Healthy Banana Bread Donuts (Baked, Not Fried!)

Name: Healthy Banana Bread Donuts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 large spotty bananas ((about 1 cup mashed)); 1 cup blanched superfine almond flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 large egg; ¼ cup maple syrup; ¼ cup coconut sugar; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tbsp almond butter; ¼ tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ cup coconut sugar; 3 tbsp milk (any kind (oat, almond or cow's milk))

These healthy banana bread donuts are baked, not fried, and made with almond flour, so they're naturally gluten-free and refined sugar-free. Soft, fluffy, and ready in about 30 minutes. Add the sweet coconut sugar glaze or enjoy them plain.

Healthy baked banana bread donuts with coconut sugar glaze.

Healthy Banana Bread Donuts At A Glance

✅ Recipe Name: Healthy Banana Bread Donuts (Baked, Not Fried!)
🕒 Ready In: ~30 minutes
👪 Serves: ~12 donuts
🍽 Calories: ~137 per donut (unglazed) or ~168 per donut with coconut sugar glaze
🥣 Main Ingredients: Overripe bananas, almond flour, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil, egg
📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, paleo-friendly
⭐ Why You'll Love It: Soft, fluffy, and they taste just like banana bread in donut form. The optional coconut sugar glaze is naturally sweetened, so there's no powdered sugar anywhere in the recipe.

SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON

I have been making banana bread in one form or another for years. My oat flour banana bread is still the one I make most weeks, my healthy banana blueberry bread is what I bring people, and my almond flour banana muffins are my grab-and-go snack. So when I first shared these donuts in November 2020, the idea was simple: banana bread flavor, donut shape, no refined flour or sugar.

These took more tries than almost anything else on my blog. My first batches used almond meal instead of blanched superfine almond flour, and they came out heavy and speckled. Superfine blanched flour, the same one I use in my almond flour banana pancakes, plus a tablespoon of almond butter for structure, is what finally worked.

I have retested this recipe several times since 2020, and the version below is the one I make now.

Jump to:

Healthy Banana Bread Donuts At A Glance
Are Baked Donuts Healthier Than Fried Donuts?
Ingredients You'll Need
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
How to Make Baked Banana Bread Donuts (Step-by-Step)
My Tips for Fluffy Baked Donuts
How to Make a Refined Sugar-Free Glaze With Coconut Sugar
No Donut Pan? Make Them as Muffins or Donut Holes
Storage and Freezing
Healthy Banana Bread Donuts FAQs
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Are Baked Donuts Healthier Than Fried Donuts?

Yes, baked donuts are usually lower in fat and calories than fried donuts, because they never sit in oil.

Here's what makes them healthier than a classic bakery donut:

Only 137 calories each: compared to 250 to 300 for most cake donuts
Baked, not fried: no oil absorbed during cooking, so the only fat is what's in the batter
No refined sugar: sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar, and the glaze uses coconut sugar instead of powdered sugar
No refined flour: almond flour makes them naturally gluten-free
No dairy: made with coconut oil, not butter
Real bananas doing the work: two overripe bananas add natural sweetness and moisture

What's left out is what makes them work. You still get a real donut that tastes like banana bread.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love these donuts so much! They are very moist and the perfect texture. It taste like banana bread.

- Henrietta K

Ingredients You'll Need

Here's everything you'll need to make these healthy banana bread donuts:

Ingredients for healthy banana bread donuts including almond flour, mashed banana, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut oil, egg, and cinnamon.

Bananas: Use extra ripe ones with lots of brown spots. They do most of the sweetening here (just like my gluten-free banana cake recipe), so underripe bananas make noticeably blander donuts. Two large bananas, about 1 cup mashed.
Almond flour: Blanched superfine almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal is ground with the skins on and makes the donuts heavy and speckled. Don't swap in coconut flour either. A reader tried it, and the batter went crumbly and only held together as donut holes. Same flour I use in my almond flour sugar cookies.
Almond butter: This is what holds the donuts together, since almond flour has no gluten. Use natural creamy almond butter with just almonds. If yours is very runny from the oil separating, stir it well first; otherwise, the batter goes too wet.
Egg: Binds everything and gives the donuts lift. I haven't tested these without eggs, so I can't promise a flax egg works.
Maple syrup: Sweetens and adds moisture. Honey works; one reader swapped it straight across with good results.
Coconut sugar: Caramel-like sweetness, and it's what keeps these refined sugar-free. You'll use it twice, in the batter and in the glaze.
Coconut oil: Keeps them moist and dairy-free. Melted butter works if you don't need them dairy-free.
Cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, and salt: The usual supporting cast. A full teaspoon of cinnamon is what gets you the banana bread flavor rather than just a hint of it.

Scroll to recipe card for quantities!

