This strawberry lemonade baked donut recipe tastes like summer! Skip the cake mix and make these easy homemade glazed strawberry donuts instead.
One of my favorite combinations for strawberry season is strawberry lemonade.
Beyond a glass of Strawberry Lemonade, I’ve used this dynamic duo in all sorts of recipes, from No-Cook Strawberry Jam to Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha, and now in this strawberry lemonade baked donut recipe.
Hey, can you blame me? Who wouldn’t want the epitome of summer baked into a donut?!
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE BAKED DONUT RECIPE
Here’s why you’ll want to try this baked donut recipe too:
- Tradition. I really enjoy making my kids donuts on the weekends. Growing up, donuts on Saturday mornings were a big treat, and it’s one of the family traditions I want to pass on to my kids.
- No hydrogenated oils. This is one of our top ingredients to avoid in food, and I’ve seen donut shops selling empty 5-gallon buckets from hydrogenated vegetable oil, so I’ll pass on those and make my own baked donuts instead.
- Fresh strawberries. No jams, jellies, or concentrates here – we’re using seasonal, juicy, naturally sweet fresh strawberries. Yum!
- Only natural sweeteners. Speaking of sweet, the sweetness of berries and a bit of honey or maple syrup is all you need.
- Adaptable. This donuts baked recipe can be made egg-free and gluten-free.
- Fast! The longest part is the baking time, and at 12 minutes, that’s still not very long until you’re enjoying a donut…
Welcome back, Saturday morning donuts!
STRAWBERRY BAKED DONUTS INGREDIENTS
For this strawberry lemonade recipe donuts baked, you’ll need baking staple ingredients.
- Milk. Use whatever milk you have on hand, whether that’s whole milk or nonfat, or choose a dairy-free milk like almond milk instead.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest. For the baked donuts themselves, you’ll want the zest and juice of 1 large lemon (you’ll have a little bit of extra juice). You could use bottled lemon juice instead of freshly squeezed, but since we’re bumping up the lemon factor with the zest too, a fresh lemon is the way to go.
- Vanilla Extract. Here’s how to make Homemade Vanilla.
- Honey OR Maple Syrup. If you use honey, you will taste it in the final donut. I prefer maple syrup in baked doughnuts recipes.
- Butter, melted. For rich, moist baked donuts.
- Large Eggs. I’ve tested this strawberry donut recipe with and without eggs, and while the egg version held up better, the egg-free batch would pass for those with egg allergies. You can also try using a flax egg as a substitute instead.
- Flour. I used all-purpose flour, but einkorn works too. Or use gluten-free 1-to-1 flour for gluten free baked donuts. We don’t need fancy cake flour here.
- Salt. All baked goods need at least a little bit of salt to bring out the flavor.
- Baking Powder. For a light and fluffy donut. Baking powder is the leavening agent – no yeast needed here!
- Finely Diced Strawberries. Small pieces are key here to spreading the strawberry flavor throughout the donut.
LEMON GLAZE INGREDIENTS
The strawberry lemonade baked donut recipe is delicious on its own, but to really take it up a notch, you can also make a simple sugar glaze.
- Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar (aka confectioners’ sugar) is the base for the glaze frosting.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest. You’ll want about 2 Tablespoons of juice and 1 teaspoon of zest, the amount you’ll get from 1 large lemon, same as in the baked donuts recipe itself.
- Milk (optional). If the glaze is too thick to dip the donuts, thin it with milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. You want it on the thicker side, so that it doesn’t immediately run off the sides of the donut. Use vanilla almond milk for a vanilla glaze flavor!
You can always make a homemade frosting and add sprinkles for more of a dessert treat, too! Not to mention chocolate chips, nuts, or cinnamon sugar on the tops of the donuts… Those go really well on my Pumpkin Donuts!!
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY DONUTS BAKED RECIPE
Follow these instructions for this easy baked donut recipe.
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease the doughnut pan(s).
Step 2. In a small bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, vanilla, honey OR maple syrup, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk well and set aside.
Step 3. In a medium bowl or large bowl, combine flour, lemon zest, salt, and baking powder.
Step 4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl, stirring JUST until the ingredients are mixed. Do not overmix!
Step 5. Fold in the strawberries gently into the donut mixture with a spatula.
Step 6. Portion dough into the donut pan(s), about 3 ½ Tablespoons per donut, or 1 slightly heaping Tablespoon per donut hole.
Step 7. Bake for 12-14 minutes for donuts, or 9-11 minutes for donut holes, or until the donuts have risen and are lightly golden brown in color.
Step 8. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan, and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
Step 9. Make the lemon glaze: In a separate bowl, whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest very well. If it is too thick, thin the glaze by adding milk 1 teaspoon at a time. Adding milk dilutes the lemon flavor, so use it sparingly and only if necessary.
