Chocolate Doughnuts {Paleo & Gluten-Free}
This post (Paleo & Gluten-Free Chocolate Doughnuts) may contain affiliate links (many are NOT affiliates, just great companies/products that I use and like. Whether affiliate links or not, I only recommend brands that I love, use, and genuinely recommend). If you choose to use these links, I may be compensated at NO COST to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me and my blog!
Chocolate Doughnuts {Paleo & Gluten-Free}
I feel so much better when I follow the Paleo diet. My joints don’t hurt and I have fewer allergy and sinus problems. It is also great for anyone suffering from digestion issues. But let’s be honest – sometimes you want something sweet and chocolatey!
I’ve really worked hard to come up with a delicious cake doughnut with a thick, sweet, fudge-y glaze. It’s everything you want in a doughnut without the guilt or health problems.
This recipe uses a few shortcuts to make this recipe easy. Within about 30 minutes, you can be enjoying one (or three) of these delicious doughnuts!
For this recipe, I use Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mix. This mix has made my life so much easier. Everything is all pre-mixed, including the Monk fruit which is a great sweetener. I have found this mix at Costco, Winn-Dixie, Walmart, and Target. I’ve also seen it sold online on Vitacost and other websites. I’m not being sponsored by them – I just really like this mix/product/company. (See below for a link to purchase on Amazon!)
This mix contains cassava starch, almond and coconut flours, eggs, baking soda, and monk fruit. I played around in the kitchen to create this yummy chocolate doughnut using this mix. I simply added some coconut sugar, cacao powder, and eggs to the mix for some really delicious cake doughnuts.
For liquid, I used about 1/2 cup of strong coffee. I love how coffee really enhances the chocolate flavor. Some Paleo dieters don’t drink coffee or any caffeine, and water can be substituted for coffee.
Doughnut Pan
I had trouble finding a doughnut pan at any local stores, so I ended up ordering a Wilton one online. I have used this pan several times, and I love it! This one seems to make smaller sized doughnuts. The batter for this recipe made 9 doughnuts and took about 10 minutes to bake. If you have a larger doughnut pan, you will get about 6 doughnuts and your baking time will extend to 15-17 minutes.
Let the doughnuts bake at 350F degrees for about 10 minutes. The doughnuts will pull away from the pan at the edges and a toothpick will come out clean when the doughnuts are fully baked.
After letting the doughnuts cool for a few minutes in the pan, transfer them to a cooling rack. This is the hard part – waiting for them to cool without stealing a taste. They smell so good coming out of the oven!
Oh yeah, you will be mine chocolate doughnut!
Chocolate Glaze
For the glaze, I used Enjoy Life Mini chocolate chips. They are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free. You can buy them at various grocery stores and they are also available online. They are a Paleo-friendly chocolate chip! Enjoy Life makes 2 types of chocolate chips – dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate. I used the semi-sweet chips for this recipe, but you can use dark chocolate instead if you prefer.
After placing 1 cup of semi-sweet Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, either microwave or use a double boiler to melt. If using a double boiler, simply place the bowl of chocolate over boiling water and stir until combined and melted. If using the microwave, cook for 20-30 seconds and then stir. Microwave again for 30 seconds and stir again.
This recipe makes enough glaze to dunk the doughnuts twice in the glaze. After the first layer of glaze sets, then I dunk the doughnuts back into the chocolate a second time. This glaze takes some time to set, so I like to place the doughnuts in the refrigerator for a while.
When the glaze sets completely, there is a sweet, fudge-y topping on these wonderful cake doughnuts.
Chocolate Doughnuts {Paleo & Gluten-Free}
Baked Chocolate Doughnuts with a sweet chocolate glaze. These cake doughnuts are paleo and gluten-free.
For Doughnuts
- 1 cup Birch Benders Paleo Pancake Mix
- 1/3 cup Cacao Powder (*may substitute cocoa powder if it is Organic, all-natural, NOT processed with alkali, and NOT dutch-processed)
- 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs at Room Temperature
- 1/2 cup Coffee or Water
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips (*can substitute Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips)
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
For Greasing the Pan
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
For Doughnuts
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees and grease doughnut pan with coconut oil.
- Combine Pancake Mix, Cocoa Powder, Coconut Sugar, Eggs, Coffee (or water) in a large bowl.
