Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts Recipe

WW Recipe of the Day: Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts

In the mood for a good cake donut? These healthy, homemade whole grain donuts bake up nice and light, are a breeze to make and can be fresh from the oven on the table and ready-to-eat in just 35 minutes.

We all have the right to enjoy a simple, guilt-free sweet treat that's made from scratch! And unlike the traditional donut that is deep fried in a neutral oil, these tasty treats are much lower in fat and baked in the oven.

A couple of nights ago I expressed the desire to find a recipe for healthy baked whole wheat donuts. It arrived in the paper Wednesday morning!

This recipe for baked whole wheat donuts is adapted from the Hodgson Mill Whole Grain Baking: 400 Healthy and Delicious Recipes for Muffins, Breads, Cookies, and More (affiliate link) cookbook.

It is so easy to bake donuts at home, but you will need to pick up a donut baking pan (affiliate link), which is a worthwhile investment for donut lovers looking to get a little healthier!

Fresh baked whole grain donuts

How Many Calories and WW Points in Whole Wheat Baked Donuts?

I cut the original recipe in half, which is why the amounts look a little funny. I didn't think having twelve donuts in the house was a smart idea, healthy or not!

When made with regular granulated sugar, this recipe will provide you with 6 large donuts, each with 178 calories and:

7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

By substituting your favorite zero calorie sweetener for the sugar, each donut will have about 118 calories.

To see your WW PersonalPoints and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

How to Make Whole Wheat Baked Donuts, Step by Step

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.

Ready to make the donuts

Step 2: Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Generously coat a donut pan (affiliate link) with nonstick baking spray and set aside.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl (affiliate link), whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.

Whisking the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt

Step 4: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer (affiliate link) to beat together the sweetener, unsweetened applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla until frothy.

Mixing the sweetener, applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla

Step 5: Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon (affiliate link), mix just until combined being careful not to overmix. (If you overmix your batter, you may end up with donuts that have a more dense, chewy texture.)

Stirring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients

Step 6: Using a pastry bag, or large plastic bag, is the easiest way to pipe the mixture into the greased donut pan (affiliate link). If using a large plastic bag, first fill the bag with the donut batter, squeeze bag to eliminate any excess air and snip off one corner with sharp scissors. Use this corner to add the batter to the pan (see video demonstration below). Alternatively, you can spoon the batter into the molds, but the finished donuts may not appear as even.

Ready to bake the donuts

Step 7: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when pressed gently around the edges.

Cool donuts in pan for 5 minutes

Step 8: Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack (affiliate link) for 5 minutes.

Step 9: Run a small sharp knife around the inside of the molds to release the donuts. Invert the pan, if necessary, and place the donuts on the wire rack to cool completely, or enjoy them warm.

Cooling fresh baked donuts on wire rack

Recipe Notes

Reading through the ingredients, you'll notice that this recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour and you might be wondering how whole wheat flour differs from whole wheat pastry flour.

The difference is in the wheat. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled from white soft wheat, where regular whole wheat flour is milled from red hard wheat. The wheat pastry flour is also lower in protein but the great thing about it is that it keeps all the nutrients from the bran and germ, resulting in wonderfully tender whole grain baked goods. ¹

Cake-like whole wheat donut

Can I substitute whole wheat flour for whole wheat pastry flour?
It is not recommend to substitute regular whole wheat flour for whole wheat pastry flour because the whole wheat flour is much more dense.

Is there a good substitute for whole wheat pastry flour?
If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, the best substitution will be a flour mixture mix of half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. This recipe calls for 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, whole-wheat pastry flour which you could replace with ½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and ½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon of regular whole wheat flour. When making this substitution, be sure to sift or whisk these two flours together first, before adding in other ingredients.

Video Demonstration: How to Make a Homemade Pastry Bag using a Ziplock Bag

Serving Suggestions

And the best part, each whole grain donut can be eaten as is, sprinkled with powdered sugar or a cinnamon-sugar topping, or decorated with your favorite icing (dark chocolate, white chocolate, etc.) and chopped nuts and/or candy sprinkles, if desired.

Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature.

Personally, I'm not fond of overly sweet donuts, so I like my plain and sometimes with a simple smear of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) or almond butter. And when I'm feeling especially decadent, a little Nutella makes a wonderful topping!

Fresh baked low-fat whole wheat donuts

Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature.

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If you've made this healthier version of Whole Grain Low Fat Doughnuts, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

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3.47 from 15 votes

Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts Recipe

Baked whole wheat donuts are a more wholesome alternative when the next donut craving strikes!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 6

Calories: 118

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) whole-wheat pastry flour
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup zero calorie sweetener (Lankato Monkfruit, Swerve, Purecane Zero, Stevia, Splenda, etc.)
• ▢ ⅓ cup (plus 1 tablespoon) unsweetened applesauce
• ▢ ⅓ cup (plus 1 tablespoon) low-fat buttermilk
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1-½ teaspoons canola oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Generously coat a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
•  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
• In another large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the sweetener, unsweetened applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla until frothy.
• Create a well in the center of the dry flour mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined. Do not overmix. (If you overmix your batter, you may end up with donuts that have a more dense, chewy texture.)
• Using a pastry bag, or large plastic bag, is the easiest way to pipe the mixture into the greased donut pan. If using a large plastic bag, first fill the bag with the donut batter, squeeze bag to eliminate any excess air and snip off one corner with sharp scissors. Use this corner to add the batter to the pan. Alternatively, you can spoon the batter into the molds, but the finished donuts may not appear as even.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when pressed gently around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around the inside of the molds to release the donuts. Invert the donuts on the rack and cool completely, or enjoy warm.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.

Equipment

Mixing Bowls

Silicone Whisk

Donut Pan

Recipe Notes

Reading through the ingredients, you'll notice that this recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour and you might be wondering how whole wheat flour differs from whole wheat pastry flour.

The difference is in the wheat. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled from white soft wheat, where regular whole wheat flour is milled from red hard wheat. The wheat pastry flour is also lower in protein but the great thing about it is that it keeps all the nutrients from the bran and germ, resulting in wonderfully tender whole grain baked goods. ¹

Can I substitute whole wheat flour for whole wheat pastry flour?
It is not recommend to substitute regular whole wheat flour for whole wheat pastry flour because the whole wheat flour is much more dense.

Is there a good substitute for whole wheat pastry flour?
If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, the best substitution will be a flour mixture mix of half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. This recipe calls for 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, whole-wheat pastry flour which you could replace with ½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and ½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon of regular whole wheat flour. When making this substitution, be sure to sift or whisk these two flours together first, before adding in other ingredients.

These donuts can be eaten as is, sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, or decorated with your favorite icing and chopped nuts and/or candy sprinkles.

Serving size: 1 baked whole wheat donut

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

When made with regular granulated sugar instead of zero calorie sweetener, each donuts has:

7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

7 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

7 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 donut)

Calories 118 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Carbohydrates 36g12%

Fiber 3g12%

Protein 5g10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked doughnuts, low fat whole wheat donuts, whole wheat baked doughnuts

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

Recipe Source: adapted from the Hodgson Mill Whole Grain Baking: 400 Healthy and Delicious Recipes for Muffins, Breads, Cookies, and More (affiliate link) cookbook.

Article Source:
¹ Bob's Red Mill

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

More Healthy Recipes for Homemade Donuts:

• Cinnamon Apple Doughnuts (Simple-Nourished-Living)
• Apple Crisp Donuts with Caramel Drizzle (DrizzleMeSkinny)
• Healthy Baked Pumpkin Donuts (Simple-Nourished-Living)
• Baked Apple Cider Donuts with Maple Glaze (LaaLoosh)
• Glazed Mint Chocolate Donut (Simple-Nourished-Living)
• Strudel-Topped Pumpkin Donuts (DrizzleMeSkinny)
• Chocolate Frosted Donuts (EmilyBites)

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