I’m not gonna lie, one of the things I have missed the most during this pandemic (aside from the obvious stuff) are baked goods from my favorite local gluten-free and vegan bakery. I used to see a client in that neighborhood weekly, and it became a tradition of sorts to pick up a little treat after our sessions.

They have amazing GF and vegan donuts, but they also have this lemon loaf with a pink-colored lemon frosting that I could probably lick by the spoonful. When one of my favorite food brands asked me to bake a spring-y recipe for a partnership, I jumped at the chance to create a little twist on the lemon loaf I love so much.

Enter these Lemon Raspberry Donuts that happen to be gluten-free, vegan, and nut-free, whaaaaat. The texture is deliciously moist yet fluffy, and the lemon zest pairs perfectly with the somewhat nutty flavor of the gluten-free flours used in this recipe. Benny would not stop following me around (as you can see in the photo below) when I was trying to shoot photos of these donuts because they smelled so good.

Donuts can seem intimidating if you’ve never made them before, but they’re surprisingly easy to put together— and they bake up in 10 minutes, so if patience is not your best virtue, these are a great option to satisfy that sweet tooth. I also love that the beautiful pink color of the frosting comes straight from crushed raspberries — no artificial coloring needed here!

Lemon Raspberry Donuts (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free)

makes 6 donuts

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean Flour
3/4 cup Cassava Flour
1/4 cup Quinoa Flour (can sub Brown Rice Flour)
[*TIP: You can sub 1.5 cup of all-purpose GF flour to simplify things, but the flavor will be a bit different!]
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

WET INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 cup Mylk of your choice (I used Oat)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp grated Lemon Zest (+ 1 tbsp for garnish if desired)
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Oil (use olive, avocado, or coconut) + extra to grease pan
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

FOR RASPBERRY FROSTING
1 cup of Confectioner’s Sugar (Powdered Sugar) + additional if needed for desired consistency
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Raspberry Juice (crush raspberries with a fork in a strainer, to remove ‘pulp’)

Tools needed: Donut Pan (I have this one)

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease donut pan.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour, cassava flour, quinoa flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

3. In small dish, combine mylk with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Stir and set aside to ‘curdle,’ like a “buttermilk.”

4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine coconut sugar, applesauce, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Add in the “buttermilk,” and stir well to combine.

5. Add the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine evenly. Using a spoon, scoop batter into the greased donut pan and distribute evenly. Batter should fill donut pan to be level, as the batter will rise while baking.

6. Place donut pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Immediately transfer over to a wire rack and let cool completely.

7. While donuts are cooling, combine ingredients for frosting in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork until smooth. If the frostingtoo runny, add more confectioner’s sugar, or if too stiff, add a few drops of lemon juice. Once donuts are cool, use a spoon to drizzle the frosting over donuts on the wire rack. Let the frosting set, and enjoy!

   When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, donuts will last up to 5-6 days, or you can freeze them too!