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 The main reason why some baked goods don't rise is out-of date baking powder.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, the UK and elsewhere you can get allulose and Lakanto from iherb.
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 ½ 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
Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour ground almonds work as well
- ⅓ cup / 75g unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup / 50g granulated sweetener (So Nourished)
- 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.
Lucretia Goodwin says
Absolutely amazing!!!
B says
Heyy, it's my third day on keto but i won't make these until a week or so. My question was, realistically, if i ate 2 of these doughnuts, will this stall my weight loss? xx
Katrin says
Hi there, if you're focusing on eating savoury foods with plenty of vegetables and the occasional treat in between, you should be fine. I'd stick to one at a time though 🙂
Kimberly says
Absolutely love this recipe and loved they did not use coconut flour as i don't like coconut lol. I have a silicon mold ( love it) but it 9 regular sized donuts and i am having trouble figuring out how to tweak the recipe to fill all 9 spots otherwise i dont get 6 our oit. Can you please advise 🙂
Katrin says
Hi Kimberly, I'd try to increase the amounts of the ingredients by 1/2 each. That way you should have enough to fill all 9 moulds!
Chloe says
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I'm a month into keto and I have never craved a donut more in my life. This recipe was extremely quick to make and definitely a 14/10. I did have one question. I used a muffin tin so I had a total of 12 servings and I used myfitnesspal to calculate the total carbs. I found that if I subtracted fiber from the total carbs to get net carbs I got only 0.6 carbs PER little donut! Is this recipe really that amazing or did I mess up in my calculations somewhere??
Thank you for your amazing recipes!!
Katrin says
Glad yo like them!! Nutritional values can differ from brand to brand, so it may be that the almond flour saved in your fitness pal has a lower carb count. The carbs should be somewhere around my or your calculation - both pretty good. 🙂
Kathy says
From experience, I found when I craved sweets it meant I had overdone my carbs!! That just means, enjoy and find your personal level of carb tolerance. I was did Atkins and kept weight off (100 lbs.) for 15 years. I still watch carbs.
Di says
Hi
How long will these keep? Should they be kept in the fridge?
Katrin says
I think they're fine on the counter for a couple of days and up to 1 week in the fridge.
Melissa Fikuart says
These donuts really hit the spot this morning! I added a little cinnamon to the batter before baking and then dredged them in cinnamon sugar (erythritol, monk fruit blend sweetener) after I popped them out of the pan. So light, not too dense and just sweet enough. The donut itself was tender and just downright delicious! Thank you for all your recipes!! I have been keto for coming up on 2 years now and have tried some of your other recipes, which were all delicious too. I have a blog about my keto journey and recipes I have found and I will be sure to share your recipe for these donuts (giving you full credit of course). Thank you for all you do !!
Katrin says
Hi Melissa, I'm so glad you like the recipe! Adding cinnamon to the batter sounds great. I've been meaning to make the donuts again and add some Christmassy spices to such as cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. So you got there before me! I must check out your blog too 🙂 I'd be very happy for you to share the donuts - you're welcome to use a photo of mine (if you want to) with a link to my recipe (please don't copy the text of the recipe itself). Thank you!
Tessa says
I threw these in the air fryer for a few mins on 400 and they are delightful! Thanks 🙂
Katrin says
THanks for your comment. It's so helpful to know how you can tweak the recipe!!!!
Patti says
Yum!!! And I just passed up a sale that Amazon had on donut pans!!!
Katrin says
There’s always Christmas 😉
Rashila says
Is there an alternative to eggs please?
Katrin says
Vegans make a flax egg out of flax and water, but I'm not sure how this would change the taste of these donuts.
Jessie says
Hi...
I JUST FOUND OUT IM PREDIABETIC. I M CRUSHED. I RUN AND TAKE CARE OF MYSELF. ITS GENETICS...MY BIRTHDAY IS OCT 15...MY KIDS ALWAYS BUY ME A BIRTHDAY CAKE FROM AN ELITE BAKERY. I CANT HAVE IT THIS YEAR. I M NEW TO ALL THIS...DO YOU HAVE A CAKE RECIPE? AND DO THE SUGARS HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM? ESPECIALLY LITTLE ONES.
