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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So easy to make & they are absolutely delicious – full of tangy lemon flavor….no one believes me when I tell them they are keto!!
Delicious, very crumbly, mine fell apart when I dipped them in the icing! Any suggestions?
I followed directions.
They can be fragile if you don’t let them cool completely! But what brand of coconut flour did you use?