These Grain Free Donuts are soft, naturally sweet, and made with a blend of almond and coconut flour for a paleo-friendly treat that feels indulgent but is sweetened with just maple syrup. Whether glazed, sprinkled, or served as-is, they’re an easy, dairy-free breakfast or snack that's perfect for special occasions.
“These candy cane paleo donuts are a win! Super easy to make, it's light, and the peppermint really gave it that candy cane flavor.” - Martha
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 35 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 7
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 206 kcals and 5 grams of protein
- 📋 Main Ingredients: Almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, applesauce, maple syrup, egg whites
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Perfect for festive occasions, these baked paleo donuts are soft and easily dressed up!
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With these easy paleo donuts, you get that sweet, festive treat without derailing your wellness goals. Whether it’s a cozy winter morning or just a random Tuesday, these paleo donuts with almond flour hit the perfect balance of indulgent and nourishing. They’re soft, naturally sweet, and baked to perfection, just like these other baked protein donut recipes and specifically chocolate protein donuts that sneak in a protein boost too.
I love topping them with a dollop of protein frosting for myself, while my kids beg for the version sprinkled with crushed candy canes (a win for everyone).
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💭Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: The paleo donuts recipe whips up in just one bowl and combines easily.
Allergy-friendly: Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free make them a healthy dessert choice.
Versatile: These paleo donuts are just as delicious and freshly made as they are topped with a buttercream frosting or paleo-approved glaze.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Almond flour: Learn the difference between almond flour and ground almonds, and make sure to use almond flour just like in these gluten-free almond flour sugar cookies.
- Coconut flour: This gives the donuts all the feel of rich carbohydrates but without eating all the carbs. Learn more about coconut flour vs almond flour.
- Tapioca flour: This is also known as tapioca starch is what helps hold the donuts together while keeping them paleo-friendly. You should be able to use arrowroot powder here as well.
- If using candy canes: You’ll need some for the donuts themselves and even more if you plan to frost them. Grab pre-crushed ones from your local bulk food store, versus crushing them yourself. Trust me on this. Candy canes can also be replaced by paleo chocolate chips if you’re not using them for Christmas.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
I chose to make these baked paleo donuts Christmas-themed, and so you'll see candy canes and peppermint. However, there are a lot of other ways to vary them to your occasion.
If you need these candy cane donuts to be fully paleo, omit the frosting I use and use this paleo sugar glaze instead.
Chocolate chip: Eliminate the candy canes and add in mini chocolate chips instead for a gooey blend in each bite.
Crunch: Top the baked donuts with chopped pecans or hazelnuts for a bit of texture.
Seasonings: Add in cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to give the baked donuts a cozy feel (or make gluten-free pumpkin spice donuts).
Chocolate: Add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder to give the donuts a chocolate base and then drizzle them with homemade dairy-free chocolate sauce.
How To Make Grain-Free Donuts
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well to ensure no clumps.
Step 2: One by one add in the wet ingredients.
Step 3: Stir until combined, leaving no dry ingredients on the bottom of the bowl. Add in the candy canes.
Step 4: Manually portion the batter into the silicone molds.
Step 5: Take the time to smooth out the donuts and pat them down. Top with more candy canes.
Step 6: Bake in the oven and let them completely cool for 60 minutes.
Step 7: Remove the donuts from the molds and glaze them as per preference.
Expert Tips To Make It
These grain-free donuts do not pour as batter into the donut molds. You need to manually portion them with a spoon.
Likewise, use a silicone spatula to smooth them down and press a little to ensure there are no air pockets in the batter; otherwise, they’ll crumble.
Don’t try to remove the donuts from the molds until they cool for at least an hour, or they break.
Use a silicone donut pan for the donuts; a greased donut pan won’t work, as you need to bend the mold to get them out.
Don’t frost the donuts until they are completely cooled. If not, the donuts will crumble as you dip them.
How To Store Them
You can store cooled almond flour donuts on the counter in an airtight container for a day. After that, or to store them longer, you should place them in the fridge.
Though they're tasty chilled, I prefer to let mine sit at room temperature for a bit before serving them.
I wouldn't recommend freezing these paleo donuts as they don't hold up as well when thawing.
Choosing Molds
A Traditional donut pan won’t work for this recipe as the donuts are too delicate. You need to use silicone molds.
These donut molds are gold for any kind of donut recipe (I use them to make glazed protein donuts and collagen donuts all the time).
This is because gluten-free donuts are super fragile. So, to get them out of a mold, you need to gently pop the donut, twist it, and pop the mold up again. If you plan on making donuts regularly, get silicone donut molds.
Grain-Free Donuts FAQs
Paleo donuts are often made out of a combination of coconut and almond flour. From there, they need something to hold them together. This can be done with eggs, tapioca flour, or even some protein powders.
Once glazed, the donuts should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Like this, they will last 3 to 4 days. If the donuts are not glazed, they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for three days.
These paleo donuts freeze well, so long as they’re not frosted. Once frosted, they don’t thaw well. To store them in the freezer make sure that the baked donuts are separated with pieces of parchment paper so they don’t stick together. When you want to enjoy them, let them thaw in the fridge.
More Healthy Christmas Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried this Baked Grain-Free Donuts Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Easy Grain-Free Donut Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almond flour
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons Tapioca flour
- ¼ cup Unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Peppermint extract
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- ¼ cup Egg whites
- 2 tablespoons Avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons Non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well to ensure no clumps.
- One by one add in the wet ingredients.
- Stir until combined, leaving no dry ingredients on the bottom of the bowl. Add in the cady canes.
- Manually portion the batter into the silicone molds.
- Take the time to smooth out the donuts and pat them down. Top with more candy canes.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and let them completely cool for 60 minutes.
- Remove the donuts from the molds and glaze them as per preference.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Ally says
I loved the dairy free tip. The blend of almond and coconut flour adds a unique taste to the recipe. They did break a little but the overall finished product was good. Hope to make them again this Christmas. Thanks for sharing.
fitasamamabear says
Yea they can be tricky to get out, super delicate!
Martha says
These candy cane paleo donuts are a win! Super easy to make, it's light, and the peppermint really gave it that candy cane flavor.
fitasamamabear says
Easy is key!
Devin says
My daughter-in-law is paleo and I was so excited to find a treat that I could make for her on Christmas morning that the whole family will enjoy. I gave them a test run last weekend and I am so happy to say they were a hit. She is going to love them!
fitasamamabear says
Yay! It's so awesome when you can support someone's diet. You rock!
Leslie says
My kids and I had fun making this recipe. We did have a couple of mistakes when we were taking the donuts out of the mold, but we still enjoyed it and still ate them lol! Love that there is a healthier option and still enjoy what my kids love to eat. If I don't have maple syrup, can I use honey or stevia? Will that work too?
fitasamamabear says
Getting them out of the mold with kids is hard lol but they're so tasty it's okay!