Healthier Baked Banana Nut Donuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze

Starting January the right way with these Healthier Baked Banana Nut Donuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze. Made with coconut oil, sweet bananas, a blend of white whole wheat flour and all purpose flour, and plenty of chopped walnuts. Then, after baking, dipped, drizzled, and glazed generously in a rich (and surprisingly healthy!) coconut dark chocolate glaze. There’s just so much to love about these healthier donuts! You would never know they were made from better-for-you ingredients. Every bite is soft, full of banana flavor, nutty, with just the right amount of sweetness. SO. GOOD. The real secret behind these sweet treats? Using overripe bananas! This not only contributes to the sweetness of the donut, but it also really allows the banana flavor to shine through without any extra additives. So simple, not bad for you, and oh so delicious!

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Healthier Baked Banana Donuts

About The Recipe

I hope everyone had a safe, happy, and healthy start to 2022. If you’re like us, you might be a little bummed that the weekend is over and now it’s time for life without holiday’s to start again. Well, to help you maybe get out of your Monday blues, we whipped up these sweet banana nut donuts that are secretly better for you! Because, it’s always a goal to eat better every year.

For us, it was a very serious resolution. With owning a baking blog, a lot of times, we don’t eat as healthy as we should. Making the Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup last week was our real step forward to try and get healthier meals on the table.

You all seemed to really love it, too!

So, we decided that this whole month, we’re going to be sharing healthier takes and diet friendly (gluten-free, vegan, sugar free, etc.) foods and bakes! It will definitely be a bit of a challenge for us, but we welcome the change and can’t wait to share all these amazing ideas in our heads with you. Just because something is healthier or apart of a strict diet, doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious and beautiful baked goods!

These baked donuts seemed like the perfect way to introduce a “healthier” January.

Inspired by our overripe bananas sitting in the corner of our kitchen and our absolute love of banana bread, these donuts really just felt like the best idea. We had to run to the store and buy some whole wheat flours (and I also bought more photography props), but it was soooooo worth it!

These donuts are every bit as good as they sound. They’re sweet without being TOO sweet, plenty of natural banana flavor, a little bit of crunch from the walnuts, and perfectly chocolatey. You can’t ask for a better donut to start the new year! The best part? Kids and adults alike love these sweet treats!

Why You Will Love These Baked Banana Donuts

• They’re made with blend of white whole wheat flour and all-purpose!
• Drizzled with dark chocolate melted with coconut oil for a healthier and even more delicious glaze.
• Uses the overripe bananas sitting in your kitchen.
• Absolutely no frying required, as these donuts are baked.
• Coconut oil is used inside these donuts. Could it really get better?!
• They’re actually very simple to make!

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Food Processor
• Stand Mixer
• Rubber Spatula
• Piping Bags
• Donut Pans
• Cake Tester

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Donuts:

• Coconut Oil
• Sugar
• White Whole Wheat Flour
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Large Eggs
• Overripe Banans
• Walnuts

For The Glaze:

• Dark Chocolate
• Coconut Oil

How To Make Healthier Banana Donuts

Step 1: Chop walnuts and smash bananas

In the smallest bowl of the food processor or with a knife, finely chop walnuts. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas until smooth and no large lumps remain. Set aside.

Step 2: Make the batter

In a medium bowl, whisk together white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture alternately with eggs, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Add mashed bananas and chopped walnuts.

Step 3: Bake

Spoon or pipe batter into donut pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until baked through. Turn out once the donuts are cool enough to handle.

Step 4: Make the glaze

Combine dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small glass bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in-between each, until chocolate is smooth and completely melted.

Step 5: Drizzle

Lightly drizzle cooled donuts with chocolate glaze.

How To Store

Once the donuts have been baked and the glaze is set, you can store these donuts in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also store these donuts in a zip-top freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for up to a month.

Substitutions

• You can use really any nut you like for this recipe! Almonds or pecans are great substitutes.
• If you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate, you can use milk chocolate or a bittersweet chocolate.
• Whole wheat flour can be used in place of the white whole wheat.

Expert Tips

• The coconut oil does NOT need to be melted for these donuts. If your coconut oil is liquid, place it in the fridge or freezer until solidified.
• Make sure the eggs are room temperature.
• The more ripe the bananas are, the more flavor these donuts will have.
• Make sure you do not have any large lumps of bananas before adding them to the batter.
• To quickly set the chocolate, you can place the donuts in either the fridge or freezer.
• Do not over mix the batter!
• This recipe keeps really well.
• Check the expiration date on your baking soda and baking powder before baking.
• This recipe is naturally dairy-free and can be made vegan if vegan eggs are used.
• For the best texture, let these donuts sit for up to 12 hours before eating.

When you make these Healthier Baked Banana Nut Donuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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