I've been missing some soft and pillowy filled donuts, pretty much ever since I went keto in 2020. I have been working on a keto filled fried donut since 2021 wanting to get the most soft and fillable fried keto donut possible that was gluten free and almond flour free. I finally figured it out using the progression of the keto doughs I've been figuring out in the last year or so. All starting with my keto cream cheese danish recipe which is my most soft, bread like pastry and then evolving from there. It took a lot to get to the most soft and pillow like keto donut filled with jam or cream but so happy I finally got it!!!
The first part of this recipe is your liquid of choice. I prefer to use a heavy cream/water mix but you can also use an unsweetened low carb milk. Then you bloom the yeast in the warm liquid. I've used active dry and rapid rise yeast and I've found there wasn't too much of a difference. To activate the yeast I use Inulin which is a fiber usually derived from artichokes. I haven't found any other keto sweetener that has worked to active the yeast. If you don't mind using maple syrup or honey you can use 1/2-1 tsp. instead of the inulin. To bloom the yeast I place in a warm area, usually near the warming oil on my stove to help warm it up. I do not proof the donuts before frying as the structure breaks down once it is proofed and makes it sticky and hard to fry.
The 2 eggs and sweetener is the next step. I have tried just egg whites and just egg yolks and neither resulted in a fluffier donut texture. For the sweetener in this, I have tried several kinds of sweetener for this dough. I tried using allulose in the donut but it makes the donuts brown more and maked the product hold onto moisture so they take longer to fry which makes them even darker. So I decided to use a little bulk erythritol sweetener. You can probably just use a little pure powdered stevia or monkfruit if you don't like erythritol. But there are only 2 Tbs. in the batch so you would need a very small amount of them. I suggest a stand mixer or hand mixer to help dissolve the sweetener into the eggs. You don't need a bunch of volume with the eggs, you just want the grittiness gone from the sweetener. Additionally you need the mixer to activate the gelling agents in the dry ingredients enough to form a dough.
Next is melted salted butter. I always use salted butter but if you only have unsalted add an extra 1/4 tsp. salt to the dry ingredients. I have found you can usually swap out coconut oil for butter in most recipes. I did try using avocado oil in place of the butter and it worked but the dough was a little bit stickier and needed to add some bamboo fiber when I went to roll it out.
Next is the dry ingredients which I tested so many different ratios of things and this gives the best texture to the dough. I found that you need baking powder plus the yeast to make the donuts puff nicely. I used the baking powder along with vinegar to get extra puffiness to the donuts. When I didn't use baking powder it made a tiny bit denser and flatter donuts. I use unflavored whey protein Isolate (Isopure) which is 0 net carbs per scoop and I have not been able to figure out a replacement for it without having to change the other "flour" ingredients in the recipe. I didn't use coconut flour in this recipe but you can replace some of the bamboo fiber with coconut if you want to but I don't think that will be any better with the coconut flour added but it won't hinder the roll much. But it will add carbs if you use some coconut flour.
The xanthan gum and gelatin are both essential. You can try to use just one or the other, looking up the subbing ratios on google, but I have tried and found that it isn't exactly the same outcome. I feel like xanthan gum gives a slimy texture to the dough, for lack of a better descriptor, while gelatin thickens the dough and makes it stiff and chewy. I use Anthony's xanthan gum which is very strong compared to old brands I use to use so you may need more xanthan gum than is in the recipe. For the gelatin I use grass-fed beef gelatin which is stronger than unflavored knox pork gelatin, so you may need more if you use a different gelatin. I upped the xanthan gum and gelatin from previous dough recipes to give an even better "gluten" texture to the donut.
The last dry ingredient is the bamboo fiber, I used all bamboo fiber instead of the coconut flour and bamboo fiber mix. This gave a very fluffy donut. I have had luck replacing the bamboo fiber with oat fiber but the dough may be a little more sticky. To work with the dough I make sure to oil everything including my hands. If you made the dough correctly you should be able to roll and shape the donuts as long as you are oiled up. The dough should be able to form a pretty thick dough ball.
I tried a bunch of different ways to roll/cut the dough and fry the donuts. I found the easiest way is to make sure they are all the same weigh and size around. If anything you want them lower in weight than high because if they are too big they will have to fry longer and will then get more tough and crispy on the outside instead of soft and chewy. To fry the donuts I suggest a refined coconut oil or avocado oil. I have both linked below for the best price but you may be able to find a bigger jug of avocado oil for cheaper if you want to purchase a gallon. Refined coconut oil has a smoke point of 400 degrees so it may overheat while frying unless you are very vigilant about keeping an eye on the temperature. Avocado oil smoke point is 520 degrees so it's a little easier to not smoke up your house.
I fried them for 3-5 minutes between 365-385 degrees and until the inside was 210 degrees and found that was the perfect time to pull them out. The thermometer can also double as a flipper in the oil and stabbing and sweeping back and forth in the donut to create a little more room for filling. I suggest a wide, more shallow pot to fry them up. Once pulled out and placed on some paper towels I dipped some in powdered sweetener and others in granular and I think I like the granular erythritol better, as it gave a little texture to the donut when the rest is so soft and smooth. For the filling I made my strawberry jam recipe and once it was cooked and very thick and jam like I let it cool then pureed it, seeds and all to fill the donuts. It doesn't stay in as good as the gloopy non fruit version of a commercial donut but still tasted delicious and there was plenty of jam still in the donut.
