These lemon poppy seed donuts are oven-baked and also happen to be vegan! For a pop of (all-natural) color, homemade blueberry juice makes the most gorgeous lemon blueberry glaze.
Growing up in my family, Saturdays meant donuts. On Friday night, we would all place our orders with my dad, scribbling down our favorites on a piece of scrap paper: marble glazed, vanilla long johns, French crullers, Boston creams. The next morning, my dad (always the early riser) would have them all ready and waiting by the time we meandered downstairs in our pajamas.
Years later, I discovered just how easily I could make my own baked donuts, and I was thrilled. The process instantly brought back all those sweet memories from my childhood: big cardboard bakery boxes, the intoxicating scent of fresh donuts, clouds of powdered sugar, and fingers covered in sticky glaze.
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While the traditional fried donut will always have a special place in my heart, Iโm just not always up for deep-frying at home. Which is where baked donuts come in. With the help of a donut panย (genius), you can easily make tender cake donuts (without all the added fat from frying) whenever you want.
Vegan Baking
As an added bonus: these baked lemon poppy seed donuts also happen to be vegan! I’ve recently been exploring vegan baking – partly out of curiosity, and partly per the request of some of my vegan readers out there (hi!).ย But whether you follow a vegan diet or not, you’ll love these donuts. They are just as good as the non-vegan donuts I’ve baked before!
Instead of the traditional milk, butter, and eggs found in most baking recipes, here are some of the ingredients I used to make this donut recipe vegan:
- Almond Milk: We recently switched to drinking almond milk, and it’s a great plant-based alternative to cowโs milk. Plus, it works great in a myriad of baking recipes!
- Coconut Oil: Rather than butter, a few tablespoons of coconut oil were perfect in these lemon poppy seed donuts.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Along with some baking soda, a little apple cider vinegar provides just the right amount of leavening/binding action (in place of an egg).
Helpful hints:
- I recommend this donut pan
ย โ itโs affordable and just the right size for this recipe!
- I prefer to purchase my poppy seeds
ย in bulk โ it ends up being a lot cheaper than purchasing from the spice aisle in my grocery store!
- If needed, you can definitely bake the lemon poppy seed donuts a day or two ahead of time. Once they have cooled completely, store them at room temperature in an airtight container until you are ready to glaze them. I strongly recommend glazing the donuts immediately before, or within 2 hours of serving to keep them looking their best!
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Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts + Blueberry Lemon Glaze
These lemon poppy seed donuts are oven-baked and also happen to be vegan! For a pop of (all-natural) color, homemade blueberry juice makes the most gorgeous lemon blueberry glaze.
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup almond milk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted & slightly cooled
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Blueberry Lemon Glaze
- 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- approx. 3/4 cup powdered sugar (more or less to taste)
Instructions
Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and generously spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds).
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In a glass measuring cup, combine the milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, incorporate them together completely. Whisk in the coconut oil, then add the lemon juice, milk/vinegar mixture, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
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Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding to combine with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Divide the batter evenly among the molds in your prepared donut pan, filling each mold about 3/4 of the way full (don't overfill, or you'll lose the hole in the center of your donut!).
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Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. You can use a toothpick to check for doneness, or gently press on the top of one of the donuts with your finger. If it (slowly) springs back, it's done! Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer each donut to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
Lemon Blueberry Glaze
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Combine the blueberries and lemon juice in a small skillet over medium-low heat and simmer until the juices are released and the blueberries have broken down.
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Remove from heat and press the fruit through a metal sieve placed over a small bowl to strain the juice. Discard the seeds and skins.
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Let the juice cool down, then whisk in the powdered sugar gradually. You can add more or less than 3/4 cup of powdered sugar until the desired taste and consistency is reached. This will depend on how much juice your berries released and how thick/sweet you prefer your glaze.
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Place a cookie sheet under your cooling rack (to catch any glaze drips), then dip the donuts one by one (upside down) in the glaze. Let the excess glaze drip off, then replace the donut on the cooling rack to allow the glaze to set slightly.
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Donuts are best when served immediately.*
Recipe Notes
*I recommend glazing the donuts immediately before, or within two hours of serving. You can keep the donuts for another day if necessary, but the glaze will soak somewhat into the donuts.
This recipe was inspired by Baker by Nature's Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Donuts.
8 comments
I just made these! They’re absolutely delicious! I used a mini-donut pan, and they turned out just adorable.
I’m so glad, Lizabeth! Mini donuts are the cutest. Glad it worked out well.
These turned out amazing! Will definitely be making again.
Hooray!! ๐
Soooo good! I loved them!
I’m so glad to hear that, Heather! ๐
How much icing sugar did you use to make it the consistency in the photos on blog? I feel like Iโve been adding and adding and itโs just runny. :/
I have made these several times, and they’re perfect every time. It’s hard to find consistency like this with vegan recipes.