These keto donuts taste just like the real thing, just without all the sugar and carbs! They are deliciously moist and pillowy-soft, with a hint of vanilla and rolled in granulated sweetener. Healthy sugar free donuts, friends. I’m lovin’ it!
On a scale of one to ten, donuts score at least a 14. You put a plate of donuts on a table, and within minutes it’ll be empty, guaranteed.
I’ve never been a fan of Krispy Kreme – they are just too sweet and fake-tasting. But before I started my low carb diet, I did love a proper bakery donut. Especially when they were fresh out of the oven, still warm and deliciously soft.
There is a 24-hour bakery in London where we used to go to after a long night out. We’d stock up on bagels for breakfast and munch on a donut or two on the way home. Saturday night wouldn’t have been the same without it!
These days, I’m more likely to be found on my sofa than partying, and in bed before midnight. A good night’s sleep is sacred in midlife. But donuts. I missed them!
It was time for a healthy sugar free donuts recipe.
I used my sugar free lemon mug cake recipe as a starting point. This cake is ultra moist, which I absolutely love. It uses almond flour, which has a gently sweet taste and mimics the texture of wheat flour very well. Regular readers of my blog will know that it is my favourite gluten free, low carb flour.
I increased the amount of butter in the recipe to make my low carb donuts pillowy-soft and rich at the same time, just like real donuts should be. Seriously, they are so good, it’s hard to believe they’re only 1g net carbs a piece!
Shall I show you how easy the recipe is?
How to make keto donuts – step by step:
1.) Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove.
In a bowl using an electric mixer or with a food processor, blend the butter, double / heavy cream and granulated sweetener until smooth.
2.) Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mix and blend until combined.
3.) Then add the almond flour and baking powder and blend until you have a smooth batter.
Tip: Check that your baking powder is fresh. The main reason why some baked goods don’t rise is out-of date baking powder. You can check whether it’s active by putting some in water. If it bubbles up, you’re good to to!
4.) Spoon the batter into a well-greased donut pan. I greased mine with melted butter.
5.) Bake you keto donuts for circa 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Then remove from oven and let cool fully.
Once they are room temperature, carefully remove them from the pan.
6.) Roll in a bowl with granulated sweetener and enjoy!
Which sweetener should I choose?
I like to use either pure erythritol or an erythritol blend with either monkfruit or stevia. Lakanto is a good brand to check out in the US. You can get 20% off with my code SUGARFREE.
You could also use xylitol – some people find it has less of a cooling taste than erythritol. Xylitol is higher in carbs, so do take this into consideration if you need to. Also, when purchasing xylitol, look for a brand that extracts it from birch trees and not from GMO corn.
A third option is allulose, which is the new zero carb sweetener on the block. It tastes surprisingly similar to sugar. It’s available on on Amazon in the US. In Europe and the UK you can get allulose and Lakanto from mydiet-shop.co.uk.
Use a mini donut pan
As I find almond flour is rather filling – this is because it’s actually got nutritional value and contains plenty of healthy fats, I decided to use a silicone mini donut pan as opposed to a regular size pan.
Silicone pans are a godsend for low carb bakers, because they are pliable and you can release your baked goods much easier. Grain free flours such as almond flour or coconut flour do not contain gluten, which gives regular baked goods their strong crumb structure.
Whether you are using a silicone or a non-stick pan – make sure you grease it REALLY WELL. I used butter, but you could use another oil such as coconut oil. Don’t miss this step!
You can use a larger mould if that’s what you have at home and make 6-7 full size keto donuts. Simply increase the oven time by 5-8 minutes. Cover the top with aluminium foil if they start browning too much.
Don’t have a donut pan? You can use a regular muffin pan as well! Fill it only half way and bake 15 minutes.
One of my readers even used this sugar free donuts recipe to make waffles. It’s that versatile!!
Don’t overfill the batter
In my first attempt, some of my donuts did not have a hole in the middle because I overfilled the mould. I ran a knife around the centre to get my hole “back”.
If you DO end up with hole-less donuts, why not make the best of it. Simply fill the inside of the donut with sugar free raspberry jam or lemon curd. 🙂
To achieve donuts WITH a hole, check out how much I filled my pan in the video and on the step-by-step image.
How many eggs
I used 4 medium eggs in my recipe. If your eggs are large, 3 should be enough.
Check the consistency of your batter and compare it to mine in the video. As a rule of thumb, if your batter is too runny, just add another 1-2 tbsp of almond flour.
See the picture below how lovely and moist they are on the inside!
Dairy free low carb donuts
It’s possible to make this recipe dairy free by replacing the butter with coconut oil and the double / heavy cream with coconut cream.
Coating ideas
I decided to go for a “sugar donut”, because that’s my favourite type. Obviously, I did not use real sugar, but granulated erythritol.
A golden erythritol would also be lovely here. Or, add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the bowl to make cinnamon “sugar”.
If you prefer a glaze, mix 2 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp double/heavy cream and 2 tbsp powdered sweetener with a couple of drops of vanilla extract. Let the mix cool until it starts to firm up, then pour over.
