These almond mocha protein doughnuts will wake you right up, slay hunger, and keep you full with a boost of vegan protein. I made them for a quick on-the-go breakfast so even though they look and taste like an indulgent coffee shop treat, they’re actually oil-free and there’s no refined sugar. And, you can make them gluten-free too. If you want. These are your vegan chocolate protein doughnuts and there are no rules! Click here for the printable recipe.

By now, you may have guessed that I’m a wee bit enthusiastic about vegan doughnuts. I’ve made a few for YouTube/ this blog, including:

However, I’ve never tried to make “healthy” doughnuts. I never wanted to. But I was getting a little tired of protein smoothies. A couple weekends ago, I was messing around in the kitchen as is my usual weekend thing and accidentally made oil-free chocolate doughnuts. I wasn’t planning to; I only realized afterwards when I was going over my notes, that they were indeed oil-free. They didn’t taste like it. They tasted delicious! They did have a bit of a protein powder flavour but it wasn’t bad at all. I was pretty impressed with myself as it was the first time I’ve ever used a doughnut pan to make doughnuts too.

Vegan High-Protein Meal Prep / What I Ate Vegan #86

Watch me make these vegan chocolate protein doughnuts starting at 0:55.

Healthier doughnuts or not, they needed a glaze. I needed to use up dried up dates that have been in my fridge for YEARS, so I soaked them and turned them into a fudgy mocha glaze with cocoa powder, espresso powder, and creamy almond butter. I could’ve eaten it all up with a spoon!

By the way, I used Thrive Market’s own brand of Non-GMO Creamy Almond Butter which they sent me for a video I worked on with them. This blog post is not sponsored but they did sponsor this week’s episode of What I Ate Wednesday.

The next weekend, I took these doughnuts even further in the trying-to-be-healthier direction. There had been white sugar in the original batter. I replaced that with more pureed dates. This time, I used dates from the baking section of my local grocery store. They come in a convenient block, all pitted, and soft enough to go straight in the blender without soaking. The doughnuts baked up amazingly well. The only difference was the addition of that slightly honey-ish flavour of dates. And with a little extra vanilla in the glaze, these were perfect.

Even though these are healthier doughnuts, I still don’t want to eat them all in one sitting. Which would happen if I kept them on the counter or even in the fridge; I have no willpower. Instead, I freeze any treats that tempt me. I laid these doughnuts out on a parchment lined freezer safe dish and stuck them in the freezer. Once the glaze was solid to the touch, I could stick them in a container. They last better in a freezer bag with all the air pressed out; this reduces the chance of getting ice crystals all over and freezer burn. But I just stick them in a plastic container as I know I’ll eat them up in two weeks or less. To thaw, I just let them sit on the counter for about 30 minutes and they are nearly as good as fresh.

I hope you give these vegan chocolate protein doughnuts a try and let me know what you think!

Printable recipe for Vegan Amond Mocha Protein Doughnuts