Chocolate Zucchini Donuts (Vegan, Paleo)

These chocolate zucchini donuts are baked in the oven and topped with a dark chocolate icing. They are made with almond flour, almond butter, shredded zucchini and dark chocolate. This chocolate donut recipe is vegan, paleo and gluten free.

I don't know why it took me so long to start making my own donuts!

Yeah, conventional fried donuts are tasty, but these are honestly just as good. Even better when we start talking about the list of ingredients.

These healthy chocolate zucchini donuts are made with real, wholesome ingredients like almond flour, zucchini and maple syrup. They're baked in the oven and topped with a rich chocolate icing. They taste like brownies, but in donut form.

And I promise, you won't notice the zucchini! Which makes these the perfect kid-friendly donut. You can sneak in a few veggies for dessert and they won't even know!

Homemade Chocolate Zucchini Donuts

There are so many reasons to love this chocolate zucchini donut recipe:

• paleo and vegan friendly
• gluten free and grain free - made with almond flour
• baked, not fried
• made with zucchini, but you can't taste it
• taste amazing - have a cakey brownie-like flavor and texture

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make these vegan chocolate zucchini donuts:

Donuts

• zucchini
• almond butter (unsweetened)
• water
• maple syrup
• vanilla extract
• blanched almond flour
• tapioca flour (or arrowroot starch)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• dark chocolate (I used 72% dark)

If you need these chocolate donuts to be nut free, then swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter and the almond flour for tigernut flour.

Icing

You may use any icing you want for these donuts, preferably a chocolate icing or glaze. Here's what I used to make this vegan chocolate icing:

• dark chocolate (72% dark)
• coconut oil
• coconut cream (just the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk)

This icing is fairly thick and hardens to a fudge-like texture in the fridge.

How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Donuts

After making these gluten free chocolate zucchini donuts, you'll want to make them again and again! They're easy, delicious and perfect for a healthier donut option.

Here's how to make them:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grab two silicone donut pans and grease them with a little oil or butter (I used avocado oil).

Make the Batter

Next, shred the zucchini with a cheese grater (no need to remove the moisture) and combine it in a large mixing bowl with the almond butter, maple syrup, water and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix with a spatula until combined.

Melt the dark chocolate. I melted mine in a small saucepan on the stove top, but the microwave will work too.

Pour the dark chocolate into the donut batter and mix with a spatula until just combined.

Next, scoop the batter into a large plastic ziplock bag. Cut a large hole on one end of the bag and then pipe the batter into the donut molds. Each donut slot should be filled about ¾ full. I made 9 donuts, but some were a little small. I would recommend anywhere from 7-9 donuts.

Bake the Donuts

Place the silicone donut pans on a baking sheet. Then, place them in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.

After baking, the donuts will seem a little soft and too delicate to remove. Do NOT remove them from the pan right away!

Cool the Donuts

Cool the donuts in the silicone pans for 5-10 minutes before removing. Then, place them on a wire cooling rack.

Because of the dark chocolate, the donuts will slightly harden when cold. I recommend popping them in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before frosting them. This will make adding the icing a lot easier 😉

Add the Icing

Lastly, make the icing for the donuts.

To do this, place the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small sauce pan. Melt on the stove top, over low heat. Another option it to melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave at 10 second intervals.

Once melted, mix in the coconut cream (room temperature). Whisk until smooth.

Pour the icing in a small bowl, one that's just a bit bigger than each donut. Then, dip each donut into the icing.

Place the donuts back on the wire cooling rack and top with sprinkles.

Storage

These baked chocolate zucchini donuts are best stored in the fridge. Place them in an air-tight container and eat within one week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these donuts be made nut free?

Yes! To make these chocolate donuts nut free, swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter and the almond flour for tigernut flour.

I also have a recipe for baked vegan chocolate donuts which is nut free and uses cassava flour.

Do you need to remove moisture from the shredded zucchini?

Nope! This recipe does not require you to wring out the moisture from the shredded zucchini. Simply shred it with a cheese grater and use as-is.

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