Homemade Chocolate Frosted Donuts made healthier! These donuts are baked, not fried, covered in a luscious chocolate glaze and made better-for-you using only simple, unprocessed ingredients. The recipe is so quick and easy to make that these delicious donuts are sure to become an instant breakfast favorite!

What Do These Chocolate Frosted Donuts Taste Like?

These donuts are perfectly simple but incredibly delicious, just like a classic donut should taste. Sometimes, the best things are uncomplicated and this is a tasty example of that fact. The donut is soft and airy but still moist and just perfectly sweet. The perfect palette for the thick and creamy chocolate frosting and a hefty dose of fun sprinkles to give it that classic bakery feel. If you’re looking to bring more chocolate into your mornings, well these donuts are for you!

What Ingredients Are Used to Make These Chocolate Frosted Donuts?

These healthified Chocolate Frosted Donuts are paleo-friendly, meaning they are made with no gluten, grain, or dairy. They are refined sugar free (except for the sprinkles) and happen to be nut-free! Made with only 12 (total) simple, unprocessed ingredients. Here’s a look at the ingredients and possible substitutes and variations:

Cassava Flour – An unprocessed flour that is gluten, grain, and nut free. I use and love Otto’s.
Tapioca Flour – This helps thicken the dough without making it too floury.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda – To make the donuts fluffy.
Salt – To balance the sweetness.
Coconut Sugar – The best granular sweetener for refined sugar free baking. I use and love Nutiva’s Coconut Sugar for it’s great pricing and excellent quality.
Dairy Free Milk – I use whatever homemade milk I have on-hand. This time I used almond milk. Use any dairy free milk you like! Check out my post on how to make your own nut milk!
Coconut Oil – Used in both the donut batter to add moisture and to create the chocolate frosting. Use avocado or olive oil instead of coconut in the batter.
Eggs – To help puff the donuts.
Vanilla – For that classic donut flavor.
Chocolate Chips – Used to make the chocolate frosting. Use any chocolate chips or chocolate bar chopped into chunks you like! I used Guittard’s baking wafers because I love the quality of their chocolate. Use your favorite coconut sugar sweetened chocolate to make these refined sugar free and strictly paleo (these would be great).
Maple Syrup – Helps create a thick but soft frosting.
Sprinkles – The perfect place to add some fun sprinkles! I am absolutely obsessed with the sprinkles by Supernatural. They come in beautiful and fun mixes and are made with conscientious ingredients! All their sprinkles are vegan, naturally colored, and made with no funky dyes or chemicals! I highly highly recommend them! (Not at all sponsored, I just really love them.) For these donuts I used their Great Big Blizzard mix to celebrate the first day of winter.

How Do You Make Chocolate Frosted Donuts?

These donuts are so easy to make and come together in a flash. They can baked, frosted, and sprinkled in under 30 minutes! The donut batter comes together quickly and requires no mixer! The donuts bake up fast, especially when made in a mini donut mold as I have done. And while the donuts are baking you whip up the straight forward, no-fuss chocolate glaze. Then just frost and sprinkle the donuts and that’s it! Here’s a look at the steps:

Make the donut batter. The batter is made by mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately. The stirring the wet into the dry until a smooth and thick batter forms.
Fill the donut mold. The batter is thick so easily fills into the donut mold. I find the cleanest way to fill the donut cavities is to pipe in the batter. See section below for more tips on this. I used a mini donut mold from Target.
Bake the donuts. These donuts bake up quick in just about 10 minutes. If using a regular size donut pan (6 donuts) bake for 18-20 minutes.
Make the frosting. The frosting comes together in a breeze and done while the donuts are baking. Just combine the ingredients and melt over a double boiler or in the microwave.
Frost and sprinkle the donuts! No special equipment required to frost, simply dunk the donut into the frosting, lift up and place on a wire rack. Top with sprinkles and that’s it.
Enjoy! As with most homemade, baked donuts these are enjoyed the same day.

