I know I’m taking a risk here with an unpopular stance, but CAN WE ALL JUST CALM DOWN ABOUT PUMPKIN ALREADY?? I mean seriously, I love pumpkin as much as the next blogger, but I’ve been seeing pumpkin recipes since early August and I find it a little alarming.
Think of the long haul people – pumpkins will be here through the end of NOVEMBER. That’s three whole months from now!!! Even I don’t want to eat pumpkin flavored everything for three months!
More importantly, can we just take a moment to appreciate APPLES for crying out loud? When did they become so insignificant to fall themed recipes?? I’m confused as to how this happened, because apple season was a big deal when I was living in Connecticut.
We picked apples as kids every year, we ate them fresh, in apple pie, apple fritters, and of course apple cider donuts were sold in Every. Single. Grocery Store. for at least a month before we moved on to pumpkins in mid October.
I feel like apples are the red-headed stepchild this year – it’s like they DON’T EVEN EXIST! It’s just not right, and I for one am going to protest this travesty and shout from the rooftops: THINK OF THE POOR APPLES!
So many varieties with so many subtle differences – juicy, sweet, tart, and crisp, just waiting to be enjoyed in a multitude of ways.
In my defense of apples, I plan to post at least one apple themed recipe a week for the rest of September – even if I AM the only one on the interwebs posting low carb apple recipes this month. I implore my fellow bloggers to take a break from the pumpkin and join me in embracing apples.
First on the list is these fantastic apple cider donuts. I’m pretty excited to have produced a low carb donut that can be fried instead of baked. Because let’s be honest, baked donuts are really just muffins in disguise – which is fine, but they simply can’t compare to the crispy outside and soft, cakey inside of a real fried donut.
In order for these to hold together in the oil, the xanthan gum and protein powder are important, so I don’t recommend leaving them out. I used this brand of protein powder which has 0 carbs – but you can use any brand, just be sure to add whatever carbs are in your brand to the total and divide by number of donuts.
You can garnish these donuts in a number of ways – I loved them best with butter, cinnamon and granulated sweetener because they reminded me of the cider donuts we’d buy from the farm stands when I was younger. But you can also try them drizzled with some sugar free caramel sauce – then throw some chopped nuts on there too if you want.
To make them even more festive, you can get a candy apple color by adding a few drops of red food coloring to some store bought sugar free caramel sauce before drizzling it on.
No matter how you eat these, you won’t believe they are low carb – and you definitely won’t be wishing they were pumpkin flavored!
Apple Cider Donuts – Low Carb and Gluten Free Recipe
A low carb and gluten free apple cider donut recipe that is as close to the real thing as you can get! Keto, Paleo, LCHF, and Atkins Diet friendly recipe.
- Yield: 6 donuts
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute (Splenda, Swerve, etc.)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp vanilla protein powder see example
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum see example
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sparkling cider (non-alcoholic)
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
Oil for frying
Cinnamon Coating:
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute (Swerve, Splenda, etc.)
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the two together thoroughly and wait 2 minutes. Form the dough into 5 balls of equal size. Press each one into a disc about 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter. Use a spoon to scoop out a one inch piece from the center of each disc – then use your fingers to smooth into an even circle/classic donut shape. Combine the small pieces to form a 6th donut shape with your hands.
- Pour your choice of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Heat oil until about 350 degrees (or until a small drop of water sizzles when it hits the oil.) Cook your donuts in batches of 2 each for about 2 minutes per side, or until dark golden brown. Be sure to flip away from you so you don’t splatter yourself with hot oil when turning them. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate until all of the donuts are cooked.
For the Coating:
- Combine the cinnamon and sweetener in a small bowl. Brush the donuts with melted butter, and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon mixture until well coated. Best eaten within one day of frying, but these will keep in the fridge for several days.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the [url:3]IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page![/url]
Approx nutrition info per donut: 207 calories, 17g fat, 5.5g net carbs, 9g protein
New to the low carb lifestyle and need some help? Try my free 3 day kickstart plan to get into ketosis fast! Then follow it up with any of my 12 free weekly menu plans – complete with shopping and prep lists!
