Daylight savings has come and gone, the calendar swears it is spring, and Vancouver, as always, has not received the memo. It is still cold, still grey, still very much wet out there. So today I am making my own sunshine the only way I know how, with a very big batch of pretty pink lemon raspberry donuts that taste exactly like the season we are all waiting for.
These are the buttermilk baked donuts I have been making every spring since I first shared them back in 2017, now retested and rewritten for 2026 with better tips, a more reliable glaze, and answers to every question you have sent me over the years. Light, tender, lemon-flecked donuts dipped in a sweet-tart raspberry glaze, finished with whatever sprinkles make you happiest. No deep fryer, no fuss, no excuses.
Table of Contents
What Are Baked Lemon Raspberry Donuts?
Baked lemon raspberry donuts are ring-shaped, cake-style donuts baked in a donut pan rather than fried in oil. The batter is built around buttermilk, fresh lemon zest, and melted butter for a soft crumb, then the cooled donuts are dipped in a glossy icing-sugar glaze sweetened with raspberry puree and brightened with fresh lemon juice. They are ready in about 30 minutes start to finish and make 8 to 12 donuts depending on your pan.
Lemon Raspberry Donuts Recipe At a Glance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 9 to 10 minutes |
| Total time | 30 minutes (plus cooling) |
| Servings | 8 to 12 donuts |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Approx. calories | 235 per glazed donut |
| Cuisine | American / Canadian baking |
Here is exactly what you will get from this post: the original buttermilk donut recipe I have been making for years, a thicker glaze that actually sets instead of sliding off, the frozen raspberry workaround everyone asks about, and a short troubleshooting section so your first batch turns out the way mine does.
Why This Lemon Raspberry Donuts Recipe Works
Buttermilk does most of the heavy lifting here. Its acidity tenderises the gluten and reacts with the baking soda, so the donuts puff in the pan and stay soft for days instead of going dry by lunchtime, the way oil-based baked donuts often do. King Arthur Baking has a great primer on how buttermilk affects baked goods if you want the science.
Two tablespoons of fresh lemon zest goes into the batter, not lemon juice. Zest carries the oils where the flavour actually lives, and adding juice to the batter would throw off the acid balance and make the donuts gummy. The lemon juice goes into the glaze instead, where it gets to sing.
The raspberry stays in the glaze too, as a puree, rather than folded into the batter. I tried it both ways over a few rounds of testing and folded raspberries weighed down the crumb and turned patches of the donut purple-grey. Glaze keeps the donuts looking pink and pretty, the raspberry flavour clean, and the texture light. If you do love raspberries baked right into the dough though, my raspberry jam filled donuts take the fruit-forward route in a totally different way.
Ingredients You Will Need
For the baked lemon donuts
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (about 2 large lemons)
For the lemon raspberry glaze
- 3 1/2 cups icing sugar (powdered / confectioners’ sugar), sifted
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp raspberry puree (from about 1/4 cup fresh or thawed raspberries, pushed through a sieve)
- 1/2 tbsp corn syrup (optional, for shine and a glaze that sets cleanly)
- A couple drops of pure vanilla extract
- Sprinkles for decorating (optional but very encouraged)
A few notes on the ingredients
Buttermilk. Real cultured buttermilk is best. If you do not have any, the homemade soured-milk swap works fine: 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a 1-cup measure, topped up with whole milk, stirred and rested for 5 minutes until it looks slightly curdled. It is a small compromise on flavour, but the texture holds.
Butter. Unsalted, melted, and cooled until just warm to the touch. Hot melted butter will start to cook the eggs the moment you whisk it in, and you will see streaks in the finished donuts.
Lemons. You want unwaxed lemons if you can find them, since you are eating the zest. Wash them in warm water either way. Zest before you juice, every single time, because zesting a juiced lemon is one of those small kitchen miseries no one warns you about.
Raspberries. Fresh in spring and summer, frozen and thawed the rest of the year. Frozen actually breaks down into puree more easily, so do not feel like you are settling. Push the puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds, otherwise your glaze ends up looking speckled and the seeds wedge themselves between teeth.
Equipment
- One standard donut pan (mine is a 6-cavity Wilton, you will need to bake two batches)
- Two mixing bowls
- A whisk and a flexible spatula
- A piping bag, or a large zip-top bag with one corner snipped off
- A wire cooling rack
- A fine-mesh sieve for the raspberry puree
A piping bag is the single biggest difference between donuts that look tidy and donuts that look like they melted. You do not need a fancy one, a sandwich bag works.