You can also melt dark sugar free chocolate with 1 tsp of coconut oil for a chocolate glaze! If using dark chocolate, go for a variety with a minimum of 85% cocoa solids.
Healthy donuts variations
How about adding 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter and make cinnamon donuts?
Or add 1 tbsp lemon juice and the zest of 1 lemon to make lemon donuts.
Love chocolate? I have a popular recipe for keto chocolate donuts!
How to store keto donuts
Store these donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Sugar Free Keto Donuts
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Ingredients
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour ground almonds work as well
- 1/3 cup / 75g unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup / 50g granulated sweetener
- 4 eggs medium, or 3 large
- 2 tbsp heavy / double cream
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 175 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- Melt the butter. In a bowl or with a food processor, blend the butter, cream and sweetener until smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and blend until combined. Then add the almond flour and baking powder and mix.
- Spoon the dough into a well-greased donut pan. I used a silicone mini donut pan. Do not overfill!
- Bake ca 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Roll in granulated sweetener.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This keto donuts recipe was first posted in May 2018. I updated it with more recipe tips in June 2020.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and purchase a product as a result, I may make a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This money helps me with the running costs of the website. Thank you for supporting Sugar free Londoner.
Karen says
I have regular or tapioca flour – can i use tapioca instead of almond flour?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Karen, I have never tried tapioca flour, so you’d need to check if it’s a 1:1 substitution. As for the regular flour, normally a 1:1 sub works. Start with using a little less though because the almond flour I used in this recipe is coarser and wheat flour is very fine. It will probably absorb more liquid. Try to get your dough to the same consistency as shown in the video. It’s all about the right wet/dry ratio.
Sara says
Hi. Can I check they amount of sweetner. I bought some stevia and 50g was so much so I just put 5g in??
Katrin Nürnberger says
I’m guessing you’re using granulated stevia sweetener. Check that it’s a 1:1 sugar replacement like erythritol. Also, some stevia sweeteners (and also Splenda) are very light in weight, much lighter than erythritol. This means that 50 grams would be way too much – you’d have to measure in US cups. However, if you’re using stevia drops, you would have to calculate how much you need – 1 tsp of sugar equals about 4-5 drops.
Marie C. says
Wow! just made these and they are disappearing fast! They are light, fluffy and easy to make!
I made a chocolate-peanut butter spread and a cream cheese spread…wow!
this recipe has given me my donuts back. I will be making these regularly .
Katrin Nürnberger says
Wonderful! So glad you like them 🙂
CT says
I thought I had almond flour, but it turns out I have GF all-purpose flour. Would I still use 1 cup flour?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I have never tried it myself, but I have read that you can replace wheat flour and almond flour pretty much 1:1. Personally, I would use a little less to start with, because it is finer. Check the consistency of the dough (compare it to mine in the video) and see where you’re at.
Bonnie says
Made donuts today, they came out great. Didn’t have a donut pan so used mini cup cake. Made dount holes I guess. Love cinnamon, so mixed that an butter with sf brown sugar. Then dipped. They wer wonderfuk. Thanks for recipe.
Jeanne Bernadette Rivera says
Hello!
Lovely recipe! Just a question because when I did it, it dint form a dough. It was very runny. I followed the recipe as is and used a food processor. What should I do?
Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
HI Jeanne, if you measured all your ingredients correctly, this could only mean that your eggs were much larger than the ones I used. If you’re making these again, and your batter ends up much runnier than mine, just add an additional tbsp or 2 of almond flour/ground almonds.
Rachelle says
I have made these a few times love them. Looking for some kind of lemon recipe to put in the middle
Katrin Nürnberger says
you could use my lemon curd
Amy says
Thank you for this versatile recipe. I actually made blueberry muffins with it and they turned out incredible, no eggy taste and the texture was soft and spongy, the best recipe by far that I have found! I used 4 large eggs which resulted in a very runny batter so I added another 1/4 cup almond flour. Last night I made hamburger buns, using 3 large eggs and omitted the sweetener and adding a bit of salt. The batter was the right consistency. It made 5 buns, using a muffin-top pan. They turned out perfect and I enjoyed a hamburger on a “real” bun! This is now my go-to bread recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I love how creative you’ve been with this recipe! Thanks for letting us know all the details 🙂
Beverly Carr says
They aren’t Krispie Kream, but they’re low carb!! Thanks! I tried your recipe today; very good! I was going to post a picture of mine, but I didn’t see an option to do that.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Beverly, you can post one on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sugarfreelondoner/ I’d love to see it!
