This Low-Carb Chocolate Donuts recipe is my first one here on the blog. My boys and their friends go gaga for this low-carb dessert and once you try it you will too!
Low-Carb Chocolate Donuts Recipe with Coconut Flour
Thankfully, this is another super easy low-carb recipe, with only 7 ingredients total. All you need to whip these up is coconut flour, cacao powder, salt, baking soda, eggs, coconut oil, and maple syrup. To make it simply dump the ingredients into a food processor, throw the mixture in the doughnut pans, bake it, and bam! You’ve got gluten-free, grain-free low-carb donuts.
Nut-Free Low-Carb Donuts
My husband said this nut-free Paleo dessert tasted like an Entenmann’s cake style doughnut. My boys simply scarfed them down. They love my low-carb treats and are total suckers for anything with sprinkles. I tested this doughnut recipe with both coconut oil and palm shortening and found that coconut oil was far superior in this recipe. When I tested the donuts with palm shortening it was a challenge to get them out of the pan and their texture was too dry.
Low-Carb Chocolate Donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Topping
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon palm shortening
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse together coconut flour, cacao powder, salt, and baking soda
- Pulse in eggs, coconut oil, and maple syrup until thoroughly combined
- Fill each well of a donut mold half way full of batter
- Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes
- Remove doughnuts from pan and place on a cooling rack
- Use a paring knife to cut hole in center of each doughnut
- In a saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening
- Drizzle doughnut with chocolate glaze
- Cool and serve
Equipment
Creating and Testing a Low-Carb Nut-Free Donut Recipe
As with all of my recipes, I tested this one several times. Each time I test something, I make a very minor change, so that I can investigate how this single change impacts the recipe overall. For one of my test batches, I played with the amount of batter needed to make each doughnut. From that test, I can tell you a couple of things. First, do not fill up the donut wells in your donut mold all the way. Fill the wells around halfway with batter, and spread the batter evenly in each well. This batter will rise and the wells will be full when you are done baking. You’ll have perfect homemade doughnuts.
How to Make Low-Carb Donuts
I use two silicon doughnut molds for this Low-Carb Chocolate Donut recipe which yields eight donuts. I also use these molds to make my Paleo Bagel recipe. The metal molds (which are unfortunately non-stick) do not work very well and everything I’ve baked in them is a total mess to remove. These donuts, however, pop right out of the silicone molds.
Low-Carb Donuts for Kids with Sprinkles
You can eat these adorable low-carb donuts with or without the glaze. For the boys, I add India Tree sprinkles which make these an incredibly festive treat. If you use sprinkles (Let’s Do Organic is an even healthier brand, though not as colorful) be sure to let your glaze cool for 10 minutes or so prior to applying sprinkles, otherwise they will melt down into the glaze.
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Keto Dessert Recipe with Erythritol
If you’re looking for recipes for a very low-carb diet (VLCD) check out my Keto Diet Recipes page. If you’re in need of a keto dessert, you’ll want to make my Keto Brownies recipe sweetened with erythritol! Although I can’t eat erythritol because it’s made with corn and is a sugar alcohol that I can’t digest, I created my Keto Brownies recipe for my readers and I hope you all enjoy it!
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives. I first published this recipe in February 2015.
Corry says
I also have MS and I’m quite confused about coconut oil – if a person with MS should be eating coconut oil or not ? What is your opinion on this subject?
Elana says
Corry, I eat a good amount of coconut oil. I am on a high fat diet and it is an important part of this diet:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/keto/
However, we are all bio-chemical individuals and have different dietary needs!
Elana
Sharon says
I am not a fan of the taste of coconut. For this reason, I haven’t tried coconut flour. How much of a coconut taste do these donuts have?
Elana says
Sharon, I don’t think these taste like coconut, but I love the taste of coconut so I may not be the best one to help out with this :-)
MamaCassi says
In my experience, coconut flour does not have a strong coconut flavor. And certainly not with chocolate. The coconut oil can carry a more coconut flavor, but I made these with butter and a coconut hater would never have known anything coconut was involved.
Clo O'Leary says
I have just made my second batch of these in a mini doughnut maker (Gourmet Gadgetry). So easy to whip up the batter and they cook in a few minutes – would love to able to post a pic! Adds some sunshine to a very wet Irish morning!!
Elana says
Thanks Clo!
emma says
can you add sprinkles if you want
Elana says
Yes :-)
Pily Flores says
I tried them!!!! I can’t believe how good they were. I made a little adjustment, I didn’t have the donut mold since I couldn’t wait to get one I used a mini cupcake silicon mold, the tiny things were deliciously gorgeous, thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try more recipes :)
Elana says
So glad you liked them Pily!
Tasha L says
Hello! Just made these and they are devine! Would it be possible to share this recipe to my blog – I’ve only just started out but would love to add this amazingly healthy recipe to it! I would link your blog and give you credit of course. :) thank you! Tasha xo
Elana says
Tasha, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, you may share the recipe with a link back to my site.
Maggie says
Made these yesterday, husband who is not GF really liked them. Yay! I hope your doing well.
Elaine says
Silly question but does the coconut oil need to be melted or do I use it in the solid state?
Elana says
Elaine, no need to melt anything unless stated in the directions :-)
darcy says
This is just what I was coming to ask. My coconut oil is solid today for the first time in a while. My kids and I love this recipe!
Gabriele says
Hi Elana
I just read through the recipe, and I am wondering if I can use my bagel pan? What is the difference? They look the same.
Elana says
Gabriele, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do I hope you’ll let us know how it goes :-)
vanessa says
Hello, do you tink I cold use olive oil in this recipe?
Elana says
Vanessa, I haven’t tried that so not sure.