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My older daughter absolutely LOVES donuts so one day, on a whim, I saw this "Mini Donut Maker" at Target and decided to try it out. It's a plug-in machine (similar to a waffle maker) and comes with a booklet of recipes that I tweaked to make mini donuts with whole wheat flour and no refined sugars.
Easy Whole Wheat Mini Donut Maker Recipe
This discovery is nothing new (I've shared this maker within a post or two on the blog before), but we've been getting so many questions about it lately it so I've decided to give it a post all of its own today! So without further ado, here are two whole-grain donut recipes that work great in this little donut maker, and if you know if any other variations of your own please share them with us in the comments below!
And FYI - These obviously don't have the same consistency as deep-fried donuts, but regardless both of my daughters LOVE these things as a special treat! In fact, I think we'll have to make a batch today.
Are These Donuts Baked, Cake, or Fried?
Fried donuts are usually made with yeast, and they require unhealthy deep frying to cook. Cake donuts are also usually deep fried, but instead are made with baking powder and more closely resemble a cake in texture.
Donuts made in a mini donut maker are generally considered to be “baked” donuts, so you can’t replicate cake or fried donuts in one. Thankfully baked whole wheat donuts are also the best choice if you want a healthier treat!
Tips for Using a Mini Donut Mater
- Cook at the right temperature. Most mini donut makers have a light to indicate when it's heated. Make sure you preheat the mini donut maker until the light comes on and let it heat back up between batches.
- Don’t overfill. Like with a waffle maker, the batter added to mini donut makers will expand as it cooks. You may have to do some trial and error to figure out exactly how much batter to use with your machine.
- Avoid scratching the non-stick surface. Don’t use metal tools to remove mini donuts; a toothpick or chopsticks works best.
Are Mini Donut Makers Worth it?
I know what you’re thinking … really, another appliance for the kitchen? But here’s my opinion: First of all, fun appliances like mini donut makers are a great way to let the kids help with meals and snacks. That is one of the best ways to teach them about food (and healthy food choices)!
Second, it’s convenient. Whole wheat mini donuts are great for the occasional treat and I love how quickly you can make a batch when you’re in the mood to indulge. Having a fast option can keep you from turning to processed, sugary convenience foods instead.
Can You Bake These Whole Wheat Donuts in the Oven?
Yes, these can be made in a silicone mini donut pan or a regular mini donut baking pan. Add batter to a greased mini donut pan then bake for 7-10 minutes at 425 F.
More Whole Wheat Mini Donut Recipes
Unlike the recipes that came with the mini donut maker, these mini donut recipes have real food ingredients such as whole wheat flour and no refined sugar. You can use these vanilla and chocolate recipes as a base for other mini donuts, too. Here are some ideas:
Vanilla Cinnamon
Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the vanilla donut recipe.
Pumpkin Spiced
You can add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie seasoning or try this recipe for pumpkin spiced waffles (it works in the mini donut maker too).
Banana Chocolate
Replace the egg in the chocolate donut recipe with 1 mashed ripe banana.
Healthy Toppings for Whole Wheat Mini Donuts
Skip the sugar or frosting and try some of these healthy (or healthier) mini donut toppings instead. Tip: Make sure donuts are cooled before adding toppings or else they won’t stick.
- A drizzle of honey or maple syrup
- Homemade jam or fruit puree
- Unsweetened Greek yogurt
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- Cream cheese
- Chopped nuts
How to Store and Freeze Homemade Mini Donuts
Let the whole wheat mini donuts cool completely before storing them. They can be stored in the fridge up to a week, and frozen for up to 3 months. Don’t put toppings on mini donuts you plan to freeze.
To thaw, let mini donuts warm up to room temperature on the counter or microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Whole Wheat Donuts (for the Mini Donut-Maker)
Ingredients
Original Flavor
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
Chocolate Flavor
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (we prefer "special dark" 100% cacao)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
Instructions
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Make a well (hole) in the middle and drop in the egg, milk, syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil.
- Stir together with a fork until well combined.
