I was never that much of a donut person growing up. I knew plenty of people who were obsessed with them, but I could take them or leave them. That is until I invested in a donut pan and started making my own keto donuts. My kids love them and I have so much fun playing with ingredients and flavors. It is a wonderful outlet for my baking creativity.
Believe me when I say that these glazed Keto Lemon Donuts are as delicious as they are pretty!
In my many years of experimenting with keto baking, I have found that coconut flour is excellent for making donuts. People are often intimidated by baking with coconut flour, because it doesn’t behave like any other ingredient on the planet. But with a little coaxing, the results can be light, fluffy, and ultra-tender.
My Keto Chocolate Donuts are coconut flour-based, and readers rave about them. So I knew it was just the thing for whipping up some delicious low carb lemon donuts too.
What readers are saying…
“I made these this weekend and we LOVED them. I also took them to work for my non keto co-workers and they had no idea they weren’t “real donuts”. I am a huge fan now! Thanks so much for all you do.” — Tammy
Why You Will Love These Keto Lemon Donuts
- Great texture: They are so delightfully tender and fluffy!
- Bright, tangy flavor: All that wonderful fresh lemon flavor shines through.
- Easy to make: They are ready to go in about 30 minutes.
- Nut-free: No almond flour or any nut meals, so they are perfect for people with nut sensitivities.
- Keto-friendly: No gluten, grains, or sugars!
Ingredient Notes
- Coconut flour: Different brands can vary quite a bit in absorbency so I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill. It is always very reliable and consistent.
- Protein powder: As with other baked goods like keto muffins, a little protein powder helps the donuts rise nicely and hold their shape. Whey or egg white work best in this recipe.
- Sweetener: You will need a granular sweetener for the donuts and a powdered sweetener for the glaze. See the Tips section for more details about sweeteners.
- Lemon: This recipe uses both lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Lemon extract: A little lemon extract helps boost the bright flavor.
- Heavy cream: I used some heavy cream in the glaze to make it thick and rich.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
How to Make Keto Lemon Donuts
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the extracts. Add water as needed.
- Bake the donuts: Divide the batter among the wells of the donut pan and bake until the donuts are set and firm to the touch.
- Let them cool: Remove and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Whisk together the sweetener, cream, and lemon juice. Dip the donuts or drizzle overtop.
- Serve and enjoy!
Carolyn’s Keto Baking Tips
There is no standardization in donut pans and the size of the wells can vary a lot. I have a good pan from USA Pan that is non-stick and non-toxic that I love. It makes 6 good-sized donuts, so I highly recommend it!
No matter what pan you use, grease it well. I also recommend loosening the donuts from the pan after about 10 minutes of cooling. I find that they start to stick again if you leave them too long. I use a thin-bladed silicone spatula to loosen them.
I don’t specify an exact amount of water because it depends so much on the coconut flour. You may need more or less depending on what brand you use. Add just a few teaspoons at a time, stirring until you have a batter that is thick but easily scooped into the donut pan.
Sweetener Options
The sweetener you choose to use will affect the outcome of the donuts. For the donuts themselves, I highly recommend an erythritol-based sweetener. Anything with allulose will make them brown too quickly, and they will be too soft and fragile. If you prefer not to use erythritol, try sweetening them with pure stevia or monk fruit extract.
The glaze requires a powdered sweetener, but both allulose and erythritol work. I used a combination of both.
Keto Lemon Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
Donuts
- 7 tbsp coconut flour
- 3 tbsp granular sweetener, erythritol recommended
- 2 tbsp unflavored whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp lemon, zest
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Water as needed
Glaze
- 1/4 cup powdered sweetener
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease 6 wells of a donut pan very well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in the eggs, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract and vanilla extract until well combined. If the batter is very thick, add water a little bit at a time to thin it out a bit.
- Divide the batter among the wells of the donut pan. Bake about 15 minutes, until the donuts are set and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener, heavy cream, and enough lemon juice to achieve a drizzling consistency. Dip the donuts in the glaze or drizzle overtop.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
As a pre-diabetic myself, I would not recommend eating a conventional donut. However, you can make delicious low carb donuts at home that won’t raise your blood sugar. I have many wonderful recipes, so be sure to check them out!
You absolutely can! Try using egg white protein and avocado oil in the donuts, and replace the heavy cream in the glaze with coconut cream.
This keto lemon donut recipe has 6.2g of carbs and 3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.2g net carbs per donut.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Caroline i couldn’t live with out you in my inbox!! Thanks for ALL you do, I just made the brownie batter and PB Choc truffles for Easter weekend. All of my guests (who are far from Keto, Sugar Free diabetics like me) loved them.
“Naysayers have little power over us unless we give it to them.” – Arianna Huffington
“When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom, or criticize you, remember, they’re telling their story, not yours.” – Cynthia Occelli
I can only imagine how disheartening such negativity and thoughtlessness can be, especially after working on a labor of love. I often see these kinds of comments and get so mad on bloggers behalf. I sometimes want to jump in and tell them off but then wonder if that will create a chain of arguments and you guys don’t necessarily want that either. I too LOVE your blog, your books, your dedication and passion and your generosity for sharing your creations. And I’m excited to make these lovely donuts!
I’m thankful for all you do. Have fun and share on!!
Change nothing! I had family staying with me and they are picky eaters. I prepared every meal from your cookbook “Everyday Ketogenic Cookbook “ and got rave reviews. They loved it. Thanks for all your hard work because you make it easy for me.
Thank you so much, Jeannie!
