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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Banana Bread Doughnuts

breakfast· cake· doughnuts and sweet rolls· Easter· Fall Flavors· Holiday Favorites
August 20, 2020

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Banana Bread Doughnuts – Cakey baked doughnuts made of banana bread batter and dipped in a brown butter frosting and topped with chopped walnuts

Cakey baked doughnuts made of banana bread batter and dipped in a brown butter frosting and topped with chopped walnuts

Looking for some more easy back-to-school snacks for your kiddos? Well, look no further! Today’s recipe is kid-friendly and super simple to make for a fun afternoon snack.

Baked doughnuts have become my new go-to for doughnut recipes because they take virtually no time at all, especially when comparing to the time it takes to make classic fried doughnuts. Instead of frying the batter in hot oil, the doughnuts bake in preset molds that form the perfect round shape.

I’ve made a few different versions of baked doughnuts in the past, including:

  • Irish Cream Baked Doughnuts
  • Blueberry Crumb Doughnuts
  • Apple Cider Crumb Doughnuts

I seem to have an affinity for fruity doughnuts, huh? I’m only adding to that theory with today’s recipe for Banana Bread Doughnuts. Made with a simple batter out of ripe bananas, flour, spices, and sugar, this doughnut has all the flavor of banana bread but with a little extra sweetness to make it a sweet treat perfect for afternoon snacks.

Closeup on a plate of Banana Bread Doughnuts topped with chopped walnuts
Plate of Banana Bread Doughnuts with a bite out of one
Closeup on a half eaten Banana Bread Doughnut topped with chopped walnuts

How is this doughnut made?

As I mentioned above, this doughnut is baked in a mold. Therefore, the process is much simpler than frying dougnuts:

  • No rolling out dough
  • No cutting dough into perfect circles
  • No messy frying process

Instead, the process is similar to making banana bread, but then just filled into the doughnut mold.

First, you whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately. Then, they’re gently folded together to make the batter. No need for a mixer in this recipe. In fact, I almost warn against it because you’ll risk overmixing the batter, which will make the doughnuts tough in texture.

After the batter is made, it’s scooped into greased doughnut molds. They’re baked for 15 minutes or until they are no longer giggly.

Cooling rack of Banana Bread Doughnut before being iced

After they’ve cooled down, they’re removed from the molds and ready for frosting.

Brown Butter Frosting

This frosting is slightly unique because it’s made with melted, browned butter instead of softened butter that’s been whipped with powdered sugar. To brown butter, all you do is melt it until the butter solids start to turn brown and the smell is wonderfully nutty and rich.

Once the butter has browned, sugar, vanilla, and cream are added to form the frosting. The doughnuts are then dunked into the frosting, top-down, to cover the top in creamy frosting. You can spread it on, as well, but it looks smoother and neater when you dunk them.

Finally, the doughnuts are finished with finely chopped walnuts.

Topping iced Banana Bread Doughnuts with chopped walnuts
Cooling rack of both iced and topped with chopped walnut doughnuts and un-iced doughnuts

Tips & Tricks

  1. Make sure not to fill the doughnut molds too much, or else the doughnuts won’t be able to hold their round shape when baking.
  2. Doughnuts must be completely cool to the touch before frosting, or else the frosting will melt right off the doughnut.
  3. To fill the molds neatly, I put the batter into a plastic storage bag and piped it in. Super clean and mess free!
  4. Don’t add all the cream/milk to the frosting at once. Remember – once you add it, you can’t take it back out! So add just one tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want. It should be thick like cake frosting but thin enough that you can dip the top of the doughnut and have it coat it evenly.
Banana Bread Doughnut with a a bite out of it
Print Recipe

Banana Bread Doughnuts

Cakey baked doughnuts made of banana bread batter and dipped in a brown butter frosting and topped with chopped walnuts
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Resting time:10 mins
Total Time45 mins
Servings: 9 doughnuts

Ingredients

For the banana bread doughnuts:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 mashed bananas
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the brown butter frosting:
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons cream or milk
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

To make banana bread doughnuts:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 doughnut pans. Make sure all part of the mold is greased but don’t let the grease pool at the bottom. Set aside
  • In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, mashed bananas, and melted butter until combined. Add to flour mixture and fold together just until combined. Do not overmix or the doughnuts will be tough.
  • Spoon mixture into prepare doughnut pans until almost full, but not filled past the top. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into doughnut. Let them cool in pan for 5 minutes and then gently remove them from molds and place on cooling racks. I find a spoon helps to remove the doughnuts gently. Let them cool completely before glazing.
To glaze the doughnuts:
  • Place butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Melt butter and then let it cook a little longer to brown the butter. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of cream to thin out the mixture into a frosting. If it's too thick, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. The mixture should be thick so it doesn't drip down the doughnut.
  • Dip cooled doughnut into frosting. I find that the doughnuts look best when glazing the smooth side. Top with chopped walnuts. Repeat with rest of the doughnuts. Let them set for a few minutes or serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Kitchen 335

