No Bake Chocolate Donuts (V, GF, Paleo, Low Sugar)
Everything is better with Donuts!
Okay this statement might be a stretch but I mean come on, who doesn’t love a good donut once in a while. I don’t know about you but I immediately get a little more happy when I bite into something this good!
I remember when I was little growing up I would spend the night with my grandma and in the morning she would take me to the Tim Horton’s down the street from her house and get herself a cup of coffee and me my own little box of Tim Bits! I remember this being a big deal as my parents never took us to fast food places when we were kids and we very rarely ever got donuts growing up unless it was some special occasion. Now that I am all grown up (well on the outside, I still feel like a kid on the inside) and I am able to cook and my make own decisions I can now make donuts whenever I want and eat donuts whenever I feel like it! Growing up is like a blessing and a curse sometimes because I have total food freedom but with that comes dishes I have to do, bills that have to be paid, and work that has to be done. But I mean we can’t have it all can we?
Now for these donuts, you can thank me later because they require NO BAKING and only a food processor is needed to make these. This means very less dishes, less mess and donuts made in just minutes!
From looking at these first glance you might suspect the typical donut ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs all fried up… but I am more about creating healthier more nutrient dense options that not only taste amazing but are amazing for you as well. That’s why I went a different route with these donuts. There is no flour, refined sugar, or frying and evening baking involved. These donuts have some ingredients you may have never thought would go into a donut but trust me when I say this… these BELONG in donuts. Yes, avocado and sweet potato make up the majority of these donuts, giving them the sweetness your’e used to finding in donuts and the texture of a real donut hole but without all of the added sugars, processed oils and lack of nutrients in a traditional donut.
The sweet potatoes give these the sweetness your looking for from a typical donut while also providing antioxidants such as beta-carotene that can be turned into vitamin A to support your eye health as well as a compound that has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancer. Sweet potatoes are also full of other important vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin C, folate, potassium, and magnesium so you really get a mini multivitamin when you take a bite from these donuts.
Avocados also provide so many important nutrients to our body as well some being high in fiber, healthy monounsaturated fats that help fight the inflammation in the body ,and may even help reduce the risk of heart disease when if they are replacing saturated and trans fats in the diet. I also mention a few more benefits of avocado in my Avocado Protein Brownie Blog Post if you just cant get enough of the avocado (or dessert!) in any form!
I’d also like to mention that there is no refined sugar in these donuts unlike the conventional store bought bakery donuts you can get almost anywhere. I chose to sweeten these donuts with sweet potato and a little bit of coconut syrup/nectar. Coconut nectar is a low glycemic sweetener that can replace honey, maple syrup, and sugar in just about any dish. I like this sweetener over the others because it tends to be a bit less sweet compared to honey and maple syrup and a little bit goes a long way. The brand I linked above is the one I use and I really love that they don’t process it with any type of heat which allows the syrup to retain all of it’s nutritional properties while still being a source of sweetness.
To begin you will want to steam your sweet potato. If you are just making one batch of these you will just need one medium sweet potato (about 6 oz.) in size. To steam the sweet potato I placed mine in the instant pot with 1 cup of water and set it to steam for 20 minutes. Once it is done and has cooled a bit (5-10 minutes) peel the skin off and place it in the food processor.
Now add in the avocado, cacao powder, choice of protein powder or coconut flour depending on which you prefer, and coconut syrup to the food processor as well. Process and blend until the dough forms and becomes smooth.
The sweet potato, avocado, syrup and dry ingredients should be well combined now.
Next take a handful about 1-2 tablespoons depending on what size donut you desire and form into round balls.
For the sugar coating place two tablespoons of powdered sugar (I used monkfruit for these) into a small bowl that will be large enough to roll the donuts around in. Proceed to roll the formed donuts into the powdered sugar.
You can enjoy these immediately or store them in the fridge for 2-3 days. The powdered sugar will start to soak into the donuts the longer they sit but they still taste just as good!
When you make these let me know what you think! I would love to hear your thoughts and see your creations! Tag me @hollys_bestlife or comment below!
Fun Fact!
There are two food holidays that celebrate donuts! June 5th and November 5th are both National Donut Day but I believe you can celebrate any day!
No Bake Chocolate Donut Holes
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado mashed
- 1 small sweet potato steamed and peeled
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/4 cup chocolate protein powder or coconut flour
- 2 tbsp coconut syrup*
- 2 tbsp Powdered sugar ** for coating
Instructions
- The first thing is to steam and peel the sweet potato.
- I put one sweet potato in the instant pot for 20 minutes. Let it cool and then peel it.
- Add the sweet potato, avocado, protein powder, cacao powder, and syrup to a food processor and process until dough forms
- Once the dough forms. Use your hands or cookie scoop to form in to round balls to make the donut holes.
- Roll the donuts in the powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any sticky sweetener you like best.*
- For the powdered sugar I used Lakanto monkfruit powdered sugar to keep it low in sugar**