If you love bananas, you’ll love these caramelized banana donuts! These baked banana donuts are made with overripe bananas, so they are super moist and extra fluffy. They are the perfect breakfast treat!
After years of working as a pastry chef, I have perfected bakery-style baked donuts!
These banana donuts have the same soft and fluffy texture as my fruity pebble donuts but are made with ripe bananas for a classic banana bread flavor.Â
Have more ripe bananas to use up? Make my banana nutella muffins or banana pudding brownies!
Table of Contents
why you’ll love these banana donuts
- Banana bread donuts: These cake donuts have all of the same flavors as banana bread but in donut form! They are a great alternative for using an old ripe banana in a different way.
- Sweet banana flavor: They are packed with banana flavor and have sweet caramelized bananas on top of each donut for even more flavor.
- Easy recipe: While traditional donuts require hot oil, you can make these banana donuts in a donut pan and bake it in the oven in less than 20 minutes.
ingredient notes & substitutions
Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!
Sour cream: This helps keep the donuts really moist and tender. You can substitute full-fat plain Greek yogurt instead, it will do the same thing!
Banana: Using an overripe banana is required if you want moist tender donuts. They are much sweeter and hold more moisture than yellow bananas.
Oil: Any kind of flavorless oil will work, like canola or vegetable oil. You can coconut or avocado oil as well, but you may be able to taste it more in the batter.
Buttermilk: I don’t recommend making “homemade buttermilk” with regular milk and vinegar. It does not have the same fat content as real buttermilk and your donuts may turn out dry.
recipe instructions
Before you start, spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray or rub them with a bit of softened butter. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
STEP ONE: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
STEP TWO: Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, sour cream, canola oil, vanilla extract, and mashed banana until well combined.
STEP THREE: Whisk the donut batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until JUST combined.
Do not over mix or the batter will develop too much gluten and will be dense instead of fluffy.
STEP FOUR: Pipe the batter. Use a piping bag or ziplock bag to pipe it into the prepared donut molds until they are filled to the top.
You will have enough batter to make 8 large donuts. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.
STEP SIX: Make the brown sugar glaze. Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a pot over medium heat. Then whisk in the milk and bring it to a simmer.
Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. It will seem very thin at first but it will thicken as it cools!
STEP SEVEN: Caramelize the bananas.​ In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then add the sliced bananas to the pan.
Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the top. Cook the bananas for 2 minutes then gently flip them over and cook for 1 minute longer. Set aside until ready to use.
STEP EIGHT: Decorate!​ When the glaze is ready it should be thick but still runny enough to dip.
Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze and place them back on the wire rack. Wait 5 minutes for the glaze to set, then spoon the caramelized bananas on top so they sit in the center. Enjoy!
expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the “metric” button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Use a ripe banana. Ripe bananas are sweeter and easier to mash. They will make your donuts extra soft and moist! If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can ripen them quickly by following these tips.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. You will not have a fluffy donut if the batter is mixed too much. Whisk only until there are no more flour streaks in the bowl. It will look lumpy but that’s exactly right!
- Cool before glazing. The brown sugar glaze will need to cool and thicken before it’s ready to glaze. If it gets too thick don’t worry! You can reheat it in the microwave in 10-15 second increments until it’s the right consistency.
storage & freezing
​If you love donuts as much as I do, you’ll know that they are really best eaten the same day they are made. If you still have some leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
The best way to freeze the baked donuts is to store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 weeks. I don’t recommend freezing them with the glaze on!
faqs
Yes! If your bananas are black and extremely mushy, I don’t recommend using them.
Absolutely! You will need multiple donut pans or will have to bake them in multiple batches.
While I highly recommend a donut pan for the best results, you can also use a mini muffin pan. Spray the molds of the muffin pan then fill them with the batter.
Yes! I have made this recipe with a brown butter glaze, vanilla glaze, and dark chocolate glaze, the possibilities are endless!
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Banana Donuts
Equipment
Need Metric Measurements?Use the button options below to toggle between US cups and Metric grams!Ingredients
For the Donut Batter
- 1 â…” cup all-purpose flour , *see notes below for measuring*
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup mashed ripe banana
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 ½ tbsp milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Caramelized Bananas
- ½ tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1-2 medium fresh bananas, sliced into ½ inch pieces
Instructions
- Lightly butter or spray a nonstick donut pan and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 ⅔ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, mashed banana, sugar, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract.¾ cup (150 g) buttermilk, 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 g) mashed ripe banana, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp (30 g) sour cream, 2 tbsp (24 g) canola oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Pipe the batter into the donut pan.
- Bake on the middle rack for 11-12 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack, then flip over and gently remove the baked donuts.
- To make the glaze, melt the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the milk and bring to a simmer. Then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool for 10-12 minutes. It will seem very thin at first but will thicken as it cools!1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar, 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, 2 ½ tbsp milk, 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- To caramelize the bananas, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the butter then add the banana slices to the pan. Gently flip the bananas after 2 minutes and cook for 1 minute longer.½ tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1-2 medium fresh bananas, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze. If the glaze is running off quickly, it needs more time to cool. If the glaze is too thick and it doesn’t stick to the top, gently heat it in the microwave in 10-15 second increments until the proper consistency is reached.
- Spoon the caramelized banana slices into the center of the donut and enjoy!
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
I’ve tried a few banana donut recipes in the past but none of them were this soft and moist!!! Truly amazed by your recipes, they always surpass all others! I took a batch of them to work on Friday and everyone devoured them!!