For some reason, when Simon and I hear the word donut, we can’t stop thinking about them. We watched a movie once where donuts were an underlying theme, and after the movie ended, it was all we could talk about. Being from opposite sides of the country, we have different donut memories. I could rattle off just about every option on the Dunkin Donuts menu, and Simon, being from San Francisco, prefers his donuts to be overpriced and smug. No I’m kidding. I actually don’t know what kind of donuts he likes. That’s because while he was telling me, I wasn’t really listening, but instead was still dreaming about my Dunkin faves: glazed, Boston cream, and those insanely good glazed chocolate cake ones.
With Hanukkah coming up, I really wanted to create a donut recipe worthy of the Festival of Oil Lights. And to pay homage to my East Coast upbringing, just had to make them apple cider donuts. (my other fond donut memory is one of apple picking and apple cider donuts) While the classic version is simply rolled in cinnamon sugar, I also included a recipe for a chocolate glaze. Because: chocolate.
Each coating recipe makes enough for the entire batch, so you can make one or both.
donut holes, 2 ways
makes 25-30 donut holes
for frying:
1.5-2 cups light olive oil or coconut oil
for the donuts:
2/3 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup coconut flour (more if needed, see note)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil to 360. (If you don’t own a deep-fat thermometer, just heat the oil over a medium flame, until it’s hot. You obviously don’t want it to smoke, but it will start to shimmer. A small drop of dough dropped in should sizzle enthusiastically the moment it hits the oil)
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the arrowroot, coconut flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat to combine the eggs, honey, and apple cider.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, and Stir to combine. You want to get rid of all the lumps. The batter will be somewhat thin, like pancake batter.
- Let it sit for one minute to thicken. (see note below)
- Once the oil is hot, drop the dough into it with either a small cookie scoop, or two spoons. You want to aim for about 1 tablespoon per donut. Drop in 8-10 donuts per batch.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes, flipping several times. To make sure they’re done, cut one in half and check the inside before removing the remainder of them. (If you follow me on Instagram, you can watch the video of these donuts frying, where they flip themselves!)
- Remove with a slotted spoon onto a metal rack over a baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
for the cinnamon sugar:
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the donuts in the mixture.
for the chocolate glaze:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
- In a double boiler over steaming water, melt the chocolate and coconut oil.
- Stir in the honey
- Allow to cool to room temperature before dipping in the donuts. The glaze will be quite thin when warm, and won’t adhere to the donuts until it’s cooled down a bit. But act quickly once it’s the consistency of warm pudding! The window here is small, and the glaze will harden quickly. If it does, simply reheat enough to make it fluid.
- Dip the donuts in the chocolate glaze and remove to a wire rack over wax or parchment paper to catch the drips. It will harden once cool.
NOTE: Coconut flours can vary greatly, and depending on which one you’re using, you might need more for this recipe to work: If after a minute the batter isn’t thick enough to scoop and drop into the oil in a solid mass, add one more tablespoon coconut flour and stir. Allow to sit for another 30 seconds to one minute, and keep adding if necessary. It takes a minute to absorb, so give it time to do its thing.
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This Sydney Life says
Simone – would you believe I am one of those weird people who has never tried a Dunkin Donut? I think there are about 3 of us in the entire western world. Since giving up grains, I guess I never will try one BUT this recipe of yours makes me seriously want to make donut holes Zenbelly’s way. YUM!
zenbellyblog says
Simon has never had one, either! I think they’re truly a regional thing…
Moo says
Do you think these would freeze well?
zenbellyblog says
I haven’t tried it, but I think cakes in general freeze well, so these should too… Maybe pop one in the freezer as a test before throwing the whole batch in there!
Laura says
Do you think coconut oil would be as good for the frying?
zenbellyblog says
I think health-wise, it’s better. I was going for flavor, so used light olive. When I tried coconut on my first test batch, they were greasy, but I think that had more to do with the actual recipe needing tweaking, and the oil not being hot enough. Maybe try a smaller batch to test, just to be safe.
Alima says
I used coconut oil and mine turned out great. I let them drain on a paper towel for a minute and they weren’t greasy.
