I can feel some of you judging me from afar. And let me be clear, I haven’t lost my mind…I’m not going to tell you that these banana almond butter donuts are the best, most indulgent treat you’ve ever had. These are truly HEALTHY donuts.
How healthy, you ask? Well, they’re gluten-free (in fact, grain-free), dairy-free, and free of refined sugars. (NOT, as some of you are snarkily saying, “fun-free”.) In fact, they taste great. So that is quite a feat.
Many of us have someone in our lives who is facing health challenges and has to be on a very restricted diet (or, perhaps, *we* are that person). And those people still want a treat every now and then, but it is very hard to find the right recipes to meet all those dietary needs.
These healthy baked donuts are pretty impressive on that front, and were surprisingly light and moist. They’d make a great healthy breakfast treat regardless of your diet, but are really effective in creating a special treat for someone who rarely gets them.
The original recipe (linked at the bottom) gives them a nut butter glaze, but I went with one made from dark chocolate chips to satisfy the choco-holics (and because my sister was almost out of almond butter at that point). The batter came together in just five minutes, and they were totally ready in a half hour.
Spray your donut pans with non-stick spray or grease with butter (trust me, they will stick otherwise!). Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a medium bowl, mash up your bananas and add the nut butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together (you can use a hand mixer too, but you don’t need it).
Once the oven is hot, add the apple cider vinegar and baking soda to your mixture and stir together. You want to do this at the last minute, as they’ll start reacting and you don’t want to lose that chemical reaction before baking.
Immediately spoon the batter into the donut pans. I basically filled just below or right at the top, and it seemed the right amount. Simple donut pans like these are great.
Bake for 8-12 minutes (they may need a bit more time if the bananas were extra wet).
They should feel baked and glossy on top and not squishy or wet-looking, but try not to over-bake (they’ll be really dry).
Remove from the oven and cool for 15-20 minutes, then gently remove from the donut pans. A silicone spatula was the easiest way to do this without damaging the pans.
In a small bowl (fairly shallow if possible, and with room to dip the donuts by hand), stir together the coconut oil, chocolate chips, and sea salt over low heat or in the microwave.
Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze and allow to set before serving.
The original recipe has a lovely-sounding nut butter glaze that you should look into as well!
Other super healthy dessert recipes you’ll love:
- 5-Minute Vanilla Spice Cassava Flour Waffles (gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)
- Clean Eating Banana Oat Muffins (gluten-free)
- Healthy 5-Ingredient Banana Brownies (GF, Grain-Free, No Sugar, Vegan)
- Indulgent-Feeling Dark Chocolate Banana “Nice Cream” (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free)
- Gluten-free Perfect Black Bean Brownies (gluten-free)
- Super Healthy Chocolate Avocado Pudding (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
- Peanut Butter & Honey Ice Cream with Sea Salt (gluten-free, dairy-free)
Adapted from Intoxicated on Life
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Banana Almond Butter Donuts with Chocolate Glaze (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, No Refined Sugar)
These super healthy donuts are a perfect option when you need a dessert that's gluten-free, dairy-free, and without refined sugar, for those on specialized diets. Banana almond butter donuts are the perfect healthy treat!
Ingredients
- DONUTS
- 2 medium ripe bananas (about 1 cup, mashed; see notes)
- 1 cup of almond butter (or peanut butter or sun butter)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- GLAZE
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
- 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- Pinch of sea salt (flaky is best)
Instructions
- Spray your donut pans with non-stick spray or grease with butter (trust me, they will stick otherwise!). Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a medium bowl, mash up your bananas and add the nut butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together (you can use a hand mixer too, but you don't need it).
- Once the oven is hot, add the apple cider vinegar and baking soda to your mixture and stir together.
Immediately spoon the batter into the donut pans. I basically filled just below or right at the top, and it seemed the right amount. - Bake for 8-12 minutes (they may need a bit more time if the bananas were extra wet). They should feel baked and glossy on top and not squishy or wet-looking, but try not to over-bake (they'll be really dry).
- Remove from the oven and cool for 15-20 minutes, then gently remove from the donut pans. A silicone spatula was the easiest way to do this without damaging the pans.
- In a small bowl (fairly shallow if possible, and with room to dip the donuts by hand), stir together the coconut oil, chocolate chips, and sea salt over low heat or in the microwave.
- Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze and allow to set before serving.
Notes
You can use bananas from right at ripe (yellow just starting to get brown spots) to super ripe (brown skins), but I've found that somewhere in the middle is perfect. If they're super ripe and squishy, they may take a bit longer to bake due to the moisture.
The original recipe (linked above) also has a nut butter glaze option instead of the chocolate, if you'd prefer.
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