Low Carb Coconut Flour Donuts have real fried donut flavour. Grain-free and gluten-free, this homemade fried donuts recipe makes the best sugar free donuts I’ve ever eaten.
I am about to toot my own horn here. You ready for this? You might want to stand back, it’s going to be a bit loud. Cover your ears!
YIPPEE, I MADE FRIED COCONUT FLOUR DONUTS! Sorry about the all caps, but it needed to be done. I needed to shout a little bit, because coconut flour is such a tricky ingredient and getting it to fry up without disintegrating in the oil is a sweet little accomplishment for me. And by sweet, I mean sweet with that real fried donut flavour. Baked donuts are all very well and good and I love them, but this homemade fried donuts recipe is everything a donut should be.
And I am very thankful for whoever invented the donut pan, as it allows us home cooks to easily whip up baked donuts for breakfast. But let’s face it…baked donuts are really donut-shaped muffins or cupcakes. As a general rule, I am okay with that. It’s really a lovely thing to have another shape for my muffins and my cupcakes, especially since they delight my kids so much. Somehow, being circular with a hole in the middle makes those donut muffins that much more exciting to my kids.
Fried Coconut Flour Donuts
But fried donuts are another creature altogether. They have an intensity that is unrivaled by other baked goods, by virtue of the fact that they are fried. In fat. And in my world, that’s a very good thing. A healthy thing, assuming you are using quality oils and not yucky processed or hydrogenated stuff. Quality oils will soak beautifully into fried donuts, giving them a deeper, more satisfying flavour. And they will be good for you too, as long as they are not full of sugar and other carbs. They will keep you full longer, give you more energy and increase your good cholesterol. All that from a fried donuts recipe? You bet.
But here’s the tricky part. Almond flour and coconut flour don’t really lend themselves well to being cooked in oil. Lacking the magical binding properties of gluten, things made with almond or coconut flour tend to simply disintegrate when subjected to hot oil. I’ve tried it before, and ended up with a pan of oil and a lot of little bits floating around. Fried coconut flour crumbs don’t quite have the caché of fried coconut donuts, do they? Plus I wasn’t ever sure how to get a nice round donut with a hole in the middle without special equipment. But my solution to this was rather brilliant, if I do say so myself.
I baked them first and THEN I fried them. Yup. These coconut flour donuts are baked and fried, and they’re awesome. This way, they hold their round, lovely shape, they soak in some lovely, healthy oil, and they taste phenomenal. It’s an extra step, but it’s so worth it!
PS – I highly recommend using the Wilton Non-stick Donut Pan. I had a cheaper one, with smaller cavities, and it’s non-stick ability wore off quite quickly. My kids bought the Wilton version for me for Mother’s Day and it’s been a treat to use. Treat it kindly so it keeps non-sticking for a while! I help my donuts release by inserting a thin rubber spatula between the donuts and the pan, and I always clean it with a soft cloth.
Looking for more tasty donut recipes? These Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donuts from Gluten-Free Palate and these maple-bacon doughnuts from It’s Yummi look amazing. They are not low carb, but I bet the recipes could be adapted!
Fried Coconut Flour Donuts – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Donuts:
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon stevia
- Oil for frying coconut, grapeseed, etc.
Coating:
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut lightly toasted
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or other powdered erythritol
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and grease a donut pan well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in eggs, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla and stevia until well combined and batter is smooth.
- Fill wells in donut pan about ⅔ full (you will have leftover batter and will need to do another batch).
- Bake about 16 minutes, or until set and just barely brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter (I got 10 donuts out of my pan).
- In a large skillet, add oil so it is about ½ inch deep. Heat over medium heat.
- While oil is heating, combine toasted coconut and powdered sweetener in a medium bowl.
- Once the oil is hot, add 5 or 6 donuts to the pan. Flip after 1 to 2 minutes (they brown quickly), and cook the other side another minute or so. Remove from the pan and quickly dip each side in the coconut coating, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Let cool slightly on wire rack (they are really good warm out of the oil!).
Darlene Sudderth says
Hey Carolyn!!! Can you tell me what kind of coconut flour you used? I used the Bob’s Red Mill and these were dry as a bone when baking, so i didnt fry them as they were dry and crumbly. I just wondered if it could have been my cocnut flour. The batter seemed too dry also. I followed the recipe exactly. Will wait to hear from you before I try again!! Thanks so much!!
