Protein Donuts (Rich and Chocolatey)

These double chocolate protein donuts are deliciously chocolatey with a soft cakey texture coated in a rich chocolate glaze. They're made with your favorite chocolate protein powder and each donut has 13 grams of protein. Healthy and decadent - the best of both worlds!

The Best Protein Donuts

This homemade chocolate protein donut recipe is a fantastic way to get your protein fix for the day and curb your sugar cravings at the same time.

They taste just like classic chocolate cake donuts, but are sugar free and packed with protein. In fact, as I mentioned just a second ago, there's actually 13 grams of protein in each one of 'em! As a result, these protein donuts will keep you fuller for longer and leave you perfectly satisfied without the sugar crash.

So, if you're tired of boring old protein shakes, this recipe is a great way to switch it up to hit your protein goals.

Oh, and if you are tired of protein shakes, and haven't tried this Oreo protein shake you've got to, stat. The shake with one of these chocolate donuts is a dream of a breakfast or fantastic pre or post-workout meal.

Anyway, the best things about this donut recipe with whey protein is the fact that you can make a whole batch of 'em in under 30 minutes. The recipe is super simple, too - just combine everything in a bowl, transfer to the donut pan, and bake!

Honestly, it's one of the easiest donut recipes you can make, protein or not. It's about as simple as making this 1-minute chocolate protein mug cake.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these chocolate protein donuts:

• Milk- I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
• Eggs
• Unsweetened applesauce- to keep them lower in calories.
• Vanilla extract
• Granular swerve- you can also use Lakanto's monkfruit sweetener.
• All-purpose flour- necessary for the best texture.
• Chocolate protein powder- whey protein powder and plant based protein powder both work great. You can also switch it up and use vanilla protein powder, peanut butter protein powder, or any flavored protein powder you want.
• Baking soda
• Unsweetened cocoa powder

And to make the chocolate frosting to coat them with:

• Chocolate protein powder
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Granular swerve
• Water

By the way, I actually use a lot of these ingredients to make my protein brownies and low calorie hot chocolate. So, if you're looking for some other decadent protein dessert recipes, you'll definitely want to check those out!

How To Make Protein Donuts

Step 1: Making The Donut Batter

First, preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Then, take out a large bowl and start combining the wet ingredients for the donuts. This would be your milk of choice, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract.

Now, once they're well combined, mix in your dry ingredients - the sugar substitute, flour, protein powder, baking soda, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Then, give everything a stir until you have a smooth batter.

Step 2: Baking The Donuts

Ok, so now you'll want to fill your silicone donut mold or donut pan with the donut batter. That said, if you aren't using a silicone - or non-stick pan - grease the insides with non-stick cooking spray or melted butter first. Also, if you don't have a donut pan, you can use a muffin tin!

Anyway, now you'll want to slide your filled donut pan into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Your donuts are done when you can stick a toothpick into the center, and it comes out clean when pulled out.

Step 3: Frosting The Donuts

So, while the donuts are baking, you'll want to make the chocolate frosting to finish off the donuts.

In a small bowl, combine the chocolate protein powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, and sugar substitute and mix everything together until smooth.

Then, let the donuts cool to room temperature and top the cooled donuts with frosting. And if you're feeling extra, you can top them off with some rainbow or chocolate sprinkles. Enjoy!

How To Store These Protein Donuts

I love making a double batch and eating these throughout the week for breakfast or a late-night treat. So don't worry about making too many! If you have leftover donuts, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and you can also keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days. To store them, just place a piece of parchment paper between each donut before stacking them to prevent the frosting from sticking.

How To Freeze These Donuts

Now, these donuts last even longer, up to 2 months, if you put them in the freezer.

If you want to freeze them, place them on a lined tray and let them chill in the freezer until the frosting hardens. Then, store them in a freezer bag with a piece of parchment paper between each donut.

You can also store them without frosting (in this case, skip the pre-freezing step) and add frosting once you've defrosted the donuts. To defrost them, keep them in the refrigerator overnight and let them come to room temperature on the counter, or warm them up in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

More Protein Recipes

If you liked these protein donuts, I have a ton of protein recipes on the blog that you have to try next!

Check out these high protein recipes:

• Peanut butter protein cookies
• Protein Wendy's Frosty
• Protein blueberry muffins
• Protein waffles
• Protein pudding
• Protein oatmeal
• Protein overnight oats
• Protein french toast
• Weight gainer shake

By the way, if you're looking for other donut recipes with whey protein powder, you have to check out these pumpkin donuts too. They're so, so good.