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Cakey and moist, these breakfast donuts are a perfect start to your weekend! Made with oats, they take less than 30 minutes to make.
I love breakfast desserts, so it’s no surprise that breakfast donuts are something I make my family a little too often.
Unlike classic sugar and fat-filled donuts, this one is free from refined flour, butter, sugar, and frying! They are a spin on my healthy donuts but swapping out the flour for ground up oats.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy. Unlike traditional donuts, I have made them without yeast, so you don’t have to worry about proofing them. Also, their consistency is such that you can pour them into donut trays and bake them instead of fry.
- Fun breakfast option. Like my blueberry baked donuts, these are a great substitute if you are bored of everyday oats or breakfast bars. They are not overly sweet or indulgent and can be versatile and customizable, like baked oats!
- Perfect texture. The donuts have the perfect balance of fluffiness and cakiness, and the addition of the oats give them that slightly chewy texture.
Ingredients Needed
As mentioned earlier, these donuts use a handful of wholesome ingredients to make. Here is what you’ll need:
- Oat flour. Blended oats that have a flour-like texture. You can buy any pre-packaged oat flour or make your own.
- Coconut sugar. My preferred sweetener because it is less refined than white or brown sugar.
- Baking powder. This will make your donuts nice and fluffy and have some rise.
- Cinnamon. For the lovely, warm Cinnabon-like nostalgia.
- Sea salt. You’ll need just a pinch to balance the sweetness.
- Almond milk. This is the usual milk in my fridge, but use any milk you like.
- Egg OR flax egg. Use one egg or make a flax egg by allowing to gel a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with three tablespoons of water.
- Vanilla extract. Cinnamon and vanilla perfectly complement one another. A splash of a good quality vanilla extract will elevate this recipe.
- Almond butter. For binding and moisture. I like almond butter because it goes well with the other flavors and isn’t as overpowering as peanut butter. You can use any nut or seed butter you enjoy.
For the Glaze
- Greek yogurt. I used plain Greek yogurt, but any thick yogurt will work just fine.
- Confectioners sugar. Just a little bit to add some sweetness but also thin out the yogurt enough to drizzle over each donut.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to make the breakfast donuts
Step 1- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Step 2- Make the donut batter. Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, and egg/flax egg in a small bowl. Pour into the dry mixture. Add the melted nut butter and mix well until a batter is formed.
Step 3- Bake the donuts. Transfer the batter to the greased 12-count doughnut pan or muffin tin and bake for 20-30 minutes in a preheated oven at 350°F. Remove it from the oven once you see a golden brown color on top and a toothpick comes on clean.
Step 4- Cool them down. Let the donuts sit in the pan for roughly 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5- Make the frosting. Whisk together the yogurt and confectioner’s sugar and frost the donuts once cooled.
Recipe tips and variations
- Avoid overmixing the batter. Like cake or pancake batter, you want to combine the batter until fully incorporated.
- Avoid overbaking the donuts. For soft, cakey donuts, bake until the toothpick comes out clean. Any longer, and you’ll end up with dry and dense donuts. Remember, they will continue to cook as they cool down.
- Frost cooled donuts. Sugar glaze seeps off the hot donuts. So, wait for the donuts to cool down before frosting them.
- Add mix-ins. To change things up, I sometimes fold through some dried fruits, fresh berries, or to treat the family, some chocolate chips.
Storage instructions
To store. Store leftovers in an airtight container on your kitchen top for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze. For more extended storage, toss the breakfast donuts into freezer-safe bags and freeze them for up to 4 months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! If you don’t want to use rolled oats, you can use all-purpose, wholewheat, or cake flour. You will need to add an extra 2-3 tablespoons to compensate for the extra liquid.
Yes, you can. If you don’t own a donut pan, bake them as muffins. The cooking time will not differ.
More tasty donut recipes to try
Breakfast Donuts
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour oats ground into a flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk I used unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 flax egg or 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons almond butter can sub for any nut butter
Glaze
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 12-count donut pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well.
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk, vanilla extract, and egg/flax egg. Pour into the dry mixture. Add the almond butter and mix very well until a batter is formed.
- Transfer the batter to the greased donut pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes on clean. Remove from oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, frost.
- To make the frosting, whisk the yogurt and confectioner sugar until combined. Dip each donut in it and let it sit on a wire rack to firm up.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally published May 2016 but updated to include new information for your benefit.
Can one use regular butter or oil instead of almond butter? Thanks SO much for all you are & do Arman!
Could I use this paleo version of the recipe but do the sugar free glaze on them from your Krispy Kreme recipe?? Is there any difference texture wise to the paleo version on that one (Krispy Kreme) to this?
