Who said doughnuts can't be keto?! Say hello to our Keto Triple Chocolate Doughnuts! Three layers of chocolate goodness make these baked treats irresistible! Ready to enjoy in 30 minutes and baked in the oven. These doughnuts are keto, low-carb, grain-free, and gluten-free!
Have you ever baked something so delicious that it instantly became your favorite thing ever?
These Keto Triple Chocolate Doughnuts are going to be a breakfast treat you'll want to keep all to yourself.
These doughnuts are decadent. They have a chocolate batter. Chocolate icing. And a chocolate cookie crumble.
Plus, they are cake doughnuts, which makes them quick and easy to make.
Be sure to check out our Samoa Keto Doughnuts with Caramel and Chocolate too!
Why You Will Love these Keto Triple Chocolate Doughnuts!
- Baked: Because these doughnuts are baked rather than fried they are so effortless to make!
- Gluten-free: Not only are these doughnuts keto friendly, they are also grain and gluten free.
- Make ahead: These doughnuts keep well for a great make ahead breakfast. They also freeze well too, so be sure to make a double batch!
Is Chocolate Keto-Friendly?
The answer is - "It can be!"
Chocolate is made from cocoa powder, which is a nutritional powerhouse full of fiber and minerals such as iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc.
Unsweetened cocoa powder is keto-friendly because it doesn't have any added sugar.
The trouble comes when sugar is added to the cocoa powder to make the chocolate. Most of the chocolate (both bars and chips) found in stores are full of sugar making it too carb heavy to be keto.
That is why we like to make our own chocolate or use chocolate sweetened with monk fruit, erythritol, or stevia instead of sugar.
Where Do I Find Keto-Friendly Chocolate?
Luckily with the gaining popularity of the keto diet, low-carb chocolate brands do exist!
Some of our favorites are:
- Lily's Brand - Is sweetened with stevia and erythritol and doesn't contain any added sugars or artificial sweeteners. There can sometimes be a bad aftertaste with stevia, but you can't taste it at all with this brand.
- Choczero - Is sweetened with monk fruit and doesn't contain any added sugars, sugar alcohols, or artificial sweeteners. This is a great option if you don't tolerate stevia or erythritol well.
- Macalat - Is sweetened with a combination of erythritol and monk fruit. It is made from all organic ingredients and also includes a touch or vanilla and cinnamon.
Be careful with the types of chocolate you buy and always look at the labels for the ingredients and added sugar amount.
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Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need for these doughnuts:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: For that deep and rich chocolate flavor.
- Almond flour: A great keto-friendly alternative to all-purpose flour.
- Almond milk: We like to use almond milk, but coconut milk would work well too.
- Xanthan gum and eggs: To help bind the ingredients together.
- Espresso powder: You can also use instant coffee.
- Keto-friendly chocolate chips: We used Lily's brand, but any keto-friendly version works.
- Granular erythritol: For a low-carb sweetener. Swerve is a good choice here.
- Keto brown sugar substitute: Such as Sukrin Gold, Lakanto Golden, or Brown Swerve.
- Baking powder and soda: To help the doughnuts rise when they are baked.
- Apple cider vinegar: This reacts with the baking powder and baking soda to create light and fluffy doughnuts.
- Salt: A little salt really helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Use 100% pure vanilla.
- Melted butter and coconut oil: For the most moist treats and healthy fats!
How to Make Keto Triple Chocolate Doughnuts
These will become one of your favorite things to enjoy with your morning coffee, or serve at a weekend brunch.
The full instructions are detailed in the recipe card at the end of this post.
But we wanted to give you step-by-step instructions, so you know exactly how to make the keto doughnuts.
- A) Make the Batter - The batter is super simple to make. Just mix your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly, stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and continue to mix until thoroughly combined.
- B) Bake the Doughnuts - Transfer the batter to a greased doughnut tin. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
- C) Let them Cool - Carefully remove the doughnuts from the oven and allow them to cool for 1 minute before gently turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Tip: Use a knife or spatula to gently loosen the doughnuts from the tin if you are having trouble getting them out.
- D) Add the Toppings - While the doughnuts are cooling, melt the remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a medium bowl. Dip the top of each cooled doughnut into the melted chocolate mixture. Then make the chocolate cookie crumble topping by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl. Sprinkle over top of the doughnuts.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Invest in a doughnut tin. It is less than $20 and creates the perfect doughnut shape. This recipe yields 12 doughnuts. So either use a 12-cavity doughnut tin or two 6-cavity doughnut tins.
