Lemon-Glazed Biscuit Donuts
A quick and easy lemon dessert with just 3 ingredients! This Lemon Glazed Biscuit Donut recipe tastes like an old-fashioned glazed donut with the perfect lip puckering amount of lemon flavor.
Lemon Glazed Donuts Recipe
What kid wouldn’t be thrilled to wake up on a summer morning to a fresh plate of donuts?! It’s an easy way to butter them up before you announce the day’s list of chores… (okay, so that might just be my personal parenting style coming into play here.)
These donuts are super easy to make with just 3 ingredients: biscuit dough, powdered sugar and lemons – yet they taste like they came straight from a coffee shop!
They also make a great gift for anyone you want to treat – a new neighbour, an awesome mechanic, a family with a new baby, etc. I personally plan to serve them at my birthday brunch because most of my friends are big lemon dessert fans, just like me.
The texture of these lemon-glazed donuts is similar to a classic yeast donut with their golden, slightly crisp exterior and fluffy, light interior. The tangy, sweet lemon glaze hardens quickly – you can use it to coat the full donut, if you’d prefer. I just like the mess-free eating experience of just having it on the top of the donuts.
Variations on Lemon-Glazed Biscuit Donuts:
- bake the donuts instead of frying (Heat oven to 350F, brush the unbaked donuts with butter before baking for 8-10 minutes.)
- use the airfryer (Heat to 350F, add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the airfryer and place the donuts inside – spray with a bit extra oil, if desired. Bake for 5 minutes.)
- swap out the glaze for a different flavor by using mashed berries, flavor extracts, orange juice and zest, lime juice and zest, etc.
- use sprinkles instead of lemon zest
- coat the full donut in the lemon glaze (you will need to triple the glaze recipe for this)
Tips for the best biscuit donuts:
- stretch the donut before frying and make the donut hole wider to get the best shape and prevent them from being too thick
- keep oil temperature at 350F – use a candy thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. Too low and they will soak up the oil, too high and they will burn or overcook on the outside while not fully cooking on the inside
- store at room temperature in an airtight container (if you store in the fridge, the glaze will soften at room temperature)
- enjoy within 2 days – this will be easy because they will disappear quickly!
More Lemon Desserts:
- Easy Lemon Cake
- Lemon Lush (Layered Dessert)
- Lemon Sticky Rolls
- Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Magical Color-Changing Galaxy Lemonade from In the Kids’ Kitchen
- Lemon Pudding from The Food Network
Lemon Biscuit Donuts Ingredients
- Pre-made Biscuit Dough
- Powdered Icing Sugar
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest, optional
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: you will need approximately 4 cups of oil to fry the donuts, but the amount will differ based on the size of your dutch oven or whatever you are using to fry them. You want at least 3-4″ of depth. You can use peanut, canola or vegetable oil.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Cutting Board
- Small Circular Cookie Cutter (I just used a cannoli tube)
- Dutch Oven or Deep-Fryer
- Spider Strainer
How to Make Lemon-Glazed Biscuit Donuts
Place a cooling rack over a baking tray and set aside.
Place your frying oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to ensure you bring the oil to 350F.
Cut out the center of each biscuit and then stretch the biscuit a bit to make the hole and biscuit donut wider – approximately by 1/2″.
Once oil is hot, fry each donut individually for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown.
Set each fried donut on the cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
Once all donuts have been fried, turn off the heat for the oil.
Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.
Whisk in the lemon juice and most of the zest from 1 lemon.
Dip each donut into the lemon glaze, then place back on the cooling rack.
If desired, garnish with additional lemon zest.
Allow to sit until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.
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Lemon-Glazed Biscuit Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 can Pre-made Biscuit Dough
- 1 1/2 cups Powdered Icing Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- Zest from 1 Lemon, optional
Instructions
- Place a cooling rack over a baking tray and set aside.
- Place your frying oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to ensure you bring the oil to 350F.
- Cut out the center of each biscuit and then stretch the biscuit a bit to make the hole and biscuit donut wider - approximately by 1/2".
- Once oil is hot, fry each donut individually for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown.
- Set each fried donut on the cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
- Once all donuts have been fried, turn off the heat for the oil.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.
- Whisk in the lemon juice and most of the zest from 1 lemon.
- Dip each donut into the lemon glaze, then place back on the cooling rack.
- If desired, garnish with additional lemon zest.
- Allow to sit until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 1g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves these easy lemon donuts as much as mine does!
For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:
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These donuts are delicious
so glad you enjoyed them!
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I’m so glad you liked it!
This recipe really looks so yummy. Hope to try it out some day.
Thanks, I hope you love it when you do try it!