Rolled in cinnamon sugar, these buttery keto churro doughnut holes taste like a real churro — just 0.7g net carbs per bite. I make a batch every single week.
I have a serious donut problem. Not the kind where I eat a dozen from a drive-through (though I did that plenty pre-keto), but the kind where I'm constantly testing new versions in my kitchen. Between these churro donut holes, my keto chocolate glazed donuts, and my classic glazed keto donuts, I've got a full rotation going. I even have an apple cider version for fall.
Here's the thing about this recipe. The coating is everything. I roll each one in melted butter and then into a cinnamon monk fruit mixture while they're still warm. My biggest tip: roll them twice. That double layer of cinnamon sugar is what makes these taste like something from a churro stand instead of just another low carb baked good. I've had people genuinely not believe me when I tell them the carb count. One reader brought a batch to a Super Bowl party and three people asked which bakery he ordered from. When he said they were homemade, two of them thought he was joking.
The base dough comes together in one bowl. Almond flour, protein powder, a little xanthan gum for structure, and sour cream for moisture. I tested this combination four or five times before I got the texture right. Too much protein powder and they crumble apart. Not enough sour cream and they dry out. The ratio here is the one that finally clicked: soft and pillowy inside, with just enough hold to keep that buttery cinnamon coating intact. When you bite into one, the outside has this light crunch from the coating and the center stays tender. That contrast is what keeps me coming back to this recipe over and over.
You can spell it donut or doughnut (donut is the American version, doughnut is the traditional). I go back and forth. Either way, at 0.7g net carbs per bite, I eat three or four with my morning coffee without thinking twice. They hold up at room temperature for hours, which makes them great for packing in a bag when I'm heading out the door. I've brought these to family gatherings, kept them on the counter for afternoon snacking, and handed them to my kids after school. They disappear fast no matter where I put them.
The flexibility is part of what I love. You can dip them in a chocolate glaze, roll them in different sweetener blends, or eat them plain with just butter. I always come back to the cinnamon version, though. That warm, toasty churro flavor is what makes this recipe mine.
Why protein powder works in keto baking
I add protein powder to almost all my keto baked goods, and it’s not just for the extra protein (though that’s a bonus). Protein powder acts like a stand-in for gluten. It creates a protein matrix that traps the air bubbles from baking powder and xanthan gum, which is exactly what gives these their lift and soft texture. Most protein powders are gluten-free, so you get that structural benefit without any wheat.
The one thing I’ve learned from testing is that too much protein powder dries everything out. I’ve made batches that were basically crumbly dust. The fix is balancing it with enough fat and liquid, which is why this recipe calls for both butter and sour cream alongside the protein powder. That ratio took me several tries to get right.
Why sour cream matters in this recipe
The sour cream is here for one reason: moisture. Protein powder soaks up liquid like a sponge, and without something rich and creamy to balance it out, you end up with a dry, crumbly bite that falls apart. Sour cream adds fat, moisture, and a subtle tang that rounds out the flavor.
I’ve tested this with a few different swaps. Full-fat Greek yogurt works if you prefer it. Heavy cream works too, though the dough will be slightly softer. For a dairy-free option, I’d go with an almond-based yogurt. Sour cream is keto friendly on its own (about 0.3 grams of carbs per tablespoon), so I always have a tub in my fridge for recipes like this.
Chocolate glazed version
If chocolate is more your thing, I’ve got you. Make the dough and bake them exactly the same way, but skip the cinnamon coating. Instead, melt some sugar-free chocolate with a tablespoon of coconut oil until it’s smooth and thin enough to dip. Roll each warm bite through the chocolate and set them on a wire rack to firm up. I keep the chocolate mixture over low heat so it stays liquid while I work through the batch.
For the full glazed donut method with more detail, check out my keto chocolate glazed donuts recipe. Same concept, different shape.
The best grab-and-go keto breakfast
My favorite way to eat these is with a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Three or four bites, a good pour of coffee, and I’m set until lunch. The cinnamon pairs with coffee the same way a bakery churro does, and I look forward to it every single day.
If you’re building out a keto breakfast rotation, here are a few of my other go-to recipes that work just as well on busy mornings:
I leave these out on the counter in a sealed container and they stay fresh for 3-4 days at room temperature. That’s usually all the time they need because they disappear fast. No refrigeration required, which makes them perfect for meal prep.
For freezing, I let a batch cool completely, then lay them in a freezer bag with parchment paper between layers so they don’t stick together. When I’m ready to eat them, I warm them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes. The coating gets a little dull in the freezer, so I re-roll them in the cinnamon mixture after warming. That second coat brings them right back to life.
