These healthy homemade donuts are perfect for inexperienced bakers!

Homemade donuts. OMG, you guys. These ones are not only delicious, but they are also much healthier than what you would pick up at your favorite donut joint. My kiddo and I whipped these up over the long weekend and they were so good I had to share them right away!

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Homemade donuts are not as hard as you think

If you would’ve told me I’d be making homemade donuts a few years ago, I would have looked at you like you had 20 heads. For whatever reason, a donut felt incredibly out of reach and way too “official” for my super novice baking resume.

But, what I’ve learned over the past few years (and what I hope to impart with you) is that there are so many things we can bake at home with just as much ease as we do a box of brownies. And, in creating these goodies at home, we are provided the unique ability to fuel our bodies with healthier versions of the treats we’ve always loved.

Baked, not fried. Sugar-free, no grains.

The beauty in making homemade donuts is that you don’t have to go through the hassle of frying them. While many home bakers do fry their own donuts, I chose to bake them instead because I love this little donut pan and also because I find frying on the stovetop incredibly annoying (just me?).

While I’m not opposed to frying certain things in healthy fats, I wanted to ensure this recipe was easy and to me, dealing with a pan of oil and frying seems too labor-intensive. So, baked donuts it was!

The other wonderful thing about these donuts is the fact that they are completely sugar-free, grain-free, low-carb and keto-friendly. I love creating healthier versions of my favorite naughty foods and finding ways to trick my 5-year old into thinking they are the regular ol’ sugar and carb-filled treats she’s used to.  I’m getting pretty awesome at it 🙂  And she benefits from healthy fats and clean, energy (no sugar spazzes or crashes)!

Spiced apple herbal tea optional

A few weeks back I made some Apple Cider Donut Muffins and was stoked to have come up with a recipe that included very little apple (applesauce from squeezy pouches, actually) and absolutely no cider.

In realizing that many people avoid apples all together for dietary reasons, I thought I’d try something a bit different for these homemade donuts. I had picked up some herbal spiced apple tea over the weekend, and considering it was zero calorie/carb and packed with that apple spice flavor that screams Fall, I decided to replace my liquid (almond milk) with the tea.

The end result was an insanely good apple cider donut without all the carbs and sugar you get in traditional apple cider donuts.

Skip the apple flavor! If apples aren’t your thing, simply substitute the tea with a ¼ cup of your favorite non-dairy milk (such as almond milk, cashew milk, macadamia milk, etc. – I like this brand). Just note that subbing the liquid will change your macros slightly.

Day two is always better

If you’ve read any of my other dessert recipes, you know I am a firm believer in all of them tasting better on day 2. Grain-free baked goods using sugar substitute (like erythritol, which is what I use) always (like, always) taste better the second day as they have some time to set. The consistency is also always better on day two.

While we ate our homemade donuts as soon as they cooled and they were totally scrumptious, we found that our second-day treat was almost 10 times better. Just a tip!

Decorate them how you wish!

Since I was trying to recreate my favorite Fall treat (apple cider donuts), I chose to lightly coat them with some melted butter and dip them in a cinnamon-sugar (erythritol) mixture.

OMG. So good. If you decide to omit the apple tea and go with a dairy-free milk alternative for your liquid, your donuts will taste a lot more like traditional plain donuts. So, you can top them however you choose!

My kiddo opted for a few Halloween sprinkles. Aren’t they the cutest?

Grease Your Donut Pan Well

There are not too many tips or tricks for this recipe, but I do encourage you to grease your donut pan really, really well. I used a coconut oil spray (liberally) over the entire donut cavity and my donuts popped out really easily (just make sure you let them cool entirely before you try to pop them out or they may crumble).

Another tip: Don’t worry about perfectly pouring your batter into the donut cavities because it is super hard not to get batter where the hole should be. If you do get batter there, just use a wet paper towel to remove it from the center so you have a nice, round donut with a round hole in the center 😊

Recipe below!

My easy homemade donuts recipe is below and yours for the baking! These are great for a weekend treat, party or just because (that was our reason for baking them!). Enjoy and happy donut baking!

Print Recipe

Spiced Apple Donuts

These homemade donuts are filled with the flavors of Fall - apples, spices and lots of cinnamon! Super easy to make, low carb, sugar-free, grain-free and filled with delicious healthy fats 🙂

Servings

donuts

Ingredients

• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 2 tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1/4 cup erythritol (or other sugar sub) (if you want them sweeter, use a 1/3 cup)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 cup grass fed ghee (or butter)
• 1/4 cup spiced apple herbal tea (unsweetened and decaf)
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 1/4 cup swerve
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp salted butter, melted

Servings donuts Ingredients 1 cup Almond Flour 2 tbsp Coconut Flour 1/4 cup erythritol (or other sugar sub) (if you want them sweeter, use a 1/3 cup) 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt 1/4 cup grass fed ghee (or butter) 1/4 cup spiced apple herbal tea (unsweetened and decaf) 2 large Eggs 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract Cinnamon Sugar Topping 1/4 cup swerve 1 tsp Cinnamon 2 tbsp salted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and liberally grease your donut pan with coconut oil spray
2. Boil 1 cup of water on the stovetop and steap 2 bags of your spiced apple herbal tea. Be sure to press a spoon against the tea bag to quickly spread the flavor into the boiling water. Let set for 10 minutes and place in the refridgerator while you prepare your batter.
3. Whisk all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl (almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, baking powder, and salt).
4. In a small bowl, melt your ghee in 30-second increments in the microwave. In a separate medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla.
5. When done, lightly whisk in your melted ghee and spiced apple herbal tea. It is fine if your tea is not completely cool. You just want to make sure it's not boiling as you do not want to curdle your eggs.
6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine well. Once combined, evenly distribute your batter into the cavities of your donut pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and check. If a toothpick does not come out clean and donuts are not lightly brown, bake for an additional 5 minutes until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan.
8. While cooling, melt your butter in the microwave (in 30-second increments) and mix your cinnamon sugar/erythritol in a small bowl.
9. Once cool, remove your donuts from the pan, lightly brush with butter and dip top side into your cinnamon-sugar mixture. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

SERVING SIZE: 1 donut

MACROS (plain, without topping): 233 calories | 19 g fat | 8 g protein | 4.4 net carbs

MACROS (with cinnamon sugar topping): 267 calories | 23 g fat | 8 g protein | 4.4 net carbs

Nutritional Info Disclaimer:  I am not a medical or nutritional professional.  I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy based upon the ingredients I'm using.  I encourage you to find a nutritional calculator you like best and calculate individual nutrition info based upon the ingredients you are using.  All carb counts are based upon total carbs unless otherwise noted.