THANKS IN ADVANCE
Katrin says
Hi Jessie, I'm so sorry to hear about this. The good news is though that you can reverse even full-blown type 2 diabetes with a low carb diet. And once you get into it, you won't feel like you're missing out at all. I haven't made a big cake in a while - I'm planning on posting a couple of recipes soon. You could check out my healthy almond berry cake or this recipe for a chocolate mug cake which a reader recently made into a cake with great success. Any of the muffin and cupcake recipes can be turned into a cake too, if you increase the baking time by a bit. I'm glad you found my site and hope you'll try some of the recipes on it. Is it too early to wish you a happy birthday, too? 😉
Angie says
Any idea what the protein macro is on these?
Katrin says
I just added it - it's 3.6g per donut
Edna G Luna says
what heavy/double cream do you use?
Katrin says
I live in the UK, so I use the double cream from either Sainsbury's or Waitrose, which are my local supermarkets. I often but the Yeo Valley organic double cream brand, which has 45% fat. In the US double cream is called heavy cream.
Edna G Luna says
Thank You!!! i'm excited to try this recipe!
BETH BRANDT says
I am so confused I made these today and they were delish! however when I added the ingredients( I used exactly as listed it gives me 7 grams of carbs per doughnut?
Katrin says
I can only guess here - we‘d have to compare the individual ingredients. The one thing I think it could be is that I never count in the erythritol - it has carbs but as they are not absorbed by the body I do not include it.
Fiona says
Is the mixture supposed to be really runny before putting in the tin? Tastes okay from the bowl!,
Not sure if I've done anything wrong but they are currently in the oven so here's hoping they turn out okay!,
I used Ground Almonds instead of flour and wondered if that would make a difference?
Katrin says
Mine was not super-runny, kind of soft instead - you can check the consistency in the video. Ground almonds are fine. Most almond flours are no more and no less than ground almonds anyway 🙂 - it's only the super fine fat reduced almond flour such as the Sukrin brand that behaves significantly different to regular ground almonds. It might have been that your eggs were larger than the ones I used? Let me know how they turned out.
Nan says
Can you use the electric mini donut Baker?
Katrin says
I’ve Never tried, but if it’s there for making donuts it should work. I find that pancake and waffle batter, for example, are pretty much interchangeable - different cooking methods, same result. This one is a little bit thicker, but not dissimilar
T T says
Is there an alternative to the almond flour?
Katrin says
You could try coconut flour, but you'd have to use less. Start with 1/3 the amount, wait a few minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid and check the consistency. Coconut flour absorbs a lot more liquid than almond flour. Normally, when concerting almond flour recipes use 1/3 - 1/2 the amount of flour if using coconut flour.
Darcy says
Coconut flour behaves differently than almond or any other low carb flour. I'd suggest making your own nut lower based on whatever nut(s) you like. For example, I'd use hazel nuts and sesame seed flours, conbined.
Ashley says
I made these just a few minutes ago following the posted recipe. I noticed in the photos yours look more like a dough consistency while mine was more like cake batter.....hoping they work! Which is right--dough like or ore liquid?
Katrin says
The thickness of your mix can vary slightly depending on the size of eggs and the consistency of the almond flour. Most of the time, the end result will be yummy. Let me know how yours works out, and then you can always make your own variations next time.
Tory Jourdain-Hutchins says
Absolutely fabulous. Drizzled them with melted Atkins chocolate.
Katrin says
Chocolate drizzle - what a great idea!
tracy says
LOVE THESE. . super easy to make .. I added a few drops of vanilla liquid stevia... yum!
Katrin says
Great news! I'm happy they hit the spot 🙂
Alex says
I entered all of these ingredients into carb manager and I’m really upset that it’s 6 net carbs as opposed to your 1.9. What is wrong?
