Brighten up your day with ooey-gooey baked banana nut donuts with cream cheese glaze! They’re soft, fluffy and the perfect match for your toasty cup of joe. This recipe prevents waste by making use of extra ripe bananas and keeps things on the light side by subbing in applesauce for oil.

Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Baked Banana Nut Donuts

Ingredients

For the donuts

• Cooking spray
• 2 medium (235g) ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 large (50g) egg
• 1/3 cup (80g) unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (40g) whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the cream cheese glaze

• 3 tbsp low-fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp nonfat milk
• 2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts, toasted if desired

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Coat a donut pan with cooking spray.

Combine the bananas, egg, applesauce and vanilla in a large bowl. Combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the banana mixture.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each cup of the donut pan. Bake for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Prepare the cream cheese glaze in a shallow bowl: Mix together the cream cheese and sugar; stir in the milk.

Dip the tops of the cooled donuts in the glaze, and set on a wire rack. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp walnuts.

Serves: 6 | Serving Size: 1 donut + 1 tbsp glaze + 1 tsp nuts

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 161; Total Fat: 4g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 40mg; Sodium: 66mg; Carbohydrate: 29g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 11g; Protein: 4g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 306mg; Iron: 7%; Vitamin A: 2%; Vitamin C: 10%; Calcium: 6%

Originally published April 18, 2016; Updated June 2026