fbpx

Healthy Helper

Health. Happiness. Helping Others.

Carrot Cake Donuts [gluten free + high protein]

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Gluten-free, high protein donuts filled with all the sweet flavor of your favorite spring-time dessert…carrot cake! The combination of soft, doughy donut texture with the fresh carrot cake flavor make for the ultimate sweet snack. Filled with veggie nutrients and sugar-free, these are the donuts you can feel good about eating!

Carrot Cake Donuts

Happy National Carrot Cake Day!

Were you aware that February 3rd is a full day in the calendar dedication to the deliciousness of carrot cake?! Well I wasn’t until I did some googling last month.

I have been teasing you all on Instagram with my homemade donut creations for weeks now and I knew if was probably time I actually SHARE one of the recipes. I recently made a carrot cake variety that was out of this world and judging by your responses to it on Instagram, I knew I couldn’t hold out on you any longer.

Carrot Cake Donuts

Well that’s when I got to thinking…when would be the perfect time to share these beauties? When I think carrot cake, I think of Spring! Easter! Sunny weather! Maybe it’s the bright, beautiful color of carrots or simple because we often serve carrots cake around Easter season.

Carrot Cake Donuts

Spring seemed like waaaay too long to wait to give you this recipe so my second option was to find a food holiday that fit the theme! National Carrot Day? Doesn’t even exist! (Though there is an INTERNATIONAL Carrot Day on April 4th) National Donut Day? Friday, June 3rd…way to far out. National Carrot Cake Day? February 3rd!! Perfect.

Carrot Cake Donuts

So the date was set. And now it’s finally arrived! May I present….Carrot Cake Donuts! Alternatively I was going to call them PROnuts because they’re so high in protein! They’re just so soft, dense, and cakey though that only the true name could do them justice.

Carrot Cake Donuts...soft, cake-like donuts that are gluten-free, high protein, and made with whole grain goodness! No added sugar and bursting with fresh carrot flavor! A sweet treat or snack you can feel good about eating from Healthy Helper Blog. [nut-free, healthy, recipe, healthy snack, donuts, carrot cake, national carrot cake day, low calorie, dessert]

Print

Carrot Cake Donuts

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.6 from 10 reviews
  • Author: Kaila Proulx | Healthy Helper
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 6 donuts 1x
  • Category: Sweet Snacks

Ingredients

Scale
  • Dry ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup of rolled oats, ground into flour
  • 15 grams vanilla whey protein (about 1/2 scoop)
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour (12 grams)
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • Wet ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp of plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp liquid egg whites
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 medium carrots, shredded (about 110 grams)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar and set aside. In a food processor, grind oats into flour. Mix with the rest of your dry ingredients.
  2. In your smaller bowl combine all of the wet, including the almond milk mixture until there are no clumps. Fold your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and stir but do not over-mix. It should be thick but not overly so. Portion out your batter into 6 well-sprayed doughnut wells and place into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops are lightly golden brown.

Carrot Cake Donuts

Bursting with bright carrot and subtle vanilla flavor in every bite, these donuts will turn even the staunchest of carrot cake haters in to carrot cake LOVERS. They’re just so darn good!

Carrot Cake Donuts

Gluten-free, perfectly spiced, and just the right amount of sweetness. As a self-professed coffee lover, I can also say they pass the ‘dunk’ test. 😉

Carrot Cake Donuts

I kept things pretty simple with this first batch, but some other mix-in ideas I came up with include adding:

+crushed pineapple

+chopped dried pineapple chunks

+toasted walnuts

+coconut shreds

+raisins

Carrot Cake Donuts

The possibilities are endless! I know there is intense debate over pineapple vs. no pineapple and raisins vs. no raisins in carrot cake. I’ll be honest and tell you that I am firmly on the side of “the more mix-ins the better!”. I love all the different tastes and textures that adding chewy dried fruit or crunchy nuts can give to a baked good. But not the real question. Where do YOU fall in the Great Carrot Cake Debate?

