Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts on a rack
Breakfast, Snacks 14 comments

Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts 🍩

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Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts are low carb, sugar-free, nut-free, high protein and delicious! With a pillowy texture, rich chocolate ganache frosting and just 1 net carb each – these are a decadent and healthy breakfast!

Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts served on a white plate
Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts, 1 net carb each!

Who doesn’t love a great donut? Did you know that the Salvation Army served donuts to soldiers during the world wars to cheer them up and keep up morale? Mental Floss has a great write up and about these historic snacks (the historic photos are amazing!).

I figured everyone could use a little cheering up and decided some sweet, sugar-free, low carb donuts would be a great way to accomplish that! Sweet treats do make a great breakfast now and again, and with the high protein in this recipe, you can’t even feel guilty about it!

Read on to see how to make a treat that’s usually carb and sugar heavy keto friendly. It all starts with the ingredients….

KEY INGREDIENTS

ALLULOSE

How do I love thee, allulose? Let me count the ways! This sweetener tastes and behaves so much like sugar, I really do love it. Allulose is a rare, naturally occurring sugar that is very low in calories and well as low carb. It’s hands down my favorite keto ingredient. This is the perfect way to sweeten up our cheerful little Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts!

Check out more keto recipes with allulose.

OAT FIBER

This is the main ingredient in our Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts flour. It is a zero calorie (that’s right!) fiber that comes from oats. It makes baked goods that are light and fluffy but can be a bit dry on its own. LifeSource is absolutely my recommended brand. LifeSource is not a sponsor (but I’m open!), but they truly are that good. Other brands I’ve tried have been heavier and much darker and have resulted in a much less pleasant final product!

Check out more keto recipes with oat fiber.

VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN

This is the protein from wheat, and unlike four, it is low carb. It has some great characteristics for baking including adding chew and wheat flavor. For something like a donut or cake, you don’t want to over mix it. When you use it in bread, the opposite is true – you knead it to develop the gluten. In our Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts, vital wheat gluten helps add a great texture and flavor.

Check out more keto recipes with vital wheat gluten.

CASEIN AND WHEY PROTEINS

Both of these are added to our “flour” mix. They work together extremely well with the oat fiber to produce a light fluffy cake that is high in protein, so it’s healthy too! Although these are harder to find, I highly recommend them and use them in many of my recipes.

Check out more keto recipes with casein protein and whey protein.

Keto Donuts, dry ingredients

TECHNIQUE

These Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts are really simple to make – I spoon the batter into the pans but you could use a pastry bag if you wanted to speed the process up. I honestly don’t think it’s worth the bother to do it. I find the pan takes about 2-2.5 tablespoons of batter per donut so I tend to just use the tablespoon because it’s dirty anyway!

I turn on convection for the last 4-5 minutes of baking to help brown up the bottom of the donuts (they bake upside down). If you don’t have convection, I don’t think it’s a huge deal. I have forgotten to turn it on before and they just come out a pinch less brown.

For the frosting, we’re drizzling our donuts with a chocolate ganache 🍫- yum! Chocolate ganache sounds fancy and potentially difficult to make, but it is actually quite simple. I use the microwave to warm the mixture of chocolate and cream. As long as you don’t burn it, it can be very forgiving! When it comes to frosting the donuts with the ganache – there are a couple of options you can spoon the ganache over the donuts for an organic look to the drizzle or you can pipe the ganache over the donuts with a pastry bag or zip top bag. This will give you greater control over the decoration.

TIP: use a zip top bag, fill with warm ganache, cut off one corner of the bag. This is such an easy way to decorate baked goods and with a small enough hole you can even use this technique to write with the ganache.

EQUIPMENT

  • Cooling rack
Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts on a rack
Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts, cooled and just drizzled in chocolate ganache

TROUBLESHOOTING

These are pretty straightforward, but as any baker knows, there’s always something that can go wrong in the kitchen! Let’s try to anticipate an issues that can come up and head them off at the pass!

Why did my donuts come out a mottled color?

The casein and whey proteins are kind of clumpy and need to be mixed in well. It helps to mix the flour mixture very well before combining wet and dry ingredients. I’ve noticed that the proteins can leave darker splotches in baked goods if not mixed in thoroughly. I haven’t found it to affect the taste or texture much but maybe just mix a bit more next time.

How can I tell when the donuts are done?

The should be puffed up and browning on the top (bottom). When you touch them they should feel firm and a knife inserted should come out clean.

How do I prevent the donuts from cooking unevenly?

Make sure that the donut wells are filled to the same level so that they cook evenly. You can always pop some in the oven for a second batch – better than overfilling! Also, rotate the pan half way through. This is particularly helpful if your oven doesn’t heat evenly. I liked to use convection for the last 4-5 minutes of baking. However, I do NOT recommend using convection the entire time with this recipe because the exterior will brown too quickly leaving the interior underdone.

