Name: Plant Protein Donuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 TBSP chia seeds + 3 TBSP water; 2 medium sized ripe bananas (preferably organic); 1/4 cup coconut flour (preferably organic); 1/4 cup almond flour (hazelnut works too!); 2 scoops Niyama Plant Protein - i used Vanilla but Chocolate is awesome too; 1/8 cup ground organic flax seeds; 1 tsp vanilla extract (real, natural); 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/8 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp cinnamon (ceylon if you can find it); 1/2 cup any milk of your choice; 1 TBSP maple syrup (optional); 2 TBSP melted coconut oil for brushing; 1/4 cup coconut sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon combined OR 1/4 cup icing sugar (not paleo)

Plant Protein Donuts

Gluten-free, Grain-free, Vegan, High-Protein, Dairy-free

I didn’t grow up with donuts as a regular thing– they just were not something that were ever in our house, and I don’t ever remember stopping for coffee or donuts on the way to anywhere with my family. There were two exceptions to this donut-free childhood;

At my grandparent’s cottage outside North Bay, Ontario my Nan would sometimes make homemade donuts for my cousins and I – piping hot, fried in fresh oil, and then rolled in icing sugar mixed with cinnamon – they were so good and bore absolutely no resemblance to what was sold in donut shops . I can still remember what a treat it was!
Every summer when I was young, my Dad would take me to the Ex, (or the CNE). This was always one of the best days of every summer – I got to go on as many rides as I liked and eat anything I wanted – which never happened at home LOL. And what I wanted was always my own little bag of 1 dozen Tiny Tom donuts – maybe even better than my Nan’s because they were tiny and bite-sized, crispy and soft, and almost melted in your mouth. So good – I literally looked forward to them all year. Sorry Nan!

Fast forward to adulthood and the rise of “gourmet donuts”. They seem to have popped up in the last few years, and have been heavily featured on food blogs and served at parties and events. While they were not warm like the beloved Tiny Toms of my childhood, they did have really interesting flavours and were trendy and fun – kind of the “new” cupcake. My kids thought they were pretty cool. I’m mostly gluten-free, so unless something is REALLY worth the gastric discomfort that will follow, I just avoid wheat and gluten, and these weren’t tempting enough for me. But I really enjoy the delicious, vegan, GF donuts sold at the lovely and amazing Tori’s Bakeshop in Toronto’s east end. So those were the inspiration and jumping off point for this recipe – I wanted to try to make them taste that good, but also deliver some extra protein, and ditch the grains. In short, I wanted them to be nutritious enough to be eaten for breakfast by anyone in my household, including my paleo-ish bonus daughter, and yummy enough to be craved as a snack.

These seem to have hit the mark – it took a couple tries to get them to this point and there have been requests for more – always a good sign! Plus the donut baking pans are really fun, and were a nice little quarantine gift from a family friend, who found them marked down at Canadian Tire.

I coated them two ways: with icing sugar for my youngest daughter and husband, and with coconut sugar and cinnamon for my paleo-ish girl and myself. Best eaten slightly warm, and really good with a cappuccino.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 TBSP chia seeds + 3 TBSP water

2 medium sized ripe bananas (preferably organic)

1/4 cup coconut flour (preferably organic)

1/4 cup almond flour (hazelnut works too!)

2 scoops Niyama Plant Protein - i used Vanilla but Chocolate is awesome too

1/8 cup ground organic flax seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract (real, natural)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (ceylon if you can find it)

1/2 cup any milk of your choice

1 TBSP maple syrup (optional)

Coating

2 TBSP melted coconut oil for brushing

1/4 cup coconut sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon combined OR 1/4 cup icing sugar (not paleo)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Make the Chia egg by whisking together chia seeds and water and setting in the fridge for 10 minutes

Grease the indented part of your donut pan with coconut oil or avocado oil or butter

if using a stand mixer start by mashing the banana with the paddle attachment and then slowing adding in all other ingredients on low speed. If doing by hand, use the same order. Don't forget the chia egg!

Spoon batter into the donut pans, filling to barely full, not over-filling

Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking after 15 min or until a toothpick comes out clean

Allow to cool in the pan

Brush with coconut oil and carefully dip into the sweet coating of your choice to coat.

Any extra can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, and if you make a double batch they also freeze well - just put on a tray and freeze for an hour, then transfer to a container or freezer bag and store in freezer.

Niyama Wellness

Plant Protein Donuts