I know I’m taking a risk here with an unpopular stance, but CAN WE ALL JUST CALM DOWN ABOUT PUMPKIN ALREADY?? I mean seriously, I love pumpkin as much as the next blogger, but I’ve been seeing pumpkin recipes since early August and I find it a little alarming.
Think of the long haul people – pumpkins will be here through the end of NOVEMBER. That’s three whole months from now!!! Even I don’t want to eat pumpkin flavored everything for three months!
More importantly, can we just take a moment to appreciate APPLES for crying out loud? When did they become so insignificant to fall themed recipes?? I’m confused as to how this happened, because apple season was a big deal when I was living in Connecticut.
We picked apples as kids every year, we ate them fresh, in apple pie, apple fritters, and of course apple cider donuts were sold in Every. Single. Grocery Store. for at least a month before we moved on to pumpkins in mid October.
I feel like apples are the red-headed stepchild this year – it’s like they DON’T EVEN EXIST! It’s just not right, and I for one am going to protest this travesty and shout from the rooftops: THINK OF THE POOR APPLES!
So many varieties with so many subtle differences – juicy, sweet, tart, and crisp, just waiting to be enjoyed in a multitude of ways.
In my defense of apples, I plan to post at least one apple themed recipe a week for the rest of September – even if I AM the only one on the interwebs posting low carb apple recipes this month. I implore my fellow bloggers to take a break from the pumpkin and join me in embracing keto apple recipes.
First on the list are these fantastic keto apple cider donuts. I’m pretty excited to have produced a low carb donut that can be fried instead of baked. Because let’s be honest, baked donuts are really just muffins in disguise – which is fine, but they simply can’t compare to the crispy outside and soft, cakey inside of a real fried donut.
In order for these keto apple cider doughnuts to hold together in the oil, the xanthan gum and protein powder are important, so I don’t recommend leaving them out. I used this brand of protein powder which has 0 carbs – but you can use any brand, just be sure to add whatever carbs are in your brand to the total and divide by number of donuts.
You can garnish these keto donuts in a number of ways – I loved them best with butter, cinnamon and granulated sweetener because they reminded me of the cider donuts we’d buy from the farm stands when I was younger. But you can also try them drizzled with some sugar free caramel sauce – then throw some chopped nuts on there too if you want.
To make these keto apple cider donuts even more festive, you can get a candy apple color by adding a few drops of red food coloring to some store bought sugar free caramel sauce before drizzling it on.
No matter how you eat these, you won’t believe they are low carb – and you definitely won’t be wishing they were pumpkin flavored!
Apple Cider Donuts – Low Carb and Gluten Free Recipe
- Yield: 6 donuts 1x
Description
A low carb and gluten free apple cider donut recipe that is as close to the real thing as you can get! Keto, Paleo, LCHF, and Atkins Diet friendly recipe.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute (Splenda, Swerve, etc.)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp vanilla protein powder see example
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum see example
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sparkling cider (non-alcoholic)
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
Oil for frying
Cinnamon Coating:
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute (Swerve, Splenda, etc.)
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the two together thoroughly and wait 2 minutes. Form the dough into 5 balls of equal size. Press each one into a disc about 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter. Use a spoon to scoop out a one inch piece from the center of each disc – then use your fingers to smooth into an even circle/classic donut shape. Combine the small pieces to form a 6th donut shape with your hands.
- Pour your choice of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Heat oil until about 350 degrees (or until a small drop of water sizzles when it hits the oil.) Cook your donuts in batches of 2 each for about 2 minutes per side, or until dark golden brown. Be sure to flip away from you so you don’t splatter yourself with hot oil when turning them. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate until all of the donuts are cooked.
For the Coating:
- Combine the cinnamon and sweetener in a small bowl. Brush the donuts with melted butter, and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon mixture until well coated. Best eaten within one day of frying, but these will keep in the fridge for several days.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the [url:3]IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!
Approx nutrition info per donut: 207 calories, 17g fat, 5.5g net carbs, 9g protein
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Noelle says
Wow, these look amazing. And I have a fridge drawer full of apples, begging me to do something fun with them. Sadly I have no protein powder – this might actually be the recipe that convinces me to finally get some.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You won’t be sorry Noelle!
Tara says
These sound amazing! Do you think that you could sub unflavored whey protein powder and add some vanilla extract instead of the vanilla protein?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes, I think that would work fine Tara!
Judy @Imbored-Letsgo.com says
Yes! I’m sick of so many pumpkin recipes since I’m not a big sweet pumpkin gan..except I felt I had to do a pumpkin spice latte ice cream recipe… so glad to see something apple…I like it so much better!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Judy – and I could drink pumpkin flavored coffee year round because it’s AWESOME. :)
Jan says
I’m not a fan of pumpkin so go for all the apple recipes you like :) These look great! I’m going to have to try these – maybe this weekend if I can find some non-alcoholic fizzy apple cider (I have the the alcoholic kind:)
Mellissa Sevigny says
The alcoholic cider would probably also work Jan, but it may need a little extra sweetener and will have less of an apple flavor so you might want to boost it with a splash of vanilla or some more cinnamon so they aren’t bland. Hope you like them!
Lily says
Do you have any recommendations for frying oil? I’ve never done it before. I see above you said you can use coconut oil, but not to let it get too hot…any other favorite oils? Thanks!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Peanut oil works great for frying Lily, but it can get pricey, lard works too if you can find it. Vegetable based oils like corn or canola will work in a pinch, but they are definitely not healthy fats so I wouldn’t make a habit of it! Hope you like them!
Terry says
Hi Melissa,
I for one am VERY grateful to have some apple recipes! Can’t wait to try these as I have coconut flour in the cupboard. Keep your great recipes coming!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Terry! I’ve got some more good apple recipes coming soon so stay tuned! :)
Kristel says
I’m not a big fan of pumpkin. Thanks for a great fall apple recipe!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Kristel – I do like pumpkin, I’m just not ready for it yet! Hope you enjoy these!
Melanie says
I don’t think these would last longer than right out of the pan! :) Thanks for this recipe. I am so anxious to try it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s true, they really don’t, and they are SO GOOD when they’re still warm!!! Let me know what you think!
Marie says
These looks AWESOME, thank you for sharing! I have never “deep fried” food before…do you have to use enough oil for the donut to be fully submerged in it, or is just a few tablespoons of oil enough? Would coconut oil be ok to use? Also, could these be baked in the oven instead? Thanks for any help! Can’t wait to make these!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Note in the instructions that you fill a pan to about 1/2 inch deep of oil, cook one side then flip. Coconut oil would be fine, just don’t let it overheat. I tried baking them and the texture was completely different – I don’t recommend it. Hope that helps – enjoy!
Audrey says
How could I substitute almond flour for the coconut flour? Is it even possible? I already have a lot of almond flour, so I’d prefer to use it.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I really can’t say that almond flour would work audrey – they’d probably fall apart in the oil but you could try it!
Audrey says
Perhaps adding some psyllium husk powder to add stickiness.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Let us know if you make that work!!
Ruth. Edwards-Shirley says
I don’t think the substitution will work, as coconut flour behaves very differently from Almond – it absorbs more moisture and swells considerably.