last updated on October 30, 2026

These banana bread donuts with brown butter glaze are really hitting the spot for me right now. Last year’s big thing was banana bread, so maybe this year we should make it banana bread donuts! And once you try them with this brown butter glaze, I think you’ll agree!

These donuts are gluten free, but if you are not celiac then all-purpose flour can be used instead! Also, these donuts are baked, not fried, so they are lighter than a typical donut but still so delicious.

Also let’s talk about this glaze — brown butter makes everything better, and this icing is no exception. Brown butter has a nutty, deep flavor that makes this frosting next level! And paired with the banana bread donuts? Lights out.

If you’ve never made brown butter, it’s very easy to do! Add butter to a pan over medium heat until it melts and begins to bubble. Stir it and let it continue to cook until the butter foams up. When the foaming subsides, you’ll be left with a brown colored butter that smells nutty and delicious. The whole process takes about 5 minutes and is well worth it!

Last thing: for this recipe I use a mini donut pan! I can’t find the link to the exact one I have, but here is a similar one! I use this size for all my donut recipes!

Ingredients

banana bread donuts

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour (i use King Arthur gf wheat flour)
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup milk (i use almond, but any type works)
1/3 cup oil olive or vegetable
2 tbsp maple syrup

brown butter glaze

1/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk (i use almond)
splash of vanilla
pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the mashed banana, brown sugar, milk, oil, and maple syrup. Mix until it is well combined.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, until there are no clumps remaining. Don't over mix here!
Pour the batter into a large ziplock bag (or piping bag) and cup a hole in the corner. Pipe the batter into a greased donut pan.
Bake the donuts for 8-10 minutes, until you poke the top and it doesn’t jiggle. (i used a mini donut pan, so if your donuts are regular sized, they will need a longer cook time)
While the donuts are baking, make the icing. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it browns, about 5 minutes. Pour the browned butter in a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients and whisk until the icing is smooth, with no clumps.
When the donuts are finished baking, let them cool for at least 5 minutes. Dip each donut in the icing, then put the donut on a cooling rack to let any extra icing drip off. Dive in!!

What’d you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you have any questions!