Baked Banana Donuts with Dark Chocolate Glaze

Lightly sweetened baked banana donuts are made using just one ripe banana and topped with a smooth dark chocolate glaze. No mixer needed for these easy healthier donuts that use up the last brown banana on the counter! Recipe makes 8 donuts.

A recipe using just one banana!

My favorite part about this baked banana donut recipe is that it uses just one ripe banana. I feel like I always have one spotty brown banana lying around that didn’t get eaten or used in another recipe. Most recipes require 2 or 3 bananas so I’m very excited to have developed a recipe that uses just 1 banana. I can’t be the only one who has this problem!

Why you’ll love this recipe

These donuts are delicately spiced and baked, not fried – meaning that you won’t have to be messing with super hot oil or feel guilty afterwards! They’re soft, fluffy, and definitely healthier than the fried variety. Plus, because I used a ripe banana for most of the sweetness in the recipe, the donuts are pretty low in added sugar! Win win, donuts for everyone.

Baked donuts tend to have more of a muffin texture, but it doesn’t make them any less delicious. Especially when they’re coated in a smooth and glossy dark chocolate glaze. I could drink that glaze.

For this recipe, you’ll need a donut pan because we’ll be baking these little guys.  I know it seems like yet another baking accessory you don’t need, but it’s totally worth the money, I promise.  Once you get on the baked donut train, there’s no getting off.

Ingredients

The ingredient list for these baked banana donuts is simple, just the way I like it.

• One ripe banana – this recipe uses up that one sad, spotty banana lingering on your counter!
• Melted butter
• Brown sugar
• Greek yogurt
• Egg
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda and baking powder
• Cinnamon and nutmeg – cozy spices!
• Salt

And for the dark chocolate glaze:

• Dark chocolate – use your favorite bar or even chocolate chips
• Heavy cream – you can sub half and half, or coconut cream
• Butter
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Espresso powder – optional, but really brings out the chocolate flavor

How to Make Baked Banana Donuts: Step by Step

Step 1: Make the donut batter.

Baking donuts is a lot like baking muffins.  It’s essentially the same kind of batter – whisk together the wet ingredients, whisk together the dry ingredients, then fold them together with a spatula until just combined. The only tools required are a bowl, a whisk, a spatula, and some arm muscles.  

The most important thing, as with muffins or quick breads, is not to over-stir when you’re folding the dry ingredients into the wet, because you could overdevelop the gluten and have tough donuts.  And nobody, nobody wants that.

Step 2: Spoon batter into donut pan.

You will need a donut pan for this recipe, and I promise it’s worth the few bucks. I have two pans and they are very easy to clean, dishwasher-safe, and take up very little space in the cabinet!

Grease the donut cavities (a pastry brush is great for this) before adding the batter to ensure your donuts will pop right out of the pan.

The donut batter is thick, and I either use a couple spoons to arrange it in the pan, or a gallon-size storage bag with a corner snipped off to pipe it.  If you choose the latter, put the bag inside a drinking glass first and then scoop the batter in.  It’s way easier than trying to hold it, I promise.

Step 3: Bake the donuts at 350ºF for 9-10 minutes

These baked banana donuts take VERY little time in the oven, only 9-10 minutes! After only a few minutes in the oven, these donuts are baked to raised perfection.  No splattering oil, and no guilt.

Step 4: Make the Dark Chocolate Glaze

While the donuts are baking, whip up a simple chocolate ganache for our glaze.  You could do it in a double boiler on the stove, or you could be lazy like me and use the microwave. It only takes a couple minutes and it’s so easy!

Just place the chopped chocolate, butter, heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir in your vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and the optional espresso powder if you have it.  If not – no biggie, it just brings out the chocolate flavor.  

Step 5: Dip baked donuts in the chocolate glaze.

I recommend waiting until the donuts have mostly cooled before glazing – they are less likely to fall apart.  But as with many things in life, you can choose your own adventure.

Dip one side of the donuts into the chocolate glaze and then lift and twist your wrist to catch the glaze.  I like to glaze the the bottom side of the donuts, rather than the side that was up when they came out of the oven.  The glaze adheres better to the bottom side.  We all want maximum glaze.

Step 6: Devour

Halfway through the glazing process, you might have someone like my husband Brian waiting impatiently to grab a donut…

And I can’t really blame him.  It’s a hazard of living with me.

I love how silky smooth and shiny the dark chocolate glaze is on these donuts!  The glaze sets as they cool, but if you eat one with warm melty glaze on it, I’m willing to bet there aren’t many things on this earth that are better.

I added some sprinkles for decoration, but they’re totally not necessary if you’re not in the mood, or not in the habit of waiting long enough for such pleasantries.

Storage

Baked donuts are best eaten the same day when they’re fresh, and they’re so quick to make that you could always make another batch the next day (heheh). If you need to store them for later, though, they will keep:

• Room temperature: up to 2 days, in a tall airtight tupperware that doesn’t touch the glazed tops.
• Refrigerator: up to 5 days, in a tall airtight tupperware that doesn’t touch the glazed tops.
• Freezer: up to 3 months. If freezing, freeze all donuts on a plate or flat surface in a single layer, then once fully frozen, wrap each donut individually in plastic and store in a freezer bag. Allow to thaw for 1-2 hours at room temperature or microwave for 30 seconds to reheat.

I think these baked banana donuts would be a welcome addition to your office breakfast meeting (I know they would be at mine), or to your weekend brunch rotation, or even just to a Tuesday.  They bake up so quick that it’s totally weekday-doable.  Plus they keep for a couple days, so you can spread out the happiness.  If they make it that long.

More Baked Donut Recipes

• Baked Apple Cider Donuts
• Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
• Peach Crumb Baked Donuts

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