Peanut Butter Banana Protein Donuts are soft and fluffy, with a hint of banana and topped with a thick chocolate peanut butter glaze. They’re also gluten-free and dairy-free, and made with wholesome ingredients. Perfect for that mid-afternoon sugar craving!
Happy National Peanut Butter Day! AKA, the best food holiday ever!
It’s been a while since I shared a peanut butter recipe with you guys, so I thought today was the perfect day to break out these Peanut Butter Banana Protein Donuts.
I’m also teaming up with some other peanut butter loving food bloggers today to celebrate all things peanut butter. Be sure to check out the links at the end of this post to see all the fantastic peanut butter themed recipes being shared today.
I have a few protein donut recipes on the blog already, and they’re all pretty popular. But they all have a seasonal theme – pumpkin, gingerbread, carrot cake. You get the picture. So I thought it was time to share a donut recipe that was perfect for any time of year. And what’s more appropriate for year round enjoyment than peanut butter and banana?!
What are Protein Donuts?
Okay, this is pretty simple to answer. It’s a donut loaded up with protein. Also called pronuts, if you’re into trendy names. I’m not exactly trendy, so I’ll just stick to calling them protein donuts.
While I change-up many of the ingredients in my protein donut recipes, some of them are pretty consistent, like vanilla protein powder. It’s just a quarter of a cup added to the recipe, but it’s enough to add a touch of sweetness and a little extra protein.
Some other protein donut staples include eggs, almond flour, buckwheat flour, oats, nuts and/or nut butter. Adding some of these to your recipe also helps boost the protein in your donuts and makes them more filling.
Perhaps the best part about protein donuts is that they’re typically healthier. At least in my house. No refined sugar (except for some dark chocolate) and only wholesome ingredients. So when the sweet tooth strikes, these donuts do the trick!
Reasons to love these Peanut Butter Banana Protein Donuts:
- They’re baked, not fried. Yay! (also see ‘wholesome’ and ‘healthier’ above!)
- The banana adds sweetness and moisture, without overpowering the donuts.
- The texture is perfectly fluffy and cakey, just like legit donuts!
- Since they’re made with buckwheat flour and almond flour, they’re gluten-free.
- And with almond milk and dairy-free chocolate chips, they’re also dairy-free.
- PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE GLAZE –> all caps because you’re going to want to slather this on everything!
Tips for making Peanut Butter Banana Protein Donuts:
- To keep these donuts gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free protein powder. And to keep them dairy-free, use dairy-free protein powder and chocolate chips.
- This recipe makes 12 mini-donuts. If you only have a 6-cavity pan that makes larger donuts, just increase the baking time.
- This recipe makes quite a bit of batter. I like to fill each donut cavity to the top with batter, and make extra-large mini donuts. This results in some of the donut holes getting covered up as the batter rises. If you want smaller donuts, you can spread the batter out into another pan to make about 18 smaller donuts. Just reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
- Make sure your bananas are super ripe as they will be sweeter and easier to mash. If you want to ripen your bananas quickly, check out these three ways by The Spruce Eats.
- I used natural smooth peanut butter as I didn’t want peanuts in the donuts, and I wanted the glaze to be smooth. If you use crunchy peanut butter, it will change the texture.
- And if you use natural peanut butter with added salt, you may wish to eliminate the added salt in the donut recipe.
Other peanut butter recipes you might like:
Apparently, I’ve only ever thought to pair peanut butter with chocolate! So this peanut butter banana combo is long overdue!
What are your favourite peanut butter recipes? Fill me in. I’m always looking for new ones to try!
PrintPeanut Butter Banana Protein Donut
Peanut Butter Banana Protein Donuts are soft and fluffy, with a hint of banana and topped with a thick chocolate peanut butter glaze.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini donuts 1x
- Category: Dessert; Snacks
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (dairy-free, gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large ripe bananas)
- 1/2 + 1/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter, divided
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free)
- 1/4 cup chopped raw peanuts
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F and grease a 12-cavity mini donut pan.
- In a large bowl, stir or whisk together the almond flour, buckwheat flour, protein powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the mashed banana, 1/2 cup peanut butter, honey, almond milk and egg, and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until the dry ingredients are well incorporated. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon batter into the prepared donut pan and bake for 14-15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into a donut comes out clean.
- Let donuts cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Add chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for two 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Once heated, stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Dip the top of each donut into the chocolate peanut butter glaze and let any excess glaze drip off before returning to the wire rack. Sprinkle on the chopped peanuts.
- Transfer donuts to an airtight container and refrigerate until chocolate is set. Store at room temperature and enjoy within 2-3 days.
Notes
- To keep these donuts gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free protein powder. And to keep them dairy-free, use dairy-free protein powder and chocolate chips.
- This recipe makes 12 mini-donuts. You can use a 6-cavity pan that makes larger donuts, just increase the baking time by a few minutes.
- This recipe makes quite a bit of batter which results in extra-large mini donuts. If you want smaller donuts, you can spread the batter out into another pan to make about 18 smaller donuts. Just reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
- If you use natural peanut butter with added salt, you may wish to eliminate the 1/2 teaspoon of salt added to the donut batter.
Keywords: protein donuts, dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut butter, banana
National Peanut Butter Day Recipes!
- Veggie Pad Thai by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Cinnamon Peanut Butter Dip by Blogghetti
- Jamming Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- School Cafeteria Peanut Butter Bars by Creative Southern Home
- Lettuce Wrapped Sweet and Sour Pork with Spicy Peanut Sauce by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- The Best Double Chocolate Buckeyes by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Mom’s Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Crust by Family Around the Table
- Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies by House of Nash Eats
- Peanut Butter, Honey and Pear Open Faced Sandwiches by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- No churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Peanut Butter Apple Breakfast Wraps by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Keto Fat Bombs by Our Good Life
- Strawberry Peanut Butter Quesadilla by Palatable Pastime
- Peanut Butter Hummus by Savory Moments
- Peanut Butter Granola Bars by Sweet Beginnings
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Puff Pastry Braid by The Baking Fairy
- Fluffernutter Pie by The Spiffy Cookie
I just made these and they are AMAZING! The only thing I substituted was the protein powder as I didn’t have any (so I swapped it for some LSA mix) and the kids and I decorated our chocolate dipped donuts with flaked almonds and crushed freeze dried strawberries. So delicious, thanks so much for sharing! Now that I have my mini donut pan, I will be trying out all your donut recipes! Thanks Leanne.
★★★★★
Thank you Katerina! Sorry I didn’t respond earlier. I’m so happy you and your kids enjoyed the donuts, and the flaked almonds and freeze dried strawberries sound like fabulous toppings!
Leanne you’ve done it again – my mouth is watering. I can’t wait to make these. They will fit in perfectly to my weekly meal plans.
★★★★★
Thanks Kristen! That’s so nice of you to say! If you make them, let me know!
I totally agree with all your reasons for loving these donuts – they sound fantastic! The idea that they are baked and healthy too has me wanting to make them NOW!
★★★★★
Thanks Terri! I’m glad they appeal to you! Hope you’re having a great week!