The one for the cake is thicker, but feel free to experiment and see
These sound sooooooooo good. However, I do have a question. In the recipe you mentioned a cream cheese cinnamon frosting, but I did not see a recipe for it, unless I just didn’t see it. Where would I find that recipe?
Hi! If I used maple syrup instead of granulated sweetener and lessened the volume of milk, would that work?
I don’t see why not 🙂
Hi there. I have tried multiple of you recipes and my family is in love. Thanks for you dedication and willingness to try and try until you’ve perfected the recipe.
Wondering if i use same amount of oat flour if it was purchased already ground rather than doing it myself? Thanks
Hi Christine! I think that should be fine- If it is a little too thick, add some milk of choice 🙂
Wow. I made these last night. I have to say these were so amazing they melt in your mouth!!! This was my first time making donuts. My family was impressed. You have inspired me to be open to more creative ideas in the baking world!!! Thank you!!!
😀 LOVE IT! Cheers, Cary!
This recipe looks amazing! I noticed the commenter above was able to make them nut free. I would love to try this recipe for my son, but he can’t have nuts or peanuts and I am wondering what I could replace the nut butter with. Thanks!
Hi there, Shelly! This works fantastic with sunflower seed or soy nut butter!
Hello!!! Came across this recipe and was wondering if I can replace the eggs in the paleo version for flax eggs instead? I prefer my doughnuts more dense! 🙂
I haven’t tried, but feel free to experiment and see 🙂
I just made the oat flour version for my wheat, egg, nut, soy, plus-allergic daughter and they are A-MA-ZING! I can’t wait for her to get home from school to try them! Our house borders an apple orchard and the aroma of fresh baking doughnuts in the morning can be torture…I’m so happy to have a safe option to offer her!
Have you tried baking these with other spices, or maybe omitting the cinnamon/spice altogether? Curious if they would taste like a basic cake doughnut. The cinnamon version is fantastic, just wondering about possible variations. Thanks!!
In the recipe, is T a teaspoon or Table spoon? Thanks dan
Hi Dan! It’s tablespoon 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am so excited to try it! However, I just had one quick question. If I cannot have coconut flour( I have gastroparesis) would I just substitute that amount and do all almond flour or can it be made with all purpose flour if need be?
Thank you so much & have aBeautiful day!
?Michelle E.
Hi Michelle! you’d be best to stick with the first oat flour option- I haven’t tried the second one omitting coconut flour, sorry!
Thanks so much for the new recipe. I’m just double checking that you used 1/2 cup (170 grams of stevia & monk fruit). It seems like a lot of sweetener.
Hi Brad, that is correct- The sweetener I use is cup for cup replacement for sugar 🙂
Ok, 1/2 cup it is, we’ll be trying this recipe this week. Thanks again.
Has anyone tried xylitol with this recipe?
Hi Mary! Some readers have- They mentioned that they just had to adjust the amount, as some brands weren’t cup for cup substitutions 🙂 Enjoy!
I made these over the weekend and my kids devoured them! I had my usual issue, though, when baking with oat flour – the doughnuts were very crumbly and fell apart. Any tips? I will admit I didn’t grease my doughnut pan (I quickly learned the non-stick pan wasn’t non-stick enough), but I have this issue with other baked goods made from oat flour. Thanks for your input! I’m going to try these as muffins next.
Hi Kristen! Sometimes, it helps to add a little more milk 🙂 They work beautifully as muffins 🙂
Would it be possible to substitute honey in the original recipe instead of granulated sweetener? I try to avoid processed sweeteners if at all possible and I don’t have coconut flour
Hi Haeley! I’ve never tried it with that, but another reader used maple syrup and just adjusted the flours if needed 🙂
what about using coconut flour instead of oat flour????
There is a coconut flour/paleo version listed in the ingredients 🙂
Cannot wait to try these! Perfect for work mornings on the run! Your recipes are so easy to follow, which is great considering I really don’t like to cook.
Hi there, I’m wondering your opinion on if subbing tahini for drippy almond butter might work? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Kaden! I haven’t had much success with tahini as a good substitute (unless it’s a no bake recipe)- It tends to be a little bit too oily and bitter.
I highly recommend that people grind their own oats (even a blender works for this) and if you have a halfway decent food processor you can make cashew butter, almond butter, and coconut butter for way cheaper than in the stores while also controlling added ingredients. I make organic almond butter for cheaper than you can get a smaller quantity of non organic. Oh, and I recommend keeping your flax seeds in the fridge and any ground flax in the fridge as the oil in them can go rancid which makes it smell like rotting fix.
