Grain-Free Birthday Cake Donut Holes

Fluffy donut holes with the most incredible sweet cake batter flavor… made without added sugar! These healthier birthday cake donuts are cakey & moist while still being packed with nourishing ingredients…

A Healthy Grain-Free Treat!

I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth in the morning. There’s something about eating something sweet with my coffee that just does it for me. With most traditional breakfast treats, this habit of mine has always set me up for a sugar crash two hours after. Cue healthy donut holes! That taste like cake!

This healthy grain-free treat has no added sugar, traditional refined flour, or inflammatory oils. Air frying (or baking!) donut holes is key to making them a little bit healthier. I also have a few tried-and-true healthy ingredients I like to use in most of my recipes. Even though most of these are SCD based to manage my ulcerative colitis symptoms, these foods are typically extremely healthy for most people! Since the SCD focuses on minimally processed, natural ingredients to reduce inflammation, these ingredients are pretty universally considered to be “health foods”.

• Link: Pantry Staples
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Baking with Greek Yogurt

The secret ingredient to the moist, fluffy donut hole texture in this recipe: Greek yogurt. TRUST ME.

Greek yogurt is a great egg replacement. Even though eggs are very healthy, Greek yogurt helps a lot of grain-free baked treats retain moisture better because of its creamy consistency. Fermented dairy products are also “legal” on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), which I closely follow to manage my IBD symptoms. Plain Greek Yogurt is very low in sugar and also a great source of probiotics and high-quality protein!

• Link: SCD Legal/Illegal List

• Link: “How I Started Adding Non-SCD Foods Back into my Diet“

Greek yogurt is a great ingredient to bake with since it contains billions of probiotics! As the dough bakes, these active cultures release carbon dioxide to help the dough rise. Even though the amount of carbon dioxide the probiotics release isn’t super significant without the addition of baking powder or baking soda, the thick creamy texture of yogurt does WONDERS in baked recipes.

I also love the slight tangy flavor that plain greek yogurt adds. The contrast between the sweet dough and tangy greek yogurt adds a beautiful complexity to the flavor of these birthday cake donut holes!

What You’ll Need:

How to Make Birthday Cake Donut Holes

Step 1: Combine all of the “dry” ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.

Step 2: Add the plain greek yogurt and pure vanilla extract. Mix well until a thick dough forms. TIP: I found that using my hands to knead the dough together seemed to work the best.

Step 3: Use a tablespoon to scoop out about 30 evenly sized balls of dough. Roll each ball lightly between the palms of your hands to smooth out the edges. Place each ball in an air fryer basket lined with parchment paper, spaced about 3 inches apart. If you’re using the “bake” method, place the balls of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 4: Air fry for 10-12 minutes at 325F OR bake for 15 minutes at 400F.

Step 5: Glaze the donut holes with the coconut butter glaze and allow them to “dry” before serving!

More of My Favorite Grain-Free Breakfast Recipes:

• Prebiotic Glazed Donut Holes
• Chocolate Chip Chickpea Waffle
• Paleo Chocolate Chip Microwave Muffin
• Paleo Blueberry Crumb Cake Muffins
• Single-Serve Cinnamon Roll

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