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 using 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 by leaving a comment and review here on the blog! I always love hearing from you!

Xx Ashley

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 1x

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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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Scale 1x2x3x

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. 

• Category: breakfast
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Keywords: Grain Free Chocolate Donuts with Espresso Glaze, grain free desserts

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