If you want to prep these for the week, I’ll make a double batch on Sunday and portion them into small bags. A few in my purse, a few on the counter for the kids, and a few in the freezer for later. They’re a low carb treat that actually fits into a real routine. If you like cinnamon baked goods that prep well, my gluten-free monkey bread is another one I batch out on weekends.
How to make churro donut holes
Mix the dough in one bowl: almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, sour cream, and hot water. I like my dough slightly sticky rather than dry. If it crumbles when you try to shape it, add water a teaspoon at a time.
Roll into small balls about 1/2 to 1 inch across. Wet your hands first or spray them with cooking spray. I learned this the hard way after spending ten minutes scraping dough off my palms.
Bake at 325 for 6 minutes until they're golden. Let them cool before you touch them. They're fragile right out of the oven and will crumble if you rush it.
Dip in butter, then roll in the churro coating. My secret: roll each one twice while they're still a little warm. That double coat is what gives them the real cinnamon sugar crust.
Add almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, sour cream and hot water to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
3
Roll into balls
Roll dough into 1/2 to 1 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking tray, spacing about 1 inch apart.
4
Bake it
Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes.
5
Dip in butter
Once doughnut bites have cooled to the touch, dip each one in the melted butter. Then dip in a mixture of monk fruit and cinnamon.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 donut hole
Calories
68
Fat
6.3g
Protein
2.1g
Total carbs
1.5g
Net carbs
0.7g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these in an air fryer?
I haven't dialed in the exact time for my air fryer yet, but readers have told me 325 degrees for 5-6 minutes works well. Air fryers run hotter than ovens, so I'd check at the 4 minute mark your first time. Start with a small test batch to find the sweet spot for your model. If you try it, drop a comment and let me know your timing.
Can I freeze the dough or the baked donut holes?
I've frozen the baked version and they hold up well. Let them cool, then bag them with parchment between layers. When you reheat (300 degrees, about 5 minutes), re-roll in the cinnamon coating because the sugar dulls a bit in the freezer. I haven't frozen the raw dough yet, but I think it would be fine if you thaw it in the fridge overnight before shaping.
What can I substitute for xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum is what gives the dough its stretchy, holdable texture, and it is 3 to 4 times stronger as a binder than cornstarch, so a 1:1 swap leaves the dough crumbly. To stand in for the 1 teaspoon in this recipe, use about 3 teaspoons of cornstarch. Cornstarch also adds carbs the nutrition numbers do not count, so I keep xanthan gum stocked for keto baking.
Can I use cassava flour instead of almond flour for a nut-free version?
I haven't tested cassava in this specific recipe, so I can't guarantee the texture will match. Cassava absorbs moisture differently than almond flour, so you might need an extra tablespoon of water if the dough feels dry. Start with the same 1 cup measurement and adjust from there. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try it.
Why are my donut holes mushy in the middle?
They're supposed to feel soft right out of the oven. I've noticed mine firm up as they sit for about 10-15 minutes. If they're still mushy after cooling, try making them smaller (closer to 1/2 inch) or baking an extra minute. Ovens run at different true temperatures, so check yours with an oven thermometer before changing anything else. Almond flour browns fast, so I add time at 325 instead of raising the heat.
Can I deep fry these instead of baking?
Yes, and the texture is even better fried. Crispier shell with a softer center. I cover the frying method in more detail in my glazed donut recipe, but for these I'd fry at 350 degrees until golden on all sides, then roll in the cinnamon coating immediately while they're hot. The coating sticks even better to fried ones.
What can I use instead of protein powder?
I've found coconut flour works as a 1:1 swap. Use the same 1/4 cup. Coconut flour absorbs more moisture than protein powder, so if your dough feels crumbly, add water a teaspoon at a time until it holds together. The texture is slightly different but still good. I keep protein powder in my pantry specifically for keto baking because the structure it provides is hard to beat, but coconut flour is my backup.
How to make churro donuts?
Mix almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, sour cream, and hot water into a dough. Roll into 1/2 to 1 inch balls and bake at 325 degrees for 6 minutes. Once they have cooled to the touch, dip each one in melted butter and roll it through the cinnamon monk fruit mixture. I roll them twice, and that double coat is what builds the churro crust.
Are there keto-friendly donuts?
Yes. These churro donut holes are 68 calories and 0.7g net carbs each because I use almond flour and monk fruit sweetener instead of wheat flour and sugar. I also make keto chocolate glazed donuts and classic glazed keto donuts, so a full donut rotation fits my macros.
I wasn’t sure how these would do sitting out on a dessert table for a couple hours, but they held up better than anything else I brought. People kept wandering back over for them. I’ve made them a few times since just for us at home. Your recipes never let me down, Annie.
