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If you’re in the mood for a sweet, summery treat, these Glazed Strawberry Baked Donuts are just what you need. Bursting with real lemon zest and packed with freeze-dried strawberries, these soft cake-style donuts are finished with a tangy pink glaze that looks just as good as it tastes.
This is one of my favorite donut recipes to make when strawberries are in season, or honestly, even when they’re not. That’s the beauty of using freeze-dried berries. These donuts are bright, fruity, and quick to whip up without needing to mess with boiling oil. They’re fun to make and even more fun to eat!
Why You’ll Love These Glazed Strawberry Donuts
If you’ve never made baked donuts before, this is the recipe to start with. It’s basically a muffin in donut form, only better because it’s dipped in a lemon-strawberry glaze that you’ll want to lick out of the bowl.
I’ve made these several times over the years, and they always disappear fast.
- Real strawberry flavor: Thanks to freeze-dried strawberries, you get concentrated berry flavor in both the batter and the glaze.
- Bright lemon zest and juice: Meyer lemons are my favorite here, but any fresh lemon will work.
- No frying required: These donuts bake up soft, fluffy, and golden in just a few minutes.
Key Ingredients That Make These Donuts So Good
There aren’t many ingredients in this recipe, which is exactly why each one matters. Here’s what sets these apart:
- Freeze-dried strawberries: These deliver all the bold strawberry flavor and beautiful color without any added moisture. You’ll crush them and stir some into the batter and glaze.
- Lemon zest and juice: Zest brings the fragrance, and juice adds tartness. Both are essential for that strawberry lemonade feel.
- Buttermilk: This gives the donuts a tender crumb and subtle tang that plays well with the citrus.
- Cake flour: For soft and delicate donuts. If you substitute all-purpose flour, the texture will be a little denser.
For a full list of ingredients with quantities, scroll down to the recipe card below.
How to Make Glazed Strawberry Baked Donuts
This recipe makes about 12 donuts, depending on the size of your pan. Here’s how I make them:
- Prep the pan: Preheat your oven to 425°F and grease your donut pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and most of the crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and lemon zest.
- Combine and fill: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just blended. I like to scoop the batter into a zip-top bag, snip off the corner, and pipe it neatly into the donut wells.
- Bake: Bake for 7–9 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly to the touch. Transfer immediately to a wire rack to cool.
- Glaze: Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice, and the remaining crushed strawberries. Dip the tops of each cooled donut, twist to control drips, and let set.
Using Freeze-Dried Berries in Recipes
Freeze-dried strawberries aren’t just convenient. They deliver concentrated flavor and gorgeous color without any added moisture. I buy them at Trader Joe’s but they are often available at major grocery stores or online.
For these donuts, I crush them into a fine powder using a food processor or by placing them in a zip-top bag and crushing with a rolling pin.
I use this same technique when making my Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies as well as my Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting.
Tips for the Best Baked Donuts
- Use a piping bag or zip-top bag to cleanly fill the donut pan; no messy spoons.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until it comes together.
- Let the glaze sit for 5–10 minutes after mixing. It thickens slightly and sticks better that way.
- Serve fresh for the best texture, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temp for up to two days.
Can I Make These Donuts Ahead of Time?
Yes! These baked donuts are best fresh, but just like my Baked Chocolate Glazed Donuts and my Birthday Cake Baked Donuts, you can bake them a day in advance.
Store them unglazed in an airtight container, then dip them in glaze the day you plan to serve for the best texture and appearance. You can also freeze the plain donuts and glaze them after thawing.
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Equipment
- donut baking pan
Ingredients
donuts:
- 2 cups cake flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1.2 ounces freeze dried strawberries finely crushed, divided
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from two whole Meyer lemons
glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice I use all of the juice from both Meyer lemons
- freeze dried strawberries use remaining amount from above
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray donut pan with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, sift together 2 cups cake flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and all but 4 tablespoons of the 1.2 ounces freeze dried strawberries (you will use the remaining in the glaze). In a separate bowl, mix together 3/4 cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, melted 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Fill each pan cavity up to the center post, about 1/2 to 2/3 full. I recommend adding the batter to a plastic bag and snipping off the corner to squeeze the batter into the pan, but you can also pour it in.
- Bake 7-9 minutes in preheated oven or until the tops of the donuts spring back when touched. Remove donuts immediately from pan and allow to cool on wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by combining 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining crushed freeze dried strawberries. Stir well and allow glaze to sit. If its too thick, you can thin out with additional lemon juice or water by adding very small amounts at a time.
- Dip cooled donuts in glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Strawberry and Lemon is one of my favorite combos and now it’s in donut form!! This is perfection! Truly! Pinning, Stumbling and Yumming!
These donuts are mouthwatering! Love the lemon-strawberry idea. I’m making my FIRST batch of donuts tonight and these will certainly be great inspiration