Carrot Cake Donuts...soft, cake-like donuts that are gluten-free, high protein, and made with whole grain goodness! No added sugar and bursting with fresh carrot flavor! A sweet treat or snack you can feel good about eating from Healthy Helper Blog. [nut-free, healthy, recipe, healthy snack, donuts, carrot cake, national carrot cake day, low calorie, dessert]

Celebrate #NationalCarrotCakeDay with these Carrot Cake Donuts from @Healthy_Helper!

Click To Tweet

A few other carrot cake creations from around the web:

Carrot Cake Fruit Butter

Carrot Cake Oat Muffins

No Bake Carrot Cake Energy Bites

Ps: If you don’t have a donut pan and are looking to invest in one, I HIGHLY recommend the Wilton brand one that I got for Christmas. You don’t even need to spray it! Just turn over the pan onto a wire rack and the donuts pop right out! Perfection.

Were you aware of National Carrot Cake Day?

What’s you ultimate donut flavor? Maybe I’ll try to recreate it!

Are you a carrot cake purist or a lover of lots of mix-ins?

 
 
 
 
Stay connected:
Subscribe to Healthy Helper
Instagram: HealthyHelper
Facebook: Healthy Helper
Twitter: @Healthy_Helper
Pinterest: Healthy_Helper
TikTok: KailaProulx
Bloglovin’: Healthy Helper
Buy my BUDGET TRAVEL EBook!
Shop with me on Amazon. Favorite products, fun finds, and more! 

Linking up with: Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeOfTheWeek,#StrangeButGood,Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays,Tasty Tuesdays,Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Full Plate Thursday,WNWN Wednesday, JillConyers!

115 responses to “Carrot Cake Donuts [gluten free + high protein]”

  8. OH MY GOSH!!!! Totally Sharing, I have been looking for high protein low carb options that I can grab for breakfast!!! This is perfect! Thank YOU!

    Reply

  20. Hi Kaila,
    These carrot cake donuts sound not only tasty but so healthy. What a great alternative for Ash Wednesday than the traditional donuts that are so healthy. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  25. What a great idea! I just love carrot cake, and actually I really love donuts for, so it seems this is the perfect combo! Thanks for sharing this recipe, found you at Wakeup Wednesday!

    Reply

  26. All these national foodie days keep popping up, and I’m loving it. 🙂 Reason to celebrate all of God’s awesome gifts. 🙂 I can’t wait to make these? Would it be legit to do a cream cheese frosting?

    Reply

  30. What a healthy spin on a donut recipe! I really like what you came up with and can’t wait to try it! Pinning!
    Would love to have you stop by at our Sunday Fitness and Food Link-Up if you want to share this recipe! :):)

    Reply

  32. Um, YUM. Having to eat gluten free is not my ideal situation, but these look yummy!

    Thanks for joining us on the Alder Collective! Pinning, and we hope to see you again soon!

    Reply

  33. I love carrot cake! I may have to make these for my dad for his birthday in a couple weeks since the girls want to bring him donuts. Maybe with a healthy protein cream cheese glaze? You know because it’s his birthday!
    Thank you for linking up, happy Meatless Monday!

    Reply

  34. Love carrot cake, especially with raisins, and I love donuts. Being gluten free I miss the cakey, denseness that gluten adds to baked goods, I am so going to be trying this, they look and sound delish! Yum!!!! Happy Carrot Cake day to me, I mean you! LOL

    Reply

  35. We would love your Carrot Cake Donuts! Thank you so much for sharing with us for our 5th Anniversary of Full Plate Thursday! Hope you have a fantastic week and hope to see you again real soon!
    Miz Helen

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  42. These look delish! I love carrots and carrot cake, so I’m betting these donuts are divine! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Funtastic Friday.

    Reply

  48. Your Carrot Cake Donuts will be a great hit here. Hope you have a very special Valentine Day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  49. Oh, how neat. I just went to the market and saw carrot cake bagels and now I can make something similar at home. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday. Pinned.

    Reply

  63. I made these for breakfast this morning and HOLY COW. They were SO good sister. I glazed mine with another 1/2 scoop vanilla protein mixed with water. I’m definitely going to make these for breakfast again this week!!!

    Reply

  68. Hello! Could you make this recipe without protein powder and ith flax eggs instead of egg whites? Look delicious! 🙂

    ★★★★

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.