- Follow manufacturer directions to make donuts using the batter.
- Serve donuts or freeze for another day! We love to add these as an occasional treat to school lunches.
Mike Chung from Chicago, IL says
I see some fantastic looking bagels but no donuts. Where are the donuts?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Mike. Here you go: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/12/21/recipe-mini-whole-grain-donuts/. ~Amy
Heidi says
My boys and I have been making this recipe for for about 6 months and they LOVE them!! Today, my oldest son decided that he wanted to use this donut recipe to make waffles. They were the most delicious waffles I have ever tasted!! Light, fluffy and sweet. I ended up making a triple batch, since 1 batch only made 5 waffles and I knew the boys would want extras. We did use white wheat flour and stuck with the plain recipe.
mk says
I figured out that there are about 75 calories per mini donut (using the chocolate recipe). If you use homemade applesauce in place of the coconut oil you cut out 30 calories (which are all calories from fat by the way), bringing it down to 45 calories per donut. I wanted to share this with people who want to eat real food but who have fitness goals as well.
Ashley says
I am still fairly new to all of this, but I have tried several of your recipes already. Most have been a big hit! I just made these donuts and my husband has gobbled up about six of them. My question is regarding cooking with coconut oil. How do you keep it from re-solidifying when you add it to the cold ingredients (milk, egg, etc)? This happened to me with the donut recipe as well as the waffle recipe. I end up with flakes of hard coconut oil in the batter. Am I doing something wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ashley. We have all had similar experiences when first starting to work with coconut oil in baking. I typically let my cold ingredients sit for a bit to reduce their chill and add the coconut oil gradually, mixing it in thoroughly as I go. This usually does the trick. Here is a post specific to cooking with coconut oil: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. Hope that helps. ~Amy
AmberB says
These are fabulous! The Trader Joe's coconut oil adds just the right amount of coconut flavor and I love subbing the maple syrup for white sugar. Mixed in some fresh blueberries and well, the entire batch has magically disappeared! Thanks for this take on their recipe!
Krystal says
I have a question. Can we sub the coconut oil with regular oil. I am very allergic to coconuts.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Krystal. Lisa would likely substitute with butter. Best of luck. ~Amy
Kelly Cox says
wow these were great! (our library had a mini donut maker to check out)...after trying it with this recipe....I promptly went online and ordered one of my own (using coupon codes etc. ofcourse). My kids like donuts but I rarely buy them because of the white flour and excess sugar etc. These were great and they loved them! Thank you thank you!
Janna says
I had received a babycakes cake pop maker for Christmas last year and it has been collecting dust until now. I have been making donut holes with it now using your recipe. I don't use a glaze on the chocolate but sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and sugar on the plain. This is a very special treat for my kids and they love them. Of course they don't taste like real donuts and thank goodness for that. I think peoples taste buds get so overloaded with sugar that it's hard for them to appreciate a healthier alternative that is full of flavour without all the extra sugar and fat. Thank you for all your delicious recipes. You know you've "won" when your kids now can tell the difference between home made healthy treats and processed store bought stuff and prefer mom's version! Also - my kids only want your pancakes now too :)
Jacque says
I just found a donut maker at Target for half off so of course I had to try it out as soon as I got home. :) OMG are they good. We spread a little cram cheese on them. Very yummy. Definitely worth the investment.
Gina says
Love this recipe. They freeze nicely. I make a double batch and freeze half. They are all eaten with in a week. So happy to have a delicious healthy and fun alternative for my kids at breakfast.
I was wondering if you happened to know the calorie content per donut?
I agree these do not taste like a store bought donut. But I've come to the point in my food journey that I prefer how "clean" (for a lack of a better word)food now tastes. If I were to eat a store bought donut I don't think I would like it one bit. I know I don't enjoy the smell. In my mind I associate that with unhealthiness and I've been eating non processed food for so long that when I do eat processed foods I get a head ache and stomach ache. Takes time but you adjust.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Gina. Welcome. Sorry, we do not track nutrition information. This post may help explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/. ~Amy
Gina says
We've enjoyed trying many of your recipes, but unfortunately, this one was a fail! If you put a duck costume on a pig, it doesn't make it a duck. That is how I felt about these. Just because they are shaped like donuts, they taste NOTHING like a donut, and 1T cocoa gave no chocolate flavor. I'll stick with the yummy banana pancakes instead!
