Healthy Donuts Recipe
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These healthy Donuts will make you a believer in clean eating!
Yep, you read that right. Healthy Doooooooooooonuts!!! There, I said it.
I also “made it n’ ate it”. Yep, yep, yep.
A reader asked me if I could possibly come up with a clean eating donut recipe because she was craving doughnuts really badly, but didn’t want to get off track with clean eating. I had been meaning to try them for quite some time, so I went down and bought a doughnut pan that very same day.
In doing some research for this recipe, I stopped by the King Arthur website at a Facebook fan’s suggestion. I trust their recipes and knew that if they had a doughnut recipe, the likelihood of them being good, tasty donuts after converting them to clean eating would be much higher.
Ya. These R.O.C.K.!!!!
Need convincing? Here’s a little temptation to help talk you into making these…
Oh yeah, baby!
You know you want some of these, they are just calling your name…
Go ahead. Stop by the store on your way home for the ingredients. You know you wanna…
Okay. Now let’s regain some composure and get to the recipe, shall we?
Donut Pan
If you can’t locate a doughnut pan in your area, here’s the one I use. You can get it through Amazon.com. Wilton Nonstick 6-Cavity Donut Pan
(affiliate link)
About The Ingredients
Whole wheat pastry flour – If you can’t find this, look for White Whole Wheat Flour. It’s the next best thing.
Baking soda – Use newer stuff so it works.
Salt – Any type you are comfortable baking with.
Eggs – These work best at room temperature.
Oil – I used grapeseed, but any light-flavored oil will work.
Honey – Any kind will work.
Unsweetened almond milk – Or any milk except coconut.
How To Make Healthy Donuts
Preheat oven to 375℉.
Spray doughnut pan with oil using an oil mister/sprayer.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rest of your ingredients, whisking vigorously until slightly foamy.
Pour the liquid into the flour, and mix until just well blended. It should be a nice, sticky/thick batter.
Spoon the batter into your doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. Don’t walk away from these. They go from golden brown to burnt very quickly. You know they are done when you press on them lightly and they bounce back like a doughnut should.
Cool on a cooling rack and top with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Notes
When you fill your doughnut pan, fill it so that the batter is about ¼ – â…“ of an inch from the top. It won’t seem like much, but these rise a LOT!!! (Sorry about the water, I forgot to photograph the batter in the pan. But this will give you a good idea of where to fill to.)
This is what they look like if you use too much batter. One side gets the indentation but no hole, and one side doesn’t get anything.
Donut Topping Ideas
I topped mine with 100% fruit spread (jelly) and then pressed that into some crushed pecans. But you can also try melting some baker’s chocolate with honey or agave and spooning a little over the top. Even just some plain honey drizzled over the tops would be yummy!
Storing Healthy Donuts
Keep this in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days without toppings, and 3 days with toppings (depending on the toppings)
Freezing Healthy Donuts
These freeze best with no toppings and if you pack them well. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months this way.
More Healthy Dessert Recipes
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Healthy Donuts Recipe Card
Healthy Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (affiliate link)
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp. oil (I used grapeseed)
- ¾ cup honey
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk (or any milk except coconut)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Spray doughnut pan with oil using an oil mister/sprayer.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rest of your ingredients, whisking vigorously until slightly foamy.
- Pour the liquid into the flour, and mix until just well blended. It should be a nice, sticky/thick batter.
- Spoon the batter into your doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. Don’t walk away from these. They go from golden brown to burnt very quickly. You know they are done when you press on them lightly and they bounce back like a doughnut should.
- Cool on a cooling rack and top with your favorite toppings.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- When you fill your doughnut pan, fill it so that the batter is about ¼ – â…“ of an inch from the top. It won't seem like much, but these rise a LOT!!! (Sorry about the water, I forgot to photograph the batter in the pan. But this will give you a good idea of where to fill to.)
- This is what they look like if you use too much batter. One side gets the indentation but no hole, and one side doesn’t get anything.
TOPPING IDEAS:
- I topped mine with 100% fruit spread (jelly) and then pressed that into some crushed pecans. But you can also try melting some bakers chocolate with honey or agave and spooning a little over the top. Even just some plain honey drizzled over the tops would be yummy!
Notes
Nutrition
I'm Tiffany, a writer for MSN and the AP Newswire, a cookbook author, digital publisher, food lover, and mom. I create healthy, clean eating recipes for everyday living.
As soon as I saw these I ordered the doughnut pan. My family loved these. The only modification I made was to add 1 tsp. of vanilla.
