Mini keto donuts dipped in sugar-free dark chocolate. Made with coconut flour, these mini baked donuts are an easy, delicious snack.
Do you consider donuts a breakfast item, a snack, or dessert? I didn’t eat too many donuts growing up but I always considered them a breakfast treat. But now, reflecting on these keto mini donuts, I rather think they are more like dessert.
I have quite a number of keto donut recipes, and some of them are more breakfast-like, being rather wholesome and similar to muffins. Whereas others are definitely over-the-top treats, with sweet glazes and frostings, and are probably best saved for later in the day.
But you know what? I am not going to stop you from eating healthy keto donuts whenever you want. I am not the donut police, and to be frank, they’re a whole lot better for you than conventional donuts!
And I allowed my kids to eat these chocolate dipped mini donuts for breakfast so who am I to talk?
Copycat Keto Donettes
I’ve always steered clear of the mini donuts from Hostess and Entemann’s. I would love to credit self-control but the reality is that they simply didn’t interest me much. Give me a chocolate bar or some ice cream instead, thank you very much.
I was working on some recipes a while ago for a healthy snack cake ebook for Swerve and they asked me to make keto “Donettes”. Using their vanilla cake mix, I made both powdered “sugar” and chocolate dipped mini donuts.
My family liked them so much I decided to take a stab at it with my one of my own keto donuts recipes. I love my coconut flour donuts for their texture and consistency, so I decided to work with those.
I did have to cut the recipe down to size to fit into my mini donut pan that has only 12 holes. I instantly regretted making so few of these, as we all loved them so much!
Tips for Keto Mini Donuts
These cute little chocolate dipped mini donuts are easy to make and fun to eat. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- This is a coconut flour donut recipe and yes, it really does only take 1/4 cup of coconut flour. If you happen to have a pan that holds 24 mini donuts, feel free to double it. More to enjoy!
- The whey protein powder makes them lighter and fluffier. Do NOT use egg white protein powder here! I tried that on my first attempt and they were pale and rubbery.
- If you really don’t want to use the whey protein, skip it altogether. Just be aware that they may not rise as well.
- The additional water is at your discretion, since coconut flour can vary in absorbency. You want a batter that can be easily scooped but not poured.
- Mini donut pans have small wells and it’s much easier to fill a piping bag and pipe the batter into the pan. You can just spoon it if you need to but I recommend a small spoon so it doesn’t slop all over the place.
- You don’t have to dip them in chocolate! If you prefer powdered sugar donuts, just toss them in some powdered sweetener like Swerve. That’s delicious too!
- If you do want to dip them in chocolate, I recommend using ChocZero or Lily’s. Both of them work well. But do thin them a bit with some coconut oil or they will be harder to dip.
Ready to make some Keto Mini Donuts?
More delicious mini keto treats!
- Keto Cheesecake Bites
- Keto Mini Pancake Skewers
- Keto Mini Mocha Muffins
- Keto Mini Vanilla Bean Scones
- Keto Pumpkin Pie Bites
- Keto Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
Keto Mini Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Mini Donuts
- 1/4 cup (30 g) coconut flour
- 3 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp unflavored whey protein powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tbsp water
Chocolate Dip
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped (ChoccZero or Lily's both work well)
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
Mini Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 12-cavity mini donut pan well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the eggs, butter, and vanilla extract. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the batter is thick but easily scooped.
- Cut the end off a piping bag so that the opening is about ¾ inch wide (you can also use a large ziploc bag with the corner snipped off).
- Fill the bag with batter and pipe into the donut wells to about ¾ full. Bake about 15 minutes, or until the mini donuts are golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Dip
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. Remove from heat.
- Dip each donut into the chocolate, tossing to coat. Lift out on a fork and tap firmly on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. (Note: It may be hard to dip the last few donuts… you can just spread the remaining chocolate on top if you have to!).
- Place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until set.
Nutrition
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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This was wonderful! We used a mini donut maker and it did well.
I made these last night. I’m getting mixed reviews from both my son and husband. My son didn’t think they really tasted like donuts, although my husband said they tasted almost like the mini ones you buy in the store. I tried one and I feel like they’re missing something. Overall, easy recipe and great to keep on hand with the many other keto snacks and desserts I make.
What can I replace coconut flour with.
Sorry, you can’t. This is a coconut flour based recipe.
Carolyn, just when I think you can’t wow me anymore…..I made these today and OH MY GOODNESS…they look and taste like the real thing, only better!
these look great, can I think chocolate with butter instead of coconut oil?
Butter makes keto chocolate melt more thickly so I don’t recommend it. It will be very hard to dip the donuts.
Can I substitute the coconut flour with almond flour (at a x3 ratio) or should I just use your almond flour Cinnamon Browned Butter recipe and leave out the cinnamon for plain donuts?
If I substitute almond flour for coconut flour, do the rest of the ingredients in the recipe remain the same?
Thanks,
Shirley
Carolyn, can cacao butter can be melted with the chocolate instead of the coconut oil?
Hello, can I use Bone Broth protein powder instead of whey? I am not sure proteins are interchangeable. I really enjoy your creative recipes. Thank you.
Hello Carolyn, Can I use any protein powder for this recipe? I have Bone Broth Protein Powder, will that work?
Thank you for your many fine recipes, I enjoy your blog. I cannot do grains or sugar at all and appreciate someone who has the skill to formulate recipes.
It tends to make things more gummy… if you use it, hold back on the added liquid until you see what the batter is like.
I will, thank you. sorry I posted again.
Hi,
Does leaving out the whey protein powder alter the recipe a lot? I don’t have access to that.
It makes a big difference. Please watch this to see how: https://youtu.be/8SA_iBl0pUU
These came out pretty good. I was very careful to not overbake them; I’ve done that in the past with coconut recipes and it’s been disastrous. The flavor is good; the consistency is good. But my glaze didn’t get very smooth. The flavor is fine but the aesthetic is off. I made these in a silicone muffin mold and they released beautifully.
Uh oh. I commented on the wrong recipe!