In other news, for a limited time I’m bundling my Amazon best-selling e-book The Gluten Free Low Carber with my first two issues of the IBIH ezine for only $9.99 – that’s a discount of over 50%!
You’ll get over 75 original recipes that can’t be found here on the blog for less than 15 cents each! And it’s some of my best work yet if I do say so! Need some low carb side dish recipes to complement your ham or turkey? Or some decadent low carb dessert recipes to WOW your guests??? I’VE GOT YOU COVERED!
Get more information on the books here, or simply click the Add to Cart button to download now!
All three for just $9.99!
I didn’t have sparkling cider, so I used diet ginger ale. The eggs I used were extra large, so I added an extra tablespoon of coconut flour. I also added a tablespoon of wheat gluten. I had no trouble with crumbling. They fried up just fine. They tasted just like a regular donut, but the mouth feel was off, like it always is with coconut flour. Thank you for a great recipe!
★★★★
My whole family loved these keto cider donuts!!! Perfect for fall!
★★★★★
Hate to necro an old post, but did anyone ever figure out a solution to the crumbling? I attempted these last night and I couldn’t form them at all. Made sure I didn’t use too much liquid, let it sit for 5 minutes for the coconut flour to soak everything up and they still fell apart. I salvaged a few by putting some batter in a donut pan and baking at 350. The batter was delicious and I know that the flavor is close, but being able to fry them would turn this recipe up to 11. I think I may retry this adding a couple tablespoons more protein or maybe some gluten to boost the elasticity, but I’d prefer to not waste expensive ingredients if this has already been figured out
★★★
If they are crumbling then it’s possible that you actually need a little more liquid because the coconut flour is so absorbent.
Is there anything else could substitute for the protein powder?
I just tried these tonight frying in coconut oil and they turned so dark without even being on one side for a minute :( not sure what Ive done wrong. My dough was a little crumbly but not bad. Can you bake and then fry for a few seconds?
If they got that dark that fast then your oil was likely too hot.
Do you think these could be made in a donut pan and baked in the oven? Or a donut maker even?
Hi, your nutritional info doesn’t list sugar totals…
Im curious how ”keto” the recipe is and if it would be suitable for diabetics
Hi! I featured this recipe in my post 15 Low Carb Desserts that are Absolutely Delicious! https://jenniferbanz.com/15-low-carb-desserts
I attempted these yesterday. My dough was the perfect consistency. I’ve never fried anything before and used EVOO and I think my oil was too hot, because the outside burned. I didn’t even let them sit for 2 minutes on each side. BUT, the inner part was DELISH!! I just gotta get the frying part figured out! I plan on a take 2 in the near future!
EVOO is not good for frying because it gets too hot and will burn – avocado oil is perfect, or in a pinch vegetable oil will work fine, it’s just not the healthiest option.
Do you think this recipe would still work if I used some strong brewed apple cinnamon tea instead of the cider? I have a lot of it on hand.
Any suggestions for dough that’s too wet? I had a hard time being able to plop them into the oil. They held together decently, but flipping them was a pain.
★★★★
Thanks for the recipe. Unfortunately, I had the same issue as some others. When I went to flip, the just crumbled and fell apart. The crumbs taste good though. Wish I’d thought to do donut holes. Maybe next time.
These turned out really well and tasted a lot like a cake donut:D! I did not have sparkling apple cider so I used a carbonated Fuji apple flavored water I bought from walmart that has zero carbs…I then put 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar into the wet mix with the flavored water…had a good apple flavor:)
★★★★
Was finally able to find the sparkling apple cider at a liquor store and yes, it is non alcoholic. Mixed together as instructed. Smelled so good. Let it sit for longer than two minutes and once donut shaped, let those sit as well. I think my oil was too hot as they immediately burned and fell apart. Will try again adding a bit more coconut flour. I doubled the recipe, so I really hate that two batches fell apart. Hoping it is me. I will try again, but very sad.
