These banana bread healthy donuts are baked, gluten free and naturally dairy free! With a simple chocolate glaze to top them off, these donuts are the perfect healthier dessert, snack or even breakfast.
Healthy donuts?! Yes, they’re a thing. These banana bread baked donuts are gluten free, naturally dairy free and SO easy to make.
The gluten free donut base has a moist and cakey texture and they’re dipped in a two ingredient chocolate glaze. They’re refined sugar free, baked instead of fried, and take only about 20 minutes to make from start to finish.
They’re made with simple ingredients and are a delicious way to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you like these, you have to try my banana bread cookies and cinnamon sugar donuts next!
Key ingredients & substiutions
Banana. These wouldn’t be banana bread donuts without banana! You’ll need about 2 large very ripe bananas for this recipe. Be sure they’re really ripe, which will mean they’re nice and sweet.
You also want to puree the banana, not mash them, which helps the texture remain fluffy and not gummy.
Gluten Free Flour. You’ll need gluten free all purpose flour and oat flour. If you are not gluten free, you can sub regular all purpose flour, but still use the oat flour.
Egg. You need just one large egg for these healthy donuts. I have not tested these without the egg, but if you want to make them vegan, you can try subbing for 4 more tablespoons of pureed banana or a flax egg.
Oil. I used refined avocado oil, but you can use any neutral flavored oil or even melted butter for a richer flavor.
Coconut sugar. You can use any kind of granulate sugar here such as white, light brown or coconut. Coconut will make these refined sugar free, but you can also use something like erythritol for a lower sugar option.
I do not recommend a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup since this will completely change the wet and dry ingredient ratios.
Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together all wet ingredients. Be sure to use pureed banana and not mashed, this is key for the best texture!
Step 2: Fold in the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. It will be fairly thick.
Step 3: Use a piping bag or spoon to scoop into your greased donut pan. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the tops.
Step 4: Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350 or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 5: Melt the chocolate in a bowl and dip the donuts in the chocolate once they have cooled. Top with crushed walnuts if desired and enjoy!
Storage tips
Once prepared, these healthy donuts will keep at room temperature for about 3 days. They do best in a container covered with foil. They can get a bit soggy if left completely covered because of the fresh ingredients.
You can also store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, but the texture will firm up slightly that way and the chocolate glaze will harden a bit.
Frequently asked questions
Are baked donuts healthier than fried?
Yes! Fried donuts will have considerably more calories than baked donuts because of the additional fat from the oil, and often have more sugar. These healthy donuts are refined sugar free and made with simple, better for you ingredients like oat flour and coconut sugar.
What is the texture like?
Baked donuts have a more cake like texture compared to fried donuts. They also do not require yeast so they have a less bread like consistency. They are light, soft, fluffy and so moist!
Do I need to use a donut pan?
Yes. If you want them to have a donut shape, you definitely need a donut pan! You can likely bake these in a muffin tin instead, but they will obviously become muffins instead of donuts, but they’ll still have the same delicious flavor!
Try these healthy desserts next!
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Healthy Banana Bread Donuts
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- 9 tablespoons pureed banana 9 tbsp = 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
- ¼ cup oil
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
- ¼ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 6 cavity donut pan and set aside.
- Puree the (ripe) bananas in your blender and measure.
- Add to a bowl with all wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Add in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flour, don't scoop from the bag.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix together, the batter will be fairly thick.
- I like to add the batter to a zip lock bag or piping bag and cut off the tip to squeeze into the pan, but you can also just use a spoon to add to the pan.
- Bake for 8-11 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely.
- Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until completely melted.
- Dip the donuts in the chocolate, then add to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Sarah E says
So quick and so easy to make! First time ever using a doughnut pan and they turned out so so good! Will definitely be making these again!!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Sarah!