0.7 net carbs each and I had to read that twice. There was a tiny Mexican bakery near my parents’ house, churros by the register for fifty cents, and I’d written that memory off when I went keto. These brought it back.
Straight out of the fridge the next morning they have this dense little chew that I actually like better than warm, which I only figured out because I made a batch one Sunday night and was too tired to eat more than three of them before bed, so the rest sat covered and I had them cold with my coffee and honestly I haven’t reheated them since. The butter sets into the coating overnight, so the cinnamon sugar stays on instead of sliding off when you handle them. Matters when you’re packing them up. Thirty-six at a time now, five or six per container, still good Friday.
The cinnamon smell at six minutes was my first clue. Other versions I’d tried either had the coating slide right off or the texture go dense, nothing like the original (usually both). The butter dip is what does it: the cinnamon sugar has something to grip. For someone who’d been chalking it up to user error, it’s a relief.
Xanthan gum is fussy like that. I keep the teaspoon level and whisk it into the almond flour before anything wet goes in, and the dough holds together every time.
68 calories each is what I noticed first, then the smell hit when they came out of the oven and I was back in my dad’s truck outside one of those parking lot carnivals they used to set up in summer, holding a bag of churros he’d buy us for fifty cents. He’d eat his with coffee. I haven’t had a lot of reasons to think about that guy lately and somehow a keto donut hole brought it back. These aren’t fried so it’s not a perfect match, but the butter dip into the cinnamon sugar is close enough that I had to sit with it for a second. Made them twice this week. Going to make them with my own kid on Sunday.
Hot tip if you’re making these in summer: when your kitchen is warm and the dough is fighting you, 10 minutes in the freezer before you start rolling completely fixes it. The xanthan gum firms up and you get tight, even balls that don’t stick to your hands or the parchment. I also switched to vanilla protein powder and the cinnamon sugar coating picks up this extra richness I wasn’t expecting. Not going back to unflavored.
Had my doubts about baking these instead of frying them because churros are supposed to have that snap from hot oil (or so I thought). Made them anyway and that cinnamon butter dip at the end does something I wasn’t expecting. Every other keto donut hole I’ve tried is just donut-adjacent. These actually taste like a churro, which I cannot say about most keto versions of anything.
The fried version is crispier if you ever want that hot oil snap. But the butter dip is what makes this taste like a churro and not just a keto donut hole with cinnamon on it.
I’ve tried four other keto donut hole recipes and kept running into the same problem: the coating slides right off. The melted butter dip fixes that completely, and the xanthan gum gives them an actual chew I haven’t found anywhere else.
I honestly didn’t think almond flour was going to pull off anything close to a real churro. I’ve had keto ‘donut’ recipes before and they always have that dense, gummy thing going on that just reminds you you’re on a diet. These don’t. The cinnamon coating crisps up when you dip them in butter and the inside is actually soft. I went in skeptical and came out making a second batch the same afternoon.
Never tried keto baking before and started here, which was a gamble. Dough came together fast, and the cinnamon sugar actually stayed on after the butter dip. Would these work in an air fryer, or does the oven matter for how they set?
Made these Sunday night because my daughter has been asking for churros since we went to the fair last summer. She took one bite, looked at me, and said ‘these taste like the real ones.’ From a 10-year-old with zero interest in keto and zero incentive to be nice about it, that was the whole review I needed. The cinnamon sugar coating smelled exactly right when I was rolling them. Making a double batch next weekend.
Churros were what I missed most going keto. Came in skeptical. The cinnamon butter coating nails it. Four stars only because I scorched my first batch. Treated the 6-minute timing like a regular donut recipe.
Really happy with these but I’ll roll them smaller next time (mine came out more like golf balls than donut holes, not totally sure I got the 1/2 to 1 inch sizing right). The cinnamon sugar coating still stuck beautifully and the inside was soft, just a lot of donut hole per bite.
Yeah the coating-to-dough ratio is way better at the smaller size. Golf balls are fine but you lose the cinnamon sugar in every bite. Half inch is the sweet spot.
My daughter ate four of these standing at the counter while they were still warm from the oven. When I asked what she thought she said they needed more cinnamon, which honestly I didn’t expect from a second-grader, but she’s not wrong. Going to adjust the ratio next time.
Absolutely love your recipe, easiest donuts ever to make. I was looking up, donut holes, and came across your website. I had some leftover chocolate and peanuts and caramel that I was making snicker brownies and thought donuts would be a great addition with the leftovers so again thank you so much
Oats will take it out of keto territory, just so you know. The butter is intentional though – it’s what keeps the inside from going dry. Extra almond flour is the right call if the dough felt too loose.
