Protein Donut Holes

Set your mouth aglaze with these delicious 8g protein-packed treats

Marcus Matkins

May 19, 2024

If you’ve been trying to lose weight for any period of time, you know donuts are not on the menu.

Unless you go to your local vitamin store and pick up a protein bar masquerading as a donut.

In that case, two things are probably going to happen:

You’ll consume copious amounts of mystery ingredients.
You‘ll throw away that bar since it doesn’t taste like a donut.

Sounds like I’m speaking from experience right?

Well, that‘s because I‘ve tried many of these protein bars myself and they aren’t the best in the taste or nutrition department.

In response, I made these protein cake donuts so I wouldn’t have to keep subjecting myself to those scientific creations.

But there’s just one problem with that recipe.

You need a few special ingredients and a little baking skill to make it.

It’s worth it if you already have the necessary ingredients or don’t mind finding them at multiple stores, but I know for many of us that isn’t the ideal situation.

The ideal situation is a recipe that allows you to go to one store and get the recipe right in one try.

That‘s exactly why I created these Protein Donut Holes.

Not only are they made with your average grocery ingredients, but they also don’t require any special baking techniques to make them.

You just make the dough, shape the donuts, cook them, and glaze them. That’s it.

It’s not hard at all to make, but I know how intimidating baking, in general, can be.

That’s also why I’m including extra screenshots of the dough-making process below to help make things easier.

Once you have the dough made, everything else is a breeze and you’ll have yourself a delicious batch of protein donut holes with 69 calories and 8g of protein per hole.

If you prefer the entire database of recipes like these in PDF format organized by category, consider going paid below to receive an e-book with free lifetime updates!

Quick Update: I’m on vacation in California! I’ll be back with another recipe the week of June 1.

Here are some notes about this recipe:

The dough will yield 3 separate pieces that make roughly 8-10 donut holes each.
- If you only want one serving you can either refrigerate the other 2 dough pieces or reduce the ingredients in the recipe by multiplying by 1/3.
Make sure to use a good-tasting vanilla protein powder for your glaze.
- I used PEScience Vanilla protein powder.
I would recommend using ghee for the glaze but you can try using butter.
Air fryer cooking times will vary so make sure to cook your donut holes anywhere from 325-350°F for 3-5 minutes.

8G Protein Per Donut Hole | 69 Calories | 30 Minutes | 30 Donut Holes

RECIPE

Ingredient List

Donut Holes

130g all-purpose flour
140g non-fat Greek yogurt
10g cornstarch
1.5 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp zero-calorie sweetener
Cooking spray

Glaze

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tbsp ghee, melted
1.5 tbsp honey
2 tsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Cooking Instructions

Make The Dough🍞

In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Mix until it turns crumbly.

Transfer the dough onto a flat surface, add a sprinkle of flour, and continue mixing the dough with your hands. Grab and push the dough together until it comes together into a rough ball.

Cut the dough into three. Set two of the pieces aside and cover with foil or plastic wrap.

Roll the dough piece into a log shape then cut out 8-10 donut holes. Roll each donut hole into a ball. Repeat with the other dough pieces.

Preheat the air-fryer to 325-350°F. Spray each donut with cooking oil.

Cook The Donuts & Glaze 🍩

Add the donut holes to the preheated air fryer, making sure not to overcrowd the basket. Air fry for 3-5 minutes.
Gently melt the ghee in the microwave then pour in the milk. Add the vanilla extract, honey, salt, and protein powder. Mix everything until well combined.
Dunk the donuts in the glaze and enjoy!