Donuts: The sugar free, low carb, high protein version (plus, they taste good!)

On Black Friday (actually this began Thursday evening), I headed out with Joe’s sister and mother to Wal-Mart at 10pm. There was a laptop to be bought, and many good deals to be scarfed up! I didn’t have a list—was just going along for the fun of it (even though last time I went midnight Black Friday shopping it was awful).

Wal-Mart (not my favorite store to support, by a long shot) was packed and crazy, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Carrie and I found the best places to take a break...the sports equipment aisle and the art supplies aisle---either nothing was on sale in those departments or people were more interested in the crappy toys that light up and play music (and practically play for you!). If I ever have kids, I'm buying them balls and bats and crayons...

After two hours in Wal-Mart, we headed to the Outlet Mall and continued shopping—I bought some great stuff at Wal-Mart for Matthew (toys and movies), and at the Outlet Mall I bought stuff for ME.

One of those things was…

A Donut Pan. (two actually, one regular size and one mini)

 

Cinnamon High Protein, Low Carb, Sugar-Free, Grain Free donuts...does it sound icky? It's not!

 

Here’s what I did:

Beat 2 egg whites till stiff (set aside)

Blend:
2 egg yolks
2oz cream cheese
1/2 cup ZSweet (or 1/2 cup erythritol and a couple drops of stevia)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
1tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (I used Jay Robb)

Stir in the egg whites until fully combined, and then fill each space in the donut pan 2/3 full. Bake on 350 degrees for 7-12 minutes (the minis took 7 minutes and the large donuts took 12, but you’ll be able to tell when they turn golden brown).

Sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and ZSweet on the donuts when they’re warm.

These were really good when they were warm…with coffee. My mom and Joe both liked them too–a great texture! They are slightly drier than a traditional donut, so next time my plan is to glaze them when a mix of coconut oil and ZSweet as frosting…I’ll update here later if that is a success!

I thought I would like the minis best...but I loved both sizes! These are a good after workout snack for me--I've been eating a lot of eggs and drinking a lot of protein shakes lately, but getting the eggs in a new form prevents boredom...

 

The whole batch made 12 mini donuts plus 6 regular size donuts and there was a little batter leftover (I ate it). The carbs in this recipe come from sugar alcohols (erythritol) in the ZSweet, so it is not processed in the body and doesn't contribute calories. I set the nutrition info at 6 servings, and although these are light and fluffy, the high protein content makes them super filling!

 

New Topic:

I saw this on Instagram the other day and thought it was pretty perfect for how the holidays have been for me in the last several years:

We went to Joe's parents' house for Thanksgiving, and had a lot of fun (I especially liked playing with his nieces and nephew!). This pic shows the site of our garden---now that we only live 20 min away instead of 60, we have big plans for next season's crop!

 

Have you ever made “donuts?”  These are really good—and my mom said they’d definitely be a good substitute for a donut craving, but we haven’t tested them on any kids yet!

How was your Thanksgiving (or your weekend, to my Canada friends)? The food at Thanksgiving has never been my favorite, but I love an excuse for people to get together.

Did you go Black Friday shopping? I had so much fun this year (and it was sort of spur of the moment!). Any great deals?

38 thoughts on “Donuts: The sugar free, low carb, high protein version (plus, they taste good!)”

  1. OMG I think I could just taste those donuts right through the computer screen *_* They look DELICIOUS and I’m def sure they taste just the same! I desperately need to have a better cooking standard for my life lol 🙂 

    xx

  2. No Black Friday shopping this year. I remember making donuts with my grandmother – just using canned biscuits. But after working for a year at a donut shop, I haven’t touched one in about 18 years! Glad you had a nice Thanksgiving.

  3. Ahhh! First of all, beautiful. Second of all, dang girl you should have gotten an extra laptop! Ahaha. I am staying with you for at least a few days over christmas break, it’s decided!

  4. Your donuts are very cute!  I haven’t baked in ages.  I like baking, but JP doesn’t really eat sweets.  Which means that I end up eating everything myself and then feeling not well afterwards.  Joe’s parents’ farm is so beautiful!  If I were a painter, I’d want to paint it.  No black friday deals here in Canada, although a few stores have started trying to jump on the bandwagon.

  5. I’ve seen those donut makers but never tried making them. I like the idea of a healthier donut you can make the recipe for though!

  6. wow, this is just what i have been looking for. I dont like normal bready carby donuts too much but my boyfriends loves them! this sounds perfect for both of us and i am sure i can trick him a bit and make him think they are made from flour. will give them a try this week. thanks for sharing!

  7. i agree wholeheartedly with: trying to avoid walmart (but the deals are just so GREAT!) and giving kids outdoor sporty equipment and crayons – i do not buy toys which require batteries for my nieces. imagination play is where it’s at!
    glad your donuts turned out and that you could come up with a recipe that jazzes you! and if your mom and joe liked them, too, that shows that it IS a tasty recipe! funny memory: my mom only tried to make donuts ONCE. they came out like ROCKS. she’s a really talented baker, but we teased her about the rock donuts for many years!
    i did not do any black friday shopping although canada really jumped on the idea this year. glad you scored some deals – for matthew and for YOU!

