3 Ingredient Apple Donuts
These healthier apple donuts are easy to make and just 3 ingredients. They don't need any yeast, white flour, eggs or butter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (68 g) whole wheat flour
- 3/4 tsp (3.5 g) baking powder
- 1/3 cup (78 g) unsweetened applesauce, can also use sweetened
- olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Add 2 inches of olive oil to a medium saucepan. Bring to medium heat (about 335-350°F). Be careful to not let the oil get too hot beyond that because olive oil has a lower smoke point.
- While your oil is heating, make the donut dough. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour and baking powder. Whisk until evenly mixed. Stir in the applesauce. Mix with a spatula until a dough forms and applesauce is fully incorporated into the flour mixture.
- Once the oil is ready, scoop dough using a 2 tsp cookie scoop. Use a spatula to level and smooth the surface of the scoop. Gently release the dough ball directly into the hot oil. Repeat this with the remaining dough. The donuts will float to the surface so only add in as many donuts as can fit comfortably at the surface of your saucepan. I fried my donuts in two batches since my saucepan can only fit about 5. If a donut sinks and gets stuck to the bottom of the pan, make sure to loosen it from the bottom immediately using your frying spatula strainer. Cook donuts until both sides are golden brown, flipping them halfway through. Remove donuts from oil and place onto a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
- When donuts are no longer too hot to touch, you can coat with cinnamon sugar. You can also leave them plain.
Notes
- These donuts work best fried. If you try to bake them, they will be dense and more like bread rather than donuts.
- Because the dough is sticky, I recommend using a cookie scoop to scoop the dough and release it directly into the hot oil. To help keep the balls round, make sure to level and smooth the surface of the dough before you release it into the hot oil.
- If you don't have a 2 tsp cookie scoop, you can use a bigger or smaller one but keep in mind your donuts will be bigger or smaller and may need more or less cooking time.
- The donuts are already lightly sweetened and if you prefer your donuts without a lot of sugar, you can eat them plain. But to make them sweeter, you can add a cinnamon sugar coating.
- Optional cinnamon sugar coating: Add 2 tbsp granular white sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon into a large Ziploc bag. Mix the two ingredients until they are evenly combined. Add in donuts, seal the bag and shake the bag until the donut holes are evenly coated.
- The nutrition estimate does not include oil absorbed during frying. It is only for the donut dough before it is cooked as it is difficult to determine the exact amount of oil that is absorbed by the donuts. The nutrition estimate also does not include optional cinnamon sugar topping.
Serving: 1donut, Calories: 30kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Sodium: 25mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, NET CARBS: 5
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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