Katrin says
You'd have to look at the single ingredients listed in your carb manager to see where the difference could have happened. I based the calculations on Bob's red Mill almond flour, for example. Had I used simple ground almonds/almond meal, the carb content would have been roughly the same, but the fibre content would have been higher. I also do not include erythritol in the carb count as polyols are not digested. I use the calculator on sparkrecipes
Betty says
What can I use as a substitute for heavy whipping cream?
Katrin says
You could try coconut cream, or maybe milk, I'd use 1 tbsp instead of 2 because it's more liquid than the cream. It's about keeping to the same wet/dry ratio so your donuts come out nice and moist and spongy
Nicole says
I didn't have the patience to wait until I acquired a donut pan... so I essentially made donut-cakes... still delicious, kids and I are consuming them with the glaze at the very moment! I've been on Keto for a few weeks now and gluten free for years, and I know I have to respect when I have a true craving for a food I can't eat anymore. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe so I can enjoy a donut again.
Katrin says
Donut cakes - sounds perfect! I'm glad you all liked them!!
AMommyBiz says
I did the same!!! My lil one and I didn’t want to wait to get the donut pan so donut/cupcakes it is lol and 10mins to go!! Very excited.
Daniehl says
Are these donuts crumbly? I’ve tried low carb donuts in the past and they crumble apart so I’m hoping for something that doesn’t. Thanks.
Katrin says
They are not crumbly at all, actually. The only thing I'd recommend is to wait until they have cooled down before you release them from the mould, because they are more fragile when hot. I hope you'll give them a try - and if you do, let me know what you think of them!
Ramona W. says
They’re in the oven RIGHT NOW!! Can’t wait to try them! I’ve used the lakanto monkfruit seeetner... fingers crossed ☺️
Katrin says
Great! Let me know what you think of them 🙂
Adam M says
Oh yeah, just made these with my wife for date night. I've tried, and bought, a few different low carb /sugar donuts and deserts. I have found all of them to be very dense, Eventually giving up making a yummy keto desert.
These on the other hand are actually soft and fluffy which I have been craving for a year and a half.
#guiltfreedonuts
Thank you for this recipe
Katrin says
That's great to hear! I'm glad they were a success. And you've got a lucky wife 🙂 I'm going to suggest to my husband he should start baking for date night!!
Kathy says
Yum! Just made these! They are so light & yummy! Can’t wait to make more in different flavors! I put cinnamon in the batter, that’s why they are darker & put cinnamon sugar on them!
Katrin says
Great to hear they were are success! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Jenny says
Delicious. We made a batch yesterday. The hardest thing was to stop myself from having seconds. And thirds...
Katrin says
I know that feeling!!! I try to get around that by freezing the batch soon after baking. If they're out of sight it gets a bit easier.... but not much!
Megan B says
I want to make them this weekend. Do you have a recipe for a chocolate glaze?
Katrin says
Hello Megan, sure! I loved the chocolate glaze I used for my chocolate chip Keto mug cake. If you want a glaze that hardens, just use the chocolate chips and butter and leave out the cream. If you cannot get hold of sugar free chocolate chips, use a very dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids minimum) instead. se the ratio of chocolate and butter and add stevia glycerite or powdered erythritol required to sweeten further.
Linda says
This is the best low carb donut recipe i've ever tried. They taste so REAL!
Katrin says
Thank you so much for the thumbs up. Feeling honoured 🙂
Barbara says
These donuts look incredible. I've just ordered a mold so I can make them asap. I'll keep you posted!!
Katrin says
Great news! Can't wait to find out how you like the recipe
Joanie says
Made these yesterday and they taste amazing! I added a bit of cinnamon to the sweetener which worked a treat. Thank you for another great recipe.
Joanne says
I always keep almond flour in my pantry, and these donuts are going on my baking list this weekend.
Katrin says
Can't wait to hear how it went!!