These donuts are soft, fluffy, and have a tender crumb. The donuts need just 4 ingredients and don’t require any eggs, refined sugar or butter. The donuts are baked instead of fried and only require a few minutes to prepare.
A pile of donut holes

These baked donuts are so soft and tender. The donut batter is an easy one-bowl recipe and you don’t even need a mixer to make it. You can also customize the donuts with different toppings.

Ingredients

  • Self-rising flour
  • Maple syrup
  • Milk
  • Avocado oil

Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is a flour blend that already includes a leavening agent and sodium. This helps save a few extra steps in preparing these donuts. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can also make a homemade blend using all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.

Maple syrup: Maple syrup is used to sweeten the donuts.

Milk: I recommend using whole milk which gives the donuts a richer and more tender crumb.

Avocado oil: I used avocado oil to make these donuts because it is a healthier oil that also has a neutral flavor. You do want to choose a neutral-flavored oil because otherwise you will taste the oil in the donuts.

How to Make the Donuts

  • The maple syrup, milk and avocado oil are whisked together. The flour is mixed in with a spatula until combined.
  • Scoop the donut batter into your prepared donut pan.
  • Bake the donuts for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Let the donuts cool until they are no longer too hot to handle before removing and serving. You can also add glaze or coat the donuts in cinnamon sugar or a sugar substitute before serving.

Texture

These donuts are like old fashioned cake donuts so they have a crumb and texture like cake rather than the texture of traditional yeast donuts. They are light, soft and moist with a tender crumb.
A pile of donut holes with one cut in half

Expert Tips

  • I made these in a mini muffin pan to get bite-sized donut holes. You can also bake them in a donut pan for larger round donuts. Or you can cook them in a donut maker. You do need to bake them in molds because the batter is too thin to hold its form without any baking mold.
  • Make sure to use a neutral-flavored oil or you will taste the oil in the donuts.

Donuts coated in cinnamon sugar

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5 from 2 votes

4 Ingredient Donuts

These 4-Ingredient healthier donuts are soft, fluffy, and perfectly lightly sweet with a tender cake-like crumb. Made with just a handful of pantry staples, they come together in minutes with no eggs, no kneading, and no mixer required. Baked instead of fried, they’re an easy homemade treat with less fuss and a lighter feel—perfect for breakfast, snack time, or a quick sweet bite any time of day.
Servings: 16 donuts
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (80ml) maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml) avocado oil
  • 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/120ml) whole milk
  • 1 1/4 cups (188g) self rising flour, see note before starting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease 16 cavities of a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, avocado oil, and milk until evenly combined.
  • Add the self-rising flour and mix with a spatula until combined and no lumps remain. Make to mix with a spatula and be careful not to overmix—the batter should be thick but scoopable.
  • Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the batter and release it into your prepared mini muffin pan.
  • Bake for 14–15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the donuts cool slightly (about 15 minutes or until they are no longer too hot to touch) before removing. If desired you can drizzle glaze or coat the donuts in cinnamon sugar before serving (see note for cinnamon sugar coating I used). You can also serve the donuts plain because they are lightly sweet on their own.
  • Store any uneaten donuts in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • I used a Wilton mini muffin pan.* You can also bake these in a donut pan.
  • Self-rising flour note. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill, which will not work well for this recipe. Measure out 1.25 cups for the recipe.
  • Optional Cinnamon sugar coating: Donuts can be eaten plain or they can be coated in glaze or a cinnamon sugar coating. If you want to keep these refined sugar free, you can also coat them in coconut sugar or a sugar substitute. To make cinnamon sugar coating, combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon. Pour into a bag big enough to fit a few donut holes. Add a few donuts holes, seal the bag and shake until the donuts are coated. Remove the coated donuts and repeat with remaining donuts. If you are coating the donuts, this is best done while the donuts are still warm. The steam from the donuts helps the cinnamon sugar coating stick. If you try to coat the donuts after they are fully cooled, the coating may not stick. If this happens, you can lightly wet the surface of the donuts or dip them in melted butter before adding the cinnamon sugar coating to help the coating stick.
  • Estimated nutrition does not include the optional coating.
Serving: 1donut, Calories: 87kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 112mg, Sugar: 4g, NET CARBS: 12
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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