- Pipe or spoon chocolate doughnut mixture into doughnut pan. Fill at least 3/4 full (I filled to the top since the doughnuts pan was for smaller doughnuts).
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Doughnuts should pull away from sides of the pan and/or a toothpick should come out clean.
- Let doughnuts cool for a few minutes and then transfer to cooling rack and let them continue to cool.
For Doughnut Glaze
- While the doughnuts cool, make the doughnut glaze. Put chocolate chips and coconut oil in a medium-sized bowl. If using a double-boiler, place the bowl of chocolate chips and oil over a pot of boiling water and stir until melted.
- If melting in a microwave, place bowl in microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Take out bowl and stir. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir until all the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Dunk the top half of the doughnuts into the chocolate mixture. Place doughnuts back on the cooling tray (you can place the doughnuts in the fridge to cool quicker). If you have a little extra chocolate left, you can double-dunk your doughnuts or eat it with a spoon. I don’t judge!
- After the glaze has cooled/set, then shove those sweet doughnuts in your face!
Want to PIN this recipe for later? Just click on the image below to save to Pinterest!
RECIPES DISCLAIMER
Many things can affect how a recipe turns out:
- Oven temperatures
- Calibrations of ovens
- Humidity (ya’ll, it’s humid in Alabama ALL. THE. TIME.)
- The temperature in your kitchen altitude
- Climate
- Varying appliances (If you want to microwave the chocolate chips, and your microwave gets super hot/super fast – heat them in smaller time increments like 10-15 seconds)
- Substitutions
- Different food sources/consistencies
- and MORE!
I test all of my recipes at home (usually they are recipes I have made several times for myself or my family) before I share them. If a recipe did not turn out for you, please don’t be mad at me! I hope you try it again or continue to visit this site and try something new.
This post may contain affiliate links (many are NOT affiliates, just great companies that I use and like. Whether affiliate links or not, I only recommend brands that I love, use, and genuinely recommend). If you choose to use these links, I may be compensated at NO COST to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me and my blog!
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About The Author
KristyB
Wife. Mom. Graphic Designer. Photographer. Professional Nap Taker. Part-time Traveler (with kids in tow, of course!)
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I made these in the oven and in an electric donut maker, wonderful either way!
They are also lovely with cream cheese on top!
I’m so glad! Cream Cheese??? YUM!!!
I didn’t even know gluten-free donuts were possible! Thanks for sharing!
It was a lot easier to put this recipe together than I thought. The mix helped simplify for me. Getting the sweeteners right was the hard part. You can use granulated sugar if you want gluten-free but not Paleo.
I have to try these! Love that they are paleo and gluten free.
I hope you do! They have saved my life! Well … they’ve saved my chocolate cravings…
What a great recipe I’ve really been flirting with going paleo
Thanks, Stuart! Paleo is a big adjustment for me, but I feel so much better when I follow it religiously.
Chocolate is way to my heart and these look yummmmmm … I am practically drooling. I always want to bake but I need some encouragement and easy recipe, I think I will try this one.
I know! I have so much going on, just the thought of baking is too much. But these take 15 minutes and they’re so easy. You just mix everything and bake. And these doughnuts are delicious!
WOW, this doughnuts looks so delicious. I feel hungry right now. I am gonna make this very soon.
I hope you do! I made them again yesterday! They are so quick and easy – and yummy!
These look soo good!
Thanks, Angelica!
I love the healthy twist of adding coconut sugar. The donuts look delicious.
Coconut Sugar is my new go-to sweetener. I am so happy with its sweetness and there’s no aftertaste.
Can I please have these delivered? Today is my birthday and mama wants lol
Sorry, I ate them all. Just kidding. No seriously.
Oh wow, this one is a winner. I would love to try making this. My boys would probably Dig this.
My 10-year-old daughter – who is a certified chocoholic- tried them and like them. She was surprised at how sweet they were with just coconut sugar and Monk fruit. So, they are kid- friendly. Or… you could hide them from your kids and eat all of them alone in your closet.
OMG making this ASAP these look soooo good. I love everything chocolate and doughnuts and this just speaks to my soul!
You can never go wrong with chocolate!
I’m a sucker for double chocolate doughnuts — I’m definitely going to have to make these soon!
Me too, Emily. They are one of my many weaknesses. These are guilt free though – which is even better!
Wow… great…. and yummy too…. Am so trying it at my home. Yummylicious!!!!
They’re pretty awesome! I hope you do get to make these!