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Donuts were never a food my parents had around the house growing up, but I’d happily eat donuts elsewhere whenever given the chance. Years later, when I started making low carb recipes, I felt like I was missing out on all those donuts at the office, so I created my own keto donuts with almond flour. And as I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years, they’ve only gotten better with time. If you miss them too, make these healthy sugar free donuts with me and you don’t have to anymore!
Why You Need My Keto Donut Recipe
- Soft and cake-like texture – Whether you call them “keto donuts” or “keto doughnuts”, these taste a lot like regular cake donuts. They’re moist, fluffy, and everything you want in a donut. Perfect with a keto coffee, creamy keto hot chocolate, or your fave keto drink from Starbucks!
- Multiple flavor options – The recipe card has the “powdered sugar” coated version I love the most, but you can switch it up with different flavors or glazes, too! See my variations below. 👇
- Quick to whip up – You might think making sugar free donuts would be a hassle, but they’re done in just 30 minutes. Including baking time!
- Very keto friendly – With just 3g net carbs each, these are easy to fit into your macros. They’re also gluten-free, with options for paleo or dairy-free.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto donuts, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – Gives these low carb donuts their perfect cakey texture. I use this brand because it’s super fine—most brands are too coarse (even ones labeled fine) and will leave your donuts gritty. Plus, it’s perfect for baking so many other goodies, like my keto cookies, almond flour bread, almond flour pancakes, and almond flour pie crust.
Can’t have almond flour?
If you need a nut-free option, sunflower seed flour will work. The flavor will be a little different and they might turn green, but it’s just a reaction with baking powder. Don’t use coconut flour, because it’s too drying.
- Sweeteners – I highly recommend Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend for the batter and Besti Powdered for the coating. This sweetener locks in moisture and has no aftertaste. Virtually every other brand of monk fruit and stevia contains drying erythritol. And unlike other sugar substitutes, it won’t crystallize. The closest alternative is plain allulose, but increase the amount to 1/3 cup.
- Unsalted butter – You can swap it with melted coconut oil for dairy-free or ghee for paleo.
- Keto Milk Of Your Choice – I use unsweetened almond milk, but coconut milk beverage or heavy cream diluted with water will work, too.
- Eggs – Flax eggs or other egg alternatives that are binding should work if you need a substitute.
- Baking Powder – To help your keto donuts rise. I like this non-GMO brand. Don’t mix it up with baking soda!
- Flavor Boosters – Cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sea salt.
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
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How To Make Keto Donuts
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, Besti, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Combine the wet and dry. Whisk until combined.
- Fill the pan. Scoop the batter evenly into your donut pan cavities. I love this pan because it never sticks and the lighter color doesn’t burn the outside. Fill each about 3/4 full.
- Bake until golden. Your healthy sugar free donuts are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before removing.
- Remove from the pan. Use a mini silicone spatula (I love these!) to loosen the edges, then gently twist to release the donuts from the pan.
- Add the coating. Pour powdered Besti in a shallow bowl and dip the keto donuts in, coating both sides.
My Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Bring your eggs and almond milk to room temperature before you mix them with the melted butter, to avoid solidifying the butter when whisking them together.
- I repeat: your almond flour needs to be super fine. Use this one to avoid a grainy texture.
- Your donut pan makes a difference. Lots of delish donuts didn’t make it when I tried using a silicone donut pan. Darker colored pans will bake more quickly and may burn the outside before the inside is done. This is the pan I recommend — it released the donuts effortlessly and didn’t brown them too much.
- Grease the pan very well. Even with a great pan, this batter is sticky. Grease the cavities really well, especially around the edges.
- Transferring batter is so much easier if you pipe it in. Just snip the corner off a zip-top bag and squeeze it into the pan in circles.
- These keto donuts don’t rise as much as traditional ones. I recommend filling the cavities about 3/4 of the way. Too much, and you’ll get overflow; too little, and your donuts will be flat.
- Make sure they’re fully baked. The donuts should pull away from the pan and turn a deep golden brown underneath. Silicone pans will need about 5 extra minutes.
- Resist the urge to take them out right away. Let them cool completely in the pan, or they’ll crumble and stick.
- Remove carefully. Run a mini spatula around the edges and the hole first. If there’s any batter over the center, remove it before twisting as you lift the low carb donuts. If they don’t budge, they might need a little more baking time.
Recipe Variations
Just like regular donuts, you can dress up this keto donut recipe with different flavors and fun toppings!
