Gluten-Free & sugar-free lemon raspberry donuts with lemon cream cheese glaze. These donuts feature a light and airy lemon donut studded with chunks of raspberries then topped with a luscious sweet and tangy lemon cream cheese frosting.
The Best Summery GF Lemon Raspberry Donuts
These fresh, light and airy, and delicious GF lemon raspberry donuts are perfect for summer! They feature a gluten-free light and airy lemon flavored donut studded with fresh raspberries. The donuts are glazed in a sweet and tart lemon cream cheese glaze. Finally, the donuts are finished with freeze dried raspberries for extra raspberry flavor and crunch.
The donuts are not only ridiculously delicious, they are also gluten-free and sugar-free! Yaas! It’s a guiltless treat that will help you keep that beach body intact while still allowing you to enjoy delicious donuts all summer long!
Main Ingredients for GF lemon raspberry donuts
Here is what I used to make these delicious donuts:
- Gluten-free all purpose flour blend, make sure to select a 1:1 GF all purpose flour blend so you can seamlessly swap it for regular all purpose flour. It creates a light, tender donut that’s also gluten-free and more allergy friendly. Of course, regular all purpose flour works too!
- Whole Earth Sweetener allulose baking blend and Erythritol powdered sugar, by now, you know I love Whole Earth Sweetener’s allulose baking blend. It tastes, looks, and bakes just like white sugar but is sugar-free and calories free. It’s magic and my favorite sugar alternative! It’s also 1:1 for measuring, so makes for an easy substitution for white sugar. Whole Earth also just came out with a Erythritol powdered sugar (which will be in stores very soon!). It allows me to finally make healthier versions of my favorite frostings, like the lemon cream cheese glaze that tops these donuts.
- lemon, I use both zest and juice in the donuts and a touch of juice in the glaze to create a tart and fresh flavor that compliments the raspberries and screams summer!
- raspberries, goes beautifully with lemon for a sweet and tart flavor explosion. I keep the raspberries chunky in the donuts so you get a nice raspberry punch in each bite!
- vegetable oil, or other neutral oil of choice (like walnut oil), keeps these donuts super moist and delicious while allowing the lemon and raspberry flavors to shine.
- eggs and almond milk, the eggs help add structure and bind the donuts together. The milk adds moisture for a smooth and creamy batter. I mix the lemon juice with the almond milk and let it sit for 5 minutes to create a buttermilk like consistency and taste which makes these donuts even more delicious!
- a touch of nutmeg, gives these donuts a fresh, bakery style taste! The touch of nutmeg (I do prefer freshly grated) helps make the other flavors sing while adding just a touch of warmth.
Tips for making these GF lemon raspberry donuts
- Use a good GF flour blend, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill, the ratios will be just right and create a light and airy donut that you cannot even tell is gluten-free!
- When mixing the batter, make sure to gently mix and stir until just combined so you have a smooth batter. Mixing too aggressively or long will result in a gummy or tough donut.
- Make sure all of your ingredients for the batter are at room temperature, which allows you to more easily mix together the ingredients for a silky smooth batter.
- Gently crush raspberries before mixing in, this allows the raspberries to release some of their juices and mix into the batter but still be studded throughout the batter. But they should still be slightly intact and NOT a jam like consistency.
- use piping bag to fill donut cavities, this allows you to evenly and cleanly fill the donut cavities
- fill the cavities 2/3 of the way full – if you fill it too much, the donuts will not hold their shape and ooze out of the pan.
- allow the donuts to cool completely before frosting, if the donuts are too hot, the glaze will melt and you will have a sticky mess!
- add salt to batter and frosting (as directed in instructions), this helps bring out the sweetness and create a balanced treat.
- store any leftover in airtight container. If only for a day or two, on the counter in a cool, dry place works great. If longer (more more than a week), store in an airtight container in the fridge.
More about Whole Earth Sweetener
These GF lemon raspberry donuts are made with my favorite plant-based sweetener from Whole Earth Sweetener Co. – their amazing allulose baking blend. I adore Whole Earth Sweetener Co. as they create delicious, plant-based sweeteners while using natural ingredients that meet their specific natural standard.
Their allulose baking blend is a plant-based zero calorie sweetener that bakes and browns like sugar, plus has a sugar-like texture, keto friendly, zero net carbs, and measure like sugar. It’s a game change in the healthy baking game and makes this carrot cake perfectly sweet without any actual sugar in the batter!
You can seamlessly swap Whole Earth’s allulose baking blend with regular sugar, 1:1, in all your fav baked goods. It truly is a fav of mine and I highly recommend it! I use it all the time in my baking, including in this amazing carrot cake and coconut cream cold brew.
Whole Earth is also releasing a Erythritol powdered sugar and I could not be more excited. It’s a sugar-free powdered sugar alternative, so I can finally make healthier, sugar-free frostings and glazes. Yeeeess! The product will be released soon, so be on the lookout for it!
Enjoy!
If you make these GF lemon raspberry donuts, please leave a comment below. I absolutely love to hear from you guys and your thoughts on my recipes. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or pin it on pinterest, cuz sharing is caring!
GF Lemon Raspberry Donuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Raspberry Lemon Donuts
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free AP Flour or regular AP Flour
- ¾ cup Whole Earth Sweetener allulose baking blend
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3/4 cup fresh raspberries lightly smashed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup almond milk room temperature
- 1 lemon juice and zest, about ¼ cup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp nutmeg I used freshly grated
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
- Pinch salt
- Splash pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Heaping cup Whole Earth Sweetener Erythritol powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons freeze dried raspberries for topping
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease donut pans with cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk and lemon juice and allow to sit for 5 minutes to create a buttermilk.
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In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, vegetable oil, almond milk/lemon juice mix, and vanilla extract. Fold in the smashed raspberries.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until well-combined (but be careful not to overmix).
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Add the batter to a popping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Pipe the batter into the donut cavity ⅔ full*. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until the donuts are golden-brown and fully cooked (an inserted toothpick comes out clean). Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans. Place on cooling rack or parchment paper and allow to cool completely.
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As the donuts cool, make the glaze by combining cream cheese, salt vanilla, almond milk, and lemon juice and stirring until well-combined and smooth. Shift in the powdered sugar and stir until smooth. If a bit too thick, add a touch more almond milk (or alternatively, if too runny, add a touch more powdered sugar). Glaze each donut and sprinkle with crushed freeze dried raspberries.
