Instant Pot Keto Donuts
Published June 4, 2021 • Updated February 27, 2026
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I make these keto donuts in my Instant Pot because the steam gives them a spongy, moist texture that baking can't match. Topped with a sugar free chocolate glaze that snaps when you bite through it.
I started making these in the pressure cooker because I was curious whether the steam would give them a better texture than baking. It does. The inside stays soft and spongy in a way that oven-baked donuts just don’t. I’ve since tested the oven method too (350 degrees, about 18-20 minutes), and those come out a little more set, a little drier on the edges. Not bad, but if you have a pressure cooker sitting on the counter, the difference is worth it.
The batter is straightforward. Almond flour and protein powder handle the structure since there are no eggs in this recipe. I tested a version with eggs early on and the texture was too cakey, more muffin than donut. Without them, you get something lighter. Monk fruit sweetener keeps the carbs low without the aftertaste you get from some sugar alternatives. Any low carb protein powder works here as long as it’s unflavored or vanilla.
One thing that will seem wrong the first time: the donuts come out wet. Like, visibly moist on the surface. That threw me off too. But within a few hours they dry to a spongy, cake-like texture, and by the next day they’re exactly where you want them. Wrapping each mold with aluminum foil before cooking helps reduce that initial moisture if it bothers you.
The chocolate glaze is my favorite part. It’s just sugar free chocolate chips and coconut oil melted together, but it sets into a shell that actually snaps when you bite through it. That snap is what makes these feel like real donuts to me. I let the dipped ones sit on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and the coating firms up completely.
I always keep a batch in the fridge. They hold up for a full week, and honestly they’re better cold. The glaze firms up completely and the inside gets denser in a good way. If you’re into keto baked goods, I’ve tested a lot of donut variations on this site. My classic glazed version is the closest I’ve gotten to a Krispy Kreme. The churro donut holes are what I make when I want something cinnamon-coated. And the jelly donuts are surprisingly good once you get the filling technique down.
The recipe makes 9. I usually double it because they go fast, especially when the kids see the chocolate glaze come out. Just use two sets of silicone molds and run two batches back to back.
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Keto Donuts Ingredients
2 cups almond flour -
1/2 cups vanilla or unflavored low-carb protein powder
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2 tablespoons monkfruit blend sweetener
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2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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2 teaspoons xanthan gum
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup butter, melted
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1/4 cup sour cream
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1/4 cup hot water
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silicone donut molds
Sugar Free Chocolate Glaze Ingredients
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7 oz sugar free chocolate chips
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1 tablespoon coconut oil
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Combine dry ingredients
To a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
Add wet ingredients
Pour in melted butter, sour cream and hot water. Mix until just combined.
Fill donut molds
Spray each silicone donut mold with cooking spray. Grab a ball of dough and press it into each mold, filling it about 3/4 of the way.
Set up pressure cooker
Place a trivet into the liner of the pressure cooker. Pour 1 cup of water into the liner. Place the molds on top of the trivet.
Pressure cook
Pressure cook high for 12 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for 2 minutes before venting to release the remaining pressure. Once cool enough to touch, remove the donuts from the silicone molds and let cool on a wire rack. Donuts will still be moist, but will firm up once they dry.
Coat with chocolate glaze
To make the chocolate glaze, melt the keto chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl using a microwave. Cook at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Dip each donut into the melted chocolate and let sit on a wire rack to set the chocolate glaze. Top with nuts, sprinkles or more chocolate.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake these in a regular oven instead of the pressure cooker?
I've done it both ways. Set your oven to 350 degrees and bake in the silicone molds for 18-20 minutes. The oven version comes out a little more firm and set, while the pressure cooker gives a softer, spongier center. Both taste good, but I prefer the pressure cooker texture. If you're making these for someone who likes a denser donut, the oven is actually the better call.
Why are my donuts wet when I take them out?