Toppings:
- Glaze – Mix 1/4 cup powdered Besti, 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or coconut cream), and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add more cream as needed for the consistency you want, then pour over the donuts.
- Chocolate Glaze – Whisk 1/4 cup powdered Besti, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons water or cream. Dip the donuts for a rich, chocolaty finish!
- Sprinkles – Top glazed donuts with sugar free sprinkles for a fun, festive touch!
Flavors & Types:
- Apple – For a cozy fall vibe, swap the vanilla for apple extract and the cinnamon for apple pie spice.
- Blueberry – Fold in up to 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries before baking.
- Chocolate – If you want the donut itself to be chocolate, try my chocolate protein donuts or find classic keto chocolate donuts in my Wholesome Yum app.
- Donut Holes – Just use this batter in a donut hole pan! They’ll bake faster, so keep an eye on them.
- Pumpkin Spice – Use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon and add 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin puree. Reduce the amounts of butter and milk to 2 tablespoons each. It’s like fall in every bite!
Prefer a pillowy, chewy keto donut recipe?
These are the best sugar free cake donuts I’ve ever had, but my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook has a pillowy, chewy version that reminds me of Krispy Kreme. I can’t decide which I like more. Try both and tell me your favorite!
Keto Donuts (Sugar Free & Easy)
By
These 30-minute keto donuts taste like regular cake donuts coated in powdered sugar. An easy, sugar free breakfast with just 2.8g net carbs!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a nonstick donut pan well.
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In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, Besti, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, almond milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
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Transfer the batter evenly into the donut cavities, filling them 3/4 of the way. Bake for about 15 minutes (longer for a silicone pan, possibly less time if your pan is dark – but this lighter nonstick pan works best), until golden brown.
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Cool completely in the pan. Run a mini silicone spatula along the edges of the donuts (a knife also works, but may scratch your pan), then twist and gently release.
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Pour Besti Powdered into a small, shallow bowl. Press both sides of the donuts into the powder to coat. (You can also use a different frosting or glaze if you prefer.)
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 keto donut
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to to help you get the right texture in your keto donuts, prevent sticking or crumbling, and tricks for the batter.
- Flavors and glazes: See my recipe variations above to make apple, blueberry, chocolate, or pumpkin flavors, donut holes, or different topping options.
- Store: Keep in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days at room temp, or up to 1 week in the fridge.
- Freeze: Freeze on a lined sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. I recommend freezing without the powdered coating and adding it fresh after thawing.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Cheat Sheet System!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Donuts
846 Comments
Mary Otoole
0Sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to try this!
Samantha
0Mine came out more like a muffin than a donut. I just used a regular muffin pan because I thought I might fill them with some kind of filling. Did I do something wrong? They still tasted great though!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Samantha, Baked donuts are more similar to a muffin than traditional fried donuts. I’m sure you did everything right, its just a matter of adjusting to the textural difference.
Dominique
0Can I use flax egg?? AND swerve sugar substitute??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dominique, Yes, a flax egg should work out fine. I don’t recommend Swerve because it will make your donuts dry.
lU
0how much flax egg would be to replace egg?
Tracy
0Hi Maya,
I’ve searched comments as much as my eyes can stand it and can’t find an answer: if I use allulose instead of monkfruit, will the increase in bulk require me to add more liquid, do you think? Thanks in advance, your recipes and advice have never steered me wrong!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tracy, Great question! You are only adding an extra tablespoon of sweetener to the batter, so you likely will not need any additional liquid.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Use my flax egg recipe and replace each egg in this keto donut recipe with one batch.
Candice
0These are amazing!! I subbed out the erythritol for coconut sugar in the donuts and rolled them in maple sugar and cinnamon afterwards. They remind me a lot of french toast!! Maybe it was the maple sugar that took it there but I am in love!! They are so super fluffy and soft and do not feel as if they are made with all almond flour. Amazing recipe! Thank you!!
P.s I only had a silicone donut pan and despite your difficulties using yours I went ahead and tried it anyways lol. Sprayed really well with coconut oil and had zero issues getting them out! Very happy!
Pamela
0This recipe was great..I used Generic Swerve & made little fiol pists to put in regular muffin tin cause I don’t have donut pan..they were goid but very tender and hard to pop out had to carefully go around them and pop out tough the tin was non stick and sprayed the patoohtee outta all…tasted great and could use any kind of topping, glaze or frosting if you wanted to vary options..orcadd in berries, change flavor etc.all in all a very good quick recipe.
