Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Donuts (Printable version)

Naturally leavened sourdough treats with lemon zest and fresh blueberries. Soft, flavorful, and baked to perfection.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1/2 cup active sourdough starter, unfed or discard
02 - 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
03 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
04 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - Zest of 1 lemon
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

→ Dry Ingredients

08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Mix-Ins

13 - 1 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen unthawed

→ Lemon Glaze

14 - 1 cup powdered sugar
15 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two nonstick donut pans with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until well blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
04 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix the batter.
05 - Gently fold blueberries into batter. If desired, lightly dust berries with flour to help prevent them from sinking during baking.
06 - Spoon or pipe batter into prepared donut pans, filling each cavity approximately three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
08 - Allow donuts to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
09 - In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest together until smooth and pourable consistency is achieved.
10 - Dip cooled donuts into lemon glaze coating evenly, then return to wire rack and allow glaze to set completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Your sourdough discard finally gets a second life instead of going down the drain, and the starter makes these donuts rise gently without yeast.
  • Fresh lemon and blueberries mean you get genuine fruit flavor, not artificial sweetness or food coloring.
  • They're baked, not fried, so you can actually enjoy breakfast without feeling heavy afterward.
02 -
  • Overmixing is the enemy—stir just until the dry ingredients disappear, even if you see a few small lumps. Those lumps bake out and the gluten doesn't overdevelop.
  • Your donut pans matter more than you'd think; cheap thin pans cook unevenly and can cause dark spots. A good nonstick pan is worth the investment.
  • Lemon juice oxidizes the batter slightly and can make it look a tiny bit darker—this is normal and doesn't affect flavor.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend together smoothly without temperature shock, so pull your eggs and buttermilk out 30 minutes before you start.
  • If you don't have buttermilk, use plain yogurt one-to-one or add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
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