Prebiotic Glazed Donut Holes

There’s nothing better than waking up to glazed donut holes in the morning. Convince me otherwise, especially when they’re also good for you! Filled with prebiotic fiber & also paleo, refined-sugar-free, gluten-free, and grain-free. These baked donut holes are truly a dream…

A Healthier Baked Donut Recipe

Since I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis two years ago and made the switch to a paleo-like diet, I’ve been on a mission to create a donut hole recipe that lives up to the traditional donut hole. Over the years, it’s occurred to me that that is way easier said than done.

Classic Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) baking flours include almond flour or coconut flour, or a blend of both. Every time I tried to make donut holes with these, they always turned out too dry or dense. Luckily, since my IBD symptoms have subsided, I’ve been able to branch out and incorporate a few other gut-healthy ingredients into my recipe-testing mix.

Since gut health is still such an important part of my life, it is still absolutely essential that all of my recipes support that. These healthier baked donuts are made with a blend of flours from rich sources of prebiotic fiber and no refined sugar to start your day off!

This donut hole recipe can also be made in so many different flavors super easily!

What is a Prebiotic?

“Prebiotic” is a term used to describe the kind of dietary fiber that feeds the probiotic bacteria in our gut. Since we can’t digest it ourselves, it survives the trip down to our colon to be metabolized by certain healthy microorganisms. By eating a variety of different types of fiber/resistant starch, we can help support a “healthy” microbiome (Cockburn, 2020). Even though we still don’t really know what is considered a healthy microbiome, it has been shown in several studies that people with a greater diversity of gut bacteria tend to live longer and reduce onset of aging and chronic disease (Deng and others, 2019) (Jackson and others, 2016).

• Study: Polysaccharide Degradation by the intestinal microbiota and its influence on human health and disease (Cockburn, Koropatkin, 2020)
• Study: Signatures of early frailty in the gut microbiota (Jackson and others, 2016)
• Study: The gut microbiome of healthy long-living people (Deng and others, 2019)

To be super specific, resistant starch type II (RS2) has been shown to be especially beneficial in terms of reducing inflammation, improving insulin and glucose sensitivity, and lowering the onset or severity of IBD symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. RS2 is the raw form of resistant starch found in raw green bananas, raw potatoes, beans, and legumes.

There’s more too in this link, I just didn’t include the grain-based sources since I still follow a grain-free paleo diet to prevent IBD flares!

Baking with Prebiotic Flours

To make sure these glazed donut holes delivered a well-rounded diverse prebiotic fiber punch, I used a blend of green banana flour, raw unmodified potato starch, and tapioca flour. By using a blend of prebiotic fiber sources with slightly different characteristics, these donuts are moist, cakey, sweet, and absolutely delicious!

Who would have thought that bitter green bananas and uncooked potato flour could actually taste decadent?!

A few key tips & tricks I’ve learned about baking with these prebiotic flours include:

1. 3 is better than 1! Not only does the blend of all three flours taste better, but it also supports a more diverse gut microbiome. It’s a win-win situation.
2. Using a blend of sweeteners is also key. Too much honey, too dense. Too. much monk fruit, too expensive (lol) and the donuts seem to get dry more quickly.
3. Turns out, using a real egg instead of aquafaba or other vegan egg substitutes is essential for the fluffy cake-like texture of these donut holes! Maybe its the extra healthy fats? Maybe its the type of protein in an egg? The Food Scientist in me is dying to know, but we won’t go there.
4. A little bit of vegetable glycerin (I get mine from amazon!) works wonders. Vegetable glycerin helps trap moisture and reduce the water activity to help keep baked goods moist and “use up” any extra water in the product that can be used by mold or bacteria to grow.
5. GLAZE ASAP. Obviously wait until they’re totally cooled down, but glazing them on the same day will also help make sure that all the moisture stays inside the donut holes.

How to Make a Paleo Donut Glaze

I’ve been using the same simple paleo donut glaze mixture for years now! It’s not very sweet on it’s own, but when its paired with a sweet donut or glazed over a sweet cookie it can take any dessert to the next level!

All you have to do is mix melted coconut butter with a little coconut oil (I usually eye-ball it, but I included exact measurements below!). Then stir in a drop or two or vanilla extract and a dash of monk fruit for a hint of sweetness and you’re done! So so easy.

My Paleo Caramel Sauce would also work as a delicious glaze option!

What You Need!

How to Make Prebiotic Paleo Donut Holes:

Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients together and sift through a fine mesh strainer to eliminate any clumps from the potato starch.

Step 2: Add in the coconut milk, egg, honey melted coconut oil, vanilla, and vegetable glycerin. Beat with an electric hand mixer until a smooth batter forms.

Step 3: Pour about 1 or 1.5 tbsp of the batter into each well of the prepared silicone mini muffin mold. Bake for about 12 minutes at 350F. Let them cool completely before carefully removing.

Step 4: Prepare the paleo glaze mixture in a microwave-safe bowl. Lightly roll each donut hole in the glaze until the entire surface is covered. Set aside to “dry” on a sheet of parchment paper and serve!

These donut holes stay fresh longer when stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container! They are also ok stored in a sealed container at room temperature and in the freezer.

More of My Favorite Healthier Breakfast Recipes:

• Single-Serve Chocolate Chip Chickpea Waffle
• Grain-free Single-serve Bagel
• Paleo Banana Breakfast Cake
• Paleo/SCD Cookie Dough Pancakes
• Cinnamon Crumb Cake Donuts

Print Print Print