Why did my donuts collapse?

It’s okay if the undersides collapse a little while they are cooling, the tops will look perfect from the pan shape. You can leave the donuts in the oven a couple of minute after you’ve turned it off to help with this. If it bothers you and you don’t mind a slightly spongier texture, add a second egg to the batter.

What if my chocolate ganache doesn’t pour easily?

Throw it back in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir again; it could need another drop of cream if it’s too stiff. It should be like a little runny when you drizzle your donuts.

SERVING

Well, I could go on and on with this one – let’s explore some fun ways to serve donuts!

How to serve Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts:

  • The classic – for breakfast or brunch, how about breakfast in bed!?
  • Great for a picnic or outdoor gathering; no cutlery required
  • Perfect for a potluck or to take to a party
  • Great for holidays – valentine’s day 🍫, mother’s day, Halloween, (healthier) Hanukkah, Christmas morning

Variations on this recipe

  • Different flavors of frosting – how about coconut pecan frosting?
  • Replace frosting with peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, or Keto Sweet Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam… yum!
Keto chocolate frosted donuts with nuts on rack
Keto chocolate frosted donuts are also great with nuts as a garnish!

What should I drink with Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts?

Coffee is a classic pairing! There’s a reason why Dunkin’ has that name! Milk would also be great – maybe a tall glass of ice cold almond milk with a warm chocolaty donut? Count me in!

STORING

These are best consumed within a day or two of making and stored in an airtight container.

❤️ MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts served on a white plate

Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Lindsay
Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts are low carb, sugar-free, nut-free, high protein and delicious! With a pillowy texture, rich chocolate ganache frosting and just 1 net carb each – these are a decadent and healthy breakfast!
5 from 13 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Allow to cool before frosting 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 108 kcal

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • donut pan
  • baking rack

Ingredients
  

DONUTS

    DRY INGREDIENTS

    • 1/2 cup oat fiber specifically LifeSource brand
    • 1/2 cup allulose
    • 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
    • 1/4 cup casein protein specifically Muscle Feast
    • 1/4 cup whey protein specifically Isopure
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

    WET INGREDIENTS

    • 1 egg
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
    • 1/4 cup avocado oil can substitute melted butter or vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt sour cream also works
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    CHOCOLATE FROSTING

    • 2 oz chocolate chips sugar free (or a chocolate bar)
    • 4 tablespoons heavy cream

    GARNISH

    • 2 tablespoons chopped nuts optional

    Instructions
     

    DONUT INSTRUCTIONS

    • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
    • In one bowl, mix all dry ingredients.  Protein powders can clump so be very thorough.
      Keto Donut Dry Ingredients
    • In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet until the mixture is well incorporated.  The texture should be pudding-like. 
    • Grease the donut pan. (I use avocado oil spray)
      Donut pan oiled and ready for batter
    • Spoon or pipe the batter into the pan leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top for the donuts to expand as the bake.
      Keto donut batter in the pan ready to bake
    • Bake at 300 F and at 10 minutes turn on the convection. Check for doneness around 14 minutes.  Donuts are done when set and a knife inserted at the thickest part comes out clean.
      Keto Donuts in pan out of the oven
    • Allow to cool on a rack completely before frosting.

    FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS

    • Combine ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.
    • Microwave for 20 seconds and check; chocolate should just be starting to melt and the cream should be hot. If chocolate is still solid, microwave for 10 more seconds.
    • Stir ingredients to combine and help chocolate to melt fully.
    • Spoon or pipe chocolate ganache over the donuts.
      Keto Chocolate Frosted Donuts on a rack

    GARNISH

    • Add chopped nuts (if using) while the ganache is still warm,
      Keto chocolate frosted donuts with nuts on rack
    • Enjoy!
      keto chocolate frosted donuts with nuts and a bite taken

    Notes

    NUTRITION  Information from Cronometer, provided for reference, please use your specific ingredients for the most accurate nutritional information
    Note – no, I don’t just eat one donut!  I usually make a half batch and let’s just say we don’t usually have left overs.
    Keyword brunch, chocolate

    14 Comments

    1. Wow these look yummy scrummy super delicious!
      On my to do list x

    2. 5 stars
      I love the idea of making healthier donuts! Especially when there is chocolate involved! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

    3. Looks so good! I need to try this 🙂 Donuts is a comfy food for me.

    4. Oh, dreaming of breakfast in bed with a couple of donuts and a steamy cup of coffee! Mmmmmm…

    5. 5 stars
      I NEED these donuts in my life!! They look amazing!

    6. 5 stars
      And again I found a delicious keto recipe on this website! Thanks so much for sharing all of your amazing recipes. X

    7. These look delicious! Donuts are a weakness for me. YUM!!

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