Baked Chocolate Protein Donuts

Baked chocolate protein donuts are the healthy breakfast of your dreams. Made with protein rich ingredients and baked, these healthy donuts are easy to make and full of chocolate flavor. 

Earlier this week I shared about how to become a runner. In that post, I told you how important it is to fuel your body after a run and/or workout.

And what better way to fuel your body than with some richly chocolate-y, moist and soft baked donuts? If you’re answering “there’s no better way,” then I’m so glad we’re on the same page!

Burken couldn’t stop eating these baked chocolate protein donuts this weekend, so you know they have to be good. Not only are these donuts healthy, but they’re also gluten free, dairy free and vegan. I think I’ve hit every possible allergy or group with this list, so let’s get to it!

Making Baked Chocolate Protein Donuts

I love this recipe so much because it’s super simple and requires one bowl and a blender. Doesn’t that already sound so easy? You can whip these baked donuts up in no time at all.

Lately I’ve been on a kick of using beans to make healthy desserts {see here and here}. So I couldn’t help myself from including beans in these baked chocolate protein donuts.

Beans are high in protein, which made them perfect! And their flavor is so mild, that no one will ever know that’s what you used as the base of their healthy chocolate donut.

So we toss the beans and a few other ingredients, like avocado for healthy fats and pure maple syrup for natural sweetness, into the blender and give it a whirl.

Healthy Sources of Protein

Your protein powder in this recipe is key. I used my chocolate Shakeology {also comes in vegan chocolate}. I knew that its rich chocolate flavor would make it absolutely perfect for these baked chocolate protein donuts.

The extra nutrients in this protein powder make it extra healthy, and that perfect way to fuel up after a workout.

Then just a little almond flour to round out the base and give the donuts a light and airy texture.

How to Pipe Chocolate Protein Batter

This can always be the tricky part when it comes to making donuts. If you try to spoon the mixture into your donut pan it can get everywhere and doesn’t create the smooth donut shape.

So something I learned awhile back, that has been a tremendous help, is to take a large cup and line it with a large Ziploc bag. Then fold the edges of the bag over the top and spoon your batter into it.

Once you’ve gotten all of the batter in the bag, all you have to do is pull it up out of the cup and cut the tip off. Now you have a perfect piping bag without actually needing to buy one or making a huge mess.

What’s a Donut Without Glaze?

While these baked chocolate protein donuts are excellent on their own, I couldn’t leave them un-frosted. I just don’t think that makes for a good donut.

But I didn’t want to go overboard since we are making healthy donuts here. So I just used a bit of organic powdered sugar and almond milk to make a simple glaze.

If you want to go all out protein, then use your protein powder and 1/4 cup milk to make an extra healthy glaze.

Now the hardest part is going to be only eating two {what? they’re small!}.

Looking for other healthy breakfasts to fuel up after a workout? Check these out:

Healthy Chocolate Quick Bread

Blueberry and Cherry Parfait

Morning Power Green Smoothie

Print

Baked Chocolate Protein Donuts Recipe

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Baked chocolate protein donuts are the healthy breakfast of your dreams. Made with protein rich ingredients and baked, these healthy donuts are easy to make and full of chocolate flavor.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: dairy free, donuts, gluten free, healthy breakfast, vegan

Servings: 12 donuts

Ingredients

Donut Ingredients:

• 1 {15.5 oz} can Great Northern beans not drained
• 1 large avocado pitted and flesh scooped out
• ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 flax eggs {2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal + 5 Tbsp. water}*
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 scoops chocolate Shakeology**
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt

Glaze Ingredients:***

• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two donut pans {or a 12 tin muffin pan}.
2. Place the beans, avocado, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla in the jar of a blender. Blend on low speed until smooth.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the flax egg ingredients and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Shakeology, baking powder and soda and salt.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the flax eggs.
6. Place a piping bag {or Ziplock bag} in an empty tall glass. Spoon the batter into the piping bag.
   
7. Remove the bag from the cup and cut the tip off the bag and pipe into the donut molds. {If you’re using a muffin pan, just spoon the batter into the pan.}
   
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Place on a wire rack to cool.
   
10. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the glaze ingredients.
11. Once the donuts are cooled, dip in the glaze and store in an airtight container.****

Recipe Notes

*Note: if you don’t need these donuts to be vegan, just use regular eggs **Note: you can use a different kind of chocolate protein powder, but the chocolate flavor may be different. ***Note: if you want to make these extra healthy baked donuts, stir together one scoop of chocolate Shakeology and ¼ cup almond milk. ****Note: the glaze will likely “melt” into the donuts after they’ve sat in the container. That’s okay. They’ll still be delicious!