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Home Recipes Course Breakfast Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
DF Dairy Free VG Vegetarian

Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts

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Posted:3/6/17
Updated:11/22/19

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…

Lemon poppyseed donuts with glaze in stack on white plate with lemon slices this recipe

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!

Guys… Spring is two weeks away. TWO WEEKS. And even though I can’t really count on Michigan weather to be “spring-like” anytime soon, I CAN pretend warmer weather is coming with some lemon poppy seed things… and by things I obviously mean DONUTS.

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.

Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts

Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts on drying rack

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
step by step ingredients for lemon poppy seed muffins with beet sugar and lemon zest

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…

Easy baked donuts! Lemon poppy seed, dairy-free.

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.

lemon poppy seed donuts with bite taken out on drying rack

Lemon Poppy Seed Glazed Donuts! Baked, whole grain flour and dairy-free!

★★★★★

4.5 from 2 reviews

How to Make…

Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts

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…

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Scale:
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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

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease donut pan cavities with oil, set aside.
  2. In medium bowl add milk with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir and let sit for 2 minutes.
  3. In a large mixing bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Allow glaze to set, about 5 minutes, and enjoy your donuts!

Recipes Notes:

*Can sub regular dairy (cow) milk as well.

**Can sub a gluten-free all purpose flour.

Donuts are best enjoyed fresh but will last in container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information:

  • Serving Size: 1 donut
  • Calories: 165
  • Sugar: 13g
  • Sodium: 238mg
  • Fat: 6g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 26g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 16mg
Category: Breakfast Method: bake Cuisine: American
Keywords: baked donuts, lemon poppy seed, healthy donuts
Author: Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen

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Lemon Poppy Seed Glazed Donuts! Baked, whole grain flour and dairy-free!

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About Ashley

"Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy."

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  1. Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says

    3/6/2017 at 6:06 am

    How did you know I just bought a donut pan this weekend?! I cannot wait to try these out — lemon poppy seed is one of my favorite muffin flavors 🙂

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/8/2017 at 1:42 pm

      Haha YAY. Let me know when you give them a try 🙂

      Reply
  2. Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says

    3/6/2017 at 6:40 am

    Oh my gosh, these are beautiful circles of perfection. Love the use of beet sugar too! 🙂

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/8/2017 at 1:41 pm

      Thank you Marina!

      Reply
  3. Dana says

    3/6/2017 at 8:58 am

    I would really love to make this recipe!!! Any recommendations on how to sub the whole wheat with Oat or Almond flour? I do not incorporate whole wheat or white flour into my lifestyle. Thank you!!!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/7/2017 at 2:58 pm

      Hi Dana,

      Thanks for your comment! So I’ve made these before with oat flour but it was a long time ago and I can’t remember the exact proportions! My best guess would be to decrease the flour amount to 1 3/4 cups oat flour. You’ll end up with a slightly more dense donut but the flavor will still be great. Let me know if you try it! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Emily says

    3/6/2017 at 11:40 am

    I’ve totally discovered with my blogging friends that healthier alternatives do not have to lack in taste at all; in fact they can have more taste and texture than if you just added a ton of sugar. I’m ALL for sugar, but I like it in moderation, and I love other flavors to come out too like the LEMON and poppyseeds. Lemon poppyseed bread has to be one of my favorites, and I love that you turned it into donuts. Pinning for later!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/8/2017 at 1:41 pm

      Yes, lemon poppy seed is just too good to pass up! Thanks so much for pinning Emily!

      Reply
  5. Izzy Bruning says

    3/6/2017 at 3:41 pm

    Oh my goodness – these look amazing!!! x
    Izzy |http://www.pinchofdelight.com

    Reply
  6. Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen says

    3/7/2017 at 7:30 pm

    These look amazing! just listening to your podcast with Georgie, so good 🙂 your advice is awesome, and perfect timing for me right now going through yet another blog slump!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/8/2017 at 1:40 pm

      Thanks so much Georgie! And I am really glad you found the episode helpful 🙂 Whatever it is getting you down “just keep swimming” <3

      Reply
  7. Kathryn says

    3/10/2017 at 10:46 am

    I want to make these next weekend but I’m pretty much a learned-from-mom, all-purpose-flour-user for baking. I do have a bag of wheat flour but the container just says whole wheat flour, not “whole wheat white”. So I’m going to ask the most basic of questions. Is this the same thing???

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/10/2017 at 11:32 am

      Lol no worries Kathryn, that is a good question! “Whole wheat” and “whole wheat white” are actually different 🙂 BUT what I would do here in this case is actually use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. They may turn out *slightly* more dense, but they will still taste good! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂

      Reply
  8. Lisa Bernath says

    6/14/2017 at 9:36 am

    Hi!! Is it possible to use coconut sugar instead of beet?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      6/14/2017 at 9:54 am

      Hi Lisa! Yes – any granulated sugar will work. The coconut sugar will just make the batter a little darker 🙂

      Reply
  9. Stef says

    3/14/2018 at 11:47 am

    Do you think I could substitute the eggs with bananas or apple sauce (probably more likely apple sauce…. not too many bananas get ripened enough for this around my house… we love our bananas! Lol)? I have a dairy and egg allergy and these donuts look amazing!!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/14/2018 at 11:56 am

      Hi Stef! I would actually sub the egg for a flaxseed “egg” if possible. So 1 egg substitute is 1 TBS flaxseed meal + 3 TBS water – let sit for 5 minutes to get up. That will act as a better sub than applesauce here, in my opinion. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  10. Ambrosia says

    3/7/2021 at 7:58 pm

    This was amazing! Thank you so much! Lemon poppy seed is just *chef’s kiss*, especially during spring. I loved it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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