This is totally normal and it freaked me out the first time too. The steam inside the pressure cooker leaves the surface damp. I let mine sit on a wire rack for a few hours and the moisture evaporates on its own. By the next morning, they have a spongy, cake-like texture that's actually better than right out of the pot. If you want to reduce the wetness from the start, wrap each filled mold with aluminum foil before cooking.
Can I use a different flour instead of almond flour?
I've tested coconut flour as a swap, and it works, but you need way less of it. Coconut flour absorbs a lot more liquid, so I use about a third of the amount. The texture comes out slightly denser but still good. I wouldn't use oat fiber or flax meal here since they change the crumb too much.
What can I use instead of monkfruit sweetener?
I've used erythritol and it works fine, though I find it has a slight cooling aftertaste that monkfruit doesn't. Allulose is another option I like because it browns a little and keeps the batter moist. I'd stay away from liquid stevia for this one since the batter needs the bulk that a granulated sweetener provides.
How should I store these, and can I freeze them?
I keep mine in an airtight container in the fridge and they hold up for a full week. For freezing, I separate them with parchment paper, drop them in a freezer bag, and they're good for about two months. When I reheat from frozen, I microwave for 20-25 seconds. The glaze gets a little soft but firms back up once it cools.
Can I make these dairy-free?
I've swapped the butter for coconut oil and it works well. The coconut oil adds a subtle flavor that pairs nicely with the chocolate. For the sour cream, I've used coconut cream as a substitute and the texture stayed the same. Just make sure your protein powder is dairy-free too if you're going fully plant-based.
How do I make a double batch?
I double this all the time. Just use two sets of silicone molds and run them through the pressure cooker in two rounds. The batter holds up fine while the first batch cooks. I also double the glaze and melt it all at once since it's easier to dip that way. If you want the opposite (just one for yourself), try my single serve version instead.
Can I make different flavors with this base recipe?
I've tried a few variations that work well. Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and a sprinkle of granulated sweetener on top gives you a cinnamon sugar version. For a pumpkin spice twist, I mix in a tablespoon of pumpkin puree and half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. My apple cider donuts use a similar base with a completely different flavor profile if you want something seasonal.
Steam is the argument I didn't know I needed. Baked keto donuts always end up dense or falling apart, nothing in between. Twelve minutes in the pressure cooker and you get that spongy center that actually holds its shape. The chocolate glaze snaps when you bite through it. Doesn't feel like settling.
Made these last weekend, good, but way denser than I expected. Followed the 12-min cook and 2-min natural release exactly. Wondering if I used too much xanthan gum or overworked the dough?
Both of those can do it, but my first guess is the xanthan gum. Two teaspoons is already on the higher end, so even a little extra tips them from spongy to dense. Mix just until the dough comes together and stop there.
Yeah, probably too much xanthan gum, and I definitely overmixed. Never stop when I should.
Took three batches to sort out the protein powder situation. Vanilla versus unflavored isn't a minor swap, it changes the whole dough. Vanilla's sweet enough that you can pull back on the monkfruit a teaspoon or so, and it handles the almond flour chalky aftertaste that was driving me nuts in the early rounds. The wet-hands thing came later, by accident basically. Dry hands and half the dough sticks to your fingers. Wet hands and it drops right into each mold and holds the ring shape through pressure cooking. Fourth batch was where both things clicked and I finally got donuts that actually looked like donuts.
The chalky almond flour thing is real, and vanilla protein powder is exactly what fixes it. Wet hands should probably be in the recipe notes, and now I have a reason to add it.
Made these specifically because I didn't want the oven running in this heat. They came out good, though I think I'll scale back the xanthan gum a touch next time because mine were denser than what the photos show. The chocolate glaze sets up nicely after a few minutes in the fridge, that part worked perfectly.
Drop it to 1.5 teaspoons. The glaze is half the donut anyway.
Can I make these the night before and just glaze in the morning? Or does the chocolate need to go on fresh to get that snap?
My daughter is dairy-free, so I'm trying to swap both the sour cream and butter without wrecking the texture. Coconut cream seems like the obvious sub for sour cream since the fat is similar, but I'm less sure about the butter -- steam cooking might behave differently than regular baking. Would vegan butter hold up in the Instant Pot?
