Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

One of my New Year’s resolutions (this 2016) was to become a better baker. Unfortunately,...

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

One of my New Year’s resolutions (this 2016) was to become a better baker. Unfortunately, I didn’t make an effort in prime baking months (the winter), so this summer, I’ve been slowly working on my baker’s muscles.

I’ve always been a Dunkin Donuts’ chocolate glazed donut kinda gal, and the thought of making donuts always kind of intimidated me, until a donut pan randomly popped up on my Amazon feed and I impulse purchased it.

Now, we have chocolate zucchini noodle muffins!

These muffins are gluten-free and Paleo-friendly. They’re made with less processed flours like coconut and tapioca. The chocolate chips are vegan, they’re stuffed with zucchini noodles, and they have a chocolate glaze made from said vegan chocolate chips and a healthy dusting of coconut flakes.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

SO, while you shouldn’t eat all six of these at a time, having one as a dessert or late-afternoon treat won’t throw you into that sugar roller coaster that a traditional donut would. BUT, they’re just as tasty!

PLUS, they have bananas and zucchini noodles in them – SO, not only are they fun to make, they have a little infusion of fruits and veggies. They’re also made with eggs, so there’s a bit of protein in there too.

They save well, they’re pretty, and they’re the perfect solution to that morning or afternoon donut craving.

Here’s a link to the donut pan I purchased.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

I hope everyone has a great week and I hope you’re cooking from the new cookbook (Inspiralize Everything) alongside with me. Here’s the week’s schedule (I had to adapt, because we didn’t get home until late last night, so there was no time to cook!)

Here’s this week’s schedule if you want to follow along:

  • Monday, Aug 22: Crabless Crab Cakes with Green Apple Guacamole
  • Tuesday, Aug 23: Chicken Tagine with Apricot Golden Beet Rice
  • Wednesday, Aug 24: Poached Salmon over Jicama Noodle Salad with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Dressing
  • Thursday, Aug 25: Ginger-Crab Fried Daikon Rice

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

Now you can watch a cooking video of this recipe:

 

 

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 11 points with toppings, 7 points without toppings

*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.

With coconut and chocolate glaze:

Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 2.53.36 PM

Without coconut and chocolate glaze:

Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 2.54.48 PM

Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Noodle Donuts with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 medium zucchini
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1.5 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1 ripe banana mashed
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
  • For the chocolate
  • 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips I like Enjoylife brand

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a donut tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Slice the ends off of the zucchini and then slice it halfway lengthwise. Spiralize, using Blade D. In a medium bowl, add in the coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cacao.
  • In another medium bowl, mix the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond milk, coconut oil and banana together.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and add in the zucchini and stir until the batter is smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the donut tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you pierce the center of a donut and the donut is firm and hardened on the outside, like a donut!
  • Pop the donuts out carefully.
  • Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add in the chocolate chips. Let heat, stirring frequently, until fully melted.
  • Place the donuts on a piece of parchment paper and drizzle over with chocolate. Dust with coconut flakes. Enjoy immediately or let stand for 20 minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Spiralized Chocolate Zucchini Donuts with Coconut Chocolate Glaze

 

