Pumpkin Spice Protein Donuts
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The days of feeling guilty about eating a dozen donuts in one sitting are over. Kidding. That’s probably a bad idea regardless of how favorable the macros are. But if you were going to eat a dozen donuts without blowing your calories out of the water, these pumpkin spice protein donuts would be the ones to make it happen.
With 95 calories, 12.5g of protein, 9.3g of carbs, and virtually no fat, it’s possible to indulge a little.
And while pumpkin spice may feel like a flavor profile that’s restricted to fall months, these donuts are delicious year round. You’ll catch zero judgment from me if you’re making pumpkin spice donuts for your summer barbecue, though others may not be so kind.
But just in case you’re looking for a more season-neutral protein donut recipe, check out my Double Chocolate Protein Donuts.
Pumpkin Spice Protein Donuts Ingredients
This recipe is ultra simple, so I don’t have many ingredient notes other than the pumpkin and apple sauce. A common question about my one minute protein brownie recipe is whether or not these two ingredients are interchangeable. The answer: kinda.
You don’t really need to know all the ins and outs since this recipe only calls for one tablespoon of apple sauce. And since it’s a pumpkin spice recipe, I doubt you’re worried about tasting the pumpkin. But just for future reference, know that you can replace pumpkin with roughly 2/3 amounts apple sauce.
Both ingredients work a bit like fat replacements. So if you’d like fluffier protein donuts, you can always add in a fat like eggs, butter, or oil in their place.
The Cream Cheese Frosting
Also, if you’d like the frosting to be more like a glaze, skip the cream cheese and just going with evaporated milk and protein powder.
My protein frosting or a sugar free glaze like I used in my Pumpkin Banana Bread Protein Muffins recipe would also work well.
If this is the first time you’re using the fat-free evaporated milk, be sure to get one with 25 calories per serving. Some fat-free evaporated milk has 100+ calories/serving. I use the Nestle Carnation below.
One final note here: Any donut pan will do, but you can find the ones I use on my Amazon list.
The Protein Powder I Used for These Protein Donuts
You can use any protein you’d like, but I recommend Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey or Dymatize 100% Whey. They’re reputable brands that have been around forever.
The macros are with Gold Standard Whey.
You’ll Find the Full Recipe Card Below
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Pumpkin Spice Protein Donuts
A higher protein spin on pumpkin spice donuts with a low calorie cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
Protein Donuts
- 1/4 C (30g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 scoop (32g) Protein Powder vanilla
- 3/8 C (92g) Liquid Egg Whites or two whole egg whites
- 1/2 C (120g) Canned Pumpkin
- 1 Tbsp (15g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce or an extra 1-2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
- 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1-2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Protein Frosting/Glaze
- 2 oz Fat-Free Cream Cheese room temp or softened
- 1/4 C (60mL) Fat-Free Evaporated Milk
- 1 scoop (32g) Protein Powder vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 6-donut pan with low-cal cooking spray.
Mix all donut ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. (Depending on the consistency of your protein powder, you may not need the additional apple sauce or pumpkin. If your donut batter is too thick, add as needed.)
Spoon the donut batter into the donut pan.
Bake for 15 minutes.
While your donuts are in the oven, make your frosting by mixing the cream cheese, evaporated milk, and protein powder together. If your cream cheese is not room temp, you can microwave it for 10-15 seconds.
Allow donuts to cool slightly before removing from the pan. Frost and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Each donut has 2 Smart Points.
More Protein Donuts Recipes You Might Like
My Cap’n Crunch Berries Protein Donuts are a reader favorite and have similar macros to these pumpkin spice protein donuts, though slightly more carbs per donut.
And in case you are reading this in fall season, my Apple Pie Donuts are perfect for the season.
If i don’t have a donut pan, can I bake these as muffins? If so, how long and what temp?
