Healthy Pumpkin Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
Yields: 28 mini donuts
 
These are perfect for when you’re craving donuts but trying to stay away from the greasy fried ones! They’re supremely soft and tender, and they’re full of sweet pumpkin flavor and cozy spices. The rich dark chocolate glaze makes them even more irresistible! Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • for the donuts
  • 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 tbsp (6g) ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tbsp (7g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla stevia
  • ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée, room temperature (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • ½ cup (120g) Greek yogurt
  • ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
  • for the glaze
  • ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
  • 3 ½ tbsp (52mL) nonfat milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • scant ¼ tsp vanilla stevia, or adjusted to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 28 mini donut cups with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. To prepare the donuts, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, vanilla extract, and vanilla stevia. Stir in the pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.)
  3. Transfer the batter to a large zip-topped plastic bag, and cut off one corner, Pipe the batter into the prepared donut cups. Bake at 350°F for 14-18 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. Just before serving, prepare the glaze by stirring together the cocoa powder, milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla stevia. Dip each donut into the glaze, and place back onto the wire racks or a plate to let the glaze set.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought blends will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

If you prefer, store-bought pumpkin spice may be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

I highly recommend using the vanilla stevia! It’s my favorite sweetener, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. (I buy it online here because that's the cheapest price I've found!) If you prefer, 8-12 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the vanilla stevia. If using this substitution, reduce the milk in the donuts to ¼ cup (60mL). The baking time may change.

Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

These are the donut pans that I use! They’re made of silicone and a little flimsy, so I just set them on top of a large cookie sheet to bake.

When dipping in the glaze, I put the glaze on the side of the donut that was touching the donut pan (so the bottoms!). It’s typically smoother than the top side, so the glaze looks a little prettier!

If you prefer, this recipe will yield 12 standard sized donuts. The baking temperature remains the same. Begin checking on them after about 18 minutes. The donuts will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm to the touch.

Don’t own a mini or standard-sized donut pan? Not to worry! You can use a mini muffin pan (you’ll get 28 mini muffins) or a standard-sized muffin pan (you’ll get 12 muffins).

For a vegan version, use coconut oil instead of butter, substitute additional pumpkin purée (or non-dairy yogurt) for the Greek yogurt, and use your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, sugar-free, vegan option}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/10/15/healthy-pumpkin-donuts-with-chocolate-glaze/