Alternatively for the filling you can make some sweetened whipped cream and add a bit of jam to it, it worked perfectly and tasted delicious. It also fills and stays well in the donuts. I like using a wilton 10 or 12 tip to fill the donuts, along with a coupler to make a nice stable piping bag. Can also using the jelly filler tip called a bismark apparently, I just am not used to using it so I found it harder to know how much I was putting in.
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Whipped Cream Filling-Enough for 8 Donuts
5oz./1/2 Cup+2 Tbs.
2 Oz./4 Tbs. Jam
Sweetener to taste (I used liquid vanilla stevia)
Whip the cream and sweetener to soft peaks add the jam and whip until stiff
Strawberry Jam-More than enough to fill 8 donuts
16oz. Frozen Strawberries
120g/3/4 Cup Allulose
Instruction:
Add ingredients to a pot and cook on low heat until beginning to melt then simmer until very thick and jam like (about half it's starting weight)
Let cool a bit, puree and refrigerate until needed
Keto Donut Dough
4 oz./1/2 Cup- Heavy Cream/Water mix or Low Carb Milk Warmed between 100-110 degrees
3 g/1 tsp.- Inulin (Alternatively 1 tsp. Honey or Maple Syrup)
5 g/2-1/2 tsp-. Active Dry or Rapid Rise Yeast
100g/2 Large Eggs (egg have been varying widely in size so I've been weighing them)
24g/2 Tbs.-1:1 Alternative Erythritol Based Sweetener
56 g/2 oz./1/2 Stick- Salted Butter (melted) (add 1/4 tsp. salt if using unsalted)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 tsp. Apple Cider or White Vinegar
40 g/1/2 Cup (approximately) Packed Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate
66g g/1 Cup- (approximately)(scooped not packed) Bamboo Fiber (Oat Fiber)
11 g/1 Tbs.- Baking Powder
10 g/1 Tbs.-(approximately) Anthony's Xanthan Gum
20 g/2 Tbs.- Grass fed Beef Gelatin
Frying:
24-32oz. Refined Coconut oil or Avocado Oil
Dusting:
1/4 Cup of powdered erythritol or bocha sweet or granular sweetener
Instructions:
Make the jam first if using! Place about 24-32 ounces (depending on the size of your pot, you will need about 3inch deep oil, wider pot is better) of oil on the stove on low heat to begin to heat
Weigh/measure out your liquid and heat to between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit then add the inulin and yeast, set aside to activate
In a stand mixer beat 2 eggs with the sweetener until no longer grainy, shouldn't take long
While that whips, weigh/measure, sift and whisk together dry ingredients and weight/measure the butter and melt
Once the eggs and sweetener are a cohesive mixture, on low speed, add the vanilla and vinegar then stream in the melted butter and milk and yeast mixture
Scrape down then add in all the whisked dry ingredients, turn on slow then speed it up to work the dry ingredients well
Scrap down and whip until a thick dough forms, crank up the heat on the oil, keeping an eye on the temperature as you roll out the donuts, so it is around 350 by the time you are almost done rolling
The easiest way to portion out the donuts is to place a piece of plastic wrap on your kitchen scale, sprayed with oil, zeroed out in grams and place all of the dough onto the scale
Divide the weight by 8 to figure out how much each dough ball should weigh, (if you don't have a scale, roll on an oiled surface into a long log and slice into 8 equal pieces)
Spray the countertop, a knife, and your hands with avocado oil spray and knead to form a cohesive ball then cut off equal weight portions and place on the oiled counter top
Alternatively you can roll all the dough about 1 cm thick and cut the donuts out with a 4 inch cutter, you want them to ultimately weight about 57g each or 2oz.
Once all are portioned out, roll the dough balls until smooth then roll out with a rolling pin into a 4 inch circle, oiling as needed if sticky, once you are on the last donut make sure the oil is about 375F, can go as high as 385F
Make sure you are all ready with a plate with a paper towel, sweetener if dipping the donuts, and your instant read thermometer to test the inside and a timer is helpful
Drop 3 donuts into the oil and set a timer for 4 minutes, once floating flip and continue flipping periodically during the four minutes, if oil is still climbing in temperature you can drop a fourth donut in (what happened to me)
Make sure you keep an eye on the oil and adjust the heat to not get below 365F or over 385F, once the 3 minute mark hits you can start temping the inside of the donuts, you want them at 210F inside, set on the paper towel, carefully move the thermometer back and forth inside then dust in sweetener if using and set another plate or cutting board
Continue frying until all are fried and dusted, let them cool until almost room temperature, then fill
To Fill: I suggest a piping bag with a coupler to make a sturdy bag to fill, no matter what you need a metal tip to be able to get the filling in the donut well. Get the bag filled and ready then cut a small x in both sides of the donut. Insert the tip and slowly squeeze the bag, moving the tip side to side. Keep an eye on both sides as filling to not over fill and burst the donut. Can weigh before and after to get about a ounce of filling in each donut. Repeat on the other side and with each donut until all are filled.
Macros: 1 of 8 Strawberry Jelly Filled
170 Calories
13g Fat
10g Total Carbs
4g Fiber
3g Sugar Alcohol
3g Net Carbs
9g Protein
Macros:1 of 8 Strawberry and Cream Filled
230 Calories
20g Fat
8g Total Carbs
3g Fiber
3g Sugar Alcohol
2g Net Carbs
9g Protein
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