I followed the recipe exactly, and found the dough very wet and hard to get into the oil. I cooked 3 at a time in 1/2 ” coconut oil. They soaked up ALL the oil and fell apart. So disappointing. It is probably due to different types of coconut flour and/or protein powder. I wish they had worked! Oh, well, this way of cooking is still evolving.
★
The dough should not be wet, did you let it sit as recommended so the coconut flour could fully absorb the moisture? Sorry it didn’t work out for you!
I let it sit longer than the recommended 2 minutes…especially the second ones to go in the pan. The dough was more the consistency of something like a muffin batter. It soaked up about 2 cups of oil! lol I’m sure it’s the different brand of coconut flour. I usually use a lot more than two eggs in a recipe with 1/2 cup coconut flour.
Hey, you never know till you try. I love your recipes! I just posted this for feedback, not criticism!
LOVE and have missed Apple Cider Donuts. Instead of the sparkling Cider, might I disEngage Apple Cider vinegar?
Sorry. Briggs Apple Cider Vinegar
Okay. Sparkling cider (non-alcohol) it is. What brand did you use?
Does it have to be carbonated cider?
The sparkling cider has less carbs than the regular and the carbonation definitely helps the dough so if you can find it that would be best!
how is this low carb if it has apple cider in it?? Apple cider has a lot of sugar in it.
I noticed this recipe is also on Miracleville…as I received an email from them with your exact photo and a link to their site with this recipe…but I didn’t see your name… I might have missed it…But I Wanted to make sure you are getting credit for your delicious recipe!
I had a question about the protein powder as well… Everything I have read, including the manufacturers website, says that high head destroys the protein. Are you just using it for binder than and no nutritional value?
Wondering what purpose the protein powder serves? Curious if I could sub something in it’s place.
It helps bind them so not sure how it would work without it!
I’m really wondering if the carbonation is important? Was going to try it with an apple tea…
I am seriously craving one of these donuts right now.. love the apple and cinnamon flavour combination! Great recipe!
Hi Mellissa,
Your delicious recipe has been nominated as one of the “Top 100 Best Apple Recipes of 2014 for National Apple Month”. You and your readers can vote for it here: http://thefoodexplorer.com/fruit-2/100-delicious-apple-recipes-for-national-apple-month/ (position #9 – random order).
I wonder if the carbonation is key to the texture. If I have regular apple cider and mix it with some club soda, that should work, right?
Well, the dough smelled really good as I mixed all the ingredients up. But it was extremely sticky and difficult to get into the oil. Even after successfully getting them frying in the peanut oil and onto paper towels without breaking apart, the results were disastrous. After cooling and pressing them with paper towels I found them to be completely unpalatable. Just picking them up caused oil to ooze out of them; even after pressing them with paper towels several times. I followed the recipe exactly, but was left feeling nauseated after trying to eat one. Normally I’d be tenacious enough to make a second attempt, but I’m far too poor to gamble with so many expensive ingredients again. It’s a shame. They look so lovely in the photos. :(
Sorry these didn’t work for you Nikki – not sure why your dough was sticky and difficult to get into the oil – or why it absorbed so much of it during cooking, something must have gone wrong but I’m not sure what!
Oh my gosh I just finished making these and they are delicious!!! Mine held together fine but I molded them into a donut shape pretty tightly before frying. I will definitely make these again! Thanks Melissa I love your blog.
Well, mine were an utter failure. They fell apart in the oil, burned quickly on the outside and barely cooked inside. I used avocado oil, but it heated up too fast I think, and the pot I used was cast iron and way too deep. On the “up” side, my family says the house smells like burned donuts, so I’m on the right track ;-). Even though I was able to form them ok, they seemed quite fragile and started falling apart as soon as I flipped them. Is this just a matter of practice or the fact that they weren’t cooked enough? Thank you for your blog – I’ve had great results with the other recipes I’ve tried!
I’m not sure Vicki, but I’m going to have to make these again myself to see why everyone seems to have trouble with them holding together lately! Maybe wait a little longer than 2 minutes for the dough to stiffen. I’ll report back! Definitely sounds like your oil was too hot though – try them in donut hole format for now to help with the fragility!
