WW Recipe of the Day: Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts
(178 calories | 7 7 7 myWW *SmartPoints value per serving)
Healthy, homemade whole wheat donuts 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!
Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts
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.
To bake them, you’ll need to pick up a donut baking pan (affiliate link), which is a worthwhile investment for donut lovers looking to get healthier and bake their own donuts at home!
Skinny on Baked Whole Wheat 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!
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)
Curious about Weight Watchers new myWW Green, Blue and Purple plans? Watch this short video to learn more:
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. Enjoy!
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Healthy Baked Whole Wheat Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) whole-wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) low-fat buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1-1/2 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 cooking spray.
- In a large 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 sugar, applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla until frothy.
- Create a well in the center of the four mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Using a spoon mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Use a pastry bag, or large plastic bag, to pipe the mixture into the donut pan. Alternatively, 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.
Recipe Notes
Source: adapted from the Hodgson Mill Whole Grain Baking: 400 Healthy and Delicious Recipes for Muffins, Breads, Cookies, and More (affiliate link) cookbook.
*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:
- Apple Crisp Donuts with Caramel Drizzle (DrizzleMeSkinny)
- Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Pumpkin Strudel Donuts (DrizzleMeSkinny)
- Chocolate Frosted Donuts (EmilyBites)
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Hi, I'm Martha. Simple Nourished Living chronicles the easy and delicious Weight Watchers friendly recipes, tips & hints that help me balance my love of food and desire to be happy, healthy and slim. 
Carolyn
The instructions for Whole wheat donuts include applesauce but the list of ingredients does not include applesauce. How much? Does this replace pumpkin?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Carolyn, yes, the applesauce is meant to replace the pumpkin. You can use either or interchangeably. I’ve fixed the ingredients list. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. ~Martha
Holly Mitchell
These are delicious! Taste more like muffins maybe? But nice and fluffy, but still hold together like a donut should. Yum!!!