Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts

Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts Recipe

Nature has its own interesting way of balancing things out. Just when the temperatures drop and it is cold and flu season, healthy, vitamin C packed citrus is readily available.

When I was a kid, my mom always made a honey lemon concoction for us to drink during cold and flu season, it supposedly helped ward off said diseases and if not, it made us feel better if we did fall ill.

With this in mind I came up with a new way to get a nice dose of citrus and honey – DONUTS!

These Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts are pretty darn healthy; they are baked, not fried, contain no gluten, no grain, no starch, no dairy, and no refined sugar and are packed with protein. And as an added bonus, they are absolutely delicious!

If you don’t have a donut pan then you have two options – 1. Go out and get one or 2. Make these into muffins instead. For muffins you just need to bake them 5 minutes longer. And while I am a huge fan of paper cupcake liners for cupcakes and muffins, these really come out better when you bake them in the pan with no liners; the muffins have a tendency to stick to the paper and I also prefer the way the outside of the muffin comes out when baked directly in the pan. Just grease up the muffin tins, sprinkle in a little almond flour then add the batter. They come out of the pans beautifully.

About the ingredients in this recipe:

For years I have almost stubbornly refused to try Honeyville blanched almond flour. They sell Bob’s Red Mills almond flour at my local “regular” grocery store so I don’t have to buy it online and if I am out and the urge to bake with almond flour strikes me, all I have to do is run to the store. Recently, I ordered some almond flour from Honeyville and tried it out. The verdict? It really does bake up better. It is drier which gives baked goods a lighter texture. To my surprise, it was a noticeable difference. Will I still bake with Bob’s if I happen to run out? Yes! It has served me well for many years.

For both the donuts and the frosting I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Honey; it is thick and creamy, not runny. It made the frosting very creamy and spreadable. If you use a runny honey, you may end up with more of a glaze than a frosting.

In the donuts I used grapeseed oil, I love it because it is neutral in flavor, bakes well and you can even fry with it as it withstands high temperatures. You could use any neutral flavored vegetable oil instead or even coconut oil but I really wanted to let the flavors of the honey and lemon shine through without even the slightest hint of coconut flavor.

For the frosting I used organic, all vegetable non-hydrogenated, vegetable shortening from Spectrum, it is made with palm oil. It whips up very nicely but again, if you prefer you could use coconut oil. The consistency may be a little different but I am sure it will still be delicious.

I urge you to use organic lemons since you are using the zest which is on the outside of the fruit. You will need about 4 lemons depending on how juicy and big they are. Don’t even think about using that bottled stuff, please just don’t do it!

About the method:

I prefer these made in the food processor; the batter is much smoother and the texture of the final product is finer. If you don’t have a food processor, no worries; you can make these in a blender, mixer, hand beater or even by hand. The batter is very thick and makes it difficult to get it all out of the blender which is why I don’t prefer that method (you could lose as much as one donut!) If you use a mixer, hand beater or make by hand the texture will not be as smooth but if you are not comparing them side by side, you may never notice the difference. In this case, whisk the dry ingredients together in one mixing bowl, beat the wet ingredients in another until the eggs are pale, and then combine the two adding the wet ingredients to the dry.

I used a hand beater for the frosting, there is no way that I have the energy or desire to whisk it long enough by hand to make creamy. If you have killer biceps – go for it!

To get the batter evenly into the donut pans, I put the batter into a large food storage bag, snip off about ½ inch of one corner and squeeze the batter into the donut indentations, much like using a piping bag. I just find it easier but you can always just spoon the batter in and smooth it with a knife or offset spatula.

My honey Lemon Donuts may not be the next penicillin but they sure aren’t bad for you and they are oh so good to eat!

gluten free honey lemon donuts and muffins

1 from 1 vote
Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts
Print Recipe

Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts Recipe

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Cooling Time5 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 donuts
Calories: 334kcal
Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

Honey Lemon Donuts

  • Gluten free non-stick cooking spray
  • cups finely ground blanched almond flour plus more for preparing the pans
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral tasting oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Honey Lemon Frosting

Instructions

Honey Lemon Donuts

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 donut pans with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little almond flour.
  • In the food processor, combine the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the remaining donut ingredients and process until the batter is smooth, about 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly among the donut indentations, smooth the tops and bake for 10 minutes or until they spring back when touched lightly. Do not overcook the donuts or they will be dry. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Honey Lemon Frosting

  • Combine the shortening, honey, lemon juice and zest in a medium mixing bowl and beat with a hand beater until smooth and fluffy. Your mixture may become curdled looking, if so just keep beating until it is smooth. Frost cooled donuts.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 334 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Cholesterol 40mg13%
Sodium 159mg7%
Potassium 27mg1%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 60IU1%
Vitamin C 4.2mg5%
Calcium 56mg6%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
Tags: Dairy Free Doughnuts Honey Lemon Muffins
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  1. Amie
    October 21, 2013

    I am required to eat egg-yolk free for the time being, do you think this recipe would work well using just egg whites?

    1. CarolKicinski
      October 23, 2013

      Yes, use 2 egg whites for every whole egg. Enjoy!

  2. Alysun
    November 22, 2013

    Would it work well with Ener-g Egg replacer? Or maybe chia seeds? My son can’t have eggs, but these sound so yummy… :)

    1. CarolKicinski
      November 23, 2013

      Hi Alysun, I have not tried it but it is worth a shot. You can also substitute each egg with 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce plus 1 teaspoon baking powder, this may work as well. Good luck and let me know!

      1. Alysun
        November 26, 2013

        Made them yesterday with the Ener-G egg replacer, and they were a huge hit! I brought them to our Bible study…all 24 donuts were gone and I gave them the link to your recipe. :) Thanks for a delicious breakfast treat I can feel good about feeding my family!

        1. CarolKicinski
          November 26, 2013

          Thank you Alysun for letting me know that they worked with the egg replacer! I get so many questions about that. I really appreciate you reporting back and letting us all know. Thanks and have a lovely Holiday.

  3. August 24, 2015

    I featured this recipe on my 7 Paleo Donut Recipes to Try round up. They look amazing! Thanks for sharing :)

    http://www.domestic360life.com/blog/7-paleo-donut-recipes-to-try/

  4. Pingback: Gluten Free Honey Lemon Donuts Recipe | Martian on Earth

  5. Pingback: Gluten Free Dairy Free Mexican Bread Pudding Recipe | Simply Gluten Free

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