Alima says
At this point, I probably shouldn’t be so surprised at how amazing these are because everything thing I have made from your recipes is unbelievably amazing! You’ve really outdone yourself with these! They are slightly crispy on the outside and airy in the middle and I would never know they were paleo if I hadn’t mixed up the batter mysel! Well done! I continue to be impressed with your culinary skills!! 🙂
zenbellyblog says
Thanks, Alima! That’s wonderful to hear. And thanks for reporting back about the coconut oil!
Kathe Boyd says
Do you think you could use tapioca starch instead of arrowroot?
zenbellyblog says
In most recipes, they’re pretty interchangeable. There’s a chance the tapioca will make these gummy, though. I haven’t tried it, so can’t say for sure. Maybe try a half batch first, and please report back if you try it!
Launa says
Any thoughts on substitutions for the apple cider? I am about to make a batch with it but have one lovely child who would prefer not to have the apple flavoring and I am not sure what to replace that amount of liquid with…?
zenbellyblog says
I’m not sure what will provide the same moisture and sweetness, but you could try almond milk or coconut milk. Or in theory, I suppose any kind of juice should work.
Monique Herrimnn says
For some reason, in reading the recipe I saw apple cider vinegar, but its just apple cider correct? I guess since so many paleo recipes call for apple cider vinegar that’s just what I saw. Lol
v says
That’s what I was going to ask. Is it apple cider “juice” or apple cider vinegar?
zenbellyblog says
Apple cider juice!
Anna says
A couple stupid questions if you don’t mind…is a “deep-fat” thermometer the same as a “candy” thermometer? And as for sauce pan size I have a 2qt or a 4qt, which would be better? These are calling my name 🙂 I’ve never fried donuts (or anything really lol) I’ve only tried baked donuts…can’t wait!
zenbellyblog says
Not a stupid question! They’re the same, made for both purposes. I used a 2 quart sauce pan, and made the donuts in 3 or 4 batches, which worked great! I hope you love them 🙂
Anna says
Lol, I don’t know what I did wrong but mine look nothing like your picture, but they taste good 🙂
zenbellyblog says
This is not the first time I’ve heard this! More like fritters, right? I’m pretty sure it’s because of how I dropped them into the oil. I’m going to make them again and have the boyfriend film it, so people can see how I wound up with somewhat of a round shape! I’m glad they at least tasted good 🙂
Anna says
Thanks so much, I can’t wait to try them!
Heather says
I used applesauce instead of apple cider……SO good. Just trying to decide which way to coat:)
Cat B says
And now I want a blueberry cake donut from D&D… I also want to make these immediately.
suswilke says
Finally got to make these … fantastic! Burned the first batch b/c no thermometer but got it tweaked and got the round shape figured out using the double spoons… these are SO So gOOD!!!
Julie says
Do you think they would be good fried in leaf lard?
zenbellyblog says
YES. OMG yes. Let me know how they come out!
Lauren says
I made these today and the texture and taste was amazing! Thanks for such a great recipe!! I didn’t have apple cider on hand, so I subbed coconut milk with some vanilla extract. For some reason the batter flattened way out when I tried to fry it, so I put it in a well greased mini donut pan and baked at 350 for about 8 min. They were incredible, thanks again!
Maggie says
I just made these and they are AMAZING! I can’t believe I waited until I bought the cookbook to try them! The fritter thing happened to us too. We concluded that we might not have used enough oil, so they were sitting on the bottom of the pan. I will try more oil next time and see what happens.
zenbellyblog says
Horray! If they were sitting at the bottom, it could be a case of not hot enough oil also. It’s a trial and error situation with donuts, quite often! It could also be that the batter didn’t get thick enough, it usually thickens after sitting for a minute (because of the coconut flour), but I’m not sure that every brand of flour in this case is identical. If you make them again and the batter seems thin, just add a little more coconut flour so it’s more scoopable. I’m glad you still loved them! 🙂
KarraLynn says
Did you ever get around to making that video? I’m trying to search the site for it and am coming up blank. Thanks!
