These Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts are soooo delicious. They’re baked, use whole grain flour, dairy-free AND light and fluffy. Oh, don’t forget the lemon glaze though…
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This post is sponsored in partnership with NOW Foods. Thank you for supporting the brands I trust and having the pleasure of working with, helping make Fit Mitten Kitchen possible!
Why has it been so long since I’ve made donuts?! I’m trying to think… It must have been when I actually made this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe into donuts last year. I brought them in for my coworkers and I remember them being so impressed. “You made DONUTS?” I would get with that incredulous look. Of course I felt the need to explain to them, “Well it’s basically just a muffin recipe and I baked them in a donut pan… and they’re not fried…”
I don’t know why but I always feel like I have to explain myself when making “healthier” alternatives. Either way though, my work friends didn’t seem to mind 🙂 I mean, can you really go wrong with the word “donut”? Baked, fried, glazed, powdered… they’re all pretty great.
I won’t lie… these donuts are pretty freaking good, my friends. I’m a sucker for anything lemon poppy seed. But lemon poppy seed DONUTS?! *swoon*
what you need
- non-dairy milk + lemon juice
- whole wheat pastry flour
- poppy seeds
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- lemons
- oil
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla
We’re using granulated beet sugar from my friends over at NOW Foods. It is a great sugar substitute to bake with, especially if you have an intolerance to cane sugar. That is not to say I think it is “healthier”. Sugar is sugar. Just trying to share options!
NOW Foods actually has TONS of products I use every day. Their cooking oils (also used in this recipe) are great quality and reasonably priced. And their vanilla extract is organic and non-gmo. NOW is committed to making sure ALL of their food line brands are non-GMO. I truly value partnering with brands that are committed to not only making sure they’re producing quality products, but also practice being transparent.
But back to the lemon poppy seed donuts…
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You’ll notice from the above pictures you will fill the donut pan *almost* full. Make sure to grease/oil the pan fairly well to ensure the donuts come out in one piece. Then gently remove them and allow the donuts to cool on a wire rack.
Then it’s on to THE GLAZE. You kind of can’t do donuts without a glaze, right? This glaze is really simple: powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
And if you don’t have powdered sugar at home, you can actually just process the beet sugar with tapioca starch or corn starch until it reaches a super fine texture. It will mix up just like store-bought powdered sugar!
Then we dip the donuts… and eat.
Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk* + 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemons
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour**, or whole wheat white
- 2 1/2 TBS poppy seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- zest of 3 medium lemons, about 1 TBS
- 1/4 cup oil, avocado, macadamia nut, melted/cooled coconut oil*
- 1/2 cup beet sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon flavor, optional but adds a lemony boost
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease donut pan cavities with oil, set aside.
- In medium bowl add milk with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir and let sit for 2 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
- In the medium bowl with milk + lemon juice mixture, add in oil, beet sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk together until combined, then gently add to large bowl of dry ingredients. Use large spatula to mix until just combined.
- Gently spoon batter into greased donut cavities until 3/4 full (see pictures in post), about 3 tablespoons of batter. Bake for 8-10 minutes (see pictures in post) then allow to cool in pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, you should have about 12 donuts.
- While donuts are cooling, make your glaze: combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar with 2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice, more zest if you wish. Gently dip donuts into bowl of glaze and place back on cooling rack–place parchment paper or pan underneath to catch drippings.
- Allow glaze to set, about 5 minutes, and enjoy your donuts!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information
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