Whether you’re Team Dunkin’ or Team Krispy Kreme, we all love doughnuts! Unfortunately, they’re typically unhealthy and too complicated to make homemade doughnuts–until now!
I don’t know about you, but doughnuts are a family tradition at my house.
Every Saturday morning, my kids know that their dad will hit up the local bakery and bring home a fresh dozen!
I’m a sucker for doughnuts with chocolate icing. If someone brings a box of doughnuts in, and there is a doughnut with chocolate icing in the box, I can smell it from a mile away!
I admit it! I have zero resistance to a doughnut with chocolate icing.
Now that I’ve spilled my dirty little secret, I think it’s only fair that I share the sad truth with you, as well. Doughnuts are not good for you – at least not in a conventional way.
They are sweetened dough fried in lard that is then covered in a sugar glaze, topped with icing, or pumped with some sort of sugary filling, or all three! In reality, as delicious as doughnuts are, they offer little in the way of nutrition.
And when you consider that most of us get our doughnuts from doughnut shops or grocery store bakeries, we also have no clue how much sugar is actually in them or what the ingredients are. Who knows what unnecessary additives may be lurking in our favorite doughnuts that might not be the greatest for our overall health.
That’s why I eventually decided to try my hand at making my own doughnuts at home. When you make your food, you have control over it. You know what ingredients are going in and how much sugar, fat, or salt may be put into something.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have considered making homemade doughnuts before, I just never followed through with it. It isn’t that I don’t love to bake, because I do. I just found that I was attached to our tradition of heading to the bakery for our doughnuts!
I also picked up the idea somewhere along the way that making my own doughnuts at home would be far too complicated. Nevertheless, after a little research on Pinterest, I finally decided to give it a go! As it turns out, making homemade doughnuts is not that hard nor complicated.
And what if I told you that there was a way you could still have your icing-covered doughnuts and not feel guilty? It’s true!
I discovered that with a few key substitutions, you could make healthier doughnuts that are just as mouth-watering as those from the bakery!
That’s why I am sharing with you some of my favorite homemade doughnut recipes. They are truly so simple that anyone can whip them up at home! And of course, each recipe has a healthy but still delicious twist.
Don’t believe me? Try them for yourself!
Making and Baking Homemade Doughnuts: Pre-Frosting or Glaze
Now, I believe we can all agree that the icing, fillings, and all the other extras make for a great doughnut. But, the real secret to a great tasting doughnut is the dough. When making doughnut dough, it’s essential that you choose natural, unrefined ingredients.
This recipe is careful not to sacrifice flavor, while still containing minimal ingredients. It is the perfect method for making healthier doughnuts that are super easy while tasting just like they arrived from your favorite doughnut shop!
Oven Doughnuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond meal
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup LadyBoss® LEAN
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 organic brown eggs
- 3 tablespoons sugar-free maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- In a bowl, whisk together almond meal, oat flour, LadyBoss® LEAN, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the wet ingredients.
- Spray doughnut pan with cooking spray and slowly fill about ¾ full with batter.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let doughnuts cool before adding any frosting or icing.
In the last couple of years, home air fryers have become increasingly popular! So if you’re looking to break in your air fryer, I’ve included a recipe that will give you doughnuts just as delicious as those from a traditional fryer!
Air Fryer Doughnuts Recipe
Homemade Doughnuts (Air Fryer)
Ingredients
- 1 c almond meal
- ½ c oat flour
- ½ c LadyBoss LEAN ®
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 organic brown eggs
- 3 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
- 4 tbsp coconut oil melted
- ½ c unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees and spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together almond meal, oat flour, LadyBoss® LEAN, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the wet ingredients.
- Separate the dough and lay flat on a surface.
- For traditional doughnuts, use a small round cookie cutter to create doughnut holes. If you are creating a filled donut, you can leave the mixture as is.
- Place half of the doughnuts in a single layer, inside the air fryer basket, and cook for 4-5 mins until golden.
- Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
Notes
How to Make a Healthy, Sweet Tooth Satisfying Doughnut Glaze
What would a doughnut be without glazed icing? And I told you that there was a way to have your glazed doughnut and not feel guilty about it! Well, I’m not one to over-promise and under-deliver.
As with the doughnut dough, all it takes is a few substitutions, and you’ve got a decadent and healthy glazed icing!
This glaze is easy to make and differs very little from the traditional icing recipes that call for confectioners sugar.
Healthy Doughnut Glaze
Ingredients
- ¾ c Splenda granulated
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 ½ tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine Splenda and cornstarch in a blender jar. Cover and blend into a fine powder to create your confectioner’s sugar alternative.
- Mix your healthy confectioner’s sugar with almond milk and vanilla extract.
Ta-da! You’re ready to frost the doughnuts with your healthy version of the traditional doughnut glaze!
Chocolate Doughnut Frosting Recipe
I repeat – I am a sucker for chocolate frosting. I’m a sucker for anything chocolate. Unfortunately, chocolate gets a bad rap for being unhealthy thanks to candy bars and milk chocolate with all their added sugars.