Thank you for this recipe! I am allergic to wheat and soy as well as being vegan. I’ve avoided most doughnut recipes as they tend to use a gluten free flour blend and those are usually very much lacking in the nutrition department. These are also incredibly easy and contain things I always have on hand. This is the only baked good recipe I have made that uses only oat flour and isn’t at all gummy. First time using saigon cinnamon, and I definitely approve. I snuck a couple of the mini donuts with fresh made coconut butter on top, the rest are going to use the protein frosting.
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah! 🙂
I made the paleo option and these were the best paleo treats I’ve made so far. I don’t usually comment on the recipes I try but I simply had to say something after making these! Just so good. I didn’t have the ingredients for the icing so I left that out and I didn’t have almond butter so I used cashew butter. Seriously unreal. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Megan! Apologies for the delayed reply, I just saw this! Thank you so much for trying it out, I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I was wondering if these would bake in a donut maker? My daughter bought me a 70’s Exeter, just like the one I bought my mom when I was a kid!
Hi there! I’ve never tried it in a donut maker before- I’m curious to hear how it turns out!
what is coconut butter and where do you get it?
Hi Suzy, coconut butter is blended coconut meat, which results in a buttery spread. You can get it at most health food and some grocery stores. It is also available online or amazon. 🙂
I tried the original option (used coconut flour – could not find the other). However, the “batter” for me turned out as a bowl of crumbles. Went ahead and baked just in case. Still after the allotted time, they still looked like balls of crumbles. Also tasted very dry. Loved the sound of the concept, but for those like me that are not great cooks, this recipe did not like me.
Hi Jen! Unfortunately, the original version can’t have the oat flour subbed with coconut flour- It just won’t work. If you want to use coconut flour, you need to follow the ‘Paleo’ option directions.
Coconut flour in general requires more liquid and needs larger number of eggs than is standard to keep it from ending up really dense. You can see that from Arman’s paleo recipe. It has more eggs than is standard for donuts. Four eggs equates to approximately a cup and that’s on top of having less flour, half a cup of honey, and half a cup of milk as liquid ingredients, versus a cup in the vegan recipe.
Sorry for my French but what does T mean in your recipes? tablespoon? tx These looks great.
Hi Carole- Apologies for not being clear enough, the T stands for tablespoon 🙂
I tried the paleo recipe. It’s very dense and dry. Was thinking maybe to add coconut oil to the recipe? Thoughts?
Hi Dee! I’m sorry to hear that- I’d add some dairy free milk and maybe a tablespoon of coconut oil- It generally should be quite soft and fluffy 🙂
THANK YOU so much for all the different options! It was an incredible relief to scroll down and see that there were even options to choose from? I am not used to seeing that on very many food blogs so THANK YOU! So excited to make these!
No worries at all, Alix- Hope you enjoy! 🙂
This looks great and I want to make it this week but I am confused about the frosting.
The ingredients for the cinnamon frosting are listed as coconut butter, sweetener, and milk- no mention of cream cheese or cinnamon (“For the cream cheese one, allow to sit at room temperature until it softens. Mix with granulated sweetener and cinnamon. Spread over each doughnut.”). Can you help out with ingredient list and amounts? Thanks!
Hi Kirsten- Apologies for that! The cream cheese one, depending on whether you want a thick frosting or thin one, start with half a tub (100 grams) and mix with 1-2 T sweetener until desired sweetness, then frost.
Awesome! Just got doughnut pans for a “savory breakfast bagel “- eggs, cheese and sausage. Now I have a sweet recipe! What do you mean by Drippy almond butter? How can I tell at the store!
😀 LOVE using doughnut pans for that exact recipe!!!!!! We must have the same brain 🙂
Now for drippy almond butter, it’s sold at Trader Joe’s, or Barney Butter smooth is drippy too 🙂
For the drippy almond butter, I can sub any nut butter. Is that like peanut butter? I’m confused 🙂
Plus thank you for creating a GLUTEN free doughnut where the ingredients are weird!!
Aren’t weird. Not are.
Hahahaha thanks, Jamie! 🙂
For the drippy almond butter, I can sub any nut butter. Is that like peanut butter? Will it affect the taste? It won’t taste like peanut butter?
Hi Jamie! I usually avoid peanut butter for baked goods, as the peanut butter flavor is very evident.
This looks amazing!!!! Thank you sooo much! Just to be sure, the T in your recipe is a tablespoon, not a teaspoon?
Hi Ashley! thanks so much for your kind words- That is correct, so 15 mls 🙂
My daughte is allergic to wheat, oats and egg. How can adjust the flour in the original option? Can i use any GF flour? If i use the flour ratio in the paleo version, do i need to adjust the baking powder? Thank you for providing a healthy, allergy-free doughnut option.
Hi Angel! You could try the paleo option and use flax eggs, but I can’t vouch for the results, sorry!
