Baked Spinach Doughnut Holes

Light and fluffy Baked Spinach Doughnut Holes made with spinach for natural green coloring. A healthier treat that's vegan too.

Since St. Patrick's Day is just a couple of days away, I thought I'd whip up a fun little treat for the kids to enjoy. These Baked Spinach Doughnut Holes are a simple sweet treat with a little extra nutrition from the spinach that my kids had no problem eating up.

So many of the treats around this holiday (and many holidays for that matter) are artificially colored, something we prefer to avoid when we can. I knew from making these cakes spinach would provide a festive green color without any of the artificial as well as adding a bit of nutrition. And bite size treats are perfect for little hands so doughnut holes work great.

If the thought of spinach in your sweets doesn't appeal to you, try these Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Holes instead.

I like to bake with white whole wheat flour for a bit healthier treat so that's what I used for these doughnut holes. Sometimes baking with whole wheat can produce a more dense and heavy final product, but I have figured out a few tricks to deal with this. Sifting the flour really helps to lighten things up so don't skip this step! Also when it comes to mixing the batter, only mix enough just to combine. Over-mixing causes more gluten formation resulting in tougher, more dense baked goods.

You can also use all purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten free blend for those that need gluten free goodies.

The pan I used doesn't have a top piece to form perfectly rounded doughnut holes. In the instructions below, you'll see these holes bake at a higher temperature for the first half of the bake time. This is a trick I learned for baking muffins to help create domed tops. Baking the doughnuts this way helps to puff up the middle to produce a more rounded shape. This is perfectly fine for us, but if you're looking for completely round doughnut holes there are some pans available with a top piece to form more round balls. 

Don't have a doughnut hole pan? No worries. A mini muffin pan works just as well. So, you can still make a delicious treat!

For a real treat, dip the cooled doughnut holes in a simple powdered sugar glaze. The doughnut itself is not overly sweet, which suits our tastes just fine, but if you prefer a little more sweet, the glaze will add sweetness and make these doughnuts more like traditional ones.

If you make a recipe, I would love to know how it turns out! You can leave a comment and rating below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I'll be sure to see it!

Recipe

Baked Spinach Doughnut Holes

Melissa

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 20

Equipment

• doughnut hole pan or mini muffin pan
• blender

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cup flour I use white whole wheat.
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup non dairy milk I use unsweetened plain almond milk.
• ½ cup spinach, packed
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup oil Coconut, vegetable, canola, etc.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup sugar coconut, cane, xylitol erythritol, etc.

Glaze: (optional)

• 1 cup powder sugar
• 2-4 tbsp non dairy milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease doughnut hole or mini muffin pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Blend non dairy milk and spinach until spinach is broken down and fully incorporated.
• Combine spinach milk, sugar, applesauce and oil in a bowl.
• Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir just to combine.
• Spoon batter into prepared baking pan. Tap pan on counter lightly to remove air bubbles.
• Bake for 5 minutes at 375 degrees and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Do not open the oven door. Continue to bake for 4-5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pan for a few mintues before transferring to cooling rack to completely cool.
• Once cool, glaze if desried.

Glaze:

• In a bowl combine powder sugar and non dairy milk a little at a time until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.
• Using a fork dip doughnut holes one at a time into glaze rolling to completely coat. Allow excess to drip off and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchement paper.
• Allow glaze to set by sitting out on counter or place in fridge for 1-2 hours.

Notes

• I use this pan to make these doughnut holes. Other doughnut pans or a mini muffin pan can be used also.
• The recipe will be produce enough batter to fill a 20 cavity pan with a small bit left over. Use a second pan or mini muffin pan for any leftover batter. 
• Don't skip the sifting step! This helps create a light and fluffy texture. 
• Don't over mix the batter. This will cause the doughnut holes to be tough and dense.