  8. You know I’ve made donuts before and I love them! I don’t make them too often but your recipe looks wonderful!

    My Thanksgiving went well. I can’t believe you aren’t crazy for Thanksgiving foods. I LOVE sweet potato casserole and stuffing! It felt good to indulge this weekend, but i’m looking forward to getting back on track today. So far, so good! Already did my workout and had my greek yogurt for breakfast. 🙂

  9. I love black friday shopping…its so much fun 🙂 This year we didn’t go TOO crazy and didn’t head out until after noon. Still got some great deals! Those donuts sound delicious. Great, healthy alternative

  10. I’m glad that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  You are a brave girl for braving Walmart on Thursday night…I was at Walmart on Saturday and those shoppers can be scary, lol!  The donuts look amazing and I love the idea of them as a post-workout snack!

  11. JL @ Healthy Heyday

    Your donuts look yummy!  I was never a huge donut lover, always went for the plain.  Recently, I came up with a raw donut hole recipe and was blown away at how awesome they turned out.  I’m likin’ that pan you scored on!  Sounds like you had a nice holiday weekend.  We didn’t do Black Friday this year.  Glad you enjoyed yourself and it was painless.  🙂  Our Thanksgiving was wonderful.  By the way, here’s a Thanksgiving love note for you – I’m thankful for blogger friends like you!

  12. I am seriously coveting a donut pan, and these are exactly the kind of donuts I would want to recreate! Also, the following statement proves you’re a lady after my own heart…  “there was a little batter leftover (I ate it)”   😉 

  13. Give you so much credit for getting out there on Black Friday!! One day, I’ll try it out! The donuts look so yummy! Way better than Dunkin! I’ve never made my own, something about than plan intimidates the hell out of me!!

  14. I’m not a doughnut fan at all (bought) so I’m curious as to whether I would like them homemade… guess there’s only one way to find out!!

  15. They look like donuts…but they really don’t have much of a donut texture. It’s kind of like a muffin texture, only a little lighter! I think the shape of a donut makes it feel a little indulgent? Who knows, but they def need some kind of frosting 🙂

  16. Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit

    Your friend Katelyn passed on your URL to me, and I’m so happy she did! I’ve been wondering if I could use protein powder in doughnuts! Nicely done. I’ve recently switched to a paleo diet so I’m always looking for high protein/fat, 0 sugar recipes. This is awesome! Totally subscribing 🙂

  17. Hey, 
    Just wanna say thanks for the well wishes on my blog! I ran pain-free and could breathe the whole way for the first time! Now the world looks much better haha 🙂 

    xx

  18. I absolutely loathe Black Friday shopping!  I’m more of a sit-in-my-PJs-and-shop-online kind of gal =)

  19. Hi Leanne‹Thanks for stopping by! …I use protein powder in everything 🙂 Yesterday it was waffles….and those were even better than the donuts (except, I think the donuts might win if I frosted them!).

  20. i’m impressed you braved walmart on black friday!!  i’m not sure i could ever bring myself to do that 🙂

    the donuts look super yum. thanks for sharing the recipe.

  21. Gina (Candid RD)

    These sound amazing…and for a mere 100 calories?!  That means I can eat 3!!  haha, jk. 
    Nick and I went to Walmart on Thanksgiving evening as well.  But we walked in, an walked right out.  Black Friday is just not for us, apparently!  We got online and bought stuff when we got home.  Much easier 🙂

  22. The only time I made donuts was when I was about 8 using my Easy Bake Oven. Needless to say, yours like 50,000 times better. When I went started Black Friday shopping in middle and high school, I’d always get a donut from our Wal Mart’s DD in the morning right before my shopping began. Now I stick to stuff that makes me feel a lot better than Dunkin’s donuts – but yours look like they’d leave me energized and ready tos shop!

  23. Lisa these look fabulous that reminds me I need to dust off my donut pan!! I love shopping on black friday I usually dont get much xmas shopping done usually just buy things for myself, whoops!! 

  24. I made these this morning. I am guessing that the protein powder that you used may have been unsweetened, because they came out ridiculously sweet. I used Met RX vanilla protein powder. I used maple flavor instead of cinnamon, and ate them plain since they were already too sweet. The texture came out better in the donut hole maker, but they didn’t rise. They looked better in the donut pan, but the protein powder texture was pretty weird. I might try them again sometime with half the erythritol, or a different protein powder.

  25. Barbara Petrini

    I just made these now and they smell AMAZING. The thing I did different is to add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the meringue. They rose beautifully and I actually got 9 fluffy donuts! Definitely going to ice them though, that makes it more fun. 🙂

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