Paleo Chocolate Beet Donuts
These Paleo Chocolate Beet Donuts are incredibly moist and chocolatey, with a naturally pink-tinted beet frosting on top! These gluten-free, paleo and dairy-free donuts make the perfect indulgent breakfast, snack, or dessert. Thanks so much to LoveBeets for sponsoring this post!
Happy National Donut Day!!! I sure hope you’ve got some donut goodness going on today – whether it’s in your kitchen, or you’re grabbing a delish donut from the local donut shop.
If you’re looking to forgo store-bought in favor of something a little healthier and totally delicious, might I recommend the chocolate beet donut beauties you’re currently staring at? They’re BEYOND – a few of these is definitely how I’m celebrating today’s holiday.
You might be side-eyeing me right now about that fact that the word “beet” is appearing directly before the word “donut.” I presume you don’t think those things go together.
Well, I’m here to tell you that you’re WRONG! They most certainly do. The beet flavor in these is undetectable, but they add a sumptuous moistness and a soft, fluffy texture that is absolutely amazing. Oh, and the beet juice colors the frosting the most beautiful shade of pink!
These chocolate beet donuts are what I dream of donuts being…because I have a confession to make. Although donuts used to be a favorite of mine, they’re not the dessert or treat I ever really choose first anymore. Fried donuts tend to be a little too dense and heavy for me, and I usually prefer other sweet treats over them.
These are quickly changing my mind though, with their bold chocolate flavor and incredibly soft, moist, and fluffy texture. Since these are baked, not fried, they’re a lot cakier and lighter than your typical fried donut.
The batter comes together quickly, very similar to a muffin batter. The only real “extra” step you need to take is blending your beets with your non-dairy milk to create the most gorgeous, vibrant pink concoction you ever did see. Since I used LoveBeets Cooked Beets, there’s no boiling of beets required – just take them out of the package and blend away.
LoveBeets makes adding beets to your diet soooo much easier. I’m a big beet fan, but cooking them always seems like such an arduous process. So instead, I just buy LoveBeets. I love their plain cooked beets, which I used here. But, they also make so many other tasty flavors like White Wine & Balsamic – so good in salads! It’s amazing being able to get all the powerhouse nutritional benefits of beets so super easily.
Once the batter comes together, bake those babies up! I like the put the batter in a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) to make the donut pan-filling process a little bit easier. The donuts bake up so fluffy and delicious, you could eat them plain, happily.
How do I make the pink frosting?
Why eat them plain if you can top them with delicious naturally-tinted pink frosting?! We make the frosting with:
- Coconut Butter: this is different than coconut oil, and will firm up perfectly on top of the donuts!
- Coconut Oil: I like using refined so there is no coconut flavor.
- Honey: or maple syrup, any liquid sweetener will work!
- Beet Juice: squeezed straight out of the packet of LoveBeets! I accidentally spilled some of my beet juice, so the color didn’t turn out as vibrant as I wanted, but they still look pretty in pink, so it’s okay :)
The frosting can also be a glaze if you’d like, just keep the ingredients warm and melty while you spoon the glaze over the top of them, or carefully dip the donuts in the glaze.
I hope you’ll give these beauties a try, because why not get some of your day’s veggies in your donuts?! Can’t go wrong with that. You’re going to adore these uber chocolatey, super moist chocolate beet donuts. Enjoy!
Want more donuts?! Look no further…
- Peanut Butter Banana Donuts (Gluten Free + Vegan)
- Paleo Almond Butter Cup Donuts from RachLmansfield
- Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Donuts (Paleo + Nut-Free) from Paleo Running Momma
Chocolate Beet Donuts (Gluten Free + Paleo)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 16 donuts 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 small/medium pre-cooked red beets, I used plain cooked beets from LoveBeets
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 cup (96g) blanched almond flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ⅓ cup (37g) tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze/frosting
- ½ cup coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons beet juice, I used the juice from a package of LoveBeets
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a donut pan with coconut oil.
- Place the beets in a blender along with the non-dairy milk (I used cashew milk). Blend until smooth and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut sugar, cacao powder, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk all dry ingredients together.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract together. Whisk in the pureed beet mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Use a spoon to put the batter in the prepared donut pan, or put it in a piping bag/ziplock bag with the tip cut off and pipe the batter into the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes – 11 minutes was perfect for me. Bake for 7 minutes for mini donuts. Let cool completely before carefully removing from the pan. Repeat with remaining batter.
