Paleo Almond Flour Donuts

These Paleo almond flour donuts have the most delicious cake-like texture thanks to the perfect mix of almond flour, coconut flour, and tapioca flour. They are topped with chocolate frosting and taste just like bakery cake donuts, but are made with healthier ingredients!

These almond flour Paleo donuts are seriously my favorite baked good to date! They are soft, fluffy, have the perfect amount of sweetness and are crave-worthy with the decedent chocolate frosting! These donuts are pure happiness!

This gluten-free donut recipe is perfect on a weekend morning and you can feel good knowing these are made from all clean food ingredients... I wouldn't go as far to say they are "healthy", but they are MUCH healthier for you than the alterative!

Other weekend baked goods we love around our house include my almond flour blueberry bread, gluten-free mini chocolate chip muffins, almond flour blackberry muffins, gluten-free pumpkin scones, healthy gluten free banana oat muffins, and gluten-free apple cinnamon oat muffins.

How to Make

1. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda) together in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (coconut sugar, apple cider vinegar, dairy-free milk, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla).
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
4. Fully mix all ingredients together. The batter for these Paleo donuts will be on the thicker side.

5. Scoop batter into a piping bag, or plastic sandwich bag, and cut the tip of the bag (or corner if using a sandwich bag) about ½ inch to ¾ inch. Grease a 6 cavity donut pan, then pipe the batter into each donut donut mold. Each cavity should be filled about ¾ full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and begin to pull away from sides.
7. Allow donuts to slightly cool and then carefully remove from pan and place on cooling rack to fully cool.
8. While donuts are cooling, whisk together coconut powdered sugar, cocao, vanilla, and dairy-free milk to make the chocolate frosting.

9. Once donuts have cooled, it's time to add the chocolate frosting! Dip the top half of each donut (on the rounded side) into the chocolate frosting. The frosting will be thick, so be careful when dipping and pulling the donut out of the frosting. Place donut back on cooling rack to let frosting settle.

And if you think these almond flour donuts would be better with sprinkles, you can add some after you've dipped in chocolate (just know sprinkles aren't Paleo).

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific call-outs, and when needed, some tips on keeping the ingredients clean.

ALMOND FLOUR - Use almond flour and not almond meal.

TAPIOCA FLOUR - Also called tapioca starch. You can use arrowroot starch/flour in it's place if needed.

COCONUT OIL - You'll need melted coconut oil.

Clean food tip: You can buy either refined or unrefined coconut oil. I typically opt for unrefined (think less processing), however, there are some refined that are clean/good for you too!

EGGS - Use room temp eggs. They mix up better and help the batter to rise while baking.

Clean food tip: I always recommend pasture-raised eggs, both from a nutritional and animal welfare standpoint.

DAIRY-FREE MILK - If you're not looking for these to be Paleo, or aren't dairy free, you can use regular cow's milk.

Clean food tip: Look for milk that contains just the source of the milk (i.e. almonds), water, and potentially salt and/or vanilla flavor. Make sure it's unsweetened, too! I love Malk and Elmhurst.

COCONUT SUGAR - Also called coconut palm sugar. I haven't tried, but you should be able to replace the coconut sugar with pure maple syrup.

POWDERED COCONUT SUGAR - Powdered coconut sugar is considered Paleo and is a cleaner alternative to regular powdered sugar (also called confectioner's sugar). If you don't need Paleo, you can sub regular powdered sugar.

CACAO - I recommend cocao powder, NOT cocoa powder. Cocao is Paleo approved, but if using cocoa powder ensure there are no additives and that it's Paleo friendly (if you need these donuts to be Paleo).

Clean food tip: Cacao and cocoa both come from the cocao tree, but cocao is the raw/minimally processed form and contains the nutrients and antioxidants that chocolate is known for. To keep it clean/real, look for cocao powder.

FAQs

How to Store

These Paleo donuts are really best eaten the day you make them. However, they can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 2 days or you can store in the fridge to extend freshness.

Expert Tips

GREASE YOUR DONUT PAN WELL! You don't want your Paleo donuts sticking to your pan. Use a decent amount of coconut oil and spread in the inside of each donut cavity before adding the batter.

USE A PIPING BAG (OR PLASTIC SANDWICH BAG) to pipe the batter into the donut pan.

DON'T UNDERCOOK. If you don't bake long enough you won't get the nice cake-like texture these Paleo donuts deserve. They are done when the edges are light golden brown and they start to pull away from the edges.

IF USING A NON-STICK PAN as opposed to a silicone pan, you may need to reduce baking time.

LET DONUTS COOL BEFORE REMOVING FROM PAN. Allow donuts to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan and then carefully remove them. I flip the pan over and very softly push the underside of the silicon molds until the donut falls out (if needed, you can gently run a knife around the outside edges before removing).

More Better-for-You Baked Goods to Try!