Carolyn says
I used Bob’s Red Mill as well, it’s all I have in my pantry. Sounds to me like there wasn’t enough oil or eggs. Perhaps your eggs were on the small side? Not sure. I’ve heard that even the same brand of coconut flour can vary from bag to bag, but I’ve never had this problem at all. So for the next time, be ready with a touch more oil and a touch more liquid for the batter and add a bit at a time until you have the right consistency. They shouldn’t be dry at all, mine were very moist.
Darlene says
Thanks!!!! I’ll give it a try!!
Carolyn says
Also possible that your oven runs hot, so try reducing the temp by 10 or 20 degrees too.
Linda R says
Carolyn,
You are a genius!! I keep waiting for you to come out with your own cookbook. I have the cookbooks you did with those other great cooks and enjoy them, but would love to have one with only your recipes and your great photography.
Linda
P.S. Have you thought of creating a low carb recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie?
Carolyn says
Well, I am working on a cookbook series of my own as we speak, but it’s going to be recipes straight from my blog (I won’t charge too much for them because of this). Readers have been begging me for this kind of thing for a long time and I just had a designer create a template in InDesign for me. Now I am trying to get comfortable with InDesign!
And I’d be happy to tackle Lemon Meringue Pie…someday. 🙂
Heather from Canada says
I’d be happy to post my lemon curd recipe if you’re interested, and I believe you have meringue on your site already, plus the crust from the coconut cream pie?
Cecelia says
Could you please give me your recipe for lemon curd ?
Carolyn says
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/04/mini-lemon-bundt-cakes-with-lemon-curd-filling-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
Jean B. says
I really, really hope I will be able to buy your cookbooks locally because I am not really into ordering things online. It would be so nice to be able to consult your books instead of hunting around in my files and emails.
Carolyn says
Sorry, Jean but they aren’t sold in bookstores, unfortunately. There isn’t enough of a market for them.
Janey says
Wow I just saw this comment Carolyn and thought how wonderful that that’s changed!!! How things have developed since 2013! You trailblazer 🙂
Cecelia says
YA. Can’t wait.
Debbie gunter says
My son can sometimes handle coconut palm sugar and mostly does kal brand stevia -any suggestions on replacing the 1/4 cup swerve? He hasn’t had a donut in three years so thank you!
Carolyn says
For the actual donuts, you can replace with the palm sugar. Not sure about how you’d do the powdered coating but you could try powdering coconut sugar in a coffee grinder.
Donna says
These look awesome and I am going to try them soon. I love glazed donuts also so will try what another poster said. thanks for all your great recipes.
Donna
Jean B. says
This is further evidence of your total brilliance. I noticed at once the lack of the words “deep-fat-fried” in the recipe’s name, but ere I got to the bottom of the ingredient list, I was gearing up to ask whether this approach meant one could then fry the doughnuts in shallow fat. Then I saw that you did! Yippee! Thanks so much for your experimentation and the excellent recipes.
Marianna says
Yum! These are absolutely delicious! I made mine with a glaze made of coconut oil, powdered swerve and warm water. I love glazed donuts! Thanks so very much for this recipe!
Carolyn says
Love your glaze adaptation!
chris says
It has been a long time since I’ve had a donut. I am very excited to taste these!!!! Thank You!!
missy says
these look GREAT! I may have missed it….did you fry these in coconut oil?
Carolyn says
I did a combo of coconut oil and grapeseed, since I was running low of just coconut.
Jess says
These look so good. I need to buy a donut pan immediately!
Heather from Canada says
Thank you!!! Am buying a donut pan tomorrow, I recently spotted one in my local small town grocery store (recommended brand and everything!). I will do a cinnamon and powdered Swerve dusting with mine though. Yum.
Sarah G says
I AM SO EXCITED!! Doughnuts are my ABSOLUTE favorite, former indulgence! YAY!!
Melanie E. says
I want a donut!!!!!!
Also, thank you for the recipe. Looks awesome!
teresa says
I do not yet have a donut pan, would a mini-bundt pan work as well? by only filling halfway? Or is there another type of pan that would give better results?
Carolyn says
A mini bundt is going to give you an irregular shape that might be a little harder to fry evenly, but I don’t see why it won’t work if you watch them carefully.
Scarlett Burnette says
I’d like to know about the texture? Does the graininess of the coconut flour change from frying?
Carolyn says
I don’t find any graininess with coconut flour, as long as you are using enough eggs.
Anna says
omg is all I can say. I have been dreaming of this!
Teri says
I’ve done that double-cooking method for years on other foods – mainly to make sure the food was cooked first before I fried it since frying is kind of an art I never mastered 🙂 But this is amazing! I’m going to halve the recipe (thank-you for the even number of eggs) or I might be able to quarter it… Anyway, gonns have donuts on Saturday.
