Before jumping to the recipe card, don't miss the HELPFUL RECIPE TIPS in the post! I hope you'll find them useful and will love this low carb recipe!

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Donuts were never a food we had around the house growing up. Even though my parents were far from low carb, they did eat real food and didn’t buy much that was processed. I’m not going to lie, though. I would have happily eaten donuts elsewhere whenever given the chance. It’s too bad that a keto low carb donuts recipe like this one wasn’t an option back then!

These days, the only time I’m really around donuts is at the office. I resist, though, because they are likely filled with questionable ingredients and definitely loads of sugar. Not to mention wheat and carbs.

Keto Donuts with Almond Flour vs Other Flours

It was about time that I make my own keto low carb donuts with almond flour. Of all the low carb flours, super fine blanched almond flour is definitely my favorite in terms of both taste and texture. It makes great low carb pancakes blended with coconut flour, or almond flour pancakes on its own.

So, it’s no surprise that I decided to make almond flour donuts!

The keto donut recipe on this page is for classic ones with a “sugar” coating, but be sure to try keto chocolate donuts as well.

TIP: If you have a nut allergy, you could try sunflower seed flour as a replacement. The flavor will be a little different and the donuts might turn green, but don’t be alarmed. It’s just a reaction with baking powder. Your keto donuts will still taste good. 🙂

You cannot make these donuts with coconut flour, though. It absorbs too much moisture and is too dense on its own for donuts.

What Are Almond Flour Donuts Like?

I couldn’t get over how decadent these low carb donuts tasted. I even felt a little guilty eating them, like they had to be carb laden treats.

Of course you can taste the almond flour in them, but I love it and don’t mind. The texture is more similar to cake donuts rather than the chewy kind, which I like.

Fortunately, these almond flour donuts have no sugar, grains, or weird ingredients. And, each has only 3 grams net carbs!

Tips For How To Make Low Carb Donuts

This low carb donut recipe has been really popular, but a few people have had issues with it. So, I tested it again and again, to make sure it comes out perfectly for you! Check these tips for the best keto donuts every time…

Use the right kind of almond flour.

Don’t make keto donuts with almond meal or “natural” almond flour. The texture won’t be right. You need finely ground, blanched almond flour, like this one.

Use the right kind of donut pan.

The first time I tested a keto donuts recipe, I tried a silicone donut pan. Many of them have good reviews, and I almost always use silicone baking cups for making healthy egg muffin cups.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had luck with the silicone donut pan. No matter what I did, the almond flour donuts stuck like crazy, and crumbled when trying to remove them. At first I thought it was my keto donut recipe tha was the problem.

Then I tried this non-stick donut pan. It was much better! The donuts released effortlessly. So, it’s really important to use a very good non-stick pan, and a hard one works better than silicone.

Grease the pan very well.

Even with the right pan, this low carb donut recipe uses a pretty sticky batter. Grease the pan well, especially on the sides and edges.

Fill the donut pan the right amount.

Each cavity in the donut pan should be filled 3/4 way. If you fill it too much, the batter will overflow. If you don’t put in enough, you’ll end up with flat donuts.

This keto donut recipe is written to have enough batter based on the pan mentioned above. It might be different if yours is bigger or smaller.

Don’t under-bake the keto donuts.

Not baking for long enough is the most common mistake people make when making keto paleo donuts. You may be tempted to take them out of the oven when they feel firm and very light golden. Don’t! They will crumble because the inside will not be sufficiently cooked.

The low carb donuts actually pull away from the pan a little underneath when they are cooked through enough. This only happens when they are a fairly dark golden brown. Don’t be afraid to let them brown.

See how they are browned on top in the picture below? That is actually the part that’s on the inside of the pan (the pictures show them flipped over), and the bottom the part (that’s on the top when in the pan) is actually slightly darker brown.

When you see the almond flour donuts start to get a hint of golden brown, you need at least five more minutes before they are truly ready to come out of the oven.

Also, the color of your pan makes a difference in the baking time. The darker the pan, the quicker they will be ready.

The times on the recipe card are based on this non-stick donut pan, which is a pretty typical one. I didn’t have luck with silicone, but if you try it anyway, you’ll definitely need to increase the bake time by at least an additional 5 minutes.

The size of the cavities in your donut pan will also affect how the keto donuts turn out, and the baking time.

Use fresh baking powder.

If your baking powder is old, the donuts will not rise very well. Even though almond flour will never rise as much as regular white flour, it does still do that a bit. If you have issues with rising, check your baking powder.

Let the low carb donuts cool in the pan.

I know it’s tempting to take out the almond flour donuts right away, but don’t! They will definitely crumble, and the texture won’t even be right. Wait for them to cool in the pan before attempting to remove them.

Remove the paleo donuts correctly.

There’s a slight trick to removing the low carb donuts from the pan. It will tend to stick around the area where the hole is, so run a knife around that area first. If there’s any batter that flowed over the center, remove that first to create the hole. Then, gently try to pry the donuts out around all the edges.

If it really doesn’t want to come out, you may need to bake for longer.

Coatings for Low Carb or Paleo Donuts

I went back and forth on the kind of topping or coating to use on my first low carb donuts recipe. Glazed? Powdered? “Sugar” coated? Maybe even chocolate?

Ultimately, I settled on a “sugar donut” style. Those were always my favorite!

Of course, these almond flour donuts aren’t actually coated with sugar. I used erythritol, since it’s my favorite natural sweetener. You can read more about sweeteners in my sweetener guide and conversion chart, where you’ll also find other options you can use instead.

If you’re sensitive to the cooling sensation it tends to have, you can use allulose instead in the same amount, or monk fruit allulose blend using scant measurements.

For those wanting paleo donuts, some people are okay with erythritol since it’s a natural sweetener. If you aren’t, you can make these with coconut sugar if that’s more paleo-friendly for you. They just won’t be low carb or sugar-free, but will be paleo. If you just need gluten-free but don’t care about the sugar-free part, try gluten-free cinnamon sugar donuts.

For these low carb donuts, just make sure to choose one that you like the taste of, if you put it on your tongue straight. You’ll taste the coating first!

If you prefer glazed keto donuts, those are pretty easy to make, too. Combine powdered sweetener and heavy cream until you get your desired consistency, and pour over the donuts. (Use coconut cream if you want the glaze to be for dairy-free or paleo donuts.) Yum!

How To Store Keto Donuts

It’s easy to make keto donuts for the week ahead. They store well on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.

If you want to keep them for longer, stick them in the fridge. When ready to eat, either heat one up or let it come to room temperature.

More Low Carb Dessert Recipes

If you like these almond flour donuts, try these other low carb desserts:

Or you can browse the entire low carb dessert recipes index here!

Non-stick donut pan – This is the one I tested the recipe in, and it doesn’t stick. A silicone one did when I tried, so avoid that. If you’re buying one, get this one!