The truth is, chocolate doesn’t have to be “the bad guy.” There are some great health benefits of dark chocolate. For example, did you know that dark chocolate is an excellent source of antioxidants? Or that it may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease?
That’s why I use only dark chocolate in my doughnut frosting. It tastes delicious and gives you added health benefits.
This is how you make it!
Chocolate Doughnut Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ c coconut cream
- 1 ½ c dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Chill a can of coconut cream overnight prior to making the frosting. Once chilled, open the can and scoop the firm cream out, careful to leave behind any extra coconut juice.
- Add coconut cream and chocolate chips together in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in increments of 30 seconds until chocolate is melted, making sure to stir between increments.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture to the refrigerator and chill 2-5 hours or until medium-firm
- Allow the chocolate mixture to soften at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes, then whisk until fluffy.
Maple Frosting Recipe for Homemade Doughnuts
Another favorite that always seems to end up in our box of a dozen doughnuts from the local bakery is maple doughnuts! So when I dove into the world of homemade doughnuts, it did not take long before my kids asked me for homemade maple. And who could blame them?
Maple is a classic flavor that few can resist. Turn that flavor into a frosting and pour it on a fresh-from-the-fryer doughnut, and the love for maple goes to a whole new level.
When it came to figuring out a healthy version of the maple glaze, I thought I would have my work cut out for me. It turns out that it wasn’t that hard after all. Even my kids agree that my healthier maple doughnut recipe is mouth-watering, and they are my fiercest doughnut critics!
I’m confident that this maple glaze will make your heart sing and your tummy zing!
Now make it for yourself!
Maple Frosting Recipe for Homemade Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut butter
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add all ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave in increments of 20 seconds until the mixture is smooth. This is a glaze, not a frosting, so it will be thinner.
- Dip each doughnut into the maple glaze mixture and place it on a cooling rack to harden.
Notes
Raspberry Filling for Doughnuts
Are you craving an old-fashioned raspberry bismark? Well, I’ve got a delicious treat for you!
I could not get away with making homemade doughnuts and not attempt to make raspberry-filled doughnuts, especially since those are my husband’s favorite.
Real raspberries are the main staple in this two-ingredient filling, which provides the mixture with a delicious, natural tartness.
Here’s how you make the raspberry filling for your doughnuts!
Raspberry Filling for Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp Swerve sugar replacement granular
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Scoop mixture into a small ziplock bag. Cut a small hole into the bag’s corner and pipe mixture directly into doughnut dough before baking.
Custard Filling for Doughnuts
I certainly hope you did not expect me to talk doughnuts and not bring up the classic custard-filled! Remember how I mentioned that doughnuts with chocolate frosting on them are my favorite? Well, technically, doughnuts covered in chocolate icing and filled with custard are my absolute favorite. I just meant that I wouldn’t turn away any doughnut that has chocolate icing.
I am happy to report that after much trial and error with various recipes, I finally found a healthy alternative to custard filling.
This mock-custard recipe is easy to make and quite delicious! Gone is the golden caster sugar and vanilla pods that are typical in traditional custard recipes. In their place are sugar-free vanilla pudding and coconut milk.
Trust me; it’s delicious.
Healthy Custard Filling for Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 1 package sugar-free vanilla instant pudding powder
- 1 ¾ c cold coconut milk
- Pinch of saffron optional
Instructions
- Whisk pudding mix and milk until smooth.
- Pour mixture into Ziploc bag, releasing excess air, then seal the bag.
- Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
- Use a small knife to carefully poke little holes into the top of the baked and cooled doughnuts.
- Cut a small hole into one corner of the Ziploc bag and pipe mixture into each hole.
- Transfer the doughnuts, filled side up, into a sealed container and refrigerate for up to two days before serving.
Homemade Doughnuts Are Simple, Healthy, and Delicious
As it turns out, it is possible to have doughnuts that are healthy and delicious. Who knew?
More importantly, it is equally possible to have healthy and delicious doughnuts that are also easy to make at home!
I am a firm believer that everything tastes better when it’s homemade, even doughnuts! As is the case with almost anything new you try in the kitchen, you just need to have patience with yourself and good old fashioned persistence.
If your first or second batch of doughnuts don’t turn out as you wanted, so what? Take a page from Julia Child’s book when she said, “In the kitchen, there are two rules: Have fun and never apologize!” Laugh and try again!
In our house, we turned the tradition of going to the local bakery every Sunday to get doughnuts into making homemade doughnuts together! My kids love to help me with mixing the dough or stirring the glazes. It’s a good feeling that not only do I get to spend quality time with them, but they are also learning to appreciate food that is healthier for them.
Once you learn to make doughnuts that are light and fluffy like the local doughnut shop, I can guarantee that your entire family will beg for them every weekend! I also encourage you to share your healthy, homemade doughnuts with your friends; you just might be surprised how much they will love them!
Who knows, maybe a doughnut-making tradition will begin at your house as well! I can’t think of anything that brings people together more than good food.
And by good food I mean doughnuts.