Tara says
Where do you get your cocoa powder? I tried this recipe with my donut maker and while they tasted ok and my kids had no problem eating them up they were not very flavorful. I used some Navitas Raw Chocolate Cacao powder that I had but want to try it with something else next time.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tara. Lisa has used Hershey's Special Dark in the past but any kind of dark cocoa powder should work well. ~Amy
Sheri says
Silly question - when you say 4 Tbsp melted coconut oil - is it 4 Tbsp before or after it is melted. Not even sure it would make a difference. Love your blog!!
Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sheri. Not silly at all...it should be 4T melted. Glad you enjoy the blog. ~Amy
Sheri says
Thanks!!
Dona says
You guys might want to check your local Target, mine has the Sunbeam donut maker on sale for $15.
Anne says
Ended up getting lucky and finding a 2nd hand doughnut maker never been used cheap. I made a batch of maple doughnuts yesterday and today made a batch using a banana instead of the egg. So good! Also added some cinnamon. l can't wait to try out some more flavors.
4timesmommy says
if i bake them in the oven in a donut pan, how long will i have to bake them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi. We've not tried this before in a donut pan. I imagine it would be comparable to most baked donut recipe times. ~Amy
Jennifer Edwards says
FYI - Macy's has these on clearance. I picked one up today for just $10! PLEASE come up with a pumpkin spice donut recipe! I may play around with it some, but I'm new to the whole grain baking and trust that you have more experience with these types of substitutions.
Megan says
I was wondering if I could substitute something else for the maple syrup. I don't have any pure kind and I am out of honey (I saw a post about using that instead). I want to try these for the girls tomorrow but it's 4* without the wind chill right now and I don't want to make another trip to the store. =)
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Megan. I'm sorry this is late in getting back to you. I hope you found a good substitute. Jill
Liz says
This is one of my favorite resipes. My kids love it and they freeze so well. I experimented with this recipe to try accomodate friends kids who are on the SCD diet and it turned out great. Excited our kids can all eat the same thing when they come for breakfast/playdate!
1 cup Almond Flour
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Cocnut Oil
Amber says
At what temperature would you cook these in the oven?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Amber. I bake mine at 350. Jill
Melanie says
One other suggestion if you don't have one is to make donut holes in your mini muffin tin. You'll have to mess around with cook times, but should come out relatively the same.
alicia s says
Thanks for sharing these recipes! I love how easy they are to play with. I've made them before adding a little fruit spread to the mix, and today I added cashew butter (because my peanut butter was too hard). Yum!!
alicia s says
PS- I added the cashew butter to the chocolate recipe because I love that combo.
MJ says
I followed your recipe but the doughtnut doesn't seem to rise and is not fluffy. Both sides do not brown, how long must they be in the doughtnut maker for? Any advice?
Lisa says
Did you use the pictured donut maker? Are all your ingredients fresh (whole-wheat flour has to be kept refrigerated)?
Ronny says
Thanks I'll be trying this however I'll need to modify it to be GF and egg free so I'm interested to hear if anyone has tried an alternate flour? will probably try applesauce with chia seeds or egg replacer as well..
Meghan says
I am wanting to try these this weekend. I have a few questions:
1. I am baking these in a doughtnut pan for the over will they still work the same?
2. One member of my family is gluten free- can you suggest a flour to use? All purpose gluten free? Oat flour? White Rice Flour?
3. Any suggestions on a glaze?
Thanks for your help- I hope to try them this weekend
Meghan
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Meghan. I bake mine in the oven and they're fine. Just make sure you spray your pans. I think I do 10 mins or so, but, I would just make sure you check them. You could use the gluten free flour, although, I will say that that flour is pretty processed (uses white rice flour amongst some others). As far as a glaze, I don't really have a suggestion that wouldn't use sugar of some sort. I guess you could try something that maybe uses honey instead, but, I'm not sure if that would give you the flavor you desire. Jill
Victoria says
Thanks for the post. My daughter got one of these for christmas.
