These baked lemon donuts are soft and full of tangy lemon flavor. They are coated with lemon sugar. You just need one bowl and 30 minutes to make these homemade donuts!
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These delicious homemade Lemon Donuts are the perfect treat for lemon lovers. They are baked in the oven, so you don’t need any oil for frying. They make the best breakfast, brunch or snack!
I adapted this recipe from my Lemon Blueberry Cake Donuts. They are perfect for when you want to enjoy a lemony treat.
For more donut recipes, try my Lemon Filled Donuts and Orange Donuts.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- These donuts are baked in the oven. They are healthier than fried donuts.
- Homemade donuts made fresh at home are so much better than store bought donuts.
- You don’t need a mixer to make them. Just stir together by hand!
- They are tender, moist and super lemony! If you’re a big lemon lover, try my lemon shortbread cookies or my recipe for lemon crinkle cookies.
- The simple lemon sugar coating brings out all the lemon flavor of the donuts.
Ingredients
- Oil-Use vegetable, canola or extra virgin olive oil. Oil makes these donuts moist.
- Sugar-I use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Granulated sugar is used for the lemon sugar coating.
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt: Use room temperature, full fat sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- One egg-Use 1 large room temperature egg. The egg binds the ingredients together and makes the donuts fluffy.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice- You’ll need the zest and juice of about 3 lemons for the donut batter plus a little extra lemon zest for the lemon sugar coating. Try my lemon blackberry cake or lemon biscotti recipe for another yummy lemon treat!
Substitutions & Variations
- For a milder flavor, use vegetable oil, canola oil, or regular olive oil instead of extra virgin.
- Instead of oil, use melted butter in the batter or to coat the donuts.
- Drizzle with lemon icing instead of lemon sugar. Use the lemon icing used in my chia seed lemon muffins.
Instructions
Step 1: (Picture 1 above). Rub the sugars and lemon zest together.
Step 2: (Picture 2 above). Add the the egg, sour cream or Greek yogurt, oil or melted butter and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
Step 3: (Picture 3 above) Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Step 4: (Picture 4 above) Fill the donut molds 3/4 full. Bake at 350 F for 10-13 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
Step 5: (Picture 5 above) Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Melt butter or pour oil in a small bowl.
Step 6: (Picture 6 above) Brush cooled donuts with melted butter or oil. Coat with lemon sugar.
Expert Tips
- Use a donut pan. My donut pans make six donuts each. have two donut pans so that I can bake them all at once.
- Mini or full size muffin pans can be used in place of donut pans. You’ll need to adjusting the baking time accordingly.
- Use baking spray, not cooking spray. Baking spray has flour in it and will keep your donuts from sticking to the pan.
- A pastry bag makes it easier to pipe batter into the pans. You can also use a zip lock bag and just snip a corner off or pour batter into pan with a spouted mixing bowl or spoon.
Recipe FAQs
I highly recommend using a donut pan. Donut pans are basically molds with holes in the middle which give your batter a donut shape.
Yes! You can use mini or full size muffin pans. You’ll need to adjusting the baking time accordingly.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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Baked Lemon Donuts
Ingredients
Lemon Donuts
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup (78.86 ml) oil vegetable or canola
- ¾ cup (172.5 g) sour cream or Greek yogurt, full fat, room temperature
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
LEMON SUGAR COATING
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter melted, or vegetable, canola or olive oil
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons (3 teaspoons) lemon zest
Instructions
Lemon Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease donut pans well with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugars and lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugars. This helps to bring out the lemon flavor.
- Add the vanilla extract, sour cream, egg, lemon juice, and oil. Whisk to combine.
- Use a spatula to stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the wet ingredients. Stir just til combined. Do not overmix.
- Use a piping bag or zip lock bag or spoon to equally fill the donut molds to just about ¾ full.
- Bake 10-13 minutes unti a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in a donut. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove from pan and let donuts cool completely on wire rack.
Lemon Sugar Coating
- In a shallow bowl or pie pan, combine the sugar with lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugars. This helps to bring out the lemon flavor and helps to incorporate the zest into the sugar.
- Brush the cooled donuts with melted butter, vegetable, canola, or olive oil (extra virgin or regular).
- Place one donut in the bowl of sugar. Gently rub the bottom and sides of the donut around in a circle to coat. Sprinkle sugar on the top. Set donuts on wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Jason Ruder
Man… I tried to make these but you left out the eggs in the instructions!!!! Where would I have added those?
Natalie
Hi Jason, I’m so sorry about that! The egg should be whisked into the sugar with the vanilla extract, sour cream, lemon juice, and oil. I’ve updated the recipe card. Again so sorry 🙁