Baked Raspberry Donuts

With simple ingredients and fresh flavors, these Raspberry Donuts are such a yummy breakfast. The baked doughnut recipe is easy, fun, and perfect for a holiday—or any day!

Baked Raspberry Donuts

I’m always amazed at how excited my kids are when I bake something in a donut pan, and these fruit-forward doughnuts are a favorite. The flavor is so bright and zesty from the raspberries and fresh lemon—and they’re super easy to stir together.

I love this recipe because it uses basic pantry staples, including flour and sugar, but gets extra flavor and tenderness from yogurt and fresh raspberries. There’s also a hit of fresh lemon, which is such a nice flavor note.

These donuts bake up quickly in a donut pan, which is the easiest way to make homemade donuts, and are fun for breakfast or snack. (They’re perfect for Easter breakfast or a birthday morning.) The icing drizzle is totally optional but a fun addition.

Ingredients You Need

To make this recipe, you need these ingredients on hand and ready to go.

• All-purpose flour: This helps the donuts stay light and fluffy.
• Brown sugar: I like the flavor note that this adds, which is why I use it here.
• Baking powder: Using fresh baking powder ensures the donuts rise and bake through with a tender crumb.
• Unsalted butter: We’ll melt the butter and let it cool slightly before adding it to the batter for richness.
• Egg: I use large eggs in my baking. In this recipe, it helps bind the batter together easily.
• Plain whole-milk yogurt: This makes the batter super moist, though you can also use milk.
• Vanilla extract: A little vanilla adds lovely flavor in combination with the lemon and raspberry.
• Fresh raspberries: I like to cut these up with kitchen scissors so they’re a nice size in the batter. You can use frozen berries if that’s preferable for you, just cut them up with kitchen scissors like you would with fresh berries.
• Fresh lemon zest: This adds such great flavor, especially when paired with the berries and vanilla.

TIP: To make these dairy-free, use your favorite plain nondairy milk.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at how to make this baked donut recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.

1. Stir the dry ingredients together.
2. Add the wet ingredients.
3. Stir together gently but thoroughly. (The batter is thick.)
4. Divide batter among the donut pan, carefully spread it around the middle of the pan, and bake. Once cooled, you can add the optional icing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store

These are best on the day they’re made, but you can store the doughnuts in an airtight container for up to 24 hours to enjoy later. After that, I’d store in the container in the fridge. You can also warm slightly before serving if needed to soften them up a little.

Best Tips for Success

• Use a fine microplane to zest the lemon, avoiding the white part if possible.
• I cut the raspberries in half with a pair of kitchen shears.
• These donuts are not super sweet but have a nice flavor with the optional icing.
• To make these with a mini muffin pan, follow the instructions and use 1 tablespoon batter in each cup. Bake for 12-14 minutes. This will make 15 mini muffins.
• Dairy-free: Use your favorite plain nondairy milk.
• Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose.
• Egg-free: Omit the egg and use ½ cup milk total. Use 1 teaspoon baking soda in place of the baking powder. (There’s a slight chance the baking soda will react with the raspberries and cause them to look a little dark. The batch I tested looked good, though!)

These are a festive breakfast for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any day you want to share a special snack or breakfast. If you make them, I’d love to hear your feedback below!

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a donut pan with nonstick spray.

• Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
• Add the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir gently. Fold in the raspberries and lemon peel and stir gently to just combine. (This batter is thick and it may look too thick, but keep gently stirring to bring it together.)

• Portion out into the donut pan, dividing the batter among each of the 6 rounds and spreading so the batter is evenly distributed.

• Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

• Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edges of each doughnut and carefully flip onto a wire rack to cool fully.

• Optional frosting: Stir together the yogurt and powdered sugar in a bowl. Spoon into a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and cut off one of the bottom corners to make a piping bag. Drizzle over the donuts and add sprinkles.

• Store doughnuts in an airtight container for up to 24 hours at room temperature. (They are slightly crispy around the edges soon after baking; they soften as they sit in the container.)
• Use a fine microplane to zest the lemon, avoiding the white part if possible.
• I cut up the raspberries with a pair of kitchen shears.
• These donuts are not crazy sweet, but they have a nice flavor with the optional icing.
• To make these with a mini muffin pan, follow the instructions and use 1 tablespoon batter in each cup. Bake for 12-14 minutes. This will make 15 mini muffins.
• Egg-free: Omit the egg and use ½ cup milk total. Use 1 teaspoon baking soda in place of the baking powder. (There’s a slight chance that the baking soda may react with the raspberries and cause them to look a little dark. The batch I tested looked good, though!)
• Dairy-free: Use your favorite plain nondairy milk.
• Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose.

Serving: 1donut, Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 217mg, Potassium: 67mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 170IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 1mg

This post was first published February 2017.