Keto Krispy Kreme Donuts
Fried keto donuts with a tender cake like center
Tasting just like a Krispy Kreme donut, these glazed keto donuts are cake based, fried and coated with a sweet vanilla glaze.
1 donut
8
Servings
301
Calories
27.9g
Fat
8.8g
Protein
3.5g
Net Carb
7.3g
Total Carbs
This is the BEST recipe for keto donuts. I’ve tried many low carb donut recipes but this is by far the recipe that tastes the closest to an actual donut. These glazed keto donuts are perfect in the morning paired with a cup of coffee.
The dough for these almond flour donuts involves simple ingredients to yield a tender, cake like texture. Frying them gives them a crispy crust similar to an actual yeast based donut. However, you can bake these donuts in the oven. It’s a sweet way to start off your morning.
The glaze on these low carb donuts is sugar-free and is very similar to the same glaze you would see on a Krispy Kreme donut. But if you are more of a chocolate glazed donut like Homer Simpson, then coated in a sugar free chocolate glaze. Both are easy recipes to make so can easily satisfy your donut cravings!
How to make keto donuts
- Whisk together dry ingredients – almond flour, protein powder, sugar free sweetener (like monk fruit or erythritol), baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
- Mix in remaining ingredients – melted butter, sour cream and hot water.
- Mold into a donut shape or press into a donut pan.
- Fry in lard or avocado oil until golden brown or bake in the oven.
- Make sugar free Krispy Kreme glaze, chocolate glaze or cinnamon sugar powder and dip or dust your keto donuts.
Loving keto pastries?? Try making keto cinnamon rolls or low carb apple fritters.
Key ingredients & substitutions
For this recipe, I like using the combination of almond flour and protein powder. It produces a texture and flavor closest to a traditional cake donut. However, I understand some don’t have access to the ingredients required or may be allergic to nuts. Here are some ingredient substitutions you can make for this recipe:
- Almond flour – The keto flour to give our low carb donuts substance. Coconut flour could be used instead; however, you will need to decrease the amount used. Use 2/3 cups coconut flour as a substitute. Sunflower seed flour can also be used if allergic to nuts. Sunflower seed flour measures cup for cup with almond flour so you will add the same amount in this recipe.
- Protein powder – Works to for a protein matrix and works similar to gluten in all-purpose flour. Will form a spongy texture in this keto donuts recipe. Look for low carb or zero carb protein powder. Unflavored or vanilla flavor.
- Sugar free sweetener – Can use monk fruit/erythritol blend like Stevia, Lakanto or even Truvia Sweet Complete. Any will work as long as it measures cup for cup with sugar.
- Xanthan gum – Since this donut recipe is egg-free, we use xanthan gum as a “glue” to hold the donut together as it bakes or fries. Don’t want to use xanthan gum? You can add an whole egg. Just omit the hot water as well.
- Melted butter – Gives flavor; however melted coconut oil can be used if dairy free.
- Sour cream – Provides that slight tangy flavor that is iconic in traditional cake donuts.
Keto Krispy Kreme Donuts Recipe Video
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Keto Cake Donuts Ingredients
2 cup almond flour - 1/2 c unflavored or vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener or sweetener of choice
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup hot water
- lard, for frying or avocado oil
Krispy Kreme Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup confectioners Swerve or use sweetener of choice
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Keto Krispy Kreme Donuts Directions
-
Get a medium bowl
Add the almond flour, protein powder, sugar free sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt to a medium bowl. Mix until combined.
-
Mix it
Stir in melted butter, sour cream and hot water.
-
Shape the dough
Grab a handful of dough and roll it into a short snake shape. Mold the ends together to form a donut shape. Wet hands with a little bit of water or spray oil on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
Quick Tip
Can press into a donut pan if baking in the oven. -
Heat the lard
Add lard to a small non-stick skillet and heat to low - medium heat. Add enough lard to cover the donut almost halfway. Add a couple of donuts to the skillet and fry on each side until golden brown. Can swirl the oil in the pan to help coat the donuts as they cook. DO NOT get your oil too hot - it will cause your donuts to crumble.