No donut pan? No problem! Bake them in a mini or regular muffin tin.

If you want to save some for later, once the donuts have cooled slightly, freeze the donuts, unfrosted, individually on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Once the donuts are frozen, store together in an airtight container. When ready to enjoy, reheat in the microwave or hot oven, then top with glaze and sprinkles.

Tips On Filling The Donut Tin

I used a piping bag with no tip to easily fill the mini donut wells. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a large plastic bag, fill with the batter, and snip a bottom corner of the bag for a single use alternative. I purchased this cake decorating set earlier this year and have found that I use it more often than I actually thought. Definitely worth the $16 purchase. Plus it comes in a small box for easy storage.

I usually make a crazy mess when attempting to fill a piping bag without another set of hands. But this time around I actually figured out a good hack! First, fold the bottom edge and use a clip to close it off and prevent any leakage, then place the empty bag in a tall glass, fold the edges over the sides and, use a silicone spatula to easily transfer the batter from the mixing bowl into the piping bag! See the picture below.

These healthier Chocolate Frosted Donuts are simple yet delicious. The recipe is so easy and requires no equipment! The donuts are soft and fluffy, topped with a thick and luscious chocolate glaze, perfect as a sweet breakfast or afternoon treat! And basically, your favorite hot beverages new best friend.

More Donut Recipes!

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Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Simple yet delicious baked donuts made better-for-you! A soft and airy, but moist donut topped with a luscious chocolate frosting and of course, sprinkles. These couldn't be easier and sure to become a breakfast favorite. No donut tin? No problem! Make these in a muffin pan!

paleo-friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened, nut free

Servings 12 mini or 6 regular donuts

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 cup + 2 tbsp cassava flour (150 grams)
2 tbsp tapioca flour (15 grams)
1 tsp baking powder (5 grams)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk of choice (118 grams)
1/2 cup coconut sugar (78 grams)
3 tbsp avocado oil (42 grams) or coconut oil (melted and cooled)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks (43 grams)
1 tbsp coconut oil (13 grams)
1 tsp maple syrup (6 grams)
1 tsp milk of choice (6 grams)

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare donut tin by spraying or greasing wells with a little additional oil. Skip if using a silicone donut mold.
In a medium bowl whisk the dry ingredients together until everything is well incorporated.
Using the same whisk, mix together the wet ingredients in a small bowl until light and frothy.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and, using a silicone or wooden spoon, stir gently until everything is just fully combined. Taking care not to overmix. The mixture should be smooth with no lumps.
Distribute the batter evenly into the donut tin wells. Use a piping bag or large plastic bag with tip of bottom edge cut off to easily fill the donut cavities. (See original post for more tips.)
Bake the donuts for 9-10 minutes for mini donuts (18-20 for regular donuts) or until donuts are puffed and just turning slightly golden.
While donuts are baking, prepare the frosting: In a small bowl melt all the ingredients together in the microwave using short bursts, or over a double boiler. Once everything is fully melted, stir until thick, shiny, and smooth. Let cool slightly.
Let the donuts cool in the pan until safe to handle, then transfer to a wire rack with a pan or parchment paper underneath. Run a knife or spoon around the edges of the donuts if they are difficult to remove from the pan.
While donuts are still warm, dunk the smoother side of each donut into the chocolate, lift and return to cooling rack. Repeat with all donuts and top with sprinkles!
Enjoy! These are best enjoyed on the same day, shortly after they have been frosted.

Recipe Notes

Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): mini donut pan, regular donut pan, piping bag, silicone spatula, kitchen scale

Storage: Once the donuts have cooled slightly, freeze the donuts, unfrosted, individually on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Once the donuts are frozen, store together in an airtight container. When ready to enjoy, reheat in the microwave or hot oven, then top with glaze and sprinkles.

Ingredient Subs/Variations:
To Make Strictly Paleo - Use your favorite coconut or maple sugar sweetened chocolate chopped into chunks.

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