Get ready for an amazing St. Patrick's Day treat – baked Mint Chocolate Protein Donuts! The perfect balance of chocolateyness and a hint of mint will make them irresistible.
Donuts are the ultimate sweet treat that we all know and love, but when you're watching your diet and have goals, eating donuts can seem off-limits. Not anymore! These mini mint protein donuts are a delicious and healthy snack that won't ruin your diet and help you meet your protein goals. With just a few ingredients and a bowl, this recipe is easy to make and even easier to eat!
As a dietitian, I have an “all foods can fit” mindset. There is nothing wrong with donuts and sometimes you just need the real thing.. But sometimes you may have goals and to meet those goals, we can make small tweaks to our food choices. These donuts are baked which automatically lowers the fat content and leaves you with a fluffy, cake-like donut. PLUS, you can’t beat the nutrition.
Let’s compare this recipe to the Dunkin Double Chocolate Donut.
| Our recipe: Mini Mint Chocolate Donuts (3 donuts): | Dunkin Double Chocolate Donut: |
|---|---|
| Calories: 148 | Calories: 380 |
| Carbs: 20g | Carbs: 74g |
| Fat: 4.3g | Fat: 23g |
| Protein: 9g | Protein: 4g |
Kinda insane right? You could have 3 mini donuts with less fat, calories, and more protein than just 1 Dunkin donut. Not to mention, you get about 1g of fiber with each donut thanks to sneaking in pumpkin, which is a good source of fiber and vitamins A and C! I am all about boosting nutrition where I can.
3 Reasons Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Boost of nutrition: These donuts have so much going on for them nutrition-wise…3g protein in each donut, 100% whole grains thanks to the Kodiak Cakes and low fat and calories than traditional donuts.
- Perfect size: Each donut is mini, making it the perfect size for a little snack or to add to breakfast! You can even make a yummy dessert bowl and crumble the donut over some greek yogurt. The mini size makes it perfect for meal prep or to send in your kiddos’ lunch boxes!
- Easy to make: This recipe is SO simple to make and ready in under 20 minutes. I love nothing more than a quick recipe that yields delicious results!
- BONUS: Protein in each bite: Protein-packed desserts like these donuts are a smart choice for maintaining balanced blood sugar levels, staving off cravings and promoting feelings of satiety.
Ingredients
- Kodiak Cakes Dark Chocolate pancake mix: This is my secret weapon for the recipe! Using Kodiak Cake pancake mix adds a bit of protein and whole grains.
- Chocolate mint protein powder: I used PEScience brand because the whey/casein blend bakes well, but feel free to use your favorite protein powder in the chocolate flavor! We also like 1st Phorm Level-1 Mint Ice Cream Sandwich and Clean Simple Eats Mint Chocolate Cookie (code TAMI)
- Sugar substitute: I used a sugar substitute to keep the donuts low calorie, but you may use real sugar if you prefer. Nutrition information will vary.
- Cocoa powder: Adding cocoa powder helps to add even more rich and chocolate flavor to the donuts.
- Baking powder: This helps to create a light and fluffy texture in baked goods.
- Salt, vanilla extract, mint extract: These essential ingredients help to add a little extra flavor!
- Milk: I used skim milk, but feel free to use your preferred type of milk!
- Pumpkin puree: If you don’t know, you can use pumpkin purée as an alternative to butter and oil without sacrificing a moist end product!
- Liquid egg whites and egg: I used a combination of both liquid egg whites and whole egg to help bind the ingredients while keeping it light.
- Mint chocolate baking chips: These are mixed in to add texture and additional flavor to the donuts! I used the generic Walmart brand of baking chips but Lily’s Sweets also has a sugar free mint chip variety.
Kitchen Tools Required
- 2 medium bowls
- Whisk
- Mixing spoon or scraper
- Donut pan
- Ziploc bag, optional
How to Make Mini Mint Chocolate Protein Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray your donut pan.
- In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients (Kodiak Cakes, protein powder, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt) and whisk together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, egg whites, egg, vanilla, and mint extract. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until smooth. Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Make sure not to overmix the batter.
- Add the donut batter to the pan. You may spoon batter directly into the compartments or use a ziploc bag to pipe the batter into each donut tin.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes on the center rack of the oven. Let cool in the pan for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.
- To prepare the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and water in a small bowl. If you prefer a thinner icing, add more water; if you prefer a thicker icing, add less water. Add drops of green food coloring until you reach the desired color. Either spread the icing or dunk the tops of the donuts in the icing, place back on the cooling rack or plate. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles if desired.
Swaps or Alternatives
Donut pans provide the perfect shape for your treats, but if you don't have one, don’t worry! Mini muffin tins can also be used to bake delicious creations – just adjust the cooking time.
If you need to make this recipe dairy free, swap the milk for your favorite milk alternative!
In this recipe, I personally used PEScience Mint Cookie flavor. I recommend this brand because it is a whey/casein blend, which I find to produce the best baking results. Feel free to swap with your favorite chocolate protein powder!
If you can’t find the Kodiak Cakes Dark Chocolate pancake mix, substitute for one of their regular flavors or even normal pancake mix would work!
Quick Tip(s)
If you’re looking to make some delicious donuts, the key is not to overmix the batter. Overworking the consistency of the batter will cause it to rise too much during baking, resulting in dense and chewy donuts rather than fluffy and light-textured treats. Adding too many air bubbles with excessive stirring will also lead to a crumbly texture many are not fond of. The golden rule is to mix until there are no more dry ingredients visible, but no more.
Always remember to transfer freshly cooked donuts from the baking pan onto a cooling rack as soon as possible. This will prevent them from sticking to the pan and avoid any additional cooking. Leaving donuts in the baking pan can result in over-browning or even burning them, plus reducing their flavor and texture.
Macros & Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 1 donut
- Calories: 49
- Protein: 3g
- Carbs: 7g
- Fats: 1.4g
Mini Mint Chocolate Protein Donuts
Equipment
- 2 medium bowls
- 1 whisk
- 1 Mixing spoon or scraper
- 1 Donut pan
- 1 Ziploc bag, optional
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- ¾ cup Kodiak Cakes Dark Chocolate pancake mix
- ½ cup chocolate mint protein powder
- 6 tbsp sugar substitute
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp milk
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup liquid egg whites
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp mint extract
- 3 tbsp mint chocolate baking chips
- Cooking spray
- Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
For the icing:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp water
- Green food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray your donut pan.
- In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients (Kodiak Cakes, protein powder, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt) and whisk together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, egg whites, egg, vanilla, and mint extract. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until smooth. Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Make sure not to overmix the batter.
- Add the donut batter to the pan. You may spoon batter directly into the compartments or use a ziploc bag to pipe the batter into each donut tin.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes on the center rack of the oven. Let cool in the pan for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.
- To prepare the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and water in a small bowl. If you prefer a thinner icing, add more water; if you prefer a thicker icing, add less water. Add drops of green food coloring until you reach the desired color. Either spread the icing or dunk the tops of the donuts in the icing, place back on the cooling rack or plate. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles if desired.