I have a true love for easy, healthier donut recipes like my 2-ingredient donuts made with yogurt, my sweet potato donuts, or the baked vegan blueberry donuts. But today, I wanted to create something high-protein, similar to my protein donuts, but without using a donut pan. So I grabbed a box of my favorite powdered peanut butter and experimented with self-rising flour and a bit of plant-based yogurt to see how I could create fluffy, soft, air fryer protein donuts. The result is fantastic, and the dough is pretty simple to put together. Side note, before succeeding with this new recipe, I also failed to use natural peanut butter instead of powdered peanut butter. I don’t recommend you try swapping one ingredient for the other. The natural peanut butter is too high in fat and makes the dough tough, similar to my vegan scone recipe.
Why You Will Love These Donuts
Egg-free Dairy-free 3 ingredients High-protein No donut pan needed
Ingredients and Tips
Powdered Peanut Butter – This is your main ingredient here. It’s the key ingredient to add a peanut butter flavor to the dough and glaze. It also guarantees a high-protein donut that is fluffy and not packed or dense. Pro tip: try a flavored powdered peanut butter like cookie dough, birthday cake, or salted caramel to create a range of donut flavors. I am using an Australian brand called Macro Mike, similar to PB2, but with a slightly different composition. It means that depending on the brand you choose, the ratio of wet to dry ingredients may vary a little. Self-Rising Flour – This is my favorite ingredient to make easy donuts. Make your batch by stirring 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. I didn’t try using all-purpose gluten-free flour in this recipe, and therefore, I can’t guarantee this works. Don’t use almond flour or coconut flour. They don’t work in this recipe. Yogurt of Choice – I used plain plant-based yogurt, sometimes cashew yogurt or coconut yogurt. Any plain Greek yogurt works.
Optional Ingredients
For flavors, you can add:
A pinch of salt A teaspoon of vanilla extract 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips
For the glaze, I used powdered peanut butter and a splash of almond milk.
How To Make Peanut Butter Donuts
Glazing The Donuts
Let the donuts cool down on a cooling rack at room temperature. They look like little bread on the outside, but the inside should be soft, moist, and fluffy. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered peanut butter and almond milk until a glossy, lightly thick glaze forms. Dip the top of the donut in the glaze, twist to coat evenly, and release on a plate. You can also add a chocolate glaze on top. Chocolate and peanut butter go very well together. To make it, use my vegan ganache recipe. It firms up well in the fridge but stays glassy and won’t crackle.
Storage Instructions
Store the peanut butter donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The glaze dries and crackles with time and that’s normal.
Expert Tips
Don’t add too much flour when working the dough. This dough is sticky, but your secret weapon is oil to prevent the dough from sticking and to become elastic. When the dough becomes sticky, oil hands, spray oil on the dough, and knead. Don’t use natural peanut butter the dough won’t form. Adjust the dough, adding a bit more yogurt if too dry. Some powdered peanut butter contain added gums and dry the dough out more than others. The extra yogurt will fix that.
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