These healthy chocolate baked donuts are the ultimate rich, yet healthier treat! Baked rather than fried, these fluffy glazed donuts are made from scratch with oat flour and almond flour for a nutrient-packed sweet treat. They require no yeast and are super easy to make for a fun dessert, snack, or breakfast! {Gluten-free & dairy-free-friendly}
Delicious Homemade Baked Donuts!
For a while now, I’ve been wanting to test some healthier donuts, and out of that experiment came these healthy chocolate baked donuts. Guys, these are seriously so good!
Made with almond flour, oat flour, and a number of other wholesome ingredients, these baked glazed donuts are moist and fluffy and a healthier take on your traditional donut!
They’re the perfect solution for when you’ve got a sweet tooth and are craving something rich and chocolatey, and you won’t believe how easy they are to make!
Plus, that dark chocolate glaze makes them look so fancy, don’t you think?
So next time you get a craving for cake donuts, skip the donut shop and impress your family and friends by whipping together this healthy donut recipe instead — I guarantee they won’t last long!
For more chocolate-y treats, be sure to try my Healthy Chocolate Cake and Halloween Donuts too!
Why we love these gluten-free donuts
- Easy: Despite their fancy appearance, these baked fluffy donuts are super easy to make, even for the most novice baker. The kids will have fun helping you make and decorate them too!
- Make-ahead: Make these donuts ahead of time for some sweet treats throughout the week or for those special occasions. They’re freezer-friendly too!
- Healthier option: This chocolate baked donut recipe is packed with fibre, healthy fats and antioxidants for a nutrient-rich sweet treat. Unlike the classic deep fried version, no butter or yeast is required. Plus, they’re refined sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free, so even those with specific dietary requirements can enjoy these donuts!
Ingredient notes
- Flour: These easy baked donuts are made with oat flour and almond flour to incorporate more fibre and healthy fats. I find that this combo of flours works well to provide that fluffy cake-like texture.
- Coconut sugar: To sweeten the donuts. I like to keep some on hand since it’s a lower glycemic index alternative to granulated white sugar. You can also use brown sugar if that’s what you have.
- Cocoa powder: For a rich and chocolatey flavour. Use unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder for even more antioxidants.
- Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent to help the donuts rise and get fluffy when baked.
- Salt: A little salt really helps to enhance the taste of the chocolate.
- Milk: These can be made with regular dairy milk, or sub in a plant based milk such as cashew milk or almond milk to keep them dairy-free. Use your milk of choice.
- Eggs: To bind the dry ingredients together and add additional moisture.
- Coconut oil: This is used in place of the usual butter to incorporate extra moisture. Use unrefined if you like a coconut flavour and refined for a less prominent coconut taste.
- Honey: Helps sweeten the donuts in addition to the coconut sugar. Maple syrup can also be used.
- Vanilla extract: For extra flavour.
- For the glaze: Melted dark chocolate chips are mixed with a bit of coconut oil and topped with some optional sprinkles for a fun twist!
How to make baked donuts – step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a non-stick donut pan or use a silicone one.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oat flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, honey, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until smooth. Do not over mix.
- Fill each donut hole close to the top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove them and allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- While the donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted. Mix in the melted coconut oil until smooth.
- Dip each donut in the chocolate glaze and top with some sprinkles, if desired. Allow the glaze to harden at room temperature or in the fridge.
Keep scrolling to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!
How to make baked donuts without donut pan
The best alternative to a donut pan is a jumbo muffin tin, as a regular sized muffin tin will probably not have enough space to construct the mold for the donut inside the muffin hole and still result in a good sized donut afterwards.
To use a muffin pan as a donut pan substitute, you will need to use some aluminum foil to make the molds inside of the muffin wells, in addition to some cooking spray.
Here’s how to make the molds:
- Roll small sheets of tin foil into cylinders. Make them tall enough so that they reach the top of the muffin pan.
- Grease the muffin pan as well as the tin foil cylinders.
- Continue doing this for all of the muffin wells and foil cylinders.
- Add donut batter to one side of a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut the corner off the bag. You can also use a piping bag if you wish. Squeeze the batter into the muffins wells in a circle around the tin foil.
- Bake in the oven according to recipe instructions.
Recipe Notes:
- You can make your own oat flour by blending up oats in a high speed blender until a fine flour is formed. Alternatively, you can purchase oat flour.
- Avoid over mixing the donut batter, otherwise the donuts may turn out tough, dense and dry. Instead, gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until there is no more trace of flour.
- The number of donuts that the recipe makes will depend on the size of your donut pan. I used the Wilton donut pan and got 7 donuts. If your donut pan only holds 6 donuts, you can add the remaining batter to a muffin cup and bake it up as a muffin instead if you wish (or just bake up the last donut in the donut pan when the first batch is done baking).
- These donuts are on the larger side. If you want smaller donuts, fill the donut holes about 3/4 of the way. They may require less cooking time if they aren’t filled as high.
- The donuts may bake over the donut hole slightly. If you want to expand the hole in the middle, place the handle of a wooden spoon in the donut hole and twist it around to expand the hole to make it look more “donut-like.”
