These baked chocolate donuts can be made in less than 30 minutes with only three simple ingredients. Surprisingly one of those ingredients is a vegetable! Can you guess the vegetable?!
Hi Friends!
With National Donut Day only a few days away I decided it was time to post a recipe I have been working on for months. I am a huge fan of simple recipes with minimal ingredients, so I have been experimenting with making donuts from a box cake mix with only a few additional ingredients. You might think I am a bit out of my mind when you see the ingredient list because one of the ingredients is a vegetable. Now you are probably thinking donuts and vegetables don’t go together. Let me tell you for this recipe the added vegetable of zucchini not only works well but completes the 3-Ingredient Baked Veggie Chocolate Donut recipe by adding extra moisture.
I had a completely different donut recipe in mind and was doing some research for that when I can across another bloggers site who had made 2-ingredient baked donuts. I loved the idea of a simple baked donut recipe and started brainstorming on other ingredients I could use in a recipe. The thought of using a super moist vegetable like zucchini got me thinking. Why not simplify a recipe, while also adding a nutritional boost?!
I have made these 3-Ingredient Baked Veggie Chocolate Donuts several times over the past few months. The response has been consistent, liked by all who have tried. My family was skeptically at first, but one bite in and they changed their minds. My toddler, who is always on the lookout for greens (or “salad”) in anything ate a whole donut having no idea there was zucchini in the donut. While I am not a fan of sneaking vegetables into food, I figured there was a high probability he wouldn’t eat a donut if he knew I made it with any type of green. I told him immediately after he finished the donut what was inside and he grinned and said: “Can I have more?”.
The only slightly tedious part of this recipe for 3-Ingredient Baked Veggie Chocolate Donuts is shredding the zucchini, but this step still only takes a few minutes. I think it took me longer to get the grater out of the cabinet and measure out two cups of zucchini.
Once the zucchini is shredded the preparation process is downhill – you just need to mix the three ingredients. Just three ingredients! 🙂
I did use a homemade piping bag made with a large Ziploc bag to fill the donut wells, but even that step is easy (and also not mandatory). I find it quicker and less messy to use a ziplock bag to pipe the batter into the donut pan.
A hint of zucchini can be seen in the baked product, but there is absolutely no taste of vegetable in the donuts. I decided to top the donuts with a simple glaze, which is optional. The glaze does help to make the donuts look much more attractive. However, if you are trying to keep the amount of sugar in check, you can hold off on the glaze.
I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine did. Enjoy National Donut Day on June 1!
Your Family’s Dietitian,
3-Ingredient Baked Veggie Chocolate Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 choclate cake mix (just the mix)
- 1-2 zucchini
- 1 large egg
Chooclate Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (if want a smoother glaze sift cocoa powder)
- 3-4 tablespoons (or more) water or milk (use 1-2 tablespoons if cocoa powder sifted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit; spray 2 donut pans with non-stick cooking spray
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Shred the zucchini using a grater
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In a large mixing bowl add all three ingredients; mix well with a whisk
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Spoon mixture into each donut well to fill about 2/3 full. If desired use a ziplock bag (cut corner) to make a piping bag.
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Bake donuts for about 7-9 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit
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6. Remove from pan and let cool
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If glaze desired, while donuts cooling, mix glaze ingredients together. Dip each donut top into the glaze until top is well covered.
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Let glaze dry (typically takes about 30-60 minutes) and store in airtight container.