By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On January 15, 2023
Full of fresh lemon flavor these homemade baked Gluten-Free Lemon Donuts are tender, refreshing and simple to make. The lemon zest in the glaze brings this lemon donut to the level of ultimate satisfaction.
If you love lemon treats you'll want to make my Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes. My Gluten Free Lemon Bars are also a reader favorite.
Gluten Free Lemon Donuts
We've talked about how my family enjoys donuts on Fridays right?
We love to celebrate getting through the week with a tasty, tender, sweet gluten-free donut. I actually thought about making a donut recipe every week, but then I figured I would run out of ideas by week twelve.
I am sure there are a hundred donut types, and all deserve to be explored, but one donut recipe a week is a bit much.
Maybe once a month? Would that be too much? That's only twelve donut recipes a year. That might work, so I'll have to think on it. I don't want to put you into a donut comma.
Gluten Free Lemon Donuts Recipe
But don't these gluten free lemon donuts look tasty? My girls loved the soft donuts topped with a lemony glaze that was bursting with citrus.
They asked if they could have a second and I sadly had to tell them that you (my readers) probably wanted photos to go with the recipe - so they had to wait.
Of course as soon as I was done taking a couple of delicious up-close photos, I let them dig ino these gluten free lemon donuts. My youngest took a bite out of the one above. She said, "Mom, don't you need a shot showing the inside? I will gladly bite into a donut for you."
How sweet that she was thinking of you right? Haha, you and I both know she was cleverly working her way into a bite.
Donuts are one of the easiest recipes to make. There are usually less than ten ingredients, one bowl, and one donut pan - unless you double the batch. The recipe is similar to a cake recipe, using similar ingredients.
Most donuts bake up in less than twelve minutes. If you are making a friend donut, they are cooked in under ten minutes. I am a baked donut kind of girl, myself but I have been known to make up a batch of fried donuts every once in a while.
How to make gluten free lemon donuts
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in the egg, milk, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix together just until combined. The batter will be thick; do not over mix.
- Scoop the batter into a zip lock bag and snip the bottom corner with scissors.
- Squeeze batter evenly into prepared donut pan, filling no more than half full.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for five minutes and then flip over onto a cooling rack to cool completely before icing them.
For the ingredient quantities and baking times please see the recipe below.
If you insist on a fried donut you'll want to make my gluten free fried donut holes. They are chocolate donut holes fried to perfection then dipped in a sweet glaze.
I do really think you guys are going to swoon over these Gluten-Free Lemon Donuts. They are so simple to make, and they melt in your mouth.
If you don’t have any lemons on hand you could still whip up a batch of these Gingerbread Donuts or Vanilla Birthday Cake Donuts. Looking for more donuts? Type "donuts" in the search bar above and you will find a variety of delicious gluten-free donuts.
If you make these donuts please stop back by and leave a comment letting me know what you thought!
Gluten-Free Lemon Donuts
Full of fresh lemon flavor these homemade baked Gluten-Free Lemon Donuts are tender, refreshing and simple to make.
Ingredients
For the donut:
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
For the lemon glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoons milk (or dairy-free milk) for consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 6-cup donut pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in the egg, milk, oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix together just until combined. The batter will be thick; do not over mix.
- Scoop the batter into a zip lock bag and snip the bottom corner with scissors.
- Squeeze batter evenly into prepared donut pan, filling no more than half full.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cool for five minutes and then flip over onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For Glaze: Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Dip the top of the doughnuts into the glaze and place on a lined baking sheet.
Notes
- Dairy-free option: You can use dairy-free milk to make these dairy-free.
- Use fresh lemon juice for best results.
- You can use your oil of choice in this recipe. We like to use canola oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 donutAmount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 287mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gProtein: 4g
Kristy from Southern In Law
These look so fluffy and delicious! I can't have citrus but Jesse loveees orange and lemon baked goods so I'll have to make these for him!
jules
Oh my gosh, these look so AMAZING! I'm a sucker for anything LEMON! I can't wait to make these!
~jules
chrystal
They are super lemony and super tasty 😉
Gluten Free With Emily
I love lemon anything- these look amazing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Lemon sounds so delicious for a summer doughnut right now!
KC @ G-Free Foodie
I think once a month sounds just right!!
Sylvie
Sounds like the perfect way to treat yourself at the end of the week!
Brianna Hobbs
Yet another donut I am dying to try. All hail the donut queen!
chrystal
LOL!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
My kids are lemon freaks (they eat them like oranges) so they're going to love these donuts!
chrystal
Mine were mad that I didn't make a double batch 😉
Megan
I have yet to make donuts once this year. Thanks for the reminder. I'm obviously missing out!
chrystal
They are so easy! And your family will love them 😉
Raia
I've been craving donuts lately... I'm taking these as a sign that I need to get myself a donut pan! Thanks for sharing them with us at Allergy Free Thursdays! I'm going to feature them at this week's party. 🙂
chrystal
Thank you 🙂 They are super cheap, $6 on amazing I think.
I Luv Gluten Free
My partner recently made me a lemon Victoria sponge which was amazing and I think I might ask him to try this, looks amazing and looking forward to trying it.
Sheryll Ziemer
I accidentally added too much lemon zest.....best mistake ever! Loved these. My husband told me to quadruple the recipe next time!