How to Make Baked Lemon Raspberry Donuts
Step 1 – Preheat and prep
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease the donut pan well with softened butter or non-stick spray, getting into the inner ring of every cavity. This is where donuts most often stick.
Step 2 – Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar until evenly combined. Make a well in the centre and set the bowl aside.
Step 3 – Whisk the wet ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs lightly, then add the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter while whisking, so it emulsifies instead of pooling on the surface.
Step 4 – Combine, gently
Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry. Using a flexible spatula, fold the batter together with about 15 to 20 strokes, just until you no longer see dry flour. A few floury streaks are fine. The batter should look thick and slightly lumpy. Stop here. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you tough, dense donuts every time.
Step 5 – Pipe into the pan
Spoon the batter into your piping bag or zip-top bag. Snip a 1/2 inch opening at the tip. Pipe the batter into the donut cavities, filling each about 2/3 full. Do not cover the centre post or your donuts will lose their hole and turn into puffy ovals.
Step 6 – Bake
Bake on the centre rack for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown and the tops spring back when you press them lightly with a fingertip. A toothpick inserted near the ring should come out clean or with a crumb or two clinging to it.
Step 7 – Cool
Let the donuts cool in the pan on a wire rack for 3 minutes, then gently turn the pan over and tap the donuts out onto the rack. Cool completely to room temperature before glazing, otherwise the heat will turn your glaze into a sad puddle. This is the single most important step, so resist.
Step 8 – Make the glaze
While the donuts cool, prepare your raspberry puree by mashing the raspberries with a fork and pushing them through a fine sieve into a small bowl. Discard the seeds.
In a large bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of warm water until smooth. Whisk in the corn syrup, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of raspberry puree until the glaze is a soft, pretty pink and the consistency of thick honey, pourable but not runny. If it is too stiff, add another tablespoon of warm water. If it is too thin, add icing sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time.
Step 9 – Dip and decorate
Once the donuts are completely cool, hold one by the sides and dip the smooth bottom (the side that sat inside the pan) into the glaze. Lift, let the excess drip off for a few seconds, and run a finger around the edge to catch any drips. Place glaze-side-up on the wire rack to set.
If you are adding sprinkles, scatter them on while the glaze is still wet. They will not stick to a glaze that has started to crust.
Let the donuts set for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. The glaze will go from glossy to soft-matte when it is ready.
Pro Tips After Many, Many Batches
- Zest before you juice. Every time. Always. I will never stop saying this.
- Weigh your raspberries if you can. A loose 1/4 cup of small raspberries and a packed 1/4 cup of giant ones are not the same amount, and your puree will be inconsistent.
- Do not skip the corn syrup. It is a small amount but it does two real jobs, it adds shine and it stops the glaze from going chalky as it dries. Honey can sub but it tints the glaze.
- Pipe, do not spoon. Spooning is how you end up with weirdly shaped donuts and batter all over the centre post.
- Bake one pan at a time on the centre rack. Two pans on different racks bake unevenly. The second pan is worth the extra ten minutes.
Variations to Try
- Lemon blueberry donuts. Swap the raspberry puree in the glaze for blueberry puree. Slightly less tart, gorgeous deep purple colour.
- Lemon raspberry old-fashioned style. Add 1/4 cup of sour cream to the batter and reduce the buttermilk to 3/4 cup. The crumb gets denser and slightly tangier, more like an old-fashioned donut.
- Strawberry lemon donuts. Strawberry puree works as a one-to-one swap for the raspberry. Push through the sieve the same way.
- Mini donuts. Use a mini donut pan and reduce the bake time to 6 to 7 minutes. You will get 24 to 30 tiny donuts, perfect for a brunch table.
- Yeast donut craving instead? When I want the soft, pillowy, deep-fried kind, my perfect yeast doughnuts are the recipe I reach for. Totally different texture, same morning-treat energy.
- Gluten free. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour (the kind that contains xanthan gum, like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Measure for Measure) works as a straight swap. The crumb is slightly more fragile but the flavour is the same.
Can I Use Frozen Raspberries?
Yes, and honestly, frozen are often better for the puree because the cell walls have already broken down. Pull out 1/4 cup of frozen raspberries, let them thaw in a bowl for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature, then mash and push through your sieve as usual. Do not microwave to thaw, you will cook them and the puree will taste jammy instead of fresh.
