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    Home » Keto Breakfast » Keto King Cake Donuts

    Published: Feb 2, 2021 by Carolyn

    Keto King Cake Donuts

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    1.2K shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These tender almond flour donuts have a ribbon of cinnamon in the center and are decorated to look just like mini King Cakes. Perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras!

    Titled image of king cake donuts with one in front and a stack in behind, on a white table.

    I really wanted to be bringing you a full Keto King Cake recipe today. I tried, I really tried!

    Alas, it was not to be. I tried to make a king cake out of a sweet version of my keto bagels, and although it was absolutely delicious, it fell a little flat.

    And I mean that quite literally. It puffed and then it spread out and flattened and was less than impressive looking and certainly not at all like the rounded dome of the New Orleans classic.

    So you’re just going to have to settle for king cake donuts today. While I have some ideas on how to correct my cake, I don’t have time to try it out before Mardis Gras.

    A keto king cake donuts sits on a white plate, with Mardi gras beads off to the side. A cup of coffee and more donuts in the background.

    Donuts make perfect mini king cakes!

    Many people think that king cake is just a round cake with white glaze and purple, green, and yellow sprinkles. I’ve seen many a bundt cake passed off as a king cake.

    It’s actually more of a sweet bread dough with a cinnamon filling, rolled up and baked in a circle. And that’s what I was aiming for with my fathead dough version.

    When it didn’t work out to my satisfaction, I decided to pivot and make donuts with fun Mardi Gras colors instead.

    But I wanted to stay somewhat true to the original cake. So instead of just making keto cinnamon donuts, I decided to make a cinnamon filling and bake that in the center.

    Pretty tasty stuff, I have to say!

    Close up shot of a plate with keto king cake donuts, one broken open to show the cinnamon filling.

    Decorating Keto King Cake

    Before we go any further, we need to discuss how best to decorate your donuts so they really resemble king cakes.

    First you need a stark white glaze. Sometimes it contains cream cheese but sometimes it’s simply powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cream or water. I went with the simpler version, made with powdered Swerve, for these donuts.

    But the tri-colored sanding sugars on top are part of what make king cakes so distinctive and I wasn’t about to skip out on that. Of course, I wasn’t about to use real sugar either.

    The Sprinkle Company to the rescue! They’ve got gorgeous sanding “sugar” (made with erythritol) in a multitude of colors. I have been eyeing them for a while and decided I would purchase the whole set for myself for the holidays.

    My friend Deana of Good Dee’s also makes some sanding “sugar” in yellow and pink. No other colors at the moment.

    But if you can’t order any of these, you can also make your own sanding sugar with erythritol or any granulated sweetener. I’ve done this before and it’s fun and easy.

    You just need to mix a bit of food coloring in with the sweetener. These all natural powders work well because there is no moisture so it won’t make your sweetener clump together. Start with just a little sprinkle at a time, as they are extremely potent.

    Keto king cake donut batter in a pan with cinnamon filling, before being baked.

    How to make keto king cake donuts

    These are easy and fun, and a great way to celebrate Mardi Gras, keto style! Here are my best tips for getting it right:

    Prep the cinnamon filling

    Do this first so that it’s ready to go when your donut batter is ready. This is meant to be thin and somewhat liquid, so you can simply drizzle it into the donut batter.

    Make the donut batter

    I find that whipping the donut batter in either a good blender or a food processor makes for a lighter, fluffier, and more cohesive mixture. From there, it’s easy to simply spoon it into the donut pan.

    If you don’t have a good strong blender or food processor, simply mix the wet and dry ingredients together in a bowl.

    Assemble the donuts

    Spoon a little donut batter into each donut well, enough so that it covers the bottom of each. Then simply drizzle a bit of the cinnamon filling around the center of the donut cavity and top with the remaining batter.

    Make the glaze

    The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle over the donuts and spread to the edges, but thick enough so that it leaves a nice coating and doesn’t disappear into them.

    I usually start by spooning it over the donuts and then use the spoon to spread it to the edges. A little may drip down the sides but you don’t want it sliding off too much.

    Sprinkle with sanding “sugar”

    I did alternating sections of green, purple, and yellow to mimic a real king cake. You only need a few pinches of the sugar-free sanding sugars for each section of the donut.

    For the whole batch of donuts, you probably need 1 to 2 tablespoons of each color. That’s all it takes!