Ok I’m gonna be super honest here . I was just diagnosed with diabitiis 2 . I’m 46 year old over weight busy wife,mother,grandmother, this fills like my whole world is changing . I’m tired I’m depressed I don’t like shots and blood . And I love good food . So if just only one or two of these pancakes turn out good I’m gonna be soooooooo happy !!!!! Depression is hard when you have to accept change . And if you can find little things to give you hope . I think that is a good thing w
Hope you enjot the pancakes, Michele! I’m sorry for your diagnosis!
Hi – these look delicious! I’m always looking for healthy “treats” for my 10-yr-old son. Question – are these full size doughnuts or mini?
Hi Shannon! 🙂 These are the standard sized ones (I think…I’ve seen mini ones and large ones) – I used a 12 count doughnut pan 🙂
Do you have a printable version of your recipes? 🙂
Hi Michelle! 🙂 The recipe plugin should allow you to do so (It’s in the top right corner of it :))
My cookbook will be out next year too, ha! 🙂
So uou think this would still work using the applesauce sub for egg instead of flax? Flax gives my daughter a terrible stomach ache
Hi Kari! I haven’t tried it myself, sorry- Please let me know if it works out 🙂
Haha I remember that too from the UK. People raiding the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shelves at Tesco in the morning. I found that pretty odd, too.
When we cleaned out the kitchen in January I found so many things I didn’t know I had like two macaron baking mats (why 2?) and a few sprouting jars (???)!
Also definitely DOUGHnut!
Wait, macaron BAKING mats?! That is so funny because it’s so specific!
Arman! I have been looking for a good vegan donut recipe and kablam you have posted one right here. These look seriously good. Healthy donuts for breakfast – seriously amazing. My future nutrition clients will be sent right your way for healthy baked goods – FACT.
Thanks so much, Lauren! I think you’d like this, it’s delicious!
Not sure whether to thank you or send you a bill for the doughnut pan I now HAVE to buy…
😀 I LOVE IT.
Oh yes, I will take a dozen!! I just bought a silicon doughnut pan and have been looking for recipes.
😀 I can’t believe it took me so long to share a doughnut recipe! I have some fun ones to come…I hope!
Donuts are actually a good part of the Standard American Diet, TERRIBLE for your health and optimal performance unfortunately. It’s one cause as to why so many people are sick and under-nourished! However, this take is so much better–you can have it and know that you’re putting something healthy into your body! And yes–dessert for breakfast is a WIN!
Dreaming of your kabocha cake right now!
I could not resist coming by when I read the words Cinnabon. These look delicious!
Thanks Megan!
Europeans also love having desserts for breakfast. I’m totally on board!
That, I can approve of!
We Americans do like our dessert-for-breakfast… but hey, so do you – you just do it healthier 😉 And also more efficiently, since this is a mashup of two desserts-for-breakfast. Mind blown.
😉 Amen to that!
I always said donut, but I won’t fight anyone on spelling as long as the product is still the same. When I clean I find a lot of random stuff my cats have hidden or socks that I used to wear but lost one of them so I threw out the other. I bet if I cleaned more often this wouldn’t happen hahaha
You and me, both! I need to hire a cleaner!
Thank you for posting this! I was JUST looking for a good recipe for baked donuts as it was requested for Mother’s Day! I love your site and was sad to not find a recipe yesterday. But you read my mind! Hooray! Making these tomorrow! 😀
🙂 Yay! Hope you guys enjoyed them, Karla!
Cinnamon bun and a donut together!? This is why we are friends!!!
We can’t be friends unless you stick your dismounts, sorry. 🙂
Wait a cinnamon bun…in doughnut form? You evil, evil man. Are these still ‘healthy’ after I eat the entire batch? By entire batch, I mean entire batch plus half of the next batch… They look amazing!
Thanks so much, man! You can have a bakers dozen, plus an extra 5.
Oh my God yes. I am such a donut-obsessed human – you reeled me in here. But yes aren’t we Americans weird with our morning donuts lolz After every Sunday church service at my church they have a giant table full of Dunkin Donuts donuts, fo free. It’s pretty amazing #america
Legit, this is why America is the land of dreams (I just wrote Land of Lakes butter…SEE?!)
You had me at cinnamon bun but breakfast doughnut doesn’t hurt at all! I can almost taste the coconut butter frosting lol 🙂
🙂 thanks, Michele!
Do you think these would bake in a muffin tin? I have no “donut” pan.
Hi Ginger! Absolutely- They started out as muffins first 🙂 You may need to increase the cooking time just a little bit, but otherwise, no other changes 🙂
Do you have the nutritional information?
Hi Christi! Sure thing, if you add the ingredients to myfitnesspal or another calorie counting website, it will provide it for you! Enjoy!