Brighten up your day with these Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts. Slightly sweet and made with simple real ingredients, you can enjoy these donuts as a healthier on-the-go breakfast or snack.

Oat flour provides the base for these donuts, which offers all the same nutrients you find in oats (think fiber, minerals, antioxidants) and is a great option if you need to avoid gluten. While many alternative flours can be pricy, oat flour is an affordable option you can make on your own. Just add oats to a food processor or high speed blender and blend until a fine flour forms.

The winning combo of lemon juice, lemon zest and poppy seeds brings bright, fresh flavor while maple syrup provides a subtle sweetness. These donuts are delicious on their own, but if you’re looking for a sweeter treat, then you can top them with optional blueberry glaze. The glaze is made with blueberries and powdered sugar, but I used more blueberries and less sugar than traditional icing recipes.

No donut pan? No worries. You can still enjoy this recipe by using a muffin pan instead.

Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts with Blueberry Glaze

Makes 6 donuts

Ingredients:

For the donuts:

1 1/2 cups oat flour*
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup plant-based milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lemon
2 tbsps lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

For the blueberry glaze (optional):

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup blueberries (thaw first if using frozen blueberries)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 °F and grease a donut pan.
Make the blueberry glaze (optional): Add powdered sugar, blueberries, and vanilla extract to a blender or small food processor. Blend until smooth and pour into a small bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator while making the donuts to help the glaze thicken.
If making your own oat flour, add oats to a food processor (slightly more than 1 1/2 cups) or high speed blender and blend for several minutes until a fine flour forms. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of oat flour.
In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppyseeds.
Add the maple syrup, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and stir until combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity to the top.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean.
Place donuts on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, carefully dip the top of the donuts into the small bowl of glaze (if using) to coat the top.

*If you have Celiac disease or are highly sensitive to gluten, check to make sure the oats are certified gluten-free. Though oats do not contain gluten, they are often processed in facilities that contain wheat.