    Close up shot of a keto king cake donut on a cooling rack

    More delicious keto donut recipes

    • Keto Maple Bacon Donuts
    • Keto Chocolate Donuts
    • Keto Donettes (chocolate dipped mini donuts)
    • Keto Lemon Poppyseed Donuts
    • Lemon Vanilla Protein Donuts
    • Keto Blueberry Donuts
    Close up shot of a keto king cake donut on a cooling rack

    Keto King Cake Donuts

    These tender almond flour donuts have a ribbon of cinnamon in the center and are decorated to look just like mini King Cakes. Perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: keto king cake, king cake donuts
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 8 donuts
    Calories: 227kcal

    Ingredients

    Cinnamon Filling

    • 1 ½ tablespoon butter melted
    • 2 teaspoon Swerve Brown
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

    Donut Batter

    • ⅓ cup sour cream or greek yogurt
    • 2 large eggs
    • ⅓ cup Swerve Granular
    • 3 tablespoon water
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ¾ cup almond flour
    • ¼ cup unflavored whey protein (or egg white protein powder)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Glaze and Decoration

    • ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
    • 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
    • 2 tsp lemon juice
    • Sugar-free Sanding "sugars" Green, yellow, and purple
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    Cinnamon Filling

    • In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar replacement, and cinnamon until well combined.

    Donuts

    • Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a donut pan very well. This makes 8 regular donuts so grease 8 wells. If your pan only holds 6 wells, you may need to work in batches.
    • In a blender or food processor, combine the sour cream, eggs, sweetener, water, and vanilla extract and blend to combine. Add the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth.
    • Spoon enough batter into the well of each donut cavity to cover the bottom. Drizzle a little of the cinnamon filling over each and then top with the remaining batter.
    • Bake 12 to 22 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 15 minutes in the pan. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Glaze and Decoration

    • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener, cream, and lemon juice. Spread over the tops of the donuts. If your glaze is very thick, thin it out just a bit with a teaspoon or two of water.
    • Sprinkle in an alternating pattern with the three colors of sanding "sugar".
    Nutrition Facts
    Keto King Cake Donuts
    Amount Per Serving (1 donut)
    Calories 227 Calories from Fat 167
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 18.53g29%
    Carbohydrates 6.8g2%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Protein 9.3g19%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Mimi says

      January 25, 2023 at 4:50 pm

      5 stars
      Such a quick recipe to put together! I only had a mini donut pan and it was a nightmare getting them out. I did the rest in the mini muffin pan and it was perfect. 14 minutes. Thanks for such wonderful recipes!

      Reply
    2. Andrea M Grimes says

      January 25, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      I do have a donut pan, but I also love cake pops and bought a cake pop baker at Goodwill recently. Would this recipe work in that?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        January 25, 2022 at 4:09 pm

        I say give it a go and let me know what happens! 😉

        Reply
    3. Tabatha Lobo says

      January 06, 2022 at 11:09 pm

      If I wanted to do a cinnamon and cream cheese filling (keto of course), how would I go about doing so? Steps and ingredients if you have a suggestion would be awesome!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        January 09, 2022 at 2:03 pm

        No idea! I think you will have to experiment.

        Reply
    4. Betsy says

      March 22, 2021 at 1:51 pm

      5 stars
      Super fun! I love the Mardi Gras colors! But these are so good even a month after Mardi Gras! I think I might make this for Easter as well and add in some pink sugar sprinkles to make it more “Eastery”.

      Reply
    5. April says

      March 22, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      I don’t know what it is about donuts, but they are the BEST. This is such a cute idea!

      Reply
    6. Eden says

      February 22, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      5 stars
      Was looking for a healthier king cake and I’m so glad I found this recipe! It was wonderful and we can’t wait to make it again!

      Reply
    7. wilhelmina says

      February 22, 2021 at 12:33 pm

      5 stars
      These are so fun and delicious! I loved having a festive treat that fits my diet and is still delcious. Loved them!

      Reply
    8. Kim says

      February 22, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      5 stars
      So easy! And so much fun! Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
    9. Alyssha says

      February 08, 2021 at 2:40 pm

      5 stars
      I made these on Saturday and they were a HUGE hit in my house!!! I chopped up some pecans to mix with the cinnamon slurry and these doughnuts tasted like Cinnabon. So. Delicious! Thank you, Carolyn!!!

      Reply
    10. Danielle Schultz says

      February 04, 2021 at 9:32 am

      5 stars
      Hello Carolyn,
      I made these this past Tuesday when, arrived home from work. I made them in my Vitamix I could not believe how quickly they came together as well as how nicely they baked up. They were a great treat after our lentil soup. My husband devoured them and said I must bar them again!!
      Thanks
      Danielle

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 04, 2021 at 9:48 am

        Yay!

        Reply
    11. Anne Hause says

      February 03, 2021 at 5:49 am

      I don’t have a “donut”pan. So I’m going to try cupcakes

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 03, 2021 at 9:27 am

        That works too!

        Reply
    12. Ekhlas says

      February 02, 2021 at 2:42 pm

      Can grass fed whey be used in Keto? What brand did you use in this recipe?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 02, 2021 at 6:21 pm

        Of course! This is the one I use: https://amzn.to/2Mx19Bn

        Reply
    13. Debi says

      February 02, 2021 at 10:41 am

      This looks amazing – Thank You!
      Is the carb amount (6.8g) after the fiber (3g.) has been subtracted or before? Meaning the Net carbs would be 3.8g per donut? thanks

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 02, 2021 at 12:44 pm

        Total carbs is 6.8 (not including erythritol as it has no carb impact). So net is 3.8

        Reply

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