Step 10. Dunk completely cooled donuts in glaze for glazed donuts and enjoy!
Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
TOOLS FOR BAKED DOUGHNUTS RECIPES
There are a few tools I use in this recipe that I want to highlight because they make the process for baked doughnuts recipes super easy.
- Donut Pan – I have this exact pan, but I bought mine from Michaels with a 50% off coupon.
- Donut Hole Pan – I also bought this exact donut hole pan from Michaels with a coupon. Anytime I make donuts, I double the recipe and make both donuts and donut holes. I admit that the donut holes are addicting, but I can usually set enough aside to get breakfast for an extra day or two.
- Cookie Scoop – I have this #50 cookie scoop and it holds 1 ¼ Tablespoons of dough. Three scoops make one donut, and one slightly rounded scoop makes one donut hole. It helps to keep my donuts and donut holes uniform in size (and I also LOVE it for making Meatballs and Energy Bites!).
STRAWBERRY BAKED DONUT RECIPE TIPS
If you don’t have a donut pan, your donut fun doesn’t cease to exist. There’s a solution: any baked donut recipe (including this one and my Pumpkin Donut Recipe) can be baked in a muffin tin!
- For a full-size muffin pan like these, fill each muffin cup ¼ to ⅓ full, and you’ll have cute little donut muffins.
- Mini-muffin tins like these will give a muffin that looks more like a donut hole. I bet if you tell your kids that’s what it is, they won’t even second-guess you. After all, they still taste like donuts!
When glazing the cake donut recipe, place the glazed strawberry donuts on a wire rack over a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to catch any drips as the glaze sets.
CAN A REAL FOODIE EAT STRAWBERRY GLAZE DONUTS?
Can a real foodie even eat strawberry donuts? Absolutely! Even if you have specific macro or nutrition goals, you can still make this strawberry baked donut recipe part of the equation.
The best way to enjoy treats is to make them yourself. That way, you know exactly what goes in them, and you control the amount and the quality of the ingredients.
The other key step is to accurately track what you’re eating. In the case of donuts or donut holes, the portions are already easy to see. Just take the totals for the baked donut recipe and divide by how many you ended up with to find your calories and macros per donut.
Real life includes treats like donuts, not eliminating entire foods or food groups, and you can fit them into a balanced day. When you understand the nutrition of donuts and how it fits into your macro goals, you can supplement with protein so your meals are balanced.
RECIPE DONUTS BAKED FAQS
Can I fry baked donut recipes?
I haven’t tried it, but probably not. Baked donut recipes and fried donut recipes are usually formulated a bit differently.
How do you keep baked doughnuts recipes light and fluffy?
Dense donuts come from overmixing the donut batter, so make sure to only stir until the ingredients are combined and gently fold in the strawberries. This gives you a perfect light texture for the best baked donuts!
MORE YUMMY STRAWBERRY RECIPES
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- Strawberry Pancakes
- No Jello Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Strawberry Chocolate Granola Clusters
- Strawberry Kale Salad with Pecans and Blue Cheese
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Strawberry Lemonade Donuts
This strawberry lemonade baked donut recipe tastes like summer! Skip the cake mix and make these easy homemade glazed strawberry donuts instead.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 17 mins
- Yield: 6 donuts OR 20-24 donut holes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup milk (60g)
- 2 tsp lemon juice (about 1 large lemon, with extra) (10g)
- ¼ tsp vanilla (how to make homemade vanilla) (1.25g)
- ⅓ cup honey OR maple syrup (if you use honey, you will taste it in the final donut) (113g)
- 3 ½ Tbsp butter, melted (50g)
- 2 eggs (100g)
- 1 cup flour (I used all-purpose flour) (120g)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (about 1 large lemon, with extra) (2g)
- ¼ tsp salt (1.5g)
- 1 tsp baking powder (4g)
- ½ cup finely diced strawberries (83g)
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 large lemon) (30g)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (2g)
- 1–3 tsp milk (only if necessary) (5-15g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease the donut pan(s).
- In a small bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, vanilla, honey OR maple syrup, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, lemon zest, salt, and baking powder.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring JUST until they are mixed. Do not overmix!
- Fold in the strawberries gently.
- Portion dough into the donut pan(s), about 3½ tablespoons per donut, or 1 slightly heaping Tablespoon per donut hole.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes for donuts, or 9-11 minutes for donut holes, or until the donuts have risen and are lightly golden brown in color.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan, and then allow to cool completely before glazing.
- Make the Lemon Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest very well. Only if necessary, thin by adding milk 1 teaspoon at a time. Adding milk dilutes the lemon flavor, so use it sparingly and only if necessary.
- Dunk completely cooled donuts in glaze and enjoy!