Ingredient Substitutions & Variations

Maple syrup swap: Honey works straight across. One reader swapped it and had great results. Agave should work too, though I haven't tried it myself.
Coconut oil swap: Melted butter or vegan butter both work if you don't need these dairy-free.
Coconut sugar swap: Light brown sugar or maple sugar work in the batter. They won't be refined sugar-free with brown sugar.
Make them mini or as muffins: Make them mini or as muffins: Both work. See the muffin and donut hole times below.
Add-ins: Chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or chia seeds all stir in fine.
Make them pumpkin spiced: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice along with the cinnamon.
Make them nut-free: I don't have a version I can recommend. Almond flour and almond butter are both structural here, so swapping them means rebuilding the recipe rather than substituting. I'd rather say that than guess.
Almond flour: Don't use coconut flour; it absorbs far more liquid than almond flour, so it isn't a 1:1 swap.

How to Make Baked Banana Bread Donuts (Step-by-Step)

These come together in about 30 minutes, no mixer and no deep frying. Here's how:

Mashed banana whisked with egg, almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a white bowl.

Step 1: Mash and mix the wet ingredients. Mash the bananas until completely smooth (no chunks!), then whisk in all the wet ingredients.

Almond flour banana donut batter mixed in a white bowl.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until just combined.

Banana donut batter spooned into a greased six-cavity donut pan.

Step 3: Fill the donut pan. Spoon the batter into a greased donut pan, filling each about three-quarters full.

Baked banana bread donuts cooling in the donut pan

Step 4: Bake and cool. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Coconut sugar glaze blended until smooth in a high-speed blender.

Step 5: Make the glaze (optional). Blend the coconut sugar until powdered, then whisk with milk until smooth.

Glazed banana bread donuts on a wood board with the coconut sugar glaze set.

Step 6: Glaze and set. Dip the tops in the glaze and let them set on a wire rack.

My Tips for Fluffy Baked Donuts

Measure your mashed banana: Two large bananas should give you about 1 cup. If yours are oversized, that extra moisture is what makes these come out wet and fall apart when you lift them out of the pan.
Use blanched superfine almond flour: Almond meal is ground with the skins on and bakes up heavy and speckled. This is the single biggest factor in whether these turn out fluffy.
Stir until just combined: Almond flour batters go dense fast. Stop as soon as you don't see dry flour.
Grease the pan even if it's nonstick: These stick more than wheat flour donuts because there's no gluten holding them together when you turn them out.
Let them cool completely before glazing: Warm donuts melt the coconut sugar glaze right off. This is the step people skip.

How to Make a Refined Sugar-Free Glaze With Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is too coarse to make a glaze on its own, so you have to powder it first. Blend ½ cup of coconut sugar dry in a high-speed blender until it looks like powdered sugar, then whisk it with 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth and thick.

What to expect:

It won't be white: it sets to a light caramel color, which is what gives these their banana bread look
Any milk works: oat, almond, or cow's
Too thin? Add more coconut sugar
Too thick? Another splash of milk
Cool the donuts completely first: warm donuts melt the glaze right off

Freshly baked banana donut without glaze, showing soft and cakey texture.

No Donut Pan? Make Them as Muffins or Donut Holes

Muffins: Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Donut holes: Use a mini muffin tin without any foil. These bake faster than full donuts, so start checking at the 10-minute mark.
Donut shape without a donut pan: Press a small ball of tin foil into the center of each muffin cup to form the hole. It won't be as clean as a pan, but it works. Start checking at the 18-minute mark.
Mini donuts: Use a mini donut pan or mini muffin tin and reduce the bake time by a few minutes. Start checking at the 14-minute mark.

Storage and Freezing

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Glazing: If you're freezing them, leave the glaze off and add it after thawing. It holds up better that way.
Make ahead: These are best the day they're baked, but they hold their texture better than most donuts thanks to the banana and coconut oil.

Healthy Banana Bread Donuts FAQs

Are these baked donuts actually healthy?

They're a treat made with better ingredients, not a health food. Each donut has 137 calories, no refined flour, and no refined sugar, compared to 250 to 300 for a typical bakery cake donut.

Why did my banana donuts come out wet or fall apart?

Almost always too much banana or underbaking. Two large bananas should measure about 1 cup mashed. If yours are bigger, measure instead of counting. And bake to the toothpick, not the clock.

Do these taste like banana bread?

Yes, that's the whole idea. A full teaspoon of cinnamon and two very ripe bananas get you banana bread flavor in donut form. One reader described it as banana bread in a donut shape, which is exactly right.

Are these baked banana donuts gluten-free?

Yes, naturally. Almond flour has no gluten, and there's no wheat flour anywhere in the recipe. Check your baking powder if you're cooking for celiac, since a few brands aren't certified.

Can I make these banana donuts vegan?

I haven't tested them without eggs, so I can't promise a flax egg holds. The egg is doing structural work here since almond flour has no gluten.

Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?

A reader asked about this for the SCD diet. It should work, but I haven't tested it myself, so I can't promise the same rise.

Healthy banana bread donut with a bite taken out showing the soft, fluffy inside.

More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes You'll Love

If you loved these banana bread donuts, here are a few more gluten-free treats to try next:

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don't forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!

📖 Recipe

Recipe tested and developed by Tati Chermayeff, creator of Healthful Blondie. A former Division I rower, Ironman triathlete, and recipe developer based in Austin, TX, Tati creates high-protein and healthy recipes that actually taste like the real thing.

Comments

5 from 9 votes