Protein donuts with maple glaze are baked, healthy, and easy! Using whey protein and Greek yogurt, this healthy donut recipe is high in protein!
Ever since I bought my donut pan that bakes 20 donuts at a time, I have been loving making my own donuts at home!
My husband loves it even more and is always happy to be quality control when I’m baking.
Baking our own donuts at home has really opened my eyes to how healthy and easy DIY donuts can be! If you’re looking for a healthier donut recipe for your family, this donut recipe is for you!
Protein donuts with maple glaze are high in protein, easy to make, and taste amazing all at the same time!
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What do they taste like?
These maple protein donuts taste like a lightly glazed baked donut with hints of maple and vanilla. They are not as strong in maple flavor as a traditional maple bar, but you can definitely taste the maple flavor.
RELATED: Whole Wheat Christmas Donuts (in 3 flavors)!
Ingredients
Eggs – One of the most essential parts of this recipe, the eggs give the donuts structure and balance, while also adding healthy protein.
Unsweetened almond milk – My go-to milk of choice, unsweetened almond milk is healthy, smooth, and is great for baking! If you don’t have any on hand, you can use any milk of your choice and the protein donuts will come out just as delicious!
Plain Greek yogurt – This is one of the reasons the donuts are so high in protein. By adding plain Greek yogurt (I use full-fat), you add healthy, high-quality protein without having to throw in too much whey protein powder.
Avocado oil – This is my go-to cooking and baking oil. It’s so light and mild, you can’t taste it at all in baked goods.
Coconut sugar – I ended up using coconut sugar instead of maple syrup for these high protein donuts simply because the maple syrup just wasn’t making them sweet enough. Donuts have to be sweet, and without the coconut sugar, they were just kind of bland. You can use coconut sugar, cane sugar, or any other granulated sugar for these donuts and they’ll be just as delicious!
Pure maple extract – When I was testing these donuts, the maple flavor wasn’t coming through. So I grabbed some pure maple extract and boom! These donuts were transformed! Make sure to use pure maple extract, don’t use the artificial imitation stuff. Yuck.
Baking powder – Definitely an essential part of this recipe. They won’t rise without baking powder!
Vanilla protein powder – Make sure to use a high-quality one with at least 20 grams of protein per scoop. You can pretty much use any vanilla or unflavored protein powder you want to. This is the one I’ve been using for years and love it for everything!
Whole wheat pastry flour – This flour is versatile, high-fiber, and yields amazing results when you’re baking with it. Make sure to use whole wheat pastry flour instead of just plain whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is finer and will give you a better rise and fluffiness. Regular whole wheat flour is often way too dense in baked goods.
Organic powdered sugar – I opted for organic because it’s much healthier and completely cornstarch free! It does have a slightly different texture than regular powdered sugar because it uses tapioca starch instead of corn starch.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven. In a medium bowl, add eggs, almond milk, Greek yogurt, avocado oil, coconut sugar, maple extract, baking powder, and protein powder.
- Whisk together until no clumps remain.
- Add the whole wheat pastry flour, and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Grease a donut pan, and fill 12 donut molds about 3/4 full of batter (it’s okay to be messy!). Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden on the edges. These are easy to overbake, so check them at 10 minutes and every minute afterward.
- Remove the donuts and allow them to cool. While the donuts are cooling, make the maple glaze. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth, and set aside.
- Once the donuts have cooled, dip the donuts in the glaze so the top half of each donut is covered. Shake the excess off, and set on a cooling rack. Allow the glaze to harden, then eat!
Tips & FAQ
Donuts typically have a ton of added sugars, unhealthy fats, refined carbs, and artificial additives and flavors in them. They’re usually way too high in calories and are basically glorified junk food.
You can store these protein donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, the glaze starts to break down and they get a little soggy.
If you don’t have a donut pan, you can still make donuts at home! Grab a small piece of aluminum foil, place the tip of your finger in the center of the aluminum foil, and wrap the foil around your finger. Place the shaped aluminum foil into the bottom of the muffin tin and continue until all the muffin cups have been transformed into donut molds! Grease each mold, then get to baking!
For more on making your own donut pan, check out this tutorial.
To make these donuts as high-quality as possible, I would recommend a protein powder that has no added sugars, lots of fiber, and at least 20 grams of protein per scoop. The protein powder I use is Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder because it doesn’t have any fillers or unnatural ingredients. It’s also not chalky at all, which makes it great for just about every use you could think of!
Nutritional Info
This easy, healthy donut recipe helps you to bake delicious donuts that are high in protein and fiber, and extremely low in sodium.
Compared to your typical donut, these healthier maple donuts make a great way to enjoy a treat without completely going overboard on calories and added sugars.
Total nutritional content per donut is:
- Calories: 233 calories
- Protein: 9 grams
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Carbohydrates: 43 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Looking for another easy way to add protein to your morning? Try making protein coffee at home!
Pricing Info
This batch of healthy donuts comes out to be about $9.94, or roughly $.83 per donut.
The most expensive ingredient is organic powdered sugar, which costs $3 to include in this recipe. To drop the price of this recipe significantly, use regular powdered sugar (also called confectioner’s sugar).
If you use regular powdered sugar, each donut calculates out at about $.60, or about $7.25 for the entire dozen.
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Recipe
Protein Donuts w/Maple Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 ½ tsp pure maple extract
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup vanilla protein powder
- 1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
For The Maple Glaze:
- 2 tsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1 ¼ cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp pure maple extract
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk, Greek yogurt, avocado oil, coconut sugar, maple extract, baking powder, and protein powder. Whisk until no clumps remain.
- Add the whole wheat pastry flour, and stir until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Grease a donut pan, and fill 12 donut molds about 3/4 full of batter (it's okay to be messy!). Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden on the edges. These are easy to overbake, so check them at 10 minutes and every minute afterward.
- Remove the donuts and allow them to cool. While the donuts are cooling, make the maple glaze. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth, and set aside.
- Once the donuts have cooled, dip the donuts in the glaze so the top half of each donut is covered. Shake the excess off, and set on a cooling rack. Allow the glaze to harden, then eat!
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Protein donuts with maple glaze are healthy, quick, and a fun weekend breakfast that the whole family will love! Happy baking!
xoxo Megan
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