- For the glaze, combine all of the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl and whisk to combine. If you want the topping to be more glaze-like, you can warm the ingredients slightly and pour it over the donuts. If you want the topping more frosting-like (as pictured), let the ingredients thicken slightly and whisk to your desired consistency. Don’t let it get too hard or it will be hard to spread.
- Store donuts tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for longer term storage.
Notes
If you don’t have a donut pan, you can bake these in a muffin or mini muffin pan. Adjust baking time as necessary.
This post is sponsored by LoveBeets. As always, all opinions are my own! Thanks for supporting the brands that support Bakerita.
well then! I am a big beet fan. I will try these for sure. The amount of beet is a little vague…beets around here come in many sizes….could you approximate in cups? thanks!
Hi Jillian – I used pre-cooked and peeled LoveBeets and I found the sizes in their package to be pretty consistent. I’d say they were about 2″ across, and that’s the peeled beet. Combined with the nut milk, I’d say the mixture created a little more than 1 cup. Sorry I can’t be more exact!
These donuts are so cure, Rachel! I love the color the beets give the frosting. I definitely would never have thought to put beets in donuts, but they look amazing! :)
These look awesome Rachel. I’ve long been a fan of chocolate and beetroot together. These doughnuts look lovely!
It’s such an amazing combination! Thanks so much Debs.
These look crazy delicious, Rachel! There is something so gratifying about making our own healthy donuts – and endless fun ways to customize them. My donut pan gets used constantly and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Healthy donuts are the best! Thank you so very much, Ashley.
Donuts that are guilt-free and easy to make? Score! Thanks for sharing!
I just made these with my kids and they are SO. GOOD. My picky daughter loves them and it is such a nice way to sneak in some veggies. Thank you!
I’m so thrilled to hear that you and your kids are loving them, Sara! Thanks so much for letting me know your feedback – I appreciate it!
Wow these donuts are wonderful! I’m wondering if there is another flour that you think could be used in place of the almond flour? Maybe hazelnut or oat flour?
So glad you like them Laura! Hazelnut flour should work well.
My kids have nut allergies. Can I use a gluten free flour mix instead of the almond flour and water instead of the milk? They sound quite yummy!
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried it so can’t make any guarantees but that should be just fine!
These are delicious! In fact, this has become my family’s favorite chocolate “cake” recipe! I’ve doubled this recipe and made it into a two-layer cake, TO DIE FOR it’s so moist and delicious! I’ve even halved the sugar (I have a little one) and STILL it’s delicious! WOW! Easy and quick and soooo good! Gotta love the Love Beets, very easy to just pop out of the packaging ready to use, no fussing with boiling beets and making a mess. Highly recommend!!
You’re the best, Vanessa! I love seeing your gorgeous cakes with this recipe, love your creativity with it :D
Hi would substituting the eggs for flax eggs change the texture or taste of the donuts? Have you tried making these with flax eggs? I love all your recipes! Thanks.
Hi Sandra, I have tried and unfortunately it makes them a bit gummy. You could try doing it, but I’d add a bit of extra leavener, such as increasing the baking powder to 1 teaspoon for the extra “puff” that the eggs normally provide. I hope this helps!
I made these tonight for a Valentine’s Day dessert for my family and everyone LOVED them. Instead of the frosting, we topped them with homemade dairy-free cookies & cream ice cream, homemade hot fudge sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Donut ice cream sundaes! This was my first time making donuts, and I was completely amazed by how delicious they turned out. Best dessert ever! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Woohoo!! So happy to hear that, Jennifer – sounds so delicious. If you have a chance to add a star rating next time, it’s super helpful :)
Thank you so much for your comment. Yes, I forgot to leave a star rating and I have now remedied that. :) Everyone needs to know about these!
Thank you so very much, Jennifer!
These look scrumptious! Rachel, do you think they could be made using powdered beetroot extract? It’s a staple in my pantry. I always have it on hand versus fresh beets.
Thanks!
Hi Melanie, the beets add a lot of the moisture to the recipe so it would change the wet/dry ratio to replace it with powder!