Vegan + gluten free donuts that taste JUST as good as the real deal! I’m tellin ya, these are delish. Mother’s Day is this weekend and my Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts are the perfect light/healthy sweet treat to make for breakfast or brunch. I love all things lemon and these are just what I want to eat on Mother’s Day morning, preferably brought to me in bed with a cup of coffee! The donuts are baked instead of fried making them much quicker and easier to make. You can even make them the night before so there’s no stress the day of. Super simple, full of flavor & guilt free!
Vegan + GF Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts
Ingredients:
DONUT BATTER:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest from 2 lemons
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoon Earth Balance vegan butter, melted
1 flax egg (in a small bowl combine 1 Tablespoon ground flax + 2 Tablespoons water, let set for 2 mins)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond, coconut or soy milk
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 Tablespoon poppy seeds
GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoons soy creamer (or dairy free milk/cream)
Juice from 1 lemon
Lemon zest, poppy seeds + edible flowers for garnish
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In large bowl or mixer fitted with paddle attachment mix melted coconut oil, melted vegan butter, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, flax egg and lemon zest to combine. Add in almond milk (or dairy free milk of your choice) and lemon juice, mix.
In a separate bowl sift together gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in almond flour and stir to combine.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then add in the poppy seeds and mix until smooth. Make sure everything is combined and there are no lumps. But do not over mix!
Spray the donut pans with pan spray. Spoon the batter into the donut pans, or using a piping bag, pipe the mixture into the pans just slightly under the rim.
Place into the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes until slightly golden and the cake springs back when touched.
Remove from oven and let set for a second before turning pans over onto a cooling wrack and popping out the donuts. Let the donuts cool completely before dipping into glaze. For best results allow them to cool before tasting, the texture will develop as the donuts cool.
While your donuts are cooling make the lemon glaze. Place powdered sugar, soy creamer (or dairy free milk) & lemon juice into a small bowl and whisk until smooth. You can add more dairy free cream if the mixture is too thick or more powdered sugar if it is too thin. It should look glossy and be of dipping consistency. Dip your donuts into the glaze and place onto a parchment lined tray.
Once all of the donuts have been dipped you can garnish with lemon zest, poppy seeds & edible flowers. (viola, pansy, nasturtium, marigold, etc)
Let the donuts hang out until the glaze has set (try not to dig in quite yet!)
Store the donuts in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
These donuts are so delicious & perfect Mother’s Day or any day for that matter. Simple to make & almost too pretty to eat! (almost)
Enjoy!
