4.34 112 Published Sep 04, 2019, Updated Aug 19, 2023 I decided to try my hand at making homemade baked donuts. And of course, in true EBF fashion, I worked to make them a bit healthier using real food ingredients like whole wheat pastry flour, applesauce, coconut sugar, coconut oil and Greek yogurt. A major upgrade from the traditional recipe that uses melted butter and brown sugar.
How to Make Donuts at Home
It can also be handy to have a large icing piping tip for adding the donut batter into the pan, but it’s not 100% necessary. You can always spoon the batter into the pan and then shake it to make sure the batter is even. Once you have your materials, you’re ready to get started and to be honest, making baked donuts is really similar to making muffins.
Ingredients in Healthy Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Cider Donuts
unfiltered apple cider – no, I don’t mean ACV, I mean apple cider! I prefer getting mine from a local orchard but a lot of local grocery stores carry it as well. unsweetened apple sauce – any kind works great and you can use cinnamon unsweetened apple sauce for more cinnamon flavor. I like to use my recipe for homemade applesauce. whole-wheat pastry flour – more fiber, protein, and other nutrients than traditional white flour. I prefer using Bob’s Red Mill Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour. baking powder and baking soda – your leavening agents. cinnamon – the perfect spice to use with apple flavors. sea salt – brings all of the delicious flavors together! coconut sugar – the less-processed upgrade for granulated sugar or brown sugar. Greek yogurt – the yogurt adds protein and moisture to these donuts! My favorite brand of dairy yogurt is Fage 5% Greek yogurt or Stonyfield whole milk Greek yogurt. coconut oil – the perfect sub for butter. egg – a binding ingredient, plus a little protein boost.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
coconut oil – again, the perfect sub for butter. You can certainly butter if you prefer! organic cane sugar – the sugar topping is what makes an apple cider donut so delicious! cinnamon – adding cinnamon to the sugar topping makes these the ultimate fall treat.
Substitutions and Tips
yogurt – I’ve only tested this recipe with Greek yogurt, but you could try with your favorite non-dairy yogurt instead to make these dairy-free or vegan. Others have tried it and said it worked great! I love Culina coconut yogurt. eggs – I haven’t tried this recipe with flaxseed eggs, but it could work well as a replacement binding ingredient to make these egg-free or vegan. Let me know if you try it! To make a flaxseed egg, mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons of water and let sit for a few minutes to create a gel-like consistency. sugar – This recipe calls for coconut sugar for the donuts, and regular cane sugar for the sugar coating. You could certainly use coconut sugar for the sugar coating as well! whole wheat pastry flour – You can always just use all-purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand! You can also sub in 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to make these donuts gluten-free. I always recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking blend. donut pan – If you don’t have a donut pan, you can try making muffins instead! Someone else tried this and said they turned out perfectly. You’ll just need to double the cook time.
How to Make Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Prep – Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, prepare your two (6-cavity) donut pans by spraying with cooking spray. Combine ingredients – Mix your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt) together in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (the apple cider, apple sauce, sugar, yogurt, oil, and egg) until combined. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until everything is mixed together. Pipe batter – Pipe or spoon the batter evenly into the 12 cavities. Bake – Bake in a preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While baking, mix together ingredients for your cinnamon sugar topping. Cool and coat – When finished baking, let donuts cool for about 2 minutes in the pan before inverting the donuts onto a wire rack too continue cooling. Brush each donut with coconut oil on both sides and dip into a cinnamon sugar topping to coat.
Storing and Reheating Donuts
They’re best served fresh, but you can store leftovers in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. I like to reheat them in the toaster oven so they get nice and crispy!
Popular Donut Recipes
Baked Almond Flour Donuts No-Bake Blueberry Muffin Donut Holes Healthy Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes Chocolate Frosted Baked Donuts (Entenmann’s Copycat) Protein Donuts Coconut Crunch Donuts (Hostess Copycat) Pumpkin Spice Donuts
More Apple Recipes You’ll Love
Apple Pancakes Baked Apples Apple Dutch Baby Apple Crisp Apple Granola Bars Apple Butter Raw Mini Apple Pies Apple Muffins Vegan Apple Bread Apple Yogurt Muffins Apple Cake Dutch Apple Pie
Be sure to check out all of my apple recipes as well as the full collection of dessert recipes here on EBF!
