These Chocolate Protein Donuts are soft, rich, and seriously taste like a treat. They’re prepped in just a few minutes, baked (not fried), gluten-free and dairy-free, and each donut has 11 grams of protein, so snack time actually keeps you full.
"These turned out so well! Appreciate the tip about greasing the donut mold. That worked like a charm!" -Sherrie
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 35 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 6
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 295 kcals and 11 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Chocolate protein powder, gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, almond flour, maple syrup, applesauce, and peanut Butter.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free and gluten-free
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Baked donuts that are packed with sweet flavor, these chocolate sprinkle donuts are a total pick-me-up.
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Upping your protein intake doesn’t have to mean living off chicken, eggs, and sadness. This high-protein donut recipe is one of my favorite “have your cake and eat it too” options, because it tastes like a legit treat but still keeps you full. I started making these when I wanted a healthy grab-and-go snack I could keep in the fridge for busy days, kind of like my chocolate protein powder mug cake or peanut butter protein brownies.
And the best part? These chocolate protein donuts actually stay soft and chewy (not dry and rubbery like a lot of protein baking can be). They’re made with simple pantry staples and are lightly sweetened. If you’re trying to get more protein without hating your life (learn more about high-protein diet benefits), this is an easy win.
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💭Why This Recipe Works
Protein powder: These protein chocolate donuts can be made with a variety of protein powders, so you can always whip them up.
Versatile: Dress them up for special occasions or enjoy them with a chocolate sprinkle flavor. The donuts are easy to adjust.
Easy to make: With only 5-7 minutes of prep time, the hardest part about making protein donuts is waiting for them to cool.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chocolate Protein Powder: Originally, these dairy-free protein donuts were made with vegan protein powder. However, I have recently revamped them with beef isolate protein powder for health reasons. Learn more about this below, and know that the protein you choose alters the taste and texture of the donuts. I use it for these double chocolate protein muffins, too.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: Make sure to use baking flour and not all-purpose, as these flours do absorb differently. And yes, you need it; otherwise, the structure of the batter won't hold up.
- Cacao powder: You only need this is youn use a vanilla protein powder. Adding raw cacao powder gives the donuts a rich chocolate flavor and a ton of nutrient density.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: This is a crucial ingredient to keep the chocolate donuts a little bit squishy and not dense and chalky. In my experience, both canned pumpkin and mashed banana can work in its place (the same goes for these protein pumpkin donuts).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
Vanilla almond: Skip the chocolate and use a vanilla protein powder. Then, switch the no oil peanut butter to a fresh almond butter and add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract.
Toppings: In place of sprinkles, glaze the top of the donuts with dairy-free chocolate glaze or drizzle them with coconut milk caramel sauce.
How To Make Chocolate Protein Donuts
Step 1: In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
Step 2: One by one add in the wet ingredients.
Step 3: Mix until combined and thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 4: Portion into a greased donut pan and form the batter. Bake for twenty minutes and let cool briefly in the pan.
Expert Tips
It's really important to make use a silicone donut mold in place of a regular donut pan. Since protein donuts are delicate, this helps you be better able to remove them. Even with a silicone mold, grease it.
When you're not using fresh, natural nut butter, the batter won't mix together as wlel and you'll end up with clumps.
The protein donut batter does not "pour". It is very sticky. To portion it, you need to scoop it into the molds and use a silicone spatula to smooth it out. Take the time to do this and ensure there are no air bubbles in the mixture by tapping the mold on the counter.
Store gluten-free chocolate protein donuts in an airtight container for 1-2 days on the counter. You can pop them in the fridge for 5-6 days, but they will lose a bit of their soft texture. Warm them slightly before enjoying.
Best Protein Powder For Donuts
You can use a variety of protein powders for this recipe, but each one will affect the texture and taste. There's not a lot of sweetness with these donuts, so make sure you actually LOVE the taste of your protein, or you'll need to add some stevia or coconut palm sugar.
- Beef protein powder: I recently switched to beef-based protein powder for health reasons, and it's what's used in the recipe as-written. Using beef protein makes it so that the donuts light and you don't get that "bloated" feeling.
- Vegan protein powder: If you're going to use a vegan protein powder the donuts will come out a bit drier. You'll also want to make the following adjustments so that they hold together as vegan protein powder absorbs more liquid: ½ cup gluten-free flour, ¼ cup maple syrup, ½ cup dairy-free milk like homemade hemp milk.
Chocolate Protein Donuts FAQs
Typically, protein donuts are chewy in texture as the protein binds and gives them a more sticky-type of batter.
Freeze protein donuts in a single layer in an airtight bag for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before you need them and warm them briefly in the microwave before enjoying, as they do tend to lose some of their softness.
You can glaze your protein donuts or just top with sprinkles of chocolate chips. If glazing them, make sure that they are cooled fully, and your glaze is thin and runny, the tops of the donuts will tear.
The key to keeping protein donuts from drying out is to make sure not to overbake them. Pull them out of the oven before they look "finished" so that they retain their soft texture. Likewise, because protein powder absorbs so much moisture, you want to make sure your recipe has yogurt, applesauce, banana, or pumpkin in it to keep them moist.
More High-Protein Snacks You'll Love
If you tried this Chocolate Protein Donuts Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Protein Donuts
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Beef-based protein powder
- ⅓ cup Gluten-free 1:1 Baking flour
- 1 tbs Gluten-free 1:1 Baking flour yes, you need both
- ½ cup Almond flour
- ⅓ cup Peanut butter
- 2 tbs Avocado oil 1
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ⅛ cup Unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup Applesauce
- ⅛ cup Maple syrup
- 2 tbs Sprinkles or Chocolate chips Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray your donut pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, protein powder, baking powder, and cacao powder.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Let the batter sit for 1-2 minutes for the protein powder to absorb.
- Portion the protein donuts mixture using a silicone spatula into a donut pan. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles and top the donuts with sprinkles or chocolate chips if using.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and let cool fully in the donut pan before removing them gently.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Sherrie says
These turned out so well! Appreciate the tip about greasing the donut mold. That worked like a charm!
fitasamamabear says
Haha yea I made that mistake twice so I wanted to prevent others!
Molly Pisula says
These are adorable, and so yummy! Love that a high protein snack can taste so good!
fitasamamabear says
So glad you love them!
Kris says
You would never guess that these are so healthy! They came out wonderful and were devoured rather quickly. 🙂
fitasamamabear says
Haha they're too easy to eat!
Lisa says
These chocolate protein donuts were so delicious. My kids didn’t even know they were a healthy alternative.
fitasamamabear says
Best feeling every! I love when kids approve!