- Carefully remove the doughnuts from the tin. Make sure to grease the tin before adding your batter. Also, when the doughnuts are out of the oven, use a knife or spatula to gently loosen the doughnuts from the tin if you are having trouble getting them out.
- Let the baked doughnuts cool. Don't forget to let the doughnuts cool completely after being baked and before dipping them into the melted chocolate mixture. We recommend placing them on a wire rack to cool.
- Avoid a mess. Fit the wire rack into a baking sheet before you add the melted chocolate to the doughnuts so that the chocolate drips onto the baking sheet and not your counter.
- Storage. These doughnuts will keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
We used a keto-friendly brown sugar substitute in this recipe to give a deeper, golden flavor.
You have a few options that can work as a brown sugar substitute for keto baking. We used Sukrin Gold. It has a really nice texture, bakes well, and adds the perfect level of sweetness.
You can also use these options:
Lankanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener
Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement
If you don't have a keto-friendly brown sugar substitute, you can just substitute it out for granular erythritol.
Even though these doughnuts are low-carb, that doesn't mean you can just eat an entire dozen of them in one sitting.
There are about 6 net carbs in each doughnut. You'll have to monitor your own macros. But these are a much better option than traditional doughnuts by far.
Just don't overdue it
If you have time, make a few batches of these donuts. Yes, you can freeze them and save them for later.
We recommend freezing them without the frosting and cookie crumble topping. Add them later since the frosting and topping only take a few minutes to make.
To freeze the doughnuts, just follow these simple steps:
1) Let them cool completely.
2) Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3) Put the tray in the freezer.
4) After they are completely frozen, take the baking sheet out.
5) Put the frozen doughnuts into a sealed container and store in the freezer.
If you want to skip the baking sheet step, just wrap the doughnuts individually in plastic wrap. This way, they won't stick together in the sealed container.
To reheat, let them thaw at room temperature and then bake them for 5 minutes at 350°F.
More Keto Chocolate Recipes
Looking for more chocolate keto recipes? Check out these favorites:
- Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Keto Apricot And Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark
- Keto Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet
We Can't Wait To See You Try It!
We love seeing our recipes come to life!! We can’t wait to see how you make these and loving seeing each person's unique spin on it! Tag us on Instagram @cleanketolifestyle or use the hashtag #CKLrecipe!
Keto Triple Chocolate Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the Doughnuts:
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 1/4 cups keto brown sugar substitute such as Sukrin Gold
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup keto-friendly chocolate chips we used Lily's brand
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil plus more to grease your doughnut tins
For the Icing:
- 1 cup keto-friendly chocolate chips we used Lily's brand
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
For the Cookie Crumble:
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cold butter
- 2 teaspoons granular erythritol
Instructions
For the Doughnuts:
- Heat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, almond flour, brown sugar substitute, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter and coconut oil. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Lightly grease your doughnut tin with some coconut oil.
- Spoon the batter into your doughnut tin, filling each one about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the doughnuts from the oven and allow them to cool for 1 minute before gently turning them onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the Icing:
- In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips and oil.
- Microwave for 30 seconds, remove and stir.
- Microwave again for 20 seconds and keep repeating until the chocolate chips are just about all the way melted.
- Dip each baked and cooled doughnut into the icing and return the doughnuts to the wire rack.
For the Cookie Crumble:
- In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, cocoa powder, butter, and erythritol with your fingers to create small crumbles.
- Sprinkle the crumbles over the doughnuts while the chocolate icing is still wet.
Notes
- Invest in a doughnut tin. It is less than $20 and creates the perfect doughnut shape. This recipe yields 12 doughnuts. So either use a 12-cavity doughnut tin or two 6-cavity doughnut tins.
- Carefully remove the doughnuts from the tin. Make sure to grease the tin before adding your batter. Also, when the doughnuts are out of the oven, use a knife or spatula to gently loosen the doughnuts from the tin if you are having trouble getting them out.
- Let the baked doughnuts cool. Don't forget to let the doughnuts cool completely after being baked and before dipping them into the melted chocolate mixture. We recommend placing them on a wire rack to cool.
- Avoid a mess. Fit the wire rack into a baking sheet before you add the melted chocolate to the doughnuts so that the chocolate drips onto the baking sheet and not your counter.
- Storage. These doughnuts will keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Brenda Fox
I have made these a few times and we absolutely love these. Thank you for sharing this.
Katie
Hi! I was trying to look to see who reviewed/voted for the chocolate donuts and it accidentally put down that I “voted” for either two or three stars. I tried to fix it, but it wouldn’t let me. I’m sorry !
Clean Keto Lifestyle
No problem at all! You are so sweet to comment and let us know!