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:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener, or other erythritol
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp stevia
- Oil for frying, coconut, grapeseed, etc.
Coating:
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
- 1/4 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 2/3 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 1/2 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!).
Notes
Nutrition
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These were so great! I decided to go a bit of a different rout, I used your basic recipe but added orange zest and spices like fresh nutmeg and cinnamon. I didn’t want to fry them completely, so I browned them lightly in coconut oil after baking and then topped them with creamcheese frosting made from cream cheese, oj, a little date sugar and stevia. They were amazing and I think this batter would make great waffle batter too! Can’t wait to devour the rest of your site!
Sounds fantastic!
I’m so excited to make these. I looked up Swerve Sweetener & it’s costly. Would a less expensive sweetener work? I use maple syrup in my baking — though that’s costly too (not sure how it compares to Swerve Sweetener.
You could use any sweetener in the donuts, although maple syrup may add a little too much liquid (you can offset with a touch more coconut flour, like a teaspoon or two). For the coating, you really need some sort of powdered sweetener. If you don’t use sugar, you can powder your own erythritol or xylitol in a coffee grinder. That should work.
Can I swap almond milk for unsweetened coconut milk? My son has a nut allergy?
Sure. Try to get the kind in a carton because it has less fat in it and is thinner. Makes for a better consistency that the really thick coconut milk.
Oh good! That’s what I have. Thank you for the quick response:)
You are a genius! Thank you!!!
These were SUPER dry! I added another egg and 1/4 of almond milk to get more of a batter consistency…but they were still super dry when they were done.
What brand of coconut flour did you use?
Eating these as we speak. OMG, they are fabulous! I love the fresh donuts we would get at a farmer’s market, but sadly they were not low carb. These rival those!
So glad you like them!
Could I sub the Sweve for more Stevia… don’t have Swerve yet but wanna make them?
In the donuts, maybe, but not in the coating. Even if you had powdered stevia, it’s far too strong and sweet to make a good coating. But you could still coat in the shredded coconut!
Made these for breakfast. Soft and tender nice flavor, I was glad I used extra large eggs. The flavor is great, they are filling and satisfying. Nice recipe.
Have you ever made ahead and put in freezer?
No, but that’s a fantastic idea. I’d thaw them before attempting to fry.
Hi Carolyn I just baked these and they were amazing!! Our teenagers loved them I added some cinnamon with ours …. Well done . Love your recipes 🙂 🙂
Thanks, Michelle!
Awesome! Can you tell me how the batter is like? Cause we have “Oliebollen” in The Netherlands with New Years Eve and I wondered if I can only fry them like donut holes? Original the Oliebollen are made with an yeast dough and are a little crispy on the outside (deep frying pan).
Sorry for the delayed reply. These won’t hold together just with frying, you would need to bake them first.
Will this technique work with one of your almond flour recipes? Not a big fan of coconut, but would really like to try your cinnamon donut recipe and fry it.
I am sure it would!
Great! Definitely making them this weekend. I have been wanting some type of fall/spicy document so I’m excited!
oh my! my! my! Is low carb, gluten free food allowed to taste THIS GOOD?!?!?! How you come up with these FABULOUS recipes is beyond me. I paired these with your AMAZING browned butter frosting/glaze. Since they were warm when I glazed them the glaze melted n made them perfect to dip into the toasted coconut mixture 🙂 We also enjoyed these with out frying them with the browned butter frosting. The three recipes I’ve tried of yours so far have been total “love at first bite” 😉 I did use whole milk in both donut recipes as I’m out of almond milk. Also used raw sugar instead of swerve n stevia. We are not diabetic or gluten free but would like to loose weight n be healthier. THANK-YOU again for sharing!!!! <3
Is your husband recovering well? I cannot imagine experiencing what you did in seeing my hubby get hit! Praise The Lord He kept the accident from being worse. I will say a prayer for your family. (((hugs)))
So glad you liked them! Yes, my husband is recovering well, thank you for asking.
Greetings! I am new to low carbing and was wondering, do you use this same recipe for baked donuts? So THANK-FUL to have stumbled across your blog! Really excited about using your recipes. Thank-you for sharing 🙂
Hi Janet…I have a ton of baked donut recipes. Try typing donut into my search box at the top and I think you will find several recipes. Also, these are good just as they are, without frying them after baking.
Thank-you for taking time to reply :-). There is something else I’ve been wondering….. I make our Almond Milk and am wondering if it will work in your recipes or if I need to buy a certain brand? Thank-you in advance for your time 🙂
I think it will work just fine. It’s about getting the right liquid content mostly.
Can you substitute the almond flour for cream or milk
I think you maybe mean almond milk? Try a mix of cream and water.
I love donuts! I never miss a breakfast at dunkin donuts every week! But this recipe will definitely make me stay home and make me some healthy and gluten free donuts! Yummy! http://xobakingco.com/
My gluten free kiddo is dying for donuts! I can’t wait to try these!
I am so excited about your book series featuring you blog recipes!! I know they will be great and I can’t wait to purchase them.
Nothing beats a good donut! These look fabulous!
I made these this morning and they are great. I couldn’t find a donut pan at Target and didn’t feel like driving around so I bought a cake-pop pan and made donut holes 🙂 I also halved the recipe and got 12 donut holes (it nicely filled the entire pan). I also fried them in lard since it’s cheaper, but they didn’t get crispy. Perhaps grapeseed or coconut oil fries differently? Or it’s been so long since I had a donut I don’t remember the texture? lol. My next batch will have pumpkin seasoning.
If I used an actual deep fryer is the process any different? i would use peanut oil I think.
I have no idea because I don’t have a deep fryer. Sorry!
I have one, might try it out and let you know. I use grapeseed oil in my deepfryer. Will have to wait until I put fresh oil in, I use it mostly for savory things so the oil has some paprika and whatnot in it.