Thank you for responding so quickly Mellissa! I did try the donut holes and fried them in an electric wok, which helped with the oil temp. They did hold together better, and didn’t burn, but didn’t cook through. I probably made them too big. Still, very tasty and worth trying again!
I hd this same problem, and I’d love to hear if there were any solutions. We actually tried TWICE, since the first time I realized I’d accidentally ommitted the protein powder, but they behaved pretty much the same each time. On the second attempt I tried donut holes, in hopes they would hang together better, but both times they were very soft and fragile as dough, puffed up and fell apart in the oil, nearly like they simply melted.
I used peanut oil the first time, grapeseed on the second attempt (I had used up all my peanut).
I’m considering trying once more and baking instead of frying before I remove these from my recipe book, but I’m hoping someone might have a “Here’s why that happened” for me.
I can NOT WAIT to try these!! I’m not a pumpkin fan so I was overly excited to see this!! Thank you! I have a question … I fully intend to make these as written but I was thinking as well, the only apple seems to be from the cider … what do you think of trying a zero everything carbonated water? I was just drinking some raspberry and thought hey I wonder if that would work?! Could make a raspberry glaze (probably leave out the nutmeg & cinnamon)… there is no actual apple in them so to enterchange the carbonated drink … what do you think?? Thanks again!!
Did anyone else have really sticky dough? I ended up making donut holes which were awesome but I just couldn’t get my dough firm enough to shape into anything even remotely resembling a donut. I’m wondering if it was my coconut flour.
Yes I just made these and they were super sticky! I added more of the coconut flour which helped but now they taste more like coconut then apple! And I’mnot a fan of coconut . Any tips?
Well, I just tried these and they fell apart, although the batter tasted good,so I am going to add some chopped apple to the batter and make muffins out of it. Sigh….
Ahhh I can’t wait to get a donut pan so I can start to make these as well as bagels!!!!
This looks amazing. Saw it on Judy Baker on FB and now I’ll be sharing it tomorrow on my FB page. Hope I can gather all the ingredients to try it soon!
I made these today and had a heckuva time getting them to flip without breaking. So I gave up after two, broke the rest of the dough into small balls (think DD Munchkins) and made them like that! Perfect!
Weird question: Do you think these would be dry enough to safely mail …? Like if I sealed them really well in a care package that might take about a week to ship? :D
These look amazing!
I doubt these would keep safely unless refrigerated for more than a couple of days max Bethany. Maybe if you overnight them?
Looks delicious!! Breaks my heart to see splendid bring promoted however.
I wouldn’t say I’m promoting Splenda, any more than I’m promoting Swerve, but some people get confused about what granulated sugar substitute is and Splenda is the most recognized product right now. You could also use Ideal, or any stevia based product that measures like sugar.
I made these yesterday and they were amazing. Thank you so much. I didn’t have apple cider so I mixed up a cup of the sugar-free Alpine Spiced Apple Cider (packet) and used 1/2 cup of that. It worked great.
I made these the other day and they were pretty good! My biggest issue was simply the cooking method… I think I’m going to need some practice frying donuts =). The butter/sugar/cinnamon combo on top is really what brought the donut together. Delicious!
We have a cider mill near our house and besides their amazing cider we just LOVE their apple cider donuts. They just melt in your mouth and taste so heavenly. They just don’t do well on the waistline so I’m definitely trying these! Can I use non-sparkling cider? Thanks!
These sound wonderful! I am ordering some basic ingredients this week, like the coconut flour, and xanthan gum- hard if not impossible to find in this area. AND, I will be using my grandmother’s donut cutter I inherited! Usually take out the center piece for biscuits for family, but now I get to leave it in and make donuts! Yay! Will let you know how they turn out!
Thank for a recipe that is not pumpkin based! In South Africa, where I am from, it is currently Spring, and I really don’t want to be eating pumpkin! Besides which, we are not into the whole pumpkin/Halloween vibe anyway, so it’s totally wasted on meal give me a fresh, crisp apple anyway! I’m really enjoying your recipes and take on food, Mellissa, keep up the great work!
