Healthy Baked Donuts

This healthy baked donuts recipe is sweet, spiced, and perfectly fluffy. Made with simple ingredients, they’re lower in sugar than most recipes and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes! 

Love donuts? Try our baked pumpkin donuts and cinnamon & sugar protein donuts, too. 

Three donuts topped with a vanilla glaze and colorful sprinkles stacked on top of each other.

We’ve been making these lower-calorie donuts for years, and they’re a favorite with the entire family! That said, they took a few test rounds to perfect. One batch was way too dense. Another was cloyingly sweet. 

We finally nailed it, though, creating dairy-free, gluten-free-friendly donuts that are just sweet enough with warm spices and a soft, fluffy texture. Finished with a glaze, they’re such a fun way to start the day! 

Ingredients and Notes

Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete ingredients and instructions! 

Labeled ingredients for healthy baked donuts on a white marble countertop.
  • Flour – We use regular all-purpose flour. However, we’ve also tested this recipe with a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour, and it turns out just as well!  
  • Sweetener – Monk fruit sweetener sweetens the batter and glaze while keeping the sugar content fairly low. That said, granulated sugar is totally fine for the batter, and you can use powdered sugar for the glaze, if preferred. 
  • Leaveners – We use both baking powder and baking soda for an ultra-soft, fluffy texture. Make sure they’re fresh, or your donuts won’t rise! 
  • Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds extra depth and a sweet, warm flavor. 
  • Applesauce – We use unsweetened applesauce to contribute to the sweet flavor and moist consistency. 
  • Milk – We use unsweetened almond milk, but any regular or non-dairy milk will work. 
  • Eggs – Use large eggs to give the batter structure. We haven’t tested these donuts with egg substitutes, but think they will be too dense. 
  • Vanilla Extract – Make sure to use high-quality, pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla! 
Two donuts topped with vanilla glaze and dried rose petals on a white plate.

How to Make a Healthy Baked Donuts Recipe

Before you begin, preheat your oven to 350°F, and generously grease two donut pans with cooking spray. 

Pouring wet ingredients into dry ingredients in glass bowls.
  1. Combine. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Next, whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir just until smooth. Be careful not to overmix, or your donuts will be tough and dense! 
A woman squeezing donut batter from a quart-sized bag into donut pan wells.

2. Portion. Pour the batter into a ziploc bag and cut off the corner. Or, use a piping bag, if you have one on hand. Pipe the donut batter into the greased donut pans. 

Six baked donuts in a metal donut pan.

3. Bake. Transfer the healthy baked donuts to the oven, and bake until they’re puffy, golden brown, and spring back when gently touched. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan slightly. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

A spoon mixing a powdered sugar glaze in a glass bowl.

4. Glaze. While the donuts cool, whisk the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Add more liquid as needed for a thinner consistency. Or, add more sugar if it’s too thin.

Six donuts topped with vanilla glaze and either colorful sprinkles or dried rose petals.

5. Toppings. Then, dip the donuts into the bowl, and add your favorite toppings. 

Common Questions 

Can I use a different glaze or topping? 

Absolutely! Use any topping you like best. Vanilla icing, chocolate frosting, or powdered sugar work well. Then, add sprinkles, chocolate shavings, dried rose petals, chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or any toppings you like best. 

How long do baked donuts last? 

Once cool, you can transfer leftover donuts to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 2-3 days. 

A stack of frosted donuts with sprinkles with a bite taken out of the top one.
Six donuts, half topped with sprinkles and half with dried rose petals on a donut pan.

Healthy Baked Donuts

Sammi Ricke
Skip the store-bought options, and make this healthy baked donuts recipe in less than 30 minutes for soft, fluffy, lower-sugar glazed donuts!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine All American
Servings 12 donuts
Calories 86 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 donut pans
  • 2 medium-sized mixing bowls
  • 1 piping bag or Ziploc storage bag

Ingredients
  

Donut Ingredients

Glaze Ingredients

  • 2 cups powdered monk fruit sweetener or powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

  • 1 Tablespoon sprinkles or dried rose petals, etc

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously spray two (6 cavity) donut pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients until combined.
    1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup monk fruit sweetener, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • In another medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth.
    1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until combined.
  • Scoop the batter into the greased donut pan or pour the mixture into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Cut the corner off of the bag and pipe into the donut pan wells.
  • Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the donuts are golden brown and spring back to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooling rack.

Toppings

  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered monk fruit sweetener, milk and vanilla extract until smooth (see notes).
    2 cups powdered monk fruit sweetener, 1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Dip one side of each donut into the glaze and place back on the cooling rack. Add a few sprinkles to the top of the glaze.
    1 Tablespoon sprinkles

Notes

Glaze Tips – When using powdered monk fruit sweetener, the glaze is quite thick and more like frosting. Add more milk to thin it out to the desired consistency. If using regular powdered sugar, the glaze is thinner. Add more powdered sugar, if needed.
Nutrition is calculated for monk fruit sweetener and powdered monk fruit sweetener.

Nutrition

Serving: 1donutCalories: 86kcalCarbohydrates: 34.3gProtein: 2.6gFat: 1.4gSaturated Fat: 0.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 30.8mgSodium: 19.6mgPotassium: 0mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 0IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 0mgIron: 0mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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5 from 1 vote

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21 Comments

  1. WOW! A donut my daughter could have. So exciting! I might just have to surprise her with a batch of these. She’ll be thrilled. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week. 🙂

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai

    1. Yes, I think you could. I have forgotten it before in my muffin recipes and you don’t even miss it. I have just been told they may not hold together as well. Let us know how they turn out for you!

    1. We just received a photo from one of our readers, she made these doughnuts for her Gluten Free 10 year old on his birthday. Said they were a hit. Hope you enjoy!

  2. These sound delicious, I can’t wait to give them a try! Quick question: I saw your GF flour recipe above, and while I always believe homemade is best, I just don’t have the time to run out and grab all those ingredients. I have Bob’s Red Mill on hand- do you think they would turn out okay with that blend? We are not intolerant. Thanks! So glad to have found your post over at Momma Told Me 🙂

  3. amazing idea with the topping! It is so great to see something yummy without all the sugar! Once you get off sugar, you just do not want to get back on again. I swear it is like a drug!!