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

Name: Chocolate Guinness Baked Donuts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 1 h 16 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 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); 3 cups powdered sugar; 1/4 cup of reduced Guinness (the leftovers from above); 1 tsp vanilla extract

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

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.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray your donut pan with non-stick spray; set aside.
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.
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.
Pour the batter into the greased donut wells, filling nearly to the top (see Note 1).
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.
Once the pan is cool, repeat steps 5 and 6 to finish baking the batter. Allow the donuts to cool completely.
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.
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).
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

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.
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!
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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Ingredients

Donuts

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or cane sugar)

1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)

1/4 cup plant-based milk

1 Tbsp instant coffee granules

1/2 cup dairy-free yogurt

2 large eggs (or flax eggs)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup natural cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Coffee Icing

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

~3 Tbsp plant-based milk

1-2 tsp instant coffee granules (to taste)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Bake the Donuts

Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a regular donut pan with non-stick spray - I like to use olive oil spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar and honey. Whisk in the milk, instant coffee, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Finally, stir in the applesauce and set the wet ingredients aside.

In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients and use a large spoon or silicone spatula to gently mix the batter until no flour pockets remain.

Spoon or pipe the batter into the greased donut wells - I like to add my batter to a piping bag (no piping tip necessary) for clean and easy filling - and fill each well to the top.

Bake donuts at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean. Allow donuts to cool in the pan for five minutes and then turn the pan over to release the donuts onto a cooling rack.

Allow your donut pan to cool completely and then repeat steps 4-5 for the remaining donuts.

Ice the Donuts

Once all of your donuts are baked and totally cooled, you can begin making your icing. In a small, microwaveable bowl, combine 3 Tbsp warm milk with 1-2 tsp instant coffee granules; set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and stir. Add the milk/coffee 1 tsp at a time until your icing reaches a thick yet pourable consistency - it's important that the icing isn't too thin since we want a decent layer of icing and not a thin glaze.

Carefully dip the top of each donut in the icing, allowing the excess icing to drip off. Turn each donut right side up and immediately sprinkle with the topping of your choice. I like to do this one donut at a time so the icing doesn't set before I can get my sprinkles on! If your icing starts to get too thick, pop it in the microwave for 5 seconds to thin it out.

Enjoy the iced donuts immediately. I don't recommend icing these in advance. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.