- If you want the chocolate glaze to harden faster, place the baked glazed donuts in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
How to store baked donuts
Room temperature: Once the donuts are glazed, store them in an airtight container. Keep them out of direct sunlight and they should keep well for 2 days.
Refrigerator: In the fridge, these baked chocolate donuts will keep well for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze these for up to 3 months. Freeze them solid on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a large freezer bag or container. Thaw at room temperature before serving or warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave for a warm and fudgy taste.
Recipe FAQs
Baked donuts are definitely a healthier option than fried. Typically, when donuts are deep fried, they require a lot of oil, which results in added fat and calories. Not to mention, because fried foods are cooked at such a high temperature, they are often high in trans fats, which is associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity (source).
Baked donuts, on the other hand, require a lot less fat to be cooked and do not contain trans fats. This baked donut recipe is also made with whole grain oat flour and almond flour rather than refined flour, so it’s higher in fibre, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats than your typical fried donut.
I typically use the Wilton non-stick donut pan which has six donut molds, but you can also use a silicone donut pan as well to make the donuts really easy to pop right out of the pan.
Coconut flour typically requires a lot more liquid since it’s highly absorbent so I wouldn’t recommend using it as a substitute for the flours in this recipe.
Healthy donut toppings
I love adding a dark chocolate glaze to these healthy baked donuts, but feel free to mix it up!
Try adding toppings like:
- Chopped nuts
- Mini chocolate chips
- A drizzle of nut butter
- White chocolate drizzle
- Dried fruit
- Sprinkles (for a fun and colourful twist!)
Recipe variations
- Make them vegan: Use flax eggs and swap the honey for maple syrup.
- Switch up the flour: The oat flour can be substituted for all purpose flour.
- Skip the glaze: Or use a different icing or just a light drizzle of dark chocolate.
- Add chocolate chips: If you want more of a fudgy taste in every bite, you can also incorporate chocolate chips into the donut batter.
- For protein donuts: Try adding a scoop of protein powder to the mix to increase the protein content. You may need to increase the liquid slightly if the batter seems too thick.
More healthy treats
- Fluffy Chocolate Protein Pancakes
- Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
- Homemade Heart Healthy Trail Mix with Dark Chocolate
- Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Walnuts
- Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Healthy Hot Chocolate
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Healthy Chocolate Baked Donut Recipe {Without Yeast}
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk or milk alternative
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
- 3 teaspoons sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a non-stick donut pan or use a silicone one.
- In a large bowl, combine oat flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, honey, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until smooth. Do not over mix.
- Fill each donut mold close to the top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove them and allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack.
- While the donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted. Mix in the melted coconut oil until smooth.
- Dip the surface of each donut in the chocolate glaze and top with some sprinkles, if desired. Allow the glaze to harden at room temperature or in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- You can make your own oat flour by blending up oats in a high speed blender until a fine flour is formed. Alternatively, you can purchase oat flour.
- Avoid over mixing the donut batter, otherwise the donuts may turn out tough, dense and dry. Instead, gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until there is no more trace of flour.
- The number of donuts that the recipe makes will depend on the size of your donut pan. I used the Wilton donut pan and got 7 donuts. If your donut pan only holds 6 donuts, you can add the remaining batter to a muffin cup and bake it up as a muffin instead if you wish (or just bake up the last donut in the donut pan when the first batch is done baking).
- These donuts are on the larger side. If you want smaller donuts, fill the donut holes about 3/4 of the way. They may require less cooking time if they aren’t filled as high.
- The donuts may bake over the donut hole slightly. If you want to expand the hole in the middle, place the handle of a wooden spoon in the donut hole and twist it around to expand the hole to make it look more “donut-like.”
- If you want the chocolate glaze to harden faster, place the baked glazed donuts in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
I didn’t have oat or almond flour so I used all purpose flour and I found them quite dense. Will try again with proper flour next time!
Yes, definitely try with the oat and almond flour next time…it gives them a more soft and fluffy texture!
So so so delicious! I don’t make any icing but I have made these donuts multiple times and they’re honestly better than baked donuts with AP flour. I will continue to stand by the oat flour & almond flour duo. ❤️❤️
That’s amazing! So happy you’ve been enjoying the donuts! I agree..that oat flour/almond flour combo produces such a great texture! Thanks so much for the feedback :)
We have an almond allergy in our family. What could I substitute for the almond flour? Should I just double the oat flour?
You could try using all oat flour, but the donuts may turn out a bit more dense. You could also try using regular all-purpose flour instead of the almond flour. I haven’t tested either of these options myself, so I’m not sure what the outcome would be, but you could definitely experiment! Let me know how it goes if you try it out!
The Healthy Chocolate Baked Donut Recipe is absolutely fantastic, easy to make. This was my first time making donuts, everyone wanted the recipe. I tried other recipes and this one is the top.
Do you have any more donut recipes (Healthy) would sure like some.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the donuts! Unfortunately, I don’t have any more donut recipes at this time, but hope to test some new recipes soon. Stay tuned :)