These rich and moist baked Healthy Chocolate Donuts are a delicious choice for breakfast or snack, with NO refined sugar or dairy! Plus, they contain collagen for extra protein and nutrients!
If you're looking for tasty, healthy, sweet snacks like these Healthy Chocolate Donuts, check out my Apple Cider Donuts, Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and my Healthy Blender Chocolate Muffins.
In This Post You'll Find:
Hard to believe I've been sharing recipes on this here food blog for over fifteen years now. What's even harder to believe is that I'm just now sharing a doughnut recipe.
Whhhaaaaaaaaat?
I'm just spit-balling here, but I'm thinking - over the course of those 15 years of blogging, I've had ... um ... a LOT of doughnuts. Plus, I've even had readers specifically ask me to share a healthy chocolate donut recipe.
And: crickets.
That is, until TODAY, my friends! Woohoo! Yep, I finally got myself a doughnut pan, so I can actually make doughnuts all day long.
Thanks to this Healthy Chocolate Donut recipe, I don't even have to wait for a cheat day (which is when treats like doughnuts, Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes, and Cherry Vegan Cheesecakes have their time and place).
These Healthy Chocolate Donuts are not too sweet and perfectly rich. Plus, since they're baked, they avoid all the oils from frying, so that's definitely a plus.
So, here ya go: Healthy Chocolate Donuts with a dark chocolate glaze. Thanks for waiting 🙂
Reasons You'll Love It
- Baked so much less oil and fat
- Very easy to make
- No refined flour or sugar added
- Higher in protein and contains collagen
- It's healthy, and Gluten-Free
Ingredients For Healthy Chocolate Donuts
Oat Flour: I use oat flour for these Healthy Chocolate Donuts, but you could swap for a different option, like whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour. If you aren't extremely sensitive to gluten, oat flour works great.
Collagen Peptides: I love the addition of collagen in these donuts. It adds richness and extra oomph to the donut, and I love how it also increases the protein content. I use my favorite brand, Cleanish's Vanilla Bean Collagen Peptides, and it makes the perfect addition. The collagen does not affect the texture or recipe, so it can be omitted, if desired.
Eggs: I do use eggs for this Healthy Chocolate Donuts recipe to add more richness to the batter, but you could swap with unsweetened applesauce and use marine collagen to make this a vegan recipe.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1: Combine all the dry ingredients (oat flour, dark cocoa powder, collagen, baking powder, and sea salt), and whisk to combine.
- Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, mix the wet ingredients (almond milk, eggs, melted coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract), and mix together with a whisk.
- Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until just incorporated.
- Step 4: Grease a donut pan with coconut oil, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the batter carefully into the baking pan, and then bake in the oven for 8-10
- Step 5: The donuts will rise in the last 2-3 minutes of baking. They are done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Step 6: Then, you can make a chocolate glaze while the donuts are cooling if you'd like.
FAQ
It really depends on the ingredients and cooking method to determine if fresh donuts are healthy. For example, fresh donuts that are made with refined sugars, fats, and flours will not be healthy. That type of donut remains high in calories, has lots of unhealthy fats and sugar, and has limited nutritional value. That being said, donuts like the Healthy Chocolate Donuts recipe here are healthy when fresh because the ingredients and cooking method are all high quality, clean-eating, and have high nutritional value.
You can leave these Healthy Chocolate Donuts at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If you plan on keeping them longer, I recommend placing them in the fridge, also in an air-tight container, to maintain freshness. You could also freeze the donuts, which will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Whether storing on the counter at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer, I recommend separating the donuts using wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to themselves. You'll thank me later. (Check out my Ultimate Guide To Meal Prep Containers for my favorite air-tight containers.)
Not at all, but the glaze will add extra moisture and richness to the donuts, and it tastes amazing. You can omit any glaze or add whatever different glaze you'd like.
More Healthy Baked Sweet Treats
Check out my other delicious breakfast recipes!
Healthy Chocolate Donuts
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Donuts:
- 1 cup oat flour can also use whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour
- ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 scoops vanilla collagen I use Cleanish Collagen Peptides
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil plus more to grease donut pan
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chopped nuts or sprinkles, for topping if desired
For The Chocolate Glaze:
- ⅓ cup 2 oz dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a donut pan with coconut oil, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oat flour, dark cocoa powder, collagen, baking powder, and sea salt), and whisk to combine.
