If you enjoyed my Pumpkin Spice Protein Donuts, you’ll love these. I say that to drop a hint at this recipe’s secret ingredient – pumpkin. But don’t worry, you’ll never know it’s there. These aren’t called double chocolate donuts just for the fun of it!
Pumpkin gets thrust into the limelight every fall thanks to Pumpkin Spice Lattes and holiday pies. However, if you’re looking for a go-to ingredient for low-calorie recipes all year long, look no further than our orange friend. 120g of canned pumpkin only has 50 calories of creamy texture goodness. It’s crazy!
Okay, pumpkin is awesome, but you’re here for the chocolate. Let’s get into the double chocolate donuts recipe.
Chocolate Protein Donuts Ingredients
I used a different approach with the protein frosting or glaze than I did in the pumpkin version, using chocolate syrup instead of evaporated milk. The consistency is a bit thinner, which I found easier to work with than the former. Why not try both?
That being said, the donuts taste great without the glaze. You could save some extra carbs and calories by skipping out on the glaze if you wanted, but I’d make a tiny bit for funzies.
You could also try using the ultimate chocolate protein frosting recipe.
Speaking of funzies, don’t underestimate the boost from sprinkles. As you can see, I used both chocolate and rainbow sprinkles and find the extra 5-10 calories worth it.
Similar to the pumpkin donuts, if you wanted a donut with a bit more density and moisture, you could swap an egg for the apple sauce. It will add about 12 calories per donut, but that’s not a huge difference. Other than that, it’s business as usual.
Don’t worry about perfection when adding the batter to your donut pan. It’s easy to remove any excess around the edges.
Any donut pan will do, but you can get the one I use on Amazon here. Update 10/18: I’ve since switched to a silicone donut mold and love how they never stick.
The photo above was from the same batch. Just flip and trim the edges with a knife or fingers and you’re good to go!
My Recommended Protein Powder
You can use any protein you’d like, but I recommend Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey, Dymatize’s 100% Whey, or PEScience Select Whey and Casein Blend. I’m not affiliated with any of these companies, I just use and love their products.
The macros for this recipe are with Gold Standard Whey.
That’s all ya need to know. I hope you enjoy these protein donuts as much as I did! If you make this for a post-workout snack or sweets fix, tag me in your creation on Instagram or join my free Facebook group and share it with everyone.
Double Chocolate Protein Donuts
Ingredients
Pronuts
- 1/4 C All Purpose Flour
- 1 scoop Protein Powder, chocolate
- 3/8 C 92g Liquid Egg Whites, or 2 whole egg whites
- 1/2 C 120g Canned Pumpkin
- 2 Tbsp Swerve Confectioners, or Zero-Calorie Sweetener
- 1 Tbsp 15g Apple Sauce
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 3 Tbsp 15g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Frosting/Glaze
- 1 serving, 32g Fat-Free Cream Cheese
- 1 Tbsp 15g Sugar-Free Chocolate Syrup
- 1 scoop Protein Powder, chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray donut pan with low-cal cooking spray.
- Mix pronut ingredients in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Fill donut pan evenly and bake for 15 minutes.
- To make your frosting, mix cream cheese (room temp helps), chocolate syrup, and one scoop of protein powder together until creamy.
- To cover donuts, allow them to cool briefly and dip them face down into frosting mixture. Twist them back and forth in a circular motion and remove to let the frosting set. Voila!
Notes
Nutrition
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Just made these but in mini version to make for easier snacking. Delicious!!!! I added 1/2 tbsp more of applesauce and 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white. These are great without the icing!
Thank you again Mason! Another family favorite.
Are the above macros for the protein donut with the frosting included? Or just the donut itself minus the frosting? What would be the macros for just the donut and the macros for the frosting separately? Thanks!
I believe you helped me figure this out already! The macros include the frosting.
Just made these 🙂 very easy and delicious.
Just made these 🙂 very easy and delicious.
Love the sound of this! Would it be possible to freeze these? 🙂
Love the sound of this! Would it be possible to freeze these? 🙂
I would think so, but I wouldn’t recommend freezing them with the frosting.
Does it matter what kind of protein you use?
Every protein powder is a bit different. Some bake better than others. The only way to tell if yours will work is to try it out, unfortunately. Give it a go!
These were so delicious. My picky coworkers even enjoyed them and they were suspicious of the idea of a healthy donut. I omitted the sprinklers and drizzled a bit of sugar free chocolate sauce over the top. I added some fresh strawberries as garnish and a tad bit of powdered sugar for additional sweetness. Two thumbs up!
These were so delicious. My picky coworkers even enjoyed them and they were suspicious of the idea of a healthy donut. I omitted the sprinklers and drizzled a bit of sugar free chocolate sauce over the top. I added some fresh strawberries as garnish and a tad bit of powdered sugar for additional sweetness. Two thumbs up!
I’ve made these so many times and they turn out awesome. I’ve made it with only applesauce when I don’t have pumpkin. And for the frosting I usually mix swerve and ff Cream Cheese and s little bit of protein powder