Lemon Thyme Baked Doughnuts

A little tartness from lemon, a little earthiness from thyme, a bit of sweetness from the glaze. Let’s call that the ideal dessert food pyramid. I love this unusual doughnut flavor combo. They have a comforting warmth and make for a satisfying breakfast or after dinner treat. 

I’m writing this in August when blueberries are at their peak, so I added a few juicy berries on top. They add an additional burst of flavor and look fun to me, but are definitely optional. 

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through this site.)

Photo by Daniel Marks

Lemon Thyme Baked Doughnuts Recipe:

Difficulty:
Easy

Yield:
6-8 doughnuts depending on pan

Special Equipment:
Doughnut baking pan
I use this one from King Arthur Flour, or this is a highly rated pan from Amazon.

---

Ingredients:

Doughnuts:

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1 TBSP lemon zest 

• 3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted then cooled for 10 minutes

• 1 large egg, room temperature 

• ¼ cup whole milk, room temperature 

• ¼ cup whole fat or 2% Greek yogurt, room temperature 

• 1 tsp vanilla 

• 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice 

• 156 grams all purpose flour 

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda 

• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves finely chopped  

• ⅛ tsp salt 

Glaze: 

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted, more as needed 

• 4 TBSP whole milk 

• 1 TBSP lemon juice 

• 1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme to sprinkle over top. 

• ½ cup blueberries, optional 

---

Instructions:

Make the doughnuts:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a doughnut pan with butter. 

In a small bowl, rub together lemon zest and sugar with your fingers until well combined. 

Add melted butter, egg, milk, yogurt, vanilla and lemon juice and whisk to thoroughly combine. 

In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, chopped thyme leaves, and salt together to blend and aerate. 

Gently combine wet and dry ingredients being careful not to over-mix, then pour or spoon mixture into wells of doughnut pan, 3/4 of the way full. Smooth tops of batter and clean top of pan if things got a little messy. 

Tip: If your bowl doesn’t have a spout, it may be helpful to transfer the mixture to a glass measuring cup with a spout. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are a light golden brown and the top springs back when pressed. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack. If doughnuts stick to the pan, gently loosen edges with a toothpick, turn pan over and give it a few taps. Let cool completely before glazing. 

Make the glaze:

Set the cooling rack with the donuts in a baking pan to catch any rogue, dripping glaze. Combine powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice in a shallow bowl with a whisk. Adding more milk or sugar as needed to reach a very, slow moving consistency. The glaze will thicken as it sits.

Dip top half of donut in glaze then set back on rack to set. Sprinkle sparingly with more thyme. Add a few blueberries before the glaze sets, if desired.