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s so great when a recipe can be halved. But even if you have an uneven number of eggs, you can half a recipe by whisking one egg in a glass measuring cup and then measuring out half of it.
Katharine says
Yum yum yum!!!
Belenda says
Ohhh, P.S. – I’ll be subbing chocolate glaze for the “icing” since they won’t eat it if I do the coconut topping.
Carolyn says
Do what you’ve gotta do! 🙂
Belenda says
I can’t wait to try these! I have coconut oil and coconut palm oil – both tropical traditions brand. Do you think the coconut palm oil would infuse too much coconut flavor? I haven’t cooked with the palm oil yet. But I thought I had read that palm oil is better for frying. Am hoping you’ve experienced using this in your cooking projects? Or anyone else?? I have a bunch of sensitive family that are not fond of heavy coconut smell or flavor…..
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried the palm oil either, but coconut oil has a lot of coconut flavour so I think either one would be about the same.
Marianna says
Have you tried the expeller-pressed coconut oil from tropical traditions? It is a bland tasting oil because “it goes through a steam deodorizing process.” Since I have friends and family that don’t like the taste of coconut I buy this in bulk and it works great for all my recipes that call for coconut oil.
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/expeller-pressed_coconut_oil.htm
Carole says
Late comment on this topic, but I use the organic palm shortening from Tropical Traditions for all frying because it has a very high smoke point and a neutral flavor. The expeller pressed coconut oil is good as well, but you can fry in higher temperatures in the organic palm shortening. I’m excited to try these today. My daughter was diagnosed type 2 just 3 weeks ago. We were already gluten free, but the added restrictions are tough! This should make her happy. Thank you for all of the recipes!
Inez says
I am also type II diabetic. I watched Sarah Hallberg on a TED talk and I have been empowered to go NO GPS (grain, potatoes and sugar). I rely on great low carb cooks like All Day I Dream for food to keep me on track. When you find your groove cooking this way you will wonder how you ever survived on all those nasty carbs. I cannot tell you how much better I feel. But my lab tests are the real proof positive: Cholesterol down 19.2 percent, A1c down to 6.2, Liver enzymes normal for the first time in 20 years–after just 3 months of going low carb, high fat. Fat is satisfying!! And I find that I crave good vegetables now. Eating carbs makes me crave carbs. Nope, nope, nope! Not going back! Oh, I forgot to mention, I kicked my metformin to the curb, too. So there.
Inez says
Also, my son, who was getting a little heavy, has taken to making himself aware of how many carbs he was getting in just the junk kids eat. He has grown 4 inches and dropped 7 or 8 lbs. He sure runs a lot faster this year than last. He still indulges in junk, but he is more aware and limits himself on those treats. He chooses healthier snacks like a cheese stick, a handful of nuts or a crisp pickle.
Carolyn says
Great job!
Heidi says
What you want to use is REFINED coconut oil. It tastes like nothing. Virgin coconut oil tastes like coconut.
Angie says
I just have to say you are AWESOME! Thank you for the recipe. My kids will be thanking you too!
Carolyn says
Well, thank you kindly, Angie!!!
Maria says
Hey Mrs. Carolyn! I’m so happy you’ve made this post. I am a college student at UT Austin and I am writing you inquiring about these fries donuts. I noticed that baking powder is needed but I am allergic to it because it has corn. I am planning on surprising my roommates with heart shaped donuts on Valentine’s day Saturday and I need your help! Could I just use baking soda instead? What’s a better alternative?
Best,
Maria
Maria says
In addition! I don’t have a heart shaped baking pan :/ can I use the heart cookie cutter, bake then dry them? Thanks again!
Carolyn says
No, that won’t work. These are not yeasted donuts that hold their shape, they need to be baked in a pan.
Carolyn says
Not all baking powder contains corn. This Hain brand has potato starch instead of cornstarch: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GWW042/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004GWW042&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&linkId=WQ4YPMNXXSXMXY6G
Maria says
awesome! I ordered that baking powder. Thanks for that. So I was thinking maybe I could bake the batter in a regular pan then use my cookie cutter for the hearts then fry it? Would that work ??
Carolyn says
Yes, that should work fine.
Dee D’Amico says
Carolyn, Is it possible to make the chocolate donuts out of Coconut flour and then fry? Also, I so love maple cream sticks. Do you have any recipes that would allow me to make a fried cream stick? Just hopeful. ❤️ BTW, I recently bought your Keto Baking cook book.
Carolyn says
Absolutely, I think this trick would work with just about any baked brownie. My only caveat with the chocolate ones is to watch them carefully as being darker, it will be harder to tell if they are burning.