Made with a blend of almond and coconut flour these paleo donuts are soft, light, and deliciously dairy-free. They can be dressed up with a glaze, loaded with sprinkles for a festive occasion, or enjoyed as-is for a paleo-friendly breakfast. Whichever you choose, you'll be making this recipe again and again.
With these paleo donuts, you can feel good about indulging without compromising your health and wellness goals. Be this on a random Tuesday morning or around the Holidays when you're trying to be festive but stay on track.
These peppermint paleo donuts are baked in the oven making them easy to whip up and come out soft and sweet making them perfect for any occasion. Of course, these baked protein donut recipes do this as well while giving you more protein in your diet.
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I love topping my donuts with a protein frosting and biting into a protein-packed dessert. But more frequently. I make these sprinkled with candy canes for my kiddos who ask for them weekly.
“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
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to make – The donut batter whips up in just one bowl and combines easily.
Allergy-friendly – Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar free makes 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
Below is a quick shot of what you need to make the paleo donuts. Know that I have them flavored with peppermint and swirled with candy canes for Christmas, but that's easy to adjust for the remainder of the year.
Almond flour: Learn the difference between almond flour and ground almonds and make sure to use almond flour.
Coconut flour 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 (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.
Applesauce: Provides some sweetness but also a lot of moisture. Greek yogurt works just as well and can help bump up the protein intake.
Maple syrup: Make sure to use real maple syrup for the best flavor as this is the only sweetener added to the peppermint donuts.=
Baking basics: You need egg whites (from a carton), avocado oil, baking powder, and dairy-free milk for the recipe to come together. Please know that flax eggs haven't been tested.
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.
Expert Tips
These paleo 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.
You can add candy canes to the batter as well as on top if you wish.
Don’t frost the donuts until completely cooled. If not, the donuts will crumble as you dip them.
How To Make Paleo 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.
Topping The Donuts
The donuts are delicious without any kind of frosting.
However, they do look prettier with it which is nice for parties.
I personally used a dairy-free buttercream frosting for these donuts and then thinned it slightly by adding 2.5 tablespoons of almond milk.
However, that buttercream does use vegan butter so you'd have to sub there.
If you need these candy cane donuts to be fully paleo, use this paleo sugar glaze.
How To Store Them
You can store cooled 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.
Flavor Variations
I chose to make these 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.
Chocolate chip: Eliminate the candy canes and add in mini chocolate chips instead for a gooey blend in each bite.
Crunch: Top the 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 pumpkin spice donuts).
Chocolate: Add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder to give the donuts a chocolate base and then drizzle them with dairy-free chocolate sauce.
Choosing Molds
A Traditional donut pan won’t work for these paleo donuts, they’re too delicate. You need to use silicone molds.
These donut molds are gold for any kind of donut recipe (I use them to make 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.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paleo Donuts
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.
Other Christmas Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Candy cane fudge
- Peppermint patty bars
- Christmas morning baked protein oats
- Festive overnight oats with protein powder
- Chocolate almond flour cookies with candy canes
Easy Baked Paleo Donuts
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"
Leslie
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
Getting them out of the mold with kids is hard lol but they're so tasty it's okay!
Devin
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
Yay! It's so awesome when you can support someone's diet. You rock!
Martha
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
Easy is key!
Ally
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
Yea they can be tricky to get out, super delicate!