Dairy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts. My baked Dairy Free lemon poppy seed doughnut recipe is super easy to make and there is no frying required!
My Dairy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnut Recipe is:
- Sweet & Tangy
- Easy to make
- Baked not fried
- Slightly healthier
- Gluten free option with coconut flour (read below)
- Can be made in under 1 hour!
It is finally warming up in New York, and the warmth is sticking! This week was mostly in the 50's. If you're from down south you might be wondering why this is considered warm... Well think of coming from the negative, yes negative degrees! Anyway, in honor of this gorgeous sunny weather, I made some spring dairy free lemon poppy seed doughnuts. And just as I am writing this, some birds started chirping right outside my window, as if on cue.
I made them with a few healthier substitutions, like white wheat flour, plant based milk, and olive oil. The icing is totally optional, but I think it really brings the recipe together. I also tried to make a batch with coconut flour. The coconut flour ones tasted fine, but they did not have as good of a shape. If you are interested in trying the, I included the measurements I used below.
MY DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGNUT INGREDIENTS
- Raw cane sugar
- Lemons (juice & zest)
- Avocado or olive oil
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- White wheat flour
- Baking powder (aluminum free)
- Sea salt
- Poppy seeds
- Soy milk
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS
One simple substitution will make these already healthier doughnuts a much healthier treat! 🙂
Simply substitute raw cane sugar for either a mashed super ripe banana, unsweetened apple sauce, date syrup (made of just dates), or honey!
Lemons, oils, egg, vanilla extract, white wheat flour, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds, and soy milk can be left as is for your healthy doughnut recipe.
FAQ'S
Frequently asked questions about my dairy free baked lemon poppy seed doughnut recipe.
DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED DONUT CALORIES
1 has 179 calories
HOW DO I MAKE VEGAN LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS?
To make vegan lemon donuts, all you have to do is replace 1 egg with 1 flax or chia seed egg.
CAN I MAKE THESE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS FRIED INSTEAD OF BAKED?
Baked lemon donuts can not be made into fried doughnuts because the dough is much more watery.
HOW DO I MAKE GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS?
Simply replace my white wheat flour with 1:1 all purpose gluten free baking flour, or, follow the instructions for my coconut flour lemon poppy seed donuts below.
OTHER DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
HOW TO MAKE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS IN YOUR OVEN
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. You will also want to grease 6 holes of a doughnut pan so it is ready when you finished the batter. I also get a cooling rack out, because this allows the doughnuts to cool so much faster.
TOOLS NEEDED TO MAKE BAKED DOUGHNUTS:
- Mixing bowls
- Lemon zester or cheese grater
- Doughnut pan
- Wire cooling rack
HOW TO ZEST A LEMON WITH A CHEESE GRATER
If you don't have a specific lemon zester, not to worry. I just use the small side of a cheese grater like this:
In a medium sized bowl, mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest until the lemon is fragrant.
Next, add the egg, oil, and vanilla extract and mix to completely combine. Then, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. You might notice that the batter looks a little dry, or the flour is not completely mixed in. This is okay.
Finally, stir in the lemon juice and soy milk. If you don't have or don't like soy milk, you can really use any type of milk that you like.
Divide the batter between the 6 greased doughnut holes. Bake the doughnuts in the oven for 12 minutes to start. If they bounce back when pressed, they are done. If they seem watery, or if a toothpick doesn't come out clean, bake another 3 minutes.
Now you can place them on your cooling rack and prepare the glaze. If you are not interested in the coconut flour doughnuts skip the below paragraph.
DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS WITH COCONUT FLOUR
Coconut flour is something I keep trying to play with, but never quite seems right. I mean, they tasted great. But, I think because the tops never completely puffed up I wasn't impressed. Especially after tweaking and testing the recipe three times! If this is how coconut flour is supposed to behave, I thought I'd share the recipe for those who love to bake with coconut flour.
For the batter I used:
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
I read that since coconut flour doesn't have any gluten, you need to use extra eggs. I baked them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
This is what the batter looked like:
And this is a before and after shot of the coconut flour lemon poppy seed doughnuts:
Before After
Can you spot the difference between the coconut flour or the white wheat flour ones below?
HOW TO MAKE LEMON GLAZE FOR DAIRY FREE LEMON POPPY SEED DOUGHNUTS
For the glaze, I used 1 cup of powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice. If you want it to be more of a frosting, I would only suggest using 1-2 tablespoons of the lemon juice.
I like to make mine thinner, so that I can save time frosting and quickly dip each one!
Now can you spot the difference?? I applaud those bloggers who make amazing gluten free desserts. It may not be my forte. LOL. I'll stick with making (and eating) the wheat flour!
STORAGE
Store dairy free lemon poppy seed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
More treats you might like:
- Green matcha macarons
- Pink cinnamon rolls
- Sourdough cinnamon rolls
- Passionfruit macaroons
- Pink meringue cookies
- Blue marbled donuts
- Strawberry poptarts
If you try this Lemon Poppyseed Baked Donut Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!
Dairy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts
Equipment
- doughnut pan
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raw cane sugar sub coconut sugar, apple sauce, mashed banana, maple syrup, date syrup, or honey
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoon olive oil sub avocado oil or coconut oil (melted & cooled)
- 1 large egg vegan sub 1 flax egg or 1 chia seed egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup white wheat flour sub all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten free baking flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
- ½ teaspoon pink sea salt
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup vanilla soy milk (unsweetened) sub any milk of choice (unsweetened)
Instructions
For the dairy free doughnut batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 6 hole doughnut pan. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the sugar with the zest of 2 lemons until fragrant.
- Add the 2 tablespoon oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Next, add the white wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir to combine. The mixture may look very dry and not totally incorporate, this is okay.
- Finally, stir in the 2 tablespoon lemon juice and the milk. Stir until totally smooth and incorporated.
- Divide the batter between 6 greased doughnut holes.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- To remove them, insert a small spatula along the outside edges to completely loosen them. Turn the pan upside down to let them fall out.
For the lemon glaze
- Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-4 tablespoon lemon juice. If you like it thinner, add more lemon juice. I make mine thinner so I can dip the doughnuts to coat them.
- Dip or frost each doughnut. Let dry on your wire rack.
- Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Christie
I need to try making my own doughnuts/donuts (hehehehe) and these lemon poppyseed sound AMAZING! Now I want a donut!
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Right?! Donut or doughnut hehee but who cares as long as it tastes good! OMG do they have Asian donuts??