Grain-Free Chocolate Donuts are the perfect paleo-friendly treat. Made with coconut flour and sweetened with maple syrup plus topped with an espresso glaze for the mocha lovers. 

GRAIN-FREE CHOCOLATE DONUTS. Goodness gracious these were a long time coming.

One – I haven’t shared a new donut recipe in WAY too long.

Two – I had to go through two batches of these paleo chocolate donuts before I converted to a silicone donut mold.

LIFE. CHANGING.

Okay that is a little dramatic but you get it, right?

I don’t know what it is about grain-free flour but greasing the pan beforehand didn’t really help in getting the donuts to come out in one piece. Typically I don’t have problem with traditional flour and my standard metal donut pan.  When I shared my struggles on Instagram some people suggested both greasing with butter and dusting with cocoa powder but at that point I had already ordered my donut mold. It’s just safer this way. Plus I found a turquoise donut mold and knew it was meant to be. Obviously…

But seriously the donut mold worked wonders and I now I can’t wait to make more fun flavas. But not too soon… I feel like the blog is due for a savory recipe any day now. I don’t know why but I’ve been in a major dinner rut… Perhaps stress aka new puppy parenting.

I’ve noticed there seems to be this blog-life pattern that happens. Meaning when I don’t feel inspired to make real meals for Drew and I, real meals aren’t making it to the blog very often either. Which is so silly because whenever I make a savory recipe for the blog not only do I get pumped but you guys do too. Because who doesn’t love a good new dinner idea? Spring is here and weather is a-changing (sooner or later) and with that I am feeling some new inspo coming on.

But today we’re here for DONUTS.

Grain-Free Chocolate Donuts with Espresso Glaze

So excited to be sharing these with you because it legit took me FOUR TIMES. Grain-free baking is rough, guys…

But I was determined to make this recipe work and with a few tweaks here and there I’ve finally achieved a cake-like, paleo-friendly, grain-free chocolate donut!

what you need

unsweetened cocoa powder

coconut flour

tapioca flour

baking soda

baking powder

salt

eggs

maple syrup

oil

nut or seed butter 

for the glaze

espresso powder (or cold brew)

coffee creamer

powdered sugar

The process is fairly simple and you can mix the batter by hand or use a electric mixer. The batter comes together really easily – you just have to make sure the ingredients are incorporated well before moving onto the next step.

Some notes about the flour

Coconut Flour – I only tested this grain-free chocolate donut recipe with coconut flour so I am not sure of other subs. Unless you’re a grain-free baking pro, I wouldn’t recommend subbing other flours here.

Tapioca Flour – You may notice tapioca flour in a lot of paleo/grain-free recipes because it helps act as a stabilizer. I tried the recipe without the tapioca flour and used another egg but I didn’t like the texture so tapioca flour helps bind the ingredients without giving the donuts a weird texture.

Nut or Seed Butter – I used cashew butter but feel free to sub something like almond, sunflower seed, or even tahini. Just make sure it’s creamy and well mixed. I wouldn’t recommend coconut butter.

Espresso Glaze – I used good ole organic powdered sugar. If you’re looking for a paleo-friendly version for the powdered sugar glaze you could make your own powdered coconut sugar. Or even melted coconut butter would work here.

That’s pretty much it, friends! I hope you enjoy these grain-free chocolate donuts!

Let me know if you make them – always love hearing from you!

Grain Free Chocolate Donuts with Espresso Glaze

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Ashley
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 6 donuts

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Description

Grain-Free Chocolate Donuts are the perfect paleo-friendly treat. Made with coconut flour and sweetened with maple syrup plus topped with an espresso glaze for the mocha lovers. 

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 3 TBS tapioca flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup creamy nut or seed butter (I used cashew but sunbutter or tahini would work)
• 1/3 cup avocado oil (or melted/cooled coconut)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 large eggs

for the glaze:

• 2 TBS coffee creamer*
• 1 tsp espresso/coffee powder
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar* (see notes for alternatives)
• 2 TBS mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F. I recommend a silicone donut pan here. No spray needed if using silicone.
2. Sift cocoa powder and coconut flour into medium bowl – you can also whisk together but sifting removes most lumps. Whisk in tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine milk with apple cider vinegar; set aside.
4. In large bowl using whisk or electric mixer, combine nut/seed butter with oil and maple syrup. Add in eggs one at a time until combined.
5. Add bowl of dry ingredients mixing until almost smooth, then gently add in milk-vinegar mixture. Batter should feel kind of like thick, wet cake batter.
6. Evenly distribute donut batter into 6 donut cavities – in my donut pan I left about 1/4″ room from center top. If you’d like to fill 8-9 cavities your donuts won’t be as thick and less baking time may be required. 
7. Bake donuts for 10-12 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow donuts to cool in pan for a few minutes before gently transferring to cooling rack. Allow donuts to cool completely before glazing.
8. Make the glaze: in a medium bowl (shallow enough for dipping) combine coffee creamer with espresso powder until dissolved. Add in powdered sugar and stir until no lumps are present. For the chocolate drizzle: melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in 15 second increments, stirring in between until melted.
9. Dip donuts into espresso coffee glaze and place back on cooling rack. TIP: I dipped the “bottom side” of the donuts because that was the smoother side of the donut. Once glaze has set (about 5-10 minutes) drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.
10. ENJOY!

Notes

*You can also use 2 TBS cold brew coffee.

I did not test other flours here so I can’t recommend any good subs. 

SOME OF THE PRODUCTS I USED IN TODAY’S RECIPE

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