JoyceK says
This is the first site that ever enticed me to try sugar-free baking. My first attempt was Katrin’s chocolate donuts, and they are realllllly good! That emboldened me to go on to other sugar-free recipes to replace what I used to bake. This recipe is equally delicious! Thanks, Katrin, and I hope you write a book soon with all your blog recipes in it!! It would be so handy, and I could get rid of all the paper I have used to print out your fabulous recipes…
Katrin Nürnberger says
Ah, that’s so good to hear! I’m really happy you like what you find here 🙂
Christy Bedford says
I need a little help, please. I had a few issues while baking these little ditties. 1.) When I added my almond flour to the liquid mixture it got a little clumpy, is that normal? 2.) And when I went to make my glaze it also became clumpy should I have melted the butter first? But am I causing an issue with the whipping cream because it is still cool? Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Christy, I used melted butter for both, so maybe that was the issue. But even if you use room temperature butter it should be fine for the dough, as long as you blend with an electric blender long enough for the dough you should end up with a smooth dough. I don’t think it makes much difference whether the whipping cream is cold or room temperature as it’s not a lot.
Christy Bedford says
Ok great! I will try again. I will say I put them in the frig overnight and they tasted great. Not so pretty, but as my Gradfather used to say that all that mattered. Thanks again.
Cindy says
I made these recently and they turned out wonderfully. I did add some fresh blueberries to add a little bit of a different flavor and texture. I felt that when I sprinkled the sugar over them, I could taste the sweetener too much. I also tried a glaze over part of them and felt that failed. But wasn’t discouraged. They still tasted very yummy. I will use a cream cheese glaze on the next batch. Love your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Cindy, what a great idea to add blueberries in these. I bet a cream cheese frosting would be lovely on top! Maybe add some zing with some lemon juice and zest
Ann says
Are your nutritional amounts for regular (6-7) or mini donuts?
Katrin Nürnberger says
My mix made 14 small donuts, so the nutrition is per 1 donut.
Jodi Bennett says
Hi, is there any way to make these dairy-free?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would use coconut oil in place of butter and coconut cream instead of dairy cream.
Bill Heller says
I haven’t tried these donuts yet, but if I want to add cocao to make them chocolate, should I increase one of the liquid ingredients? I’ve had difficulties with cakes being dry. Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger says
I have a great recipe for chocolate donuts! In addition to cocoa powder, I also added melted chocolate to the dough. If you don’t have any, I’d suggest adding a bit extra butter to prevent the donuts from being dry
Genie says
Hi there! I just made these ! I used 2 whole eggs and 2 whites to bypass any eggy taste. Worked just fine. I made them in mini muffin pan and made 22 of these little bites. I also made a sweet cream cheese frosting. Worked good since the donuts aren’t very sweet. Thanks for the recipe !
Katrin Nürnberger says
That sounds delicious! Thanks for letting us know your substitutions.
Luisa Feliz says
Can I use this dough and bake as a pound cake instead?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Luisa, you probably can! You will have to increase the oven time though. It will be a bit of an experiment!
Deb says
I added Thrive’s freeze dried blueberries! They are in the oven now – pretty sure after reading your comments they will be amazing! Mine were more “runny” than yours looked – my eggs were quite large and I’m thinking I probably should have just used 3 of them.
Katrin says
That sounds absolutely delicious!!!! I’m sure the donuts will taste good despite the large eggs. But you’ll now for next time if you think they would improve with one egg less if yours are truly massive.
kimsy says
I also used 4 eggs and had a smoother batter. But mine turned out lovely. How did yours turn out? Blueberries sound amazing!
Amy says
My 11-yr-old son picked this for his school project, partially for me because I’m diabetic. These are easy to make and very yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m overjoyed that I can eat my cake and not have my blood sugar raised too.
Katrin says
I feel honoured that this recipe made it into a school project! Say a big thank you to your son from me 😉
San says
Can you fry these after baking?
Katrin says
I have never tried that but why not? just make sure that you fry them over a very low heat because almond flour burns easily
Shanda Ortiz says
Really good. Left out the heavy cream on accident, but they still turned out amazing! My husband was convinced the batter would make good waffles and so we plugged in the waffle maker and had a waffle. Very good. I also microwaved some of the batter in a small bowl (mug cake style) and thought it was really good. I think I liked the microwaved cake better than the donut. Any way you cook this batter it is amazing!
Katrin says
I did not realise the batter was such an all-rounder!! Thanks for sharing 😉
Jo says
Oh my goodness, thankyou so much for this recipie!!! I recently found out I have gestational diabetes and have a massive sweet tooth and these doughnuts were so easy to make, I won’t lie, I was sceptical and imagined they’d taste very eggy but they are perfect with recipies this good maybe I can leave sugar out of my diet once baby arrives too 🙂
Katrin says
First of all, congrats on the pregnancy! It’s the beginning of all kinds of wonderful things (and lots of work, haha!) I’m so happy you found my site and that you like the recipe. Let me know if you try anything else, I’d love to hear what you think!
Daffy says
I followed your recipe exactly but only subbed out the vanilla for almond extract. I filled standard cupcake tins half full and baked at 350 for 15 minutes-PERFECT!
Let them cool and split them to be topped with sweetened whipped cream and strawberries…HEAVENLY!
Thanks for this recipe that can be tweaked to suit nearly any sweet craving one may have 😉
Katrin says
Mmmmh, I do love almond extract. Great variation!
Eniko says
Our favourite one. My hubby’s keep asking for it
Katrin says
That’s good to hear!!