If you want frozen berries to make another appearance, my puff pastry berry hand pies are built around them and forgive a lot of berry sins.
How to Store, Make Ahead and Freeze
Counter. Glazed donuts keep well in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Slip a piece of parchment between the layers if you have to stack them. The glaze stays glossy, the crumb stays soft.
Fridge. I do not love refrigerating baked donuts, the cold dries them out. If you must, wrap each one individually in plastic and bring back to room temperature before serving. Up to 4 days.
Make ahead. You can bake the donuts the night before, store them unglazed in an airtight container at room temperature, and glaze them in the morning. The glaze takes about 5 minutes to put together.
Freezer. Freeze unglazed donuts in a single layer on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for an hour, then glaze fresh. Freezing glazed donuts works in a pinch but the glaze will crackle and weep a little as it thaws.
Serving Suggestions
These were built for spring brunch and they know it. Pile them on a cake stand next to a tray of skillet cinnamon buns, a bowl of strawberries, and a big pot of Earl Grey, and you have a tea-party situation people will talk about for weeks.
For an Easter or Mother’s Day spread in September, I would serve these alongside a stack of warm blueberries and cream pastry puffs and a basket of spiced banana rhubarb muffins for the savory-leaning crowd. For an afternoon coffee on a normal Tuesday, one warm donut, one cup of dark coffee, no apologies.
Quick Troubleshooting
- My donuts are dense and tough. You overmixed. Next time, fold just until the flour disappears and stop, even if it looks slightly underdone.
- My donuts stuck to the pan. Grease more aggressively next time, especially the inner ring, and let them sit in the pan for the full 3 minutes (no longer than 5) before turning out.
- My glaze is dripping right off the donut. Either the donut was too warm, the glaze was too thin, or both. Let the donuts cool completely and add icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a line drawn through it.
- My glaze cracked as it set. Usually too much icing sugar relative to liquid, or no corn syrup. A teaspoon of corn syrup or honey whisked in will rescue the next batch.
- My donuts look pale on top. Cake donuts brown more on the bottom than the top. That is normal. If the bottom is golden and the top springs back, they are done.
FAQ
How long do baked lemon raspberry donuts stay fresh?
Two days at room temperature in an airtight container, four days in the fridge if you wrap them individually, and up to two months in the freezer if you freeze them unglazed.
Can I make these donuts without a donut pan?
You can bake the batter in a mini muffin pan for 11 to 13 minutes and call them donut holes, but you will not get the ring shape without a pan. A six-cavity donut pan costs about $10 and pays for itself by the second batch.
Why are my baked donuts dry?
Two likely culprits, you overbaked them (even an extra minute matters at this size) or you overmixed the batter. Pull them at 9 minutes the first time and check, you can always give them another 30 seconds.
Can I use lemon extract instead of zest?
You can, but please do not. Lemon extract tastes flat and slightly chemical compared to fresh zest, and zest is what makes these donuts taste like spring instead of like a candle. If you absolutely must, use 1 teaspoon of lemon extract in place of the zest.
Are baked donuts healthier than fried donuts?
They are lighter, yes. The USDA notes that fried foods absorb a meaningful amount of their cooking oil, which adds significant calories and fat per serving, while baked goods do not. These are still donuts though, with sugar and butter and glaze, so let us call them a happy treat, not health food.
Can I double the recipe?
Easily. Double everything except the salt, where I would use 3/8 teaspoon instead of a full half. Bake in batches so the donut pan does not overcrowd the oven.
What is the best buttermilk substitute?
The vinegar-and-milk swap is the most reliable: 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice topped up to 1 cup with whole milk, rested for 5 minutes. Plain yogurt thinned with milk (3/4 cup yogurt plus 1/4 cup milk) also works and gives a slightly richer crumb.
A Little Sunshine in a Donut
Spring in Vancouver still cannot be trusted to actually feel like spring, so I will keep making my own. These lemon raspberry donuts are soft, bright, properly pink, and the kind of thing that makes a Tuesday morning feel like a small celebration. Make them for someone you love or just for yourself with a quiet cup of tea, and I promise the grey outside will bother you a little less.
If you bake a batch, leave a rating and a comment below to tell me how they turned out, especially if you try one of the variations. Pin this one for later, and happy baking, friends.
KP xoxo