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix the wet ingredients (almond milk, eggs, melted coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract), and mix together with a whisk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and then stir together until evenly mixed (don't over-mix).
- Divide the batter evenly into the donut pan.
- Bake on the oven's center rack for 8-10 minutes or until donuts are cooked through and fluffy. The donuts will rise in the last 2-3 minutes of baking. Donuts are done when a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool at least 5 minutes before going around the sides with a knife and removing from the pan.
- While the donuts are cooling, prepare the chocolate glaze. Combine the dark chocolate chips, pure maple syrup, and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds, until the chocolate is fully melted. If the mixture is not runny and loose, add ad additional teaspoon of coconut oil, and stir again.
- Dip the tops of the donuts into the melted chocolate, and allow the donuts to rest. This is best done on a cooling rack over a sheet of parchment paper.
- Top with sprinkles or chopped nuts, if desired.
Notes
- Grease your donut pan well, oil or spray to prevent sticking and help the donuts release cleanly.
- Over Mixing the batter can make the donuts dense. Stir just until the ingredients are combined.
- Insert a toothpick into a donut after baking; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely before glazing , if the donuts are too warm, the glaze will melt off or turn runny.
- 2 cups bread flour can substitute all-purpose or GF flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup almond milk can also use regular milk
- 2 - 2 ½ cups confectioners sugar powdered
- Optional: rainbow or chocolate sprinkles because sprinkles!
-
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, including the buttermilk, eggs, unsalted butter, greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix, but take care not to over-mix - just mix until barely incorporated.
- Pour batter into a large gallon-sized Ziplock bag with the very tip cut off (or can use a piping bag, if you have one) and pipe the batter into the doughnut molds. The batter should fill of the ¾ the mold, as they will rise when baked.
- Place in the oven and bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a doughnut.
- Allow the doughnuts to rest in the mold once removing from the oven for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the mold, and transfer the doughnuts to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
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- Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let the butter burn, but just to let it melt.
- Add the cocoa powder and milk, stirring frequently, until it thickens and comes to a boil, about 2-4 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in 2 cups of the confectioners sugar, adding the remaining ½ cup, bit by bit, as necessary to make the glaze thick and smooth.
- If the glaze gets too thick, you can add a little more milk to loosen.
- TIP: I recommend setting up a station which is covered by parchment paper so you can move from the glaze to the cooling rack and add sprinkles without worrying about dripping.
- Holding the doughnut with your fingers, dip the tops of each doughnut into the warm glaze, do a little spin by twisting your wrist, and then shake to remove any excess glaze.
- Place the glazed doughnuts onto a cooling rack, glaze-side-up, and top with sprinkles (or other toppings if you desire).
- Repeat until all the doughnuts have been dipped, flipped, and topped with sprinkles.
- Allow doughnuts to set on the cooling rack for for 15-20 minutes to allow the glaze to harden.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Dustin
The kids could make there own donuts this summer.
Lacey Baier
Totally - they're so easy!
Emily
I've made these a couple times now, my batch made 23 donuts both times. These are SO delicious, in fact, my son prefers these than Tim Hortons donuts!! (I'm from Canada!!) They never last more than a few days. In fact, I am considering making these for Christmas, but in mini donut molds. How long do you think mini ones would take to bake? Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
Lacey Baier
That's a great question. I don't have a mini donut pan, but I'd guess the time would be much less since there would be even less batter to bake.
Lu | Super Nummy Yo!
Using bread flour in donuts - very interesting! I'll have to give that a try. Absolutely gorgeous photos 🙂
Lacey Baier
Thank you so much, Lu! 🙂
Lacey Baier
I've recently updated the recipe to include oat flour instead, which I find makes a great donut.
Kathleen @ Yummy Crumble
This look so decadent and perfect! I can't wait to try these! yay for cheat days 🙂
Lacey Baier
Yay, I totally agree! Enjoy, Kathleen! 🙂
Alice Van Doran
Hi Lacey!
I am in Round Rock, Tx. How fun to know you are in our part of the world!!
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Alice
Lacey Baier
Yay for Texas! We actually lived in Round Rock for a quick minute before moving more southwest 🙂