Kim
0These are my favorite dessert! I don’t even bother with the glaze. They are yummy without! So easy to make too!
Michele S Tracy
0I just want to say “Thank You” for this recipe. I absolutely love these donuts. They have been a life saver in my office. One of our doctors picks up 2 dozen donuts every Wednesday for the office staff. I now make sure I make these Wednesday morning before work (so simple & fast to make) and take them with me. Many of the other employees will eat them as well and rave about them. I did find them a bit on the sweet side and lowered the amount of sweetner I use in the donuts themselves. Seems to have fix my problem. This week I am going to add some pumpkin spice and some pumpkin puree to the recipe and see how they come out as a pumpkin spice donut. Once again, THANK YOU!!
Carla Cunningham
0I was never able to find the video from this page. I found descriptions to find it ‘below’ or ‘above’ but never saw the video. I will keep looking. Hope I find it. The recipe sounds great. I started a keto food style a month ago and these could be wonderful. I just ordered the donut pans.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carla, The video is on the recipe card right above the recipe ingredients.
cmae915@yahoo.com
0It took a while and it finally loaded…probably a browser issue.
Irene Bachtis Stumpf
0I made these donuts using this recipe BUT I used a mini donut maker I bought from Amazon. I made 30 mini donuts in about 1/2 hour and it was super easy. Thank you so much for all of the tips and suggestions to help ensure success. They tasted good; not not like regular donuts but still a good substitute.
Brenda
0Is there any other sweetener I could use? I can’t use erythritol. I was thinking about Stevia, but I don’t know if I’d use the same amount. It is all still a bit overwhelming.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brenda, I recommend you try allulose. This keto-friendly sweetener is a rare type of sugar that doesn’t cause a glucose spike. Allulose should be more ideal for your baking. We carry two varieties, Pure Allulose (which is slightly less sweet than sugar) and Monk Fruit Allulose Blend (which is 1:1 with sugar).
Sakina
0What is Erythritol? Can we use xanthan gum instead of Erythritol?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Sakina, erythritol is a sweetener and xanthan gum is a thickening and binding agent, so you can’t substitute that way. If you’d like to try a different sweetener, see my sweetener guide for reference.
VivkiK
0My first attempt today and I halved the recipe. They were really very enjoyable and my Mum liked them too. Definitely worth making. Quick and easy to whip up.
Jessica
0I’ve made these several times and they are amazing! I even added banana extract to one batch and a tablespoon of pumpkin purée with pumpkin pie spice to another and they were perfect!
Ray
0Fantastic recipe, made with 1/4 cup Lakanto (original) rather than erythrytol … perfection! This will be a staple from now on for me, tastes like a regular donut!!
Patricia Gilson
0I’m sorry but I did not like these at all.
Wholesome Yum A
0I’m sorry to hear that, Patricia. Any way I can help? Did you make any substitutions? Did you check the recipe video?
Jessica
0I have tried many of your recipes and have loved them all! Something did not go well for me on this one though. I doubled the recipe and that called for 4 teaspoons of baking soda. This seems like a lot to me, but I used it anyway and the donuts completely fell apart. They didn’t hold together at all. Was this because of the baking soda amount? Is 4 tsp for a double recipe correct? Thanks a bunch!!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jessica, Did you use baking soda or baking powder? The recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda probably would make your donuts very crumbly.
Julie
0Hi, can I fry them instead of oven bake?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Julie, I don’t think the raw batter would hold up well for deep frying. However, you could bake them first and then shallow fry afterward.
Blair
0Definitely cured my donut craving. I did mine with a chocolate glaze. I used 1/3C powdered Swerve, 2T cocoa powder, 1T melted butter and 3T milk. Wish I’d have done 1/2 with the cinnamon/sugar.
Jeff
0Hello, how about a pumpkin donut or apple cider donut recipe, tis the season.
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Jeff! Those are great suggestions. I will add them to the list.
jeffc2564@aol.com
0This recipe was very easy to make, the donuts are awesome, I did not have a single problem, the donuts came right out of the pan no cutting or prying just popped out on their own, for you people who are having a problem with the batter or removal of the donuts from the pan you must be doing something wrong or not well enough.
Stephanie Johnson
0Can you do an eclair?!?
Wholesome Yum A
0I haven’t tried that, Stephanie! You might find something else you like in the keto recipe index.