I think your recipes are awesome and for those of us who are low carb recipe makers, we all should have coconut and almond flours on hand. I love that you go the extra step in creating the very best and share with us the fabulous results. I thoroughly enjoy your books and blog, don’t give up, and ignore those who complain!
Thanks, Reatha!
I know how much time it takes to do something like what you do. I didn’t have a food blog but I had a crafting website and it took a TREMENDOUS amount of time and effort. There were people who appreciated what I offered and there were the naysayers that are just generally not happy unless they can make someone else feel bad – or at least attempt to – or at least NOT appreciate the amount of work that goes into what you do! When I wrote my one book there were people who loved it but there was one person who basically trashed it. And that’s the one that, unfortunately, sticks in your head. What you do is above and beyond AMAZING!!! As I told you in the recent past, you are my GO-TO blog for all things low carb. You have your own separate category in my Yummly account. I feel I would have given upon keto if it had not been for you. Sometimes I tweak your recipes after I try them the first time, sometimes not. But I always do them the first time JUST as you wrote them! I have yet to be disappointed. So have faith girl, there are WAY more of us out there who love your blog JUST for what it is! Don’t change a thing!
People can be so rude — especially in this age of all of the social media communication – – much less involved or connected than if you should, GOD FORBID, have an actual live conversation with anyone! That being said, you really put yourself “out there” and please keep doing so. I read all of your blogs and am excited when I continue to receive new recipes in my email. Love hearing about you and your family. I just had my 6 month checkup yesterday, and I had lost another 7 lbs since the last time I went to the Dr and he was impressed. My blood sugar levels have been stable and I am thrilled. I have both of your books and will continue with this way of eating. It’s not a diet – it’s a lifestyle I choose to take. I still have a lot of friends who “nay-say” this way of eating, but I have good health to show for it. PHEW ! Guess I needed to get that out ! Anyway, keep up the good work Carolyn ! Thanks.
Hi. I don’t usually add comments to blogs but I can hear the frustration in the words you wrote here. Like you say, you can never please everyone, so I suggest you keep doing what you are doing- for you – and if people don’t like it, they can go elsewhere for their recipes. I have enjoyed every recipe of yours that I have tried and if there is a recipe I didn’t like (not that there have been many – well, that’s my issue, not yours. Keep up the fantastic work and don’t feel disheartened by negative people’s comments. In my eye,s you (and other LC bloggers) are doing me personally a great favour by producing such wonderful recipes. I would be struggling with my LC diet without your efforts. Thankyou!
I am 1 of your silent followers. I read EVERYTHING you write but don’t say much. Today I felt I needed to say something. I LOVE your recipes. I can always find something that you have tried with whatever ingredient I happen to have. Your recipes are right on the mark. I’ve tried so many other low carb low sugar recipes and invariably throw out the final product because it tastes like cardboard or it is just unappetizing. Not so with ALL your recipes!
Keep doing what you are doing. It’s wonderful! It’s changed the way I look at food. Because of your recipes and your wonderful blog, I’ve lost over 40 pounds. KEEP IT UP!!!!!
Thank you so much.
I totally agree with you. Anything I make from Carolyn has been fabulous. I know if it is one of her recipes, my family will love it!
What is wrong with people. Keep up the awesome work. Btw, I’m not a huge fan of poppy seeds, but guess what, I’m going to try it anyway because these look great. If I still don’t like the poppy seeds, I’ll leave them out next time and thank you for giving me two great recipes. Your hard work is very much appreciated.
Exactly!
So glad I found your blog. I follow THM and your recipes are so simple for S meals. I love your cookbook. Yep, a person can’t please everyone. But, at the same time the person who is reading the blog should be more considerate of that simple fact and just be grateful for the things that are pleasing. So, thank you for the many pleasing recipes you share. Here’s to happy cooking.
OMGosh! I love you! I come to your website when I get stumped on what’s for dinner or just looking to see your newest creation- I recommend your website to anyone who has a slight interest in keto – I confess I have read comments that get posted and I sometimes feel like screaming! Can I change this for that, can I leave this out, Can I change the oven temp…
You made my day! Please continue creating recipes you like – cause I always love em!
Our household is thrilled because your recipes are good to go for my and my husband’s many eating restrictions. I look forward to your emails. Thank you for all of your work! I would not take the time to work out all that you do to make the yummy recipes.
Just one more thought, because I’ve been into low-carb cooking for over ten years. It’s good to remember that a recipe requiring both almond flour and coconut flour is NOTHING compared to older low-carb recipes that often called for a dozen obscure specialty ingredients, or to recipes that really weren’t that great. Swerve and other sugar alternatives were not widely (or at all) available, as well. Now consumer demand has opened a market for good low-carb products and good recipes–indeed, a whole new culture of food–and sucralose-sweetened microwave flax muffins are a distant memory for many. This is the golden age of Keto and low-carb cookery, and if using two different flours gets me cake that resembles wheat-based cake, I have no problem with that!
Yes, hooray for good low carb choices now!
Thanks for sharing- can’t wait to try these! Can these be frozen- (w/o icing, I assume)??
I think food bloggers, and especially food bloggers like you, who build their recipes on a knowledge of specialty ingredients, are justified in saying “Please, try it the way I wrote it first.” These recipes are YOUR brain children; you tinkered with them to find the best versions, and you are more familiar with them than anyone else. I believe that each ingredient is present for a reason. Why would you put it in the recipe if it wasn’t necessary for a successful finished product? Personally, I tend to experiment with recipes, but I figure if something goes awry it’s probably my fault. ????
Well said Erica and I couldnt agree with you more!
I love your recipes! Please keep doing what you’re doing, it’s fun to experiment with different ingredients. ????????