with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • Amazing!!! i have all the ingredients except the tapioca flour. since i don't see how often i'm going to use tapioca flour, i'm kinda hoping i don't have to buy any. is there something else i can use instead? i can't wait to make these. thanks!
    • You can use all coconut flour, but it won't be as spongy-- the tapioca flour binds well!
    • I looked online and found I could substitute arrowroot one for one for the tapioca. Made these tonight and it worked fine.
    • Just a quick note. I buy tapioca flour at an Asian store near me. It is usually about a dollar a lb. Most Asian stores carry tapioca flour/starch.
  • YUM! Can't wait to make these. Can I make in a muffin pan instead? Also, can I use all coconut flour instead of tapioca?
    • Yes to the muffin pan and yes to the coconut flour, although it won't be as firm and spongy. The tapioca flour is great as a binder!
  • Do you use both halves of the zucchini in the recipe, or only one half?
  • About how much weight or volume wise on the zoodles... I have some monster 8 balls I need to get eaten and this seems like the perfect way to get "rid" of them...
  • Can I use whole wheat flour instead of the coconut/tapioca blend?
    • Marina, I'm not sure, as I have not tested the recipe with whole wheat flour!
  • Absolutely wonderful! Definite treat! Recipe made enough for six standard size donuts abd fve small muffins... Thank you so much!!
  • I can't wait for my inspiralizer to come. I will try everything . You are awesome.
  • Yummy! I can't wait to try to do it by myself this weekends. Thanks for sharing.
  • Can we omit the maple syrup to make this whole30-friendly? Will it taste as good?
  • Your recipes are delish! Especially appreciate the GF vegan and no processed sugar ones. I do struggle though with recipes like this that require a medium/large/small item such as a zuke. Size is so relative that I don't know how much really is required. When the noodles are incorporated into the recipe like this one, rather than under or over other ingredients, the amount required needs to be more specific. So perhaps when a medium zuke, beet, etc. is required, suggesting the equivalent amount in cups would be of tremendous help. Ex: 1 medium zucchini - about 1c. spiralized. Perhaps by weight would be even better. But my scales are too big to keep in the kitchen.
  • I made these 2 days ago. I thought the texture was wonderful & moist. But not quite as sweet as I expected. However..the next day we all agreed they were much better. I don't know why they would taste sweeter a day later (maybe we just got used to them) but we all loved them. I doubled the batch & it made 2 full pans plus 2 muffin cups. Thank you.
  • I tried these tonight and realized I have a suggestion to make. The recipe calls for a "medium zucchini". Well, I've seen zucchinis from 8 oz to 4 lb, so I'm not sure what a medium one is! It makes no difference when making noodles for a dish, but in baking I think it really does. I'd like to see maybe a reference to size or weight when listing a veggie in a recipe like this. But that said, I'm really pleased with this recipe. I spiralized what I thought might be a medium zucchini but when it came time to put it in the batter I just had a hunch I had too much. So I only put in a little over half of what I had and it ended up the perfect amount. Also, my batter didn't "pour". Maybe because I dried the zucchini first? I've never made donuts before so I didn't know how much to put in. I just used my fingers and stuffed the mix into the rings and mounded it up until I'd used up all the batter. Worked out fine. Also, is there a trick to melting the chocolate chips? I tried them in a pan and got a horrible hard mess. Tried again in a bowl with a little bit of coconut oil and put it in a sunny window until it all melted. Then I could "drizzle" it onto the donuts. I didn't cook them quite long enough so they were pretty moist in the middle. Nice for a muffin, but to get a donut next time I'll leave them in a bit longer. Bottom line: they are tasty and look just like the picture, so I know I'll make them again!
  • I’m obsessed with donuts too and these look amazing. I love the way zucchini makes it so moist. I’ll bet these are delicious!
  • Ahhh no WAY this is amazing! Could I sub the eggs for flax eggs?
  • These are far more moist and spongy than I expected, and on top of that, the whole house smells heavenly. Yum!!
  • I will be making these soon but just wanted to check something - what is the best way to store these and hoe many days will they last? I am presuming it's best to keep them in the fridge?
    • *how, not hoe!
  • Hi Ali, Can you make this in a loaf pan like a zucchini bread
  • What is the equivalent cup measurement for the mash banana as I can't have bananas so I need to know the measurement so I know the amount to substitute. Can't wait to try theses. Thanks
  • My son has a nut allergy, could I use coconut milk or regular milk instead of almond mik?
    • I used regular milk and theres no issue. Im sure you could use water or a yogurt too (:
  • Ive just put my first batch in the oven! It made 9 muffins as i have no donut pan ): my husband and i are eagerly waiting for the timer to buzz! I couldnt find tapioca flour at our grocery store (Ireland isnt great for having a large variety of foods) but there were tapioca pearls which i blitzed in my nutribullet. Hope it works out! Thanks for the recipes (:
    • And i just inhaled one. Sooooooo good. Tastes like a chocolate zucchini bread. I didnt put a glaze on them so i could keep calories low...but i like the sweetness at a low. Definitely similar taste to the plain choc donuts from Tim Hortons. These will be made regularly! Yumyumyum.
  • Yummy! Tastes like zucchini bread, not too sweet.
    • These came out so lovely!! We're glad you enjoyed them.