Quick Tip
You can also bake these keto cake donuts at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until the donuts are set and lightly brown around the edges. -
Remove it
Remove from skillet and place on a wire rack to cool.
Quick Tip
Let donuts cool completely before handling. They will continue to set and dry as they cool. -
Krispy Kreme
To make the Krispy Kreme glaze, add confectioner's Swerve, heavy cream and vanilla to a small bowl. Mix to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds to get a thin consistency.
-
Dip it
Dip the top of your donut into the glaze and place on a wire rack to set.
I was SO excited to try this recipe and followed it to a T. Unfortunately, my dough was super soft and didn’t cook on the inside by either frying in lard, or by baking in the oven. After the lard failed, I tried the oven and baked for 10 minutes. Nothing. I added 6 minutes. Nothing. I added an additional 10 minutes and the outside browned but the inside was raw. I had thermostats in my oven, so I know it wasn’t my oven temperature that failed. Do you have any suggestions as to what might have gone wrong? I’m a long-time baker who regularly tries new recipes. What might have gone wrong?
I’m sorry you are having trouble with this recipe. Maybe the donut is too big or thick? These donuts do continue to cook and solidify after they sit and cool for a while. By the next day, they should be set.
JP Momma, you could have had your oil at too high of a temp, I am also a passionate cook and I have found when something turns golden but still uncooked in the middle, the oil needs to be turned down. I am trying these tonight and I will let you know how I do. Oh yes, your living location (altitude) plays a big part. Hope this helps.
M
I did them this morning, they turned out fabulous!!! I used a fry daddy and wow, I will never want a carb loaded one again. This tops them all! Here’s a picture f the finished product:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1SVZuuUmLQciDpyd8
Thank you for this delight! Just made my keto journey much easier!!!!??????
Wow..your doughnuts look amazing. Did you follow the recipe exactly? I am curious about what protein powder you used. I grew up making the fried cake doughnuts so I am very very interested in making these since I am a keto gal now.
I don’t know what went wrong. I followed the directions, using the coconut flour because I didn’t have protein powder. It stayed crumbly and fell apart when I tried rolling it and forming a ring. I even added more water and it didn’t work. I have the worst luck with coconut flour, lol.
Sorry about that. I haven’t heard that happening before. It’s almost like it needed more fat.
Cool, there are no eggs so this recipe can be easily scaled to make fewer than 8 donuts! Saving them for weekend treats, I’m not sure they would keep long enough to eat them all. I can hardly wait to make them.
Sounds wonderful. Why only post NET CARBS?
Could you please start posting the TOTAL CARB count for those of us that count total carbs?
Yes, I am working on this. Total carbs for one donut is 7.3 g
These are amazing. My batter/dough was the perfect consistency to fill a piping bag and pipe to fill a 7 donut mould tray then baked for 14mins. Perfect. Also love that they don’t contain eggs.
This was AMAZING!!!!!! This recipe was exactly what I was looking for!!!!!
I divided each ingredient by 4 and it yielded 2 donuts. I used why isolated protein and air fryer.
I loved the moist, buttery texture and my sour cream donuts craving were instantly fulfilled without any guilty!!!!!!!!!
I usually don’t comment on anything, but I just wanted to show how much I appreciate you, Annie! This is super easy, quick, healthy, just perfect recipe!
Thank you!
How long did you air fry and did you turn them?
The taste of the one that didn’t burn was good, the donuts were quite oily. My oil was too hot at the beginning. I started frying them at 180°F but they got burned within a minute. I know you said to fry on medium heat but what temperature should the oil be at when using a cooking thermometer?
Thanks for sharing your recipes!
I don’t know the exact temperature. Just like with anything that you fry, the first donut is usually a test to see how hot the oil is. If it looks like it starts to burn, then turn it down.