Will this recipe work without the protein powder?
Do you think it would work to mix up the dough, add just a **bit** of fresh grated apple and drop the batter into the oil? Like little apple fritters? These look YUMMY!!
I will be posting a fritter recipe next week – though the base is slightly different than the donuts, it does have pieces of apple inside and they are SO GOOD! Stay tuned! But meanwhile, you could probably add apple to these and it would also work!
I saw the other comments on which oils to use, but which oil did you use? I have a family member who is allergic to peanuts so I’d prefer not to use that so they can enjoy these as well. If you did use peanut, what would you use instead that’s a healthier oil? Thanks!
Coconut oil works great, as does a light olive oil – as long as you don’t go over the 350 degrees!
Thanks! I’ll try the coconut oil. I have one more question. Clearly 6 donuts won’t be enough haha. Do you recommend doubling everything or making 2 separate batches? I’m so excited to make these this weekend!
Wow, these look amazing. And I have a fridge drawer full of apples, begging me to do something fun with them. Sadly I have no protein powder – this might actually be the recipe that convinces me to finally get some.
You won’t be sorry Noelle!
These sound amazing! Do you think that you could sub unflavored whey protein powder and add some vanilla extract instead of the vanilla protein?
Yes, I think that would work fine Tara!
Yes! I’m sick of so many pumpkin recipes since I’m not a big sweet pumpkin gan..except I felt I had to do a pumpkin spice latte ice cream recipe… so glad to see something apple…I like it so much better!
Thanks Judy – and I could drink pumpkin flavored coffee year round because it’s AWESOME. :)
I’m not a fan of pumpkin so go for all the apple recipes you like :) These look great! I’m going to have to try these – maybe this weekend if I can find some non-alcoholic fizzy apple cider (I have the the alcoholic kind:)
The alcoholic cider would probably also work Jan, but it may need a little extra sweetener and will have less of an apple flavor so you might want to boost it with a splash of vanilla or some more cinnamon so they aren’t bland. Hope you like them!
Do you have any recommendations for frying oil? I’ve never done it before. I see above you said you can use coconut oil, but not to let it get too hot…any other favorite oils? Thanks!!!
Peanut oil works great for frying Lily, but it can get pricey, lard works too if you can find it. Vegetable based oils like corn or canola will work in a pinch, but they are definitely not healthy fats so I wouldn’t make a habit of it! Hope you like them!
Hi Melissa,
I for one am VERY grateful to have some apple recipes! Can’t wait to try these as I have coconut flour in the cupboard. Keep your great recipes coming!
Thanks so much Terry! I’ve got some more good apple recipes coming soon so stay tuned! :)
I’m not a big fan of pumpkin. Thanks for a great fall apple recipe!
Thanks Kristel – I do like pumpkin, I’m just not ready for it yet! Hope you enjoy these!
I don’t think these would last longer than right out of the pan! :) Thanks for this recipe. I am so anxious to try it!
It’s true, they really don’t, and they are SO GOOD when they’re still warm!!! Let me know what you think!
These looks AWESOME, thank you for sharing! I have never “deep fried” food before…do you have to use enough oil for the donut to be fully submerged in it, or is just a few tablespoons of oil enough? Would coconut oil be ok to use? Also, could these be baked in the oven instead? Thanks for any help! Can’t wait to make these!
Note in the instructions that you fill a pan to about 1/2 inch deep of oil, cook one side then flip. Coconut oil would be fine, just don’t let it overheat. I tried baking them and the texture was completely different – I don’t recommend it. Hope that helps – enjoy!
How could I substitute almond flour for the coconut flour? Is it even possible? I already have a lot of almond flour, so I’d prefer to use it.
I really can’t say that almond flour would work audrey – they’d probably fall apart in the oil but you could try it!
Perhaps adding some psyllium husk powder to add stickiness.
Let us know if you make that work!!
I don’t think the substitution will work, as coconut flour behaves very differently from Almond – it absorbs more moisture and swells considerably.