Healthy Donuts

These healthy donuts are baked, not fried, and are perfectly soft and fluffy! Made with just 4 ingredients, they are secretly vegan and gluten free! 

Healthy Donuts (Doughnuts)

Donuts made without yeast and baked in the oven? You aren’t dreaming, these healthy donuts are your answer!

I used to be somewhat reluctant about baked donuts. I was always under the assumption that the best kind of donuts required yeast and needed to be fried. 

Wrong.

With the right combination of ingredients, you can create baked donuts that taste just as good as their fried counterparts. Not only that, but they skip over some of the usual ingredients in them! This healthy donut recipe is proof of just that. They use just 4 ingredients and they come together in under 15 minutes!

No eggs, no yeast, and no refined sugar are needed, but you’d never tell. The texture is perfectly soft and fluffy in the middle, and perfectly light on the outside. They are pleasantly sweet and fabulous with a healthy chocolate glaze!

What I love about these baked donuts is that they are also completely vegan and gluten free. Many commercial and store-bought donuts are neither of these, so now no one misses out!

How do you make healthy donuts? 

The Ingredients

• Self rising flour– A flour blend that already contains salt and a raising agent (baking powder). Skip the expensive pre-packaged kind and make your own. If you choose to keep these donuts gluten free, use a tried and tested brand, like Dove Farms gluten free self rising flour. 
• Maple syrup– Adds sweetness and helps hold the donuts together. You can substitute this for agave nectar. 
• Coconut oil– Measured in its melted state. Use refined coconut oil to ensure there is no coconut flavor whatsoever. 
• Milk of choice– I used unsweetened coconut milk, but almond, soy, oat, etc. can all be used. 
• Chocolate frosting– Homemade 2 ingredient dairy free frosting. Make the frosting fresh so it will be still in a mostly liquid state, making it perfect to dip the donuts in! 

The Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Lightly grease a 12-count donut pan (or 2 6-count pans) and set it aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add your sifted self-rising flour. Slowly add your coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut milk and mix very well, until a thick batter remains.

Step 3: Scoop out the batter in the greased donut pan(s). Lightly wet your hands and form the dough into a donut shape. Bake for 13-17 minutes (mine needed around 15) or until the donuts have risen and a skewer comes out clean.

Step 4: Allow cooling in the donut pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Step 5: Once cool, dip each donut in the chocolate frosting. Allow frosting to set in the refrigerator, to firm up. 

Are Donuts Fried or Baked?

Donuts can be both baked or fried! I prefer baked donuts, as they can be significantly healthier and much less fat than their fried counterparts. 

To achieve the ‘fried’ donut taste, do as I did (in the pictures). Once the donuts have baked (and before frosting it), lightly heat a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Once hot, quickly toss each donut in it, until golden on the outside (45 seconds-2 minutes). 

Tips to make the best recipe

• Do not overbake the donuts, as they will firm up once cooling in the pan. If you do over-bake them, you’ll find the texture to be dense and firm, instead of light and fluffy. Check around the 12-minute mark, and check every minute or so from then. 
• Ensure your self rising flour has been sifted, to avoid any clumps. 
• The donut batter will be incredibly thick, so don’t fear using moist hands to spread out in the donut pan.
• Do not over-fill the donut pans, or they will rise and flow into the other donut cavities. Fill just under the flat base of the donut pan. 

Storing and freezing tips

• To store: Baked donuts can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. 
• To freeze: Place leftovers in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

More healthy dessert recipes to try

• Chocolate chip cookies
• Cupcakes
• Brownies
• Banana cake
• Chocolate cake