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 keto apple recipes.
First on the list are these fantastic keto 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 keto apple cider doughnuts 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 keto 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 these keto apple cider donuts 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
- Yield: 6 donuts 1x
Description
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.
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!
Approx nutrition info per donut: 207 calories, 17g fat, 5.5g net carbs, 9g protein
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Bethany says
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!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I doubt these would keep safely unless refrigerated for more than a couple of days max Bethany. Maybe if you overnight them?
Niki says
Looks delicious!! Breaks my heart to see splendid bring promoted however.
Mellissa Sevigny says
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.
Ellen says
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.
Molly H says
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!
Dori says
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!
Tina K. says
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!
Ruth Edwards-Shirley says
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!
Tonya says
Will this recipe work without the protein powder?
Lisa says
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!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
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!
Melissa says
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!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Coconut oil works great, as does a light olive oil – as long as you don’t go over the 350 degrees!
Melissa says
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!