These luscious Gluten Free Baked Lemon Doughnuts are lighter than air and ready to eat in minutes. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
If you live somewhere that has snow on the ground for nearly 6 months of the year, you’ll understand this.
You start to get a little antsy, a little fidgety, and a little impatient when signs of spring start to appear. I’m alright with snow, especially in December. I can’t imagine a Christmas without snow.
I can bear it for January, and even February. But, when the sun (when it’s shining) is starting to feel warm, and the roads get slushy from the melting snow – I’m ready for it to be over with. Done! Pack it in, pack it up, and move on.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn’t listen to me nor anyone else that is living through a never-ending winter right now. So, you have to do what you can to make it another week, hoping for the sunshine to grace your doorstep, and melt the ice that has accumulated there over the past few months.
Thankfully, when our faces are (literally) frozen in a permanent “grin and bear it” appearance from January through March, the citrus fruits are at their best. Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes are like an artificial sun to us.
There is something so clean, crisp, and “sunny” when you smell citrus fruit, even if it is still snowing outside, and you’re still having to dig your way out time and again.
So, the other day while the snow was falling and being blown by the wind, I was making my own sunshine inside with these gluten free Baked Lemon Donuts. When I bit into one, I couldn’t believe how good it was. These gluten free doughnuts carry some serious lemon flavour. The perfect pick-me-up on a “will-winter-ever-end?” March day.
I guess you could bake these doughnuts in a muffin pan, but then you wouldn’t have doughnuts. You’ll want to invest in a doughnut pan. Trust me. I’ve got a lot of baked gluten free donut recipes besides these gluten free Lemon Baked Doughnuts. It’ll be a good investment. I don’t bake doughnuts nearly enough, I forget how easy they really are to make, and how fast you can have a bakery-worthy treat at home.
Need to justify buying a doughnut pan, besides these gluten free Baked Lemon Doughnuts? How about:
- Gluten Free Strawberry Doughnuts
- Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Glaze
- Gluten Free Maple Walnut Doughnuts
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Doughnuts
- Gluten Free Baked Vanilla Doughnuts
Gluten Free Baked Lemon Doughnuts recipe:
Gluten-free Baked Lemon Doughnuts
These luscious Gluten Free Baked Lemon Doughnuts are lighter than air and ready to eat in minutes. It really doesn't get much better than that.
Ingredients
Lemon Doughnuts:
- 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon white or brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup millet flour
- 2 Tablespoons dry instant Lemon pudding mix (or dry milk powder)
- 2 Tablespoons potato starch
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Lemon Frosting:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2-4 Tablespoons lemon juice (depending on whether you want a thick frosting, or a thin glaze)
Instructions
Lemon Doughnuts:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a Doughnut Pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, minus the granulated sugar.
- In a separate bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, rub the sugar and zest together, releasing the oils into the sugar, giving you a better lemon flavour. Add to dry ingredients, and whisk to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Spoon mixture into a large resealable plastic bag. Cut the corner off, and pipe the batter into the prepared doughnut pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the doughnut comes out clean.
- Let doughnuts sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan, and placing on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Lemon Frosting:
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.
- Here's my tip - make the frosting thicker than you want, and microwave it for a few seconds to warm it up. The glaze will get thinner when it is warm, but will set up beautifully on your doughnuts. You may still need to adjust the amount of lemon juice you add until you get the consistency you want.
- You can store doughnuts in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. But who are we kidding? Doughnuts never last 3 days.
Recommended Products
Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Images updated March 2018.
Betty says
You’ve nailed it Jeanine! Looks amazing and I can only imagine it’s lemony goodness. Pat yourself on the back and have one for me!!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Betty! If I had any left, I would! 🙂 The boy was pretty upset when he found out he only got one out of the batch too – maybe next time I’ll have to double it, I’m sure they freeze well. 😉
Paula says
These look amazing!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Paula! They are really, really good! And so easy to make too! 🙂
Twolicious says
Thanks for adding that we can sub the lemon pudding with milk powder. There is never a gf lemon pudding in Australia that I can find!
These look so yummy I might give them a go- next week is coeliac awareness week here, so very fitting.
Jeanine says
Ah, there you go! Doughnuts to celebrate! 🙂
Corinne says
Would brown rice flour work as well? I happen to be out of white rice flour….
Jeanine says
I think it would work just fine, I just used white because I was trying to really let the yellow colour of the lemon come through. 🙂
Jeanine says
Xanthan gum is made by fermenting sugars, sometimes from corn, but some is derived by fermenting the sugars from wheat as well. But, according to Bob’s Red Mill site, “Gluten is found in the protein part of the wheat kernel and no gluten is contained in the solution of glucose. Additionally, after the bacteria has eaten the glucose, there is no wheat to be found in the outer coating that it produces, which is what makes up xanthan gum.”
Terris | Free Eats says
Lemony baked goods always make me smile! I definitely see how citrus could be your “artificial sun” and carry you through to warmer weather.
These look so good and that frosting has me wanting one right now!
mj says
best doughnuts ever!!!!!!!
Jeanine Friesen says
Haha, mj, I would have to agree with you on that one. 🙂 I enjoy them as well.
croak says
I made the lemon doughnuts and they are awesome. You would never know they are gluten free. I added more lemon zest and I made a glaze with lemon juice and sugar and drizzled it on top. Thanks so much Jeanine, you have put a big smile on my face!!!!! So grateful for food that tastes like something other than cardboard!!!
Jeanine Friesen says
Haha, I love that! They are good, aren’t they? I even surprised myself with how good they were. 🙂 I’m glad to help!
K8 says
My littles loved these! Tears started flowing when I told them there were only two left. Thanks for a great recipe! We also made your best gf cinnamon buns delicious.
KMH says
This is one of my favorite gluten free baked products. I even tried replacing the white rice flour with buckwheat and it worked!
stacy says
Can you tell me where to find a doughnut pan?
stacy says
Never I found. 🙂
Jenn says
Made these doughnuts over Easter. Huge hit with the family! Love the strong lemon flavor that comes through! And so simple to make!
Jeanine says
Thanks Jenn! So glad to hear that they were a hit!
Lucy says
Okay! These are on the baking list, if I have a break from the outside work I’ll be in the kitchen baking these lovely treats. The local school will be in for a treat. 🙂
hugs!
Jeanine says
Oh Lucy – the school will LOVE you!
croak says
will these still turn out of I omit the milk powder or pudding mix.,? Snowing here in Calgary and don’t feel like braving it out there.
Phyllis says
Jeanine: I made these today, and they were excellent. I wanted a bit of lighter frosting, so I used one cup of plain Greek yogurt, about a tablespoon of lemon juice, a touch of lemon zest and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. My husband really enjoyed them with and without the frosting. Thanks for the inspiration! Best, Phyllis
Susan says
Do you think these donuts can be made without the xanthan gum. I try to bake gluten free and gum free. Thank you for any advice you can give me. I am new to the GF community. I love lemons. 😉
Jeanine says
You’re welcome to try, Susan, but the texture may end up being a little denser or crumblier than the recipe intended.
Susan says
Hmm, well if I get the nerve to try I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks!
connie gray says
I want to thank you for taking the time to do these recipes, I try a lot of gf recipes they say are soooo good and I try them and they are not good and im not a picky person…I will eat about anything…but it is so frustrating to try them and have them taste yucky…but from my knowledge of gf by now these actually sound good and I get a good feeling about them so lets face it allll you had to say was lemon and you had me lol…will try these…I also am lactose intolerant and it gets so frustrating trying to find things I can afford to buy and cook sometimes you just want to give up…people like you help us merry Christmas……..God bless…….