Pin for later:

Banana Bread Doughnuts photo collage

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a plate of Easy Banana Cake with a bite out of it and a fork on it with another plate of cake and a banana and a cloth napkin underneath it, shot from a side angle
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21 Comments

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Comments

  1. Bernice says

    January 31, 2023 at 6:57 pm

    What a great idea! Good thing I always have bananas in the freezer because I had to make these right away. I had to try one before the kids got home from school because that’s when they magically disappeared.

    Reply
  2. Michelle says

    January 29, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    These came out just okay. They were a little smaller and flatter than my other baked donuts. The icing is super good.

    Reply
  3. Luciana says

    December 30, 2020 at 7:37 am

    I loved these donuts!

    Reply
  4. Natalie says

    August 31, 2020 at 8:21 am

    Oh wow, what a great idea. I bet my son would love this. I love the glazing and chopped walnuts on top. SO delicious!

    Reply
  5. Kari Alana says

    August 31, 2020 at 7:27 am

    LOVING this idea of baked banana bread doughnuts and those banana bread cinnamon rolls are delectable! I am so printing BOTH recipes!

    Reply
  6. Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says

    August 31, 2020 at 5:10 am

    Banana bread and doughnuts in one??! Too much goodness in one dessert 🙂

    Reply
  7. Sam says

    August 31, 2020 at 2:03 am

    Oh yum, 2 of my favourite treats put together! I have to try them. They look so good!

    Reply
  8. Jo says

    August 31, 2020 at 1:39 am

    That is best version of banana bread I’ve ever seen! This is amazing way to eat banana bread. Looks so delicious

    Reply
  9. LaKita says

    August 30, 2020 at 11:05 pm

    These are perfect! Everything that I love about banana bread and doughnuts combined into one treat and topped with a brown butter frosting, so dreamy!!

    Reply
  10. Jacqueline Debono says

    August 30, 2020 at 7:00 am

    I love doughnuts and I love banana bread so this recipe is calling my name! I need to get some doughnut molds pronto!

    Reply
  11. Sues says

    August 29, 2020 at 11:34 pm

    These are so much more exciting than regular old banana bread! Plus, that brown butter frosting is seriously dreamy!

    Reply
  12. HEATHER PERINE says

    August 26, 2020 at 2:05 pm

    Oh my I love baked doughnuts! I’m most excited I think to try that browned butter frosting. Sounds delish!!

    Reply
  13. Shayla Marie says

    August 25, 2020 at 11:20 am

    My family would love these banana doughnuts. I’m going to try to use them with Bob’s 1 to 1 GF flour. Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  14. Heidy says

    August 25, 2020 at 9:55 am

    Banana Bread Doughnuts look and sound delish! I bet my children would love to have these on hand! I will be making these tomorrow!!

    Have a great day

    Reply
  15. Shelley says

    August 25, 2020 at 9:40 am

    I just absolutely love the idea of flipping banana bread into a doughnut – so creative! But you know what really got me? Ohhhhhh … that brown butter frosting! I have a weakness for browned butter, and this is the PERFECT application for those warm, comforting flavors. What a delicious treat!

    Reply
  16. Beth says

    August 25, 2020 at 9:34 am

    Yummy! I can’t wait to try these! They look so delicious and scrumptious!

    Reply
  17. Ashley says

    August 25, 2020 at 8:31 am

    Yummmm!!! I baked these up this morning, and the house smells incredible!!

    Reply
  18. Nadalie Bardo says

    August 24, 2020 at 8:36 pm

    Oh my yumminess, these are SIMPLY the perfect treat! I need to get a doughnut tray and start baking.

    Reply
  19. Amber Myers says

    August 24, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    Oh heck yes, these are my kind of donuts. They look and sound incredible. I must try them out!

    Reply
  20. jenna says

    August 24, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    The additional brown butter frosting and and chopped walnuts is SO SMART! Can’t wait to try that next time

    Reply
  21. Mimi says

    August 24, 2020 at 12:18 pm

    I’ve never made doughtnuts, I need to try this recipe, I don’t know if I can do it but it doesn’t’ sound too complicated

    Reply

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