baked chocolate donuts made with Guinness! Topped with a Guinness icing, these delicious donuts won't last long.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 16 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Guinness Donuts

• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs (see Note 3 for vegan option)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup plant-based yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups Guinness, reduced & divided (see Step 1)

Guinness Icing

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of reduced Guinness (the leftovers from above)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Reduce the Guinness: in a small pot, add the 1 1/4 cup of Guinness. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until reduced to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally (this took me about 12 minutes on a gas range). Pour the reduced beer into a liquid measuring cup and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray your donut pan with non-stick spray; set aside.
3. Make the Donuts: in a large bowl (you can use a stand mixer bowl), sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar.
4. Add the eggs, oil, yogurt, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of the reduced Guinness. Beat with hand mixer (or stand mixer) until smooth, around 30 seconds.
5. Pour the batter into the greased donut wells, filling nearly to the top (see Note 1).
6. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out with a couple of crumbs. Allow the donuts to rest in the pan for 3-4 minutes. Then turn out onto a cooling rack - you may need to shake the pan up and down to get the donuts to come out.
7. Once the pan is cool, repeat steps 5 and 6 to finish baking the batter. Allow the donuts to cool completely.
8. Ice the Donuts: once your donuts are totally cool, you can make the icing. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, remaining 1/4 cup of reduced Guinness, and vanilla extract until totally smooth. If it seems too thick, you can add plant-based milk or water 1 tsp at a time.
9. Ice the donuts by dipping the top of each donut into the icing and flipping over to set on a cooling rack (see Note 2).
10. I recommend enjoying these donuts the day they're made. If you have leftovers, you'll want to store them in an airtight container in a cool spot.

Notes

1. You can pour the batter directly into the wells, or add the batter to a large Ziploc bag (or piping bag) and "pipe" it into the wells. This batter is thin, so if you go the piping route, you'll want to add only 1/2 the batter at a time to the bag.
2. These donuts are tender and fragile while dipping in the icing. If it's easier for you, you can spoon/spread the icing on instead!
3. For vegan donuts: replace the eggs with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free and vegan egg replacer. I've tested this and the donuts came out extra tender and delicious!

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