Notes
Inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie.
Can these donuts be cut with a donut cutter? I do not have a donut pan.
Do you think it would be possible to make this as a cake in a cake pan?
Would you adjust the recipe at all? I was just thinking, if it worked, it would be delicious as my daughter’s birthday cake. Thanks!
HI Jennifer,
We haven’t tried this recipe as a cake. But if you wanted to try it in a cake pan, we don’t see why it wouldn’t work with the same measurements. It actually sounds like a delicious birthday cake. Let us know how it comes out. 🙂
i absolutely love the subtle sweet flavor in the dough with the bite of lemon zest. the glaze is inCREDIBLE and i topped it with fresh strawberries. my bf is more of a sweeeet donut fan, he suggests if you ade too to add 1/4 c brown sugar into the melted butter before including it in the wet ingredients for a much deeper sweet flavor in the batter.
i prefer the recipe as is. thank you for sharing!
Hello Stephanie,
We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the suggestion!
Could you substitute einkorn for this recipe, and if so, how much flour would you suggest? These look amazing!
Tina, yes just add 1.5 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp salt for every 1 cup of substitute flour if you are not using self rising flour.
Can I fry these if I have a donut depositor!
I don’t think so Anibal. I’ve read a few fried donut recipes and they’re not quite the same. You can always try though, if you feel like experimenting!
Hi i made these and i was wondering why the top wasnt brown…am i doing something wrong??? It looks beautiful when i take them out of the pan but the top is so flat and not round
Hi Latoya! My donuts didn’t “brown” like a typical baked good would, but they were mostly round… I don’t recommend over-filling the pan because that just got messy (ask me how I know!) but you can maybe add 1/2 – 1 Tbsp more batter to each donut. If my donuts seem overly round in the images, I might have flipped them over!
Usually when I have muffins or cupcakes and the like that are too flat, it means I need some new baking powder.
If I do want to use sugar what will be the measurement?
Still 1/3 cup Eri!
Just made these! DELICIOUS!
Could these be frozen? Thanks for great recipes.
So glad you liked them Erin! Yes, the donuts can be frozen. I recommend freezing after baking, and thawing at room temp before eating. I’d also recommend glazing AFTER they’re thawed, if you’re going that route. The glaze can be made and stored in the fridge, so you’re not making glaze every morning. 🙂
When I’ve made doughnuts in the past I’ve deep fried them…I know this isn’t as healthy as baking them but I don’t have doughnut pans. Could I deep fry for this recipe too?
I haven’t deep fried this recipe Melissa, nor any other donut recipe, so I honestly can’t say if it would work. You can, however, make these in a muffin tin! They won’t be shaped the same, but they’ll still taste just as great. 🙂
Can other types of flour be used?
I’m sure they could Ella. I bet AP, bread flour and white whole wheat flour could be easily subbed w/o effecting the outcome in taste or texture. Red whole wheat would likely be too heavy, so I’d only sub partial.
Would Almond Flour work for this recipe? They look delicious!
Hi Cheryl! If you are comfortable in baking with almond flour in GF recipes, you could probably make this work (assuming you’re using an almond/coconut/starch blend). If you mean straight sub 100% for almond flour, I wouldn’t recommend it.
When you say you tested without eggs do you mean you left them out or you use a sub?
Hi Helen! I answered above in more detail, but I left them out. 🙂
Perfect, thank you so much! No I’ll definitely make them – I was worried it would make dozens of regular donuts, which is too much for my husband and I to go through!
About how many donuts, or donut holes does this make? Thank you! These look delicious, and strawbeerries are at their peak right now where I live!
Oops! Sorry about that Joanna! As written, this makes 6-7 donuts OR 20-24 donut holes. I have both a donut pan and donut hole pan, so I like to double the recipe, fill up both pans and then make more donuts with whatever batter is leftover. 🙂
How many eggs? 2 or 4? The “2 eggs” is listed twice.
Just 2 eggs! I’ll update the recipe. Thanks!
No sugar?
Angie, the honey or maple syrup is sweetener in the dough and powder sugar is in the glaze.
What did you use as an egg substitute?
Hi Helen! There is no substitute – just leave them out. They don’t hold together quite as well though, and taste less a baked good (if that makes sense). If you omit the eggs, allow the donut to cool completely in the pan before you try to remove, and then be very careful when you do. The batch without eggs broke easily in my hands, even when I was careful.
If you do substitute with something else, be sure to choose an egg substitute option that includes binding, like flax egg.
Leaving them out definitely makes them not hold together. I definitely would’ve tested them out with flax. Hmm
Can I substitute milk for almond milk?
Yes!
These turned out delicious! I’ll definitely make them again. They turned out pefectly and were a fantastic way to use some of the strawberries from the garden 🙂