Cara Nunez says
Could butter be used in place of coconut oil?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Cara. I have not tried it, but, it might work. Jill
Anne says
l actually used better yesterday, worked great.
Melissa says
I have the same donut maker...how long do you cook these recipes for in it? And how full do you fill them?
Lisa says
Melissa - They really just take a couple minutes to fully bake in this maker and I fill them at least 3/4 of the way full.
A Whole-istic Life says
I used to have a donut maker similar to this about 20 years ago and LOVED it!
Maybe will have to get one again........... your recipe sounds yummy
Lori says
We follow a similar recipe, but use honey (from our bees!) instead of maple syrup. I also add 2 tbsp of yogurt or applesauce, as we find them to be a bit dry sometimes. We top them with homemade jam or "icing" made by mixing Greek yogurt with honey, softened butter and a touch of cinnamon. My kids go ga-ga for these!
Leah says
I just got this mini donut maker and am SO excited to try it! I was disappointed it only came with one recipe and it used white flour and sugar... I don't ever use those and thus don't own them... thanks so much for posting a whole wheat recipe! :)
nicole says
I have this donut maker because my girls are also gaga for donuts. Every time I let them have one I have this inner conflict about it. This recipe is great. I wonder though could I use agave or applesauce instead of maple syrup? Maybe I'll try it!
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Nicole. We don't use agave (here's why...http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/). You could possibly use unsweetened applesauce, although I'm not sure if that will add enough sweetness. Jill
Coach Jonni says
I didn't have cabinet space for the maker so we took it back and got an $8 doughnut pan at Bed Bath and Beyond. They can be a little flat on top if you don't leave them in long enough, but it works just fine with Lisa's recipe.
Robin says
Cool idea. Those donut makers are all over the place here. Coffee shops sell them using pancake mix... I'm sure my boys would love these 'donuts'
Debbie says
Yum! We made the chocolate ones this afternoon and the kids loved them! With all the junk they have been getting at school this week (even my preschooler had a cookie swap at school), it's so nice to have a treat that's not overrun with sugar. Thanks for the recipe!
Sara says
Do you think I could substitute honey for the maple syrup? Nobody in the family really likes it so I don't ever have any.
Lisa says
Yes, I think that would work just fine!
Jen says
Do you think I could make "donut waffles" with this recipe in the waffle maker?
Lisa says
Yes, I do think that would work! Let us know how it turns out :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Jen. I haven't tried it, but, it might work. Let us know how it turns out. Jill
Jen says
Hi!
I did try it - a few weeks ago.
They were awesome, the kids loved - and they were very chocolate-y. We will be making these again for sure!
Thanks so much,
Jen
Sue bryant says
I'm new to your blog but glad i foundi found it. Can you get the recipe for Choc Full O Nuts whole wheat donuts that's in the Washington Post Cookbook from 2013. I can't afford the book just for 1 recipe, but these were the best doughnut on the planet. I'll love you forever if you can get it. Me and probably half of America!
100 Days Admin says
Hi Sue, I'm not really sure which book you are referring too. - Nicole
tammy says
Great recipe! 2 questions...
How many donuts do the above recipes make?
Can you use a donut baking pan instead?
Thanks!
Lisa says
Tammy - I haven't tried this with a donut baking pan myself so I am not sure about that, but this recipe yields about 2 dozen in the pictured maker.
Lindsay says
We like to follow the plain whole wheat recipe and add pumpkin and chocolate chips. Or, we have recently done the whole wheat plain and then added a little frosting (organic cream cheese, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla mixed together). Kids love them.
Andrea says
I have found some really great recipes for donuts on pinterest that are baked. This way you don't need to use harmful chemicals like those found in the nonstick coating of the mini donut maker. It would definitely be worth it to check out the site!