zenbellyblog says
I didn’t! I’m kind of video challenged over here… So many I want to do, but I need another person! Aaaaahhh. :\
KarraLynn says
I understand! I know you said you use two spoons. Do you just load the first spoon and use the second one to quickly scrape off the batter into the oil?
zenbellyblog says
Yes, that’s what I did, sort of like using two spoons to push cookie batter onto a baking sheet. A disher (like an ice cream scoop with a lever) works even better, and you can get them all in the oil way faster, too. Thanks for understanding! I seriously another 2 or 3 of me over here 🙂
Lily says
I just came here to see if a video had been put up too!! They came out like fritters. I’ll try the method you both described (at least the way my mind is interpreting it!!)
Kristen says
Hi,
My donuts are coming out porous and not round. What should I do?
KarraLynn says
I made these last night, FYI, and they turned out great! I was worried because my batter was never very thin. I even added an extra splash of cider. I was more like loose cookie dough. I used my cookie scoop, and other than burning the first batch, they came out great! Perfectly round and perfectly delicious!
Oh, I did use grade b maple syrup instead of honey. I went to make these at 9:30 pm (don’t judge) and saw that our honey was a solid block. But if anything the syrup was runnier than honey, so I’m not sure why my batter was so thick. Oh well, they turned out amazing 🙂
Kristi says
I made these last night and my batter was more like pancake batter consistency, should it be thicker than that? Mine turned out like fritters, not great to look at but delicious to eat, they were a huge hit at the Super Bowl party last night and disappeared in a hurry!
zenbellyblog says
I’ve found that grain-free flours vary a lot! If you make them again, just add another tablespoon of coconut flour and let sit for a minute. It should get thicker so you can get rounds instead of fritters!
greencarousel says
Drool… I’m going to try these using Kombucha instead of apple cider and report back… after my husband and I finish our insanely delicious apple pie;) Xx
zenbellyblog says
Oh nice! Please let me know how they work with kombucha!
Lori says
These are absolutely amazing. Thank you for all of your hard work to prepare such incredible recipes! Our family is very, very grateful.
zenbellyblog says
Thanks, Lori! I’m so glad to hear it 🙂
Alessandra says
Hi,
My mom and I made them today for new years, and they came out delicious, but whatever we did, they wouldn’t come out in little balls! They looked like flat fritters with little bubbles on the edge! Is there some trick to it? We also used the cookbook, which I’ve been using for learning how to cook (I’m eleven).
zenbellyblog says
Hi Allesandra! I love that you’re learning how to cook, and that my book is helping with that! As far as the donuts go, I find that grain-free flours vary a lot, coconut flour in particular. If they weren’t round, the batter was probably a bit too thin / runny. If you try again, just add a little bit more (just a tablespoon at a time) and let the batter sit for a minute or two before adding more. Sometimes just another tablespoon is enough to thicken it up enough for the batter to drop into the oil in rounds. I hope that helps!
Rachel says
What kind of chocolates do you use? (sourcing and brand question)
zenbelly says
I’m not loyal to any brand, but do my best to buy fair trade chocolate… Alter eco and equal exchange are both great!
Kristin says
So i made the cinnamon and sugar ones today! I think theres a learning curve… because this was my first time getting something ever! Lol. I left them in for 3 min only because the outside was getting really really dark.. but then they were a tad under cooked…. um still amazing though. I think my oil was too hot… but i used a thermometer to test… and tips on what thermometer, or maintaining the right temp… it may just take me some practice.. and these were so good, i could only inagine if i did them right!
Kristin says
Not getting… lol, first time FRYING… autocorrect
zenbelly says
Is it possible your thermometer isn’t reading correctly? Here’s how you can calibrate it if you’re not sure. The other possibility is an oil that has a lower smoke point… Aside from that, depending on your heat source, it can be tricky to keep the oil at a steady temp, I find I have to keep messing with the controls to get it where I want it. Frying is definitely trickier than other methods, and I’m really glad you gave it a shot! A lot of people just refuse. I bet your next attempt will be much better. LMK if the thermometer calibrating helps!