A few months ago, I made an easy and delicious mini donut recipe just in time for Halloween. My kids loved them so much that they stopped asking for store-bought donuts! I’ve recently been trying to adopt a low-carb lifestyle, so I couldn’t help but develop a keto-friendly donut recipe in time for Valentine’s Day.

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The previous recipe included some almond flour and ground flaxseed for added nutrition, but this recipe is entirely gluten-free and keto-friendly (only 2g carb per donut). If you don’t care for a low-carb donut, simply substitute the almond and coconut flour with all-purpose flour and replace the monk fruit sweetener with regular sugar.

I recently started using Lakanto sugar substitute (made with monk fruit extract and erythritol) for my morning and afternoon tea because it contains zero net carbs, zero calories, and is zero-glycemic. I couldn’t even tell a difference in taste, so I started experimenting with this sugar substitute for all my baking recipes as well and I haven’t looked back!

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately first and then combine with a spatula. I used 2 tsp of red food colouring but feel free to use more if you want a deeper red colour. Once the batter is mixed, spoon or pipe some into a mini donut pan and bake. You can also bake these into regular sized donuts.

I decided to use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese to make the frosting because it is lighter in calories and has a heavenly taste. If you don’t have this on hand, feel free to use brick cream cheese instead. Check out my Carrot Cupcake page for the cream cheese frosting recipe. If you’re looking to make this keto-friendly, then substitute the regular icing sugar with erythritol based one instead.  

 Prep time: 5 mins | Bake Time: 7 - 8 mins | Serving: 24-26 mini donuts

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:
½ cup almond flour* (finely ground)
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup ground flaxseed
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Wet ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2½ tbsp monkfruit sweetner or erythritol
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vinegar
1 egg
½ cup almond milk (subs: oat milk, soy milk)
2-3 tsp red food colouring

Frosting ingredients:
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese (about 40 grams)
2 tbsp erythritol based icing sugar, sifted
½ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, gently whisk together the dry ingredients.

2. Place butter in a medium-sized bowl and melt in the microwave.

3. Add sugar substitute and mix well with a whisk.

4. Add the egg, vinegar, vanilla extract and food colouring and whisk together.

5. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir with a spatula until well combined.

6. Preheat oven to 350°F.

7. Grease a mini donut (or muffin) pan and scoop the batter to fill ¾ of the cavity. I used a piping bag but you can also use a small spoon to transfer the batter. Do not overfill.

   Note: Almond flour doesn’t rise as well as regular flour, so I filled the donut cavity a bit more than my other donut recipe which was made with regular flour.

8. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

9. Using the whisk attachment of your electric mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy, then add the heavy cream and sifted icing sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form.

10. Transfer frosting to a piping bag with a medium round tip and pipe around the top of the donut.

    Store leftover donuts in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Recipe Notes

*Unlike traditional flour, measure almond flour by scooping your measuring cup directly into the bag and then level off with the back of a knife. Don’t pack it down too much but use a slightly heavier hand 😊.

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know how it turns out.
Comment below or share a photo on IG and tag @emmaya.us.

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About Me

Hi there! I’m Tahmina - mom of two girls, an engineer, a passionate baker and a creative event planner.

I’ve always enjoyed baking but became passionate about it after I had my first child. Now I combine my knowledge from working in the food industry and increased interest in food and nutrition to experiment with various ingredients and recipes.

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