I topped some with a dark chocolate glaze and some in raspberry jam(low sugar). Then, I used the following toppings: walnuts, pecans & unsweetened coconut. The jam topped were preferred over the chocolate(if you can believe that). I am also going to try modifying the recipe that came with the pan by substituting a smaller amount of Sucanat in place of the sugar it calls for just to see how it comes out.
As soon as I saw these I ordered the doughnut pan. My family loved these. The only modification I made was to add 1 tsp. of vanilla.
I topped some with a dark chocolate glaze and some in raspberry jam(low sugar). Then, I used the following toppings: walnuts, pecans & unsweetened coconut. The jam topped were preferred over the chocolate(if you can believe that). I am also going to try modifying the recipe that came with the pan by substituting a smaller amount of Sucanat in place of the sugar it calls for just to see how it comes out.
Melwis – Fantastic! The sky is the limit, enjoy!! 🙂
Marybeth – I bet you could! Just add about 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice with no sugar in it. That should do the trick! Enjoy!
Olivia – Haha! Sorry about the shape, but I’m certainly glad they were enjoyed!
Hanna – Yes, altitude can make a big difference. Glad you enjoyed them!
Sounds wonderful! Enjoy!
Made these yesterday! Used agave and my pan was smaller I think (cause I ended up with 24) and I eat them plain cause they are just that good. 🙂 Thank you!!!
Haha!!! That’s awesome! Glad you liked them!
Oh my! I might try these with coconut oil, coconut milk, and unsweetened coconut on top (with a bit of dark chocolate melted to make it stick!) Thank you!
Oh yum!
No, because oat flour doesn’t have the gluten that wheat flour has.
Fantastic! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Let me know how they turn out!
Can I just use white whole wheat flour? Or does it have to be a pastry flour?
You can use the white version, but they will most likely be slightly more dense in texture. Should still be good though!
Ours were really dry, is that how they normally are? Do you think I did something wrong?
It’s hard to say. They are a bit more dry and dense than any regular doughnut you may be used to. Whole grains do make things a bit drier. But it’s hard to say of it’s just what you are used to (how long have you been eating clean?) or if something really did go wrong. Something could have been mismeasured or forgotten. Did you make any substitutions at all?
Oh no I brought the wrong kind of wheat flour. Its stone ground. Is that gonna matter?
Randi – They will turn out more dense, but they will still be good.
The eggs threw me off since I’m a practicing vegan. I do get one regular donut on Thursday from my husband.
Roberta – These are definitely not vegan. The eggs and honey would be the issue. But they are vegetarian.
My friend bought me a donut maker do you think this would work in there?
Monica – I would have no way of knowing. I think a big consideration would be the temp that the machine bakes at.
so want to try these, but hubby has high cholesterol, can I use 1 whole egg instead, of 4? do u know wut I can substitute with? thank u!
Kelly – You can’t cut down on the eggs. But you can use 2 egg whites for each whole egg. So in this case, it would be 8 egg whites.
Can I make these with white whole wheat flour?
Shani – You can, but they’ll be a tiny bit more dense and course.
Can I use almond flour instead?
Purplerocks – Not with this. It is formulated for gluten. Sorry! :/
so i think it is already obvious to you that i have been browsing your recipes since i have been into clean eating. 🙂 I am excited for this. hopefully i can get a donut pan here in the Philippines. My son loves doughnuts but the sad part is of course we know that it is really unhealthy and he gets sick every time he gets some doughnuts. At least now I can try this at home and he can have his Healthy Comfort Foods. I’m sure my 2 daughters will love it also. 🙂 Will try the choco syrup this weekend. hahaha will update you regarding this.
Iris – Haha! Try ordering a pan from Amazon if the shipping isn’t too much. That’s the easiest way to get it I think. Hope you enjoy them!
I had a hard time with these. They didn’t taste like fonuts, more like a muffin to me. Did I maybe do something wrong? Shouldn’t there be some cinnamon or some vanilla? There just wasn’t much for taste.
Julie – Hmmm. It’s hard to say. I know mine had lots of flavor, but you can definitely add both cinnamon AND vanilla if you like. I would go with 2 tsp. cinnamon and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. If you really want to up the vanilla flavor, you can scrape some vanilla bean into the batter as well.
My son has an egg allergy. Do you think I could sub flax eggs? Thanks!!
Courtney – I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve heard it works. Maybe try cutting the recipe in half and give it a shot. In theory, it should work. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Cake donut, right? I need a recipe for a yeast donut. I have never been a fan of the cake donuts.
Sabrina – I haven’t tried one yet! Sorry…