Oh yeah, I’ve seen a few others bake them as muffins and in mini loaf pans. I think the time and temp should be about the same, though you may have to extend the bake time just a tad to make sure they cook through. Let me know how they turn out!
Can these be stored to be eaten over multiple days? If so how do you recommend storing them?
I would store the donuts (w/o the frosting) at room temp in an airtight container for up to a few days.You can make the frosting and store it in the refrigerator to frost as you eat them since applying it first might make the donuts soggy.
awesome recipe!!!! so simple to make and tastes bomb.com
forreal! it takes me 5 minutes to whip up the ingredients and throw it all into the oven. Simple, macro friendly, and a go-to dessert!
I made these donuts and they were the bomb. I did not have the pumpkin pie spice, but they still tasted delicious. I stored them for a few days (with frosting on) and they were still delicious days after. Perfect for breakfast or just a snack on the go. Definitely will be making these again!
Made these last night using coffee flavoured protein to give them more of a pumpkin latte vibe and they turned out amazing!!! I qlso made a swerve coffee glaze to go on top which just added to the coffee flavour. Definitely going to make these again! Also, using a metal pan and even spraying it they stuck 🤔 any extra tips for stopping them from sticking???
Love these although I did make a slight tweak to the recipe as I did not have cream cheese…then found out I had no evaporated milk lol. For frosting to took my cinnabon creamer and mixed it with the protein powder and stevia. Thick so added a little water…made a great frosting for these but did add some calories. 🤷♀️
Could you possibly replace the all purpose flour with eith coconut or almond flour??? Wonder if it will change the end product…
Almond flour would be my first choice. You could probably get away with swapping it gram for gram and removing a tablespoon or two of pumpkin.
Could I possibly use muffin tins instead? Also, could I replace the vanilla powder with PFC? Thank you!
I’m sure a muffin tin would be fine. You might fill only a portion of the slots, though. You don’t want sad, short muffins. 😉 As for the PFC, I’m not sure about a substitution ratio so you might have to experiment. Sorry!
Would using bowmar pumpkin spice work here too with same amount of protein powder listed in recipe? Thank you!
See above comment. I’m not certain of a ratio for their protein here so you may need to tinker with amounts.
Could I use oats instead of flour?!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use oats for these. You could grind them to oat flour and give it a go.
First thing I made with my donut pan. I made these and made my own frosting using greek cream cheese and trader joes cinnamon bun spread. They were really good for a low calorie donut.
I am a pumpkin addict and finding this recipe has helped me not want to eat all the unhealthy pumpkin things in stores. These are so moist and delicious and will make you want to have them on repeat!
This was the very first recipe I made off Mason’s site and obviously it was amazing cuz I keep coming back for more! Honestly I screwed up the first time I made them, I put the donuts in the oven and then turned around and noticed that my premeasured flour was still sitting in a bowl on the counter. Suddenly it made sense why it seemed too wet and why I ended up adding a little extra protein powder. OOPS. They were still amazing fresh out of the oven with a swerve glaze and my family enjoyed them but I think if they had lasted until the next day they would have gotten pretty dry. The next time I made them they were MUCH better, so lesson learned! haha
I make these every single Sunday! They are a staple in our household. I save the macros and don’t do the frosting. The spice in these hit the pumkpin spot. They also freeze and travel well! We will be enjoying these year around!
I make donuts just about every other week and I am addicted to pumpkin so these are perfect for me. Recipe is quick and easy. I made a few donuts with the icing and a few without. Honestly, they taste amazing either way. The donuts are full of flavor and are not super dense (like a lot of protein donuts can be). Seriously one of my fav donuts to make!
Could you use self rising flour and omit the baking powder ?
I’m not sure. I never work much with self rising flour. Sorry! It’s always worth a shot, though. Let me know if you give it a go.
Yes, you can! I subbed self rising today and it worked great. They are not as round on the top as they do rise quite a bit (and then deflate a little after baking) but I didn’t mind all that much.