Thanks so much!
chrystal
Haha, I love that you added too much and loved it. 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Monica Mahoney
Pinned it! 🙂
chrystal
Thank you 🙂
Cinnamon Flowers
I was wondering what causes these lemon donuts to baked at 400 degrees and the chocolate cake ones are at 325 degrees? Thanks:)
chrystal
These donuts have lemon juice in them which reacts with the rising agent. It creates air bubbles quicker than a traditional donut recipe so you have to cook them quicker. Most donut recipes need to rise slowly when they cook, to get the right texture and hold the shape, so you cook it at a lower temperature for longer. I hope that helps 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Wendy Olmstead
Can i aubstitute butter for coconut oul?
chrystal
Yes. You can use butter in this recipe 🙂
Claire
Can this recipe be easily doubled? Every time I make these, they go in an instant. They're just too good!
chrystal
Hi Claire! Yes, this recipe can be doubled 🙂 So glad to hear that your family loves them.
Best,
Chrystal
Jerri
Is there A good substitute for coconut oil? I do not care for the taste. Ran out and bought some pans to make these today!!
chrystal
You can use your oil of choice 🙂 Hope you like them!
Best,
Chrystal
Claire
Can I substitute lime in these donuts? Will it affect the bake at all?
Thanks!
chrystal
Hi Claire,
I haven't tried lime juice in these donuts. I know the acidity level is different, so it may effect them.
Best,
Chrystal
liz
I just tried this recipe with my daughter and although the donuts tasted delicious, they were squishy and not at all cake like. The batter was like a big gelatinous ball and was very difficult to mix, although we managed to get it into a bag to pipe into the mould. I don't know what we did wrong. 🙁
Needless to say- they disappeared quickly despite being the texture of a wet pancake.
chrystal
Hi Liz,
I'm not sure. Did you use fresh lemon juice and not bottled juice? Bottled juice reacts weird in baked goods like donuts and cakes. Also, depending on your elevation, you may need to adjust the temperature time and let it bake longer.
Best,
Chrystal
Claire
These are SO insanely good! I make them every couple months by popular demand 😉
One question: I usually make them in my 6 donut pan but recently purchased a 12 mini donut pan. Do you think I could just halve the cooking time?
chrystal
Hi Claire,
I'm so glad you like them 🙂 I would start with 3-4 less minutes and watch them from there.
Best,
Chrystal
Christina
Have you tried baking with sweet rice flour? I had some gf mochi donuts at a coffee shop that were amazing and I’m looking for a recipe. I bought some of Bob’s Redmill sweet white rice flour hoping to make some. I’ve searched your site and can’t find anything about the flour. Thanks for any info you or your readers can provide.
chrystal
Hi Christina,
I haven't tried baking with sweet rice because I find that it absorbs liquid differently. It tends to suck it right up. I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Gail
Hello Christina,
Food chemistry question: Will you explain why one would use gluten free all purpose vs 1:1? After making the delicious lemon donuts, I thought I had all the ingredients for your pumpkin donuts, then read they require 1:1. Why are they different? What happens when one is substituted for the other?
Thank you
chrystal
Hi Gail,
A lot of my readers have had poor results with the all purpose flour. It could be a chemical reaction with the chickpea flour, or it could be that the chickpea flour is rancid already (this has happened to me). For this reason, I test my recipes with the 1-to-1. Some people still use the all purpose with good results, some report back that the baked goods shrank down and became rubbery. My pumpkin donuts are one that don't work well with the all purpose. If you had good results with the lemon donut using the all purpose, you can certainly give the pumpkin donuts a try with that blend.
Best,
Chrystal
Gail
Love at first bite. We needed a gluten free, yeast free, low glycemic index donut recipe due to food intolerances. In an effort to eliminate as much sugar as possible, a banana was substituted for the egg, and no sugar was added since the banana is sweet. Drizzled the icing as well. The kids loved them and wanted them again the next day. We added a few blueberries the second day and they turned out delicious despite the changes. Of course the kids wanted them again a 3rd day. Thank you so much for this recipe, it was easy to make and delicious.
chrystal
Hi Gail,
Thank you so much for stopping back by to let me know. I am glad everyone loved them.
Best,
Chrystal
Lisa
Hi Chrystal,
Thanks for this recipe. I want to make a double batch. Do you think I would need to add to the baking time if I put two donut pans in the oven at the same time? Or, would you suggest baking one pan before the other?
Thanks again!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Lisa,
Yes, if you are making a double batch of gluten-free donuts and baking two pans in the oven at the same time, you will likely need to add some additional baking time. This is because the oven will be more crowded with two pans, which can affect air circulation and heat distribution.
Gabrielle
Couple questions:
- Can I use oat flour for this?
- can I sub in maple syrup for the sugar?
Thanks!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Gabrielle,
You can use oat flour, but you would need to recipe test it with a few reiterations, as oat flour affects the texture and flavor of the donuts. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid or leavening agents used in the recipe to compensate for the differences in the gluten-free flour. Oat flour may result in a denser or more crumbly texture in baked goods. Let us know if you give it a try.
Regarding subbing the maple syrup for sugar, you can do it, but you may need to adjust the amount of liquid. The reason is that maple syrup adds additional liquid, whereas sugar doesn't.