I made these subbing coconut flour for the protein powder and Ratio keto yogurt for the sour cream. I found the dough was too dry to roll to make loops. Made tasty donut holes though. I did it a second time and increased the yogurt slightly and added a t of vanilla to the dough. Still too crumbly to roll. I suspect the coconut flour simply sucks uo way more moisture than the protein powder. Flavors great thought! I dipped the holes in the icing and rolled in unsweetened coconut. My wife and I had them for snacks every evening. Im going to keep playing with the fat and liquid with coconut flour until I can roll donuts. Im going to use sour cream next time.
These donuts were phenomenal!! They were so easy to make and tastes amazing! The entire family loved them, including my non keto 16 year old son. These will forever be my go to donut recipe. Here’s the finished product. I actually baked them in a donut pan for 15 mins and also deep fried them in lard for a few seconds to get a little deep fried crispness. I used Lily’s white choc chips and added a little maple extract to it before dipping them into the icing . I added some pecans and cinnamon sprinkle to some , used some sugar free sprinkles on a few and then switched it up to Lily’s milk choc chips for the rest. https://photos.app.goo.gl/6km5f5wAerKZYBRw5.
These look SO amazing, I definitely have to try them! I was just wondering, is there a different oil that works well for frying these donuts?
You can use anything that has a high smoke point – avocado oil would work too
Thank you very good. I even added apple cider flavoring seasonings too a few so delicious especial when it cooled!!!!
I have made these many times, and even shared the recipe with my brother and sister-in-law who are doing keto. We eat them almost every week. I have perfected the recipe with other add ins, like ooo donut flavor extract and a dash of nutmeg. I also use egg white protein powder instead of whey protein powder. My relatives have offered to pay me to continue to make these for them.
However, if I wanted to make these pumpkin flavored, how would you recommend adding a little pumpkin purée? And would that change any of their other liquid ingredients? I know you have a pumpkin donut recipe, but I want to stick with this base recipe because it works so well:)
THANK YOU!!!! I love recipes that are not just almond flour only. Almond flour only is just bleh.
I would omit the water and use 1/4 cup pumpkin instead. Maybe even drop the butter down to 1/3 cup and use 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
I clicked on the print, and it doesn’t work. I’d like to make these donuts.
Can someone send me the printable copy please.
If you are directed to the website from Facebook, it won’t let you print. It’s something Facebook blocks, you have to open the web page in a browser like crome or internet explorer.
Omg… im so angry at idk what! I followed every step to the tieee and the donuts dissolved in the pan when frying them. I used the exact same ingredients but idk what went wrong. I also felt the dough was a bit too sandy and hard to work with..
I’m sorry for your frustration. The problem your having is from the temperature of your oil. Your oil was too hot. It needs to be a medium heat, maybe even low medium depending on your source of heat. But if the dough dissolves, the oil is too hot. The dough is sticky, but shouldn’t be gritty unless your almond flour is too coarse. They fry into a perfect cake texture.
As good as any all purpose flour donut but I found it too crumbly I added an egg and that took care of it plus I made mine in a circle like a biscuit and stuck my finger in the middle and used my thumb and fingers to make hole worked great
Same thing happened to me, but I used almond flour. It just disengaged into crumbles when I fried it. Had to make the rest as donut balls in the oven.
When it happens, your oil is too hot. You must lower the temperature of the oil and let them cook longer.
Your oil is too hot. It will fall apart if your oil is too hot. Test a piece of dough in the oil before frying, if it starts to fall apart, lower the temperature of the oil.
Could these be made into chocolate donuts by using chocolate protein powder and maybe some cocoa powder?
Yes! I think that would work
Great recipe!
First round, I fried the donut. It came out ok, but it absorbed too much oil.
Second round, baked them (325) for 11 minutes and then air fried them for 5 minutes (390.) Really good, almost perfect.
Tomorrow morning, I believe 10 minutes baked (325) and then 5 minutes in air fryer (390) will be perfect.
Thanks for the recipe.