Grain-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts (Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-free)

Easy-to-make baked chocolate doughnuts. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and grain-free. And, the best part, they’re incredibly delicious. 

So you want to bake some doughnuts? Excellent! I’m here for that. For years, folks have loved my recipe for baked gluten-free chocolate doughnuts. (I have to say, it’s a good one.) But what if you want a grain-free doughnut recipe? I got you!

This recipe makes twelve delicate doughnuts. And the ingredients couldn’t be simpler. 

Ingredients for Grain-Free Chocolate Doughnuts

• Coconut flour. Adds texture. And absorbs liquid like crazy. Don’t replace coconut flour with any other flour, the recipe won’t work. 
• Cocoa powder. For the best flavor, use a Dutch-processed cocoa powder. 
• Baking powder. This is what gives the doughnuts lift. You can use a commercial baking powder or make your own grain-free version. (Grain-free baking powder recipe.)
• Honey. Adds sweetness. Not too much. Not too little. Just the right amount. 
• Coconut oil. For tenderness. If you don’t want to use coconut oil, melted butter or any other neutral oil works.
• Eggs. This recipe uses four large eggs. They provide structure, fat, and tenderness. 
• Nutmeg. There’s a pinch of nutmeg in the doughnuts. Don’t stress about this. If you don’t have nutmeg in the house, omit it.
• Salt. Enhances the flavor of the doughnuts. 

How to Make Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

This is a “whisk and bake” recipe. Simply whisk the ingredients together in a bowl and then place the batter into a prepared doughnut pan. 

Getting the batter into the pan that can be tricky. 

Batters made with coconut flour thicken quickly. And because of this, it can prove a little challenging to spread the batter evenly into the doughnut pan. 

There’s two ways to do it. 

1. Use a spoon. Take your time and spoon the batter into a greased doughnut pan. Tap the pan as you go to evenly distribute the batter into the ring. 
2. Use a piping bag. This is probably the easiest way to fill the doughnut cavities but you do need a pastry bag. Fill the pastry bag with batter and squeeze the batter evenly into the cavities. 

No matter how you fill the mold, make sure it’s greased well. Coconut flour-based batters love to stick to pans. 

Once you’ve baked the doughnuts, you can leave them as-is, dust them with powdered sugar, or glaze them. I like a lemon glaze on chocolate doughnuts but if you want a chocolate glaze, I’ve included a recipe for that too. 

Grain-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts FAQs

Are these paleo?

It depends on how you define paleo. They are grain-free but the recipe uses honey. 

Are these keto?

I don’t think so because the recipe uses honey. 

Can I use almond flour?

Not in this recipe, sorry. 

Can I use regular gluten-free flour?

No. If you want a traditional gluten-free baked chocolate doughnut, use my other recipe. 

Can I omit the eggs?

This recipe doesn’t work without eggs, sorry. 

Can I make these without a doughnut pan?

Yes! Use a muffin pan. 

Can I fry these?

I don’t think so. I haven’t tested the recipe fried.

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Grain-Free Chocolate Doughnuts (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

Grain-free baked chocolate doughnuts. (Gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo) Coconut flour-based, these doughnuts bake up soft and tender.

Prep Time 8 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

Grain-free Chocolate Doughnuts

• 1/3 cup (36 grams) coconut flour
• 1/4 cup (28 grams) 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder homemade or store-bought, grain-free
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup (113 grams) honey
• 1/4 cup (57 grams) 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 large eggs (200 grams out of shell)

Lemon Glaze

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered sugar, grain-free
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, more as needed

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered sugar, grain-free
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk, plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two* six-cavity doughnut pans with nonstick cooking spray or brush with coconut oil.
2. Whisk the coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add honey and melted coconut oil. Whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well.
3. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Fill each cavity about half full. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.
4. Bake until doughnuts are puffy and set, about 12 minutes. Allow doughnuts to cool in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack.
5. When doughnuts are cool, make the glaze.
6. Lemon Glaze: Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small mixing bowl. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it’s too thick, add a little extra lemon juice.
7. Chocolate Glaze Stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and coconut milk together in a small mixing bowl. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it’s too thick, add extra coconut milk, one teaspoon at a time.
8. Dip the doughnuts, one at a time, into the glaze. Or you can place a piece of parchment paper under the cooling rack and pour the glaze over each doughnut.
9. Doughnuts are best enjoyed the day they are made. Freeze leftovers for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

*If you only own one doughnut pan, no problem! Bake six doughnuts and allow them to cool in the pan as directed. Wipe out the pan and grease again with nonstick cooking spray or coconut oil. Repeat using the remaining batter.