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.
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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