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Baked Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

by 60 Comments

Sweet and zesty, these easy Baked Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts are vegan, allergy-free, and topped with a simple sugar-free glaze! A quick spring or summer citrus recipe for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! One bowl and 12 minutes to baked donut perfection!

two gluten-free lemon poppy seed doughnuts stacked

A sweet citrus treat always sounds like a good idea to brighten someone’s day! Lemon poppy seed is such a classic combo and for a good reason! It has that zesty lemon pop, balanced sweetness, and fun addition of the poppy seeds! From cake, muffins, to doughnuts, lemon poppy seed is perfect for bringing out the smiles and elevating the mood! Eating these doughnuts is just like taking a bite of sunshine (pun intended)!

unglazed lemon poppy seed doughnuts on wire rack

Ingredients for lemon poppy seed doughnuts

You’re going to need the two essentials: lemon and poppy seeds. All the ingredients for these gluten-free doughnuts are simple pantry staples, except the poppy seeds which you may need to buy! No worries, they are super common and easy to find in any grocery’s spice and herb section (or online, cause…you know). You only need 8 things to make these zesty doughnuts and simple sweet glaze!

What you need:

gluten-free lemon poppy seed doughnuts on a wire rack with a lemon

How to make gluten-free lemon poppy seed doughnuts

As with any good baked doughnut recipe you just need to mix up your batter, divide it up into your donut pan (you bought one like I told you, right?), bake them up in the oven, let them cool, and dip them into a simple glaze! Of course, we have to take it a step further for aesthetics and sprinkle on some extra poppy seeds (like little black allergy-free sprinkles) and a nice dose of fresh lemon zest (get that Microplane out!) This recipe makes 6 doughnuts and only takes 12 minutes! That gives you plenty of time to make a dozen doughnuts….or 2 dozen.

half eaten gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed doughnut with glaze

What does lemon poppy seed taste like?

It just tastes like…sweet lemon? You don’t taste the poppy seeds. The only way to actually get poppy seed flavor would be literally taking a spoon full of poppy seeds and eating them or biting into a plain heavily poppy seeded bagel! The poppy seeds are so distributed throughout the batter (whether that’s a lemon poppy seed cake, muffin, or doughnut!) that you never really get a poppy seed taste! I think the poppy seeds are there just for the look. There actually are benefits to poppy seeds when taken for supplemental reasons!

Poppy Seed Benefits:

  • They’re good for digestion and keeping things moving, and contain 2g of fiber per tablespoon.
  • They’re loaded with calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, and antioxidants.
  • Great for bone health, immune health, and oxygen flow in the bloodstream.
  • The oxygen and iron make them great for brain health, cognitive function, and reducing blood pressure!
  • They also have a nice dose of magnesium, making them great for a pre-bed ritual for sleep!

hand grabbing a glazed gluten-free lemon poppy seed doughnuts

Great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

The emphasis on the lemon makes these doughnuts great for breakfast and brunch, and that poppy seed magnesium makes them great for dessert 😉 A homemade baked doughnut really can be a breakfast or dessert; there is no wrong way or wrong time for having a healthy baked treat! These are gluten-free, vegan, allergy-free, sugar-free, and oil-free!

How to serve them

These are best served chilled! Once you bake, cool, and dip them into the simple glaze, keeping them at room temperature or in the fridge is best for taste and storage. Warm lemon doughnuts just does not sound good to me! However, I’m also someone who doesn’t like the thought of warm lemon water in the morning…

More lemon poppy seed recipes:

Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts

overhead view of three lemon poppy seed doughnuts on a white plate

Print

Baked Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

half eaten gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed doughnut with glaze

★★★★★

5 from 10 reviews

Sweet and zesty, these easy Baked Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts are vegan, allergy-free, and topped with a simple sugar-free glaze! A quick spring or summer citrus recipe for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! One bowl and 12 minutes to baked donut perfection!

Scale

Ingredients

Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts:

Simple Glaze:

Additional Toppings:

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the doughnut ingredients together in order. Mix well until you have a thick doughnut batter.
  3. Grease a non-stick 6-cavity donut pan and spoon out the doughnut batter evenly among the six cavities (you’ll have a bit left over), smooth out the tops.
  4. Bake the doughnuts in the oven for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and gently remove the doughnuts from the pan to allow them to cool on a wire rack.
  5. To make the glaze, mix together the powdered sweetener and lemon juice in a large bowl until you achieve a dripping mixture.
  6. Dunk the tops of the cooled doughnuts in the glaze and place them bake on a wire rack before sprinkling on additional poppy seeds and lemon zest.
  7. Serve chilled or store in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1

Keywords: doughnuts, donuts, lemon, poppy seeds, baked doughnuts, lemon poppy seed, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, allergy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, fish-free, sesame-free, kid-friendly, oil-free, sugar-free

eaten vegan lemon poppy seed doughnut on a grey plate

A rather healthy cake doughnut, if I do say so! They are just perfect for spring and summer, but I’m not one to shun a lemon poppy seed goodie during the winter either! Lemon poppy seed is such a classic combo, it deserves to be enjoyed year-round (and for any meal!)

More healthy doughnut recipes:

So tell me:

+ What’s your favorite food using the classic lemon poppy seed combo?

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Comments

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      If you would like a grain-free doughnut recipe, I have plenty of those. Please browse the recipe index.

      Reply

  11. Devon Harris says

    Oh my god. These look absolutely incredible– lemon poppyseed is my favorite! I will be making these soon and will be sure to let you know how much I love them. Thanks for sharing!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Christa says

    I love lemon and poppyseed muffins but have never had that flavor doughnut. They look delicious! I can’t wait to try them. 😀

    Reply

  17. Kate says

    These look so pretty and always good to have gluten-free recipes. Having said that lemon needs to very delicate for me to like it in food.

    Reply

  20. Nicole says

    I love almost anything with poppy seeds in it. You make this recipe sound so easy and they sound so delicious! I can’t wait to give these a try.

    Reply

  21. Huda says

    Ive honestly never tried anything gluten free but this looks absolutely delicious and i love the alternative ingredients! Might actually try this weekend 🙂

    Reply

  23. Dee | Grammy's Grid says

    YUM! Sounds tasty and I like the idea of baking in the oven instead of frying in oil. Pinned ♥

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  26. Joe @ ThriveCuisine says

    A sugar-free and gluten-free donut? I can’t wait to try this for our gluten-free friends.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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rebecca

Meet Rebecca

Hey there, welcome to Strength and Sunshine! I’m Rebecca and I’m so glad you’re here! This is your go-to destination for delicious, fun, and (mostly) healthy gluten-free and allergy-free recipes, tips & tricks, advice, as well as celiac and food allergy coaching services!

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