Coconut cream for the sour cream works, I've done that swap and the texture holds up. For the butter, I'd use coconut oil instead of vegan butter. More reliable in the Instant Pot, and the coconut flavor actually pairs well with the chocolate glaze.
Brought these to a spring potluck last weekend and that chocolate glaze got people. Three separate conversations about where I bought them before I finally said Instant Pot and almond flour. The looks I got. That snap when you bite through it is not what anyone expects from a keto donut, and that moment of confusion was honestly the best part of the night.
That glaze snap is what I was going for. Took a few batches to nail the chocolate thickness. Worth it though.
My son walked in, saw the Instant Pot, and immediately started explaining why donuts don't come from a pressure cooker. He stopped mid-sentence when he bit through the chocolate glaze. Next batch I'm doubling it, nine is not enough.
The skeptic convert is always the best review. Nine goes fast here too. Two sets of molds, two rounds in the pot, batter holds fine in between.
Biting into that spongy center sent me right back to Krispy Kreme hot-light mornings I thought I'd traded away for good.
That spongy center is exactly what I was chasing. The pressure cooker steam does something baking just can't touch.
Used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (it's what I had) and honestly couldn't tell the difference. Also: grease those silicone molds way more than you think you need to. The donuts just fall out.
Greek yogurt makes sense. Fat percentage is close enough to sour cream that it doesn't change much. And yes on the molds, I go way heavier than feels reasonable every single time.
Sunday mornings when I was little, my dad used to take me to a little bakery before church and chocolate glazed were the whole point of the trip. I stopped letting myself think about that when I went keto, just sort of quietly closed that door. Made these last weekend and when I bit through the chocolate coating (it actually snaps, which I was not expecting), I sat completely still for a second. I did not know what to do with myself. The texture from the Instant Pot is nothing like what I assumed a keto donut would be. I'm a beginner in the kitchen and was nervous about the silicone molds, worried everything would stick or fall apart, but they came out cleanly and looked like actual donuts. I know that sounds like a low bar but it wasn't to me. I don't have a better word than grateful.
That snap was the thing I worked hardest to get right. Glaze has to be cold enough to set, donut warm enough to contrast. The silicone molds freak people out but they release cleaner than metal.
Used vanilla protein powder and threw in a teaspoon of cinnamon with the dry ingredients and the dough smelled so good before it even went in the Instant Pot. The glaze still snapped and there was this warm spice underneath I wasn't expecting at all. Still getting my natural release timing right but these are going in my spring rotation.
Cinnamon straight into the dry mix is the right call. For the release, I do 3 minutes natural then flip to quick. Longer than that is usually why they come out wet.
Brought these to brunch last Sunday and the thing I cannot get over: my friend who competes in powerlifting and openly mocks everything 'keto-fied' reached for a second before finishing her first. She eventually squinted at them and asked if I picked them up somewhere. That glaze snaps when you bite through it and I think that's genuinely what got her. Four stars because I killed my first batch rushing the pressure release, but once I slowed down it was completely worth the learning curve.
Ha, the powerlifting skeptic is always the best test. And yeah, rushing the pressure release is how almost every first batch goes. Natural release only on these.
Made these yesterday and they were pretty good but mine came out a little denser than I expected (thought the steam would make them fluffier). Is that the xanthan gum amount or did I maybe overmix the dough?
Overmixing is usually it. Once the wet hits the dry I barely stir, just until it comes together. Lumps are fine. If you also packed the xanthan gum into the spoon that could push it dense too, but I'd check the mixing first.
Made these four times now and tried skipping the natural pressure release on the last batch (went straight to quick release after the 12 minutes) and the texture was better for it. Still spongy but firmer, which means the chocolate glaze doesn't soften them out after a few hours.
The glaze holding up is the real win there. Softer donuts pull moisture from the coating and go soggy fast. Straight quick release next time.