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 – ⅓ 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 – ⅓ 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!
I’m sorry but I don’t se how they can be guilt free, with both honey, wich is sugar, the body can’t tell the difference in “bad” or “good” sugar and the same goes for the whole wheat flour, ofcourse you get a little bit more fibers, but it is still flour and the body treats flour just the same as sugar… I’m sorry…
Lonnie – Yes, the body treats sugar as sugar. You are correct. But you get much more quality out of those calories with honey than you do with refined sugar.
With whole wheat flour, you not only get fiber but your body also turns the whole grains into glucose much slower than it would with processed white flour, making it a far better choice than that white stuff.
Any way you look at it, these are the far better choice than the refined, garbage-filled doughnuts you can get at the store.
These look great…and 118 calories..what a bonus!! I do not have a doughnut pan…and really cannot get one…if I buy one more specialty pan, I am afraid my husband will plotz..LOL!! How do you think these would bake up in a muffin tin? I really want to try them…Thanks
Michele – I think you’d have some yummy muffins! (though you may have to adjust the baking times a bit).
i try to eat clean as well and am glad i found your site! these look great!
Dina – Fantastic! Happy to have you as a reader!
I made these according to your recipe and I ended up throwing them out. Not tasty at all. I went back over the recipe and everything was correct. Not sure what happened.
Kim – Oh no!! Hmmm. Can you tell me what was wrong with them? Maybe I can help figure it out.
Oh. My. Goodness. I think you may have just saved my marriage… hahahaha. If I can pull these off, my husband might stop threatening to buy a McDonald’s franchise….
Saidah – LOL!!!! I’ll be rootin’ for ya!
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?