Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Donuts (Printable)

Soft, tangy lemon and fresh blueberries combine with sourdough for naturally leavened baked treats.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

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

→ Dry Ingredients

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

→ Mix-Ins

13 - 1 cup fresh blueberries

→ Lemon Glaze

14 - 1 cup powdered sugar
15 - 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 tsp lemon zest

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two nonstick donut pans.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
04 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Fold in blueberries, lightly dusting them with flour if desired to prevent sinking.
06 - Spoon or pipe the batter into prepared donut pans, filling each about 3/4 full.
07 - Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean.
08 - Let donuts cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a small bowl until smooth.
10 - Dip cooled donuts into glaze and let set on a wire rack.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They use your sourdough discard or unfed starter, so you're literally baking with something you'd normally throw away.
  • No overnight proofing fuss—these bake up in under two hours from start to finish, with just a short rise built in.
  • The natural tang from the starter makes the lemon flavor sing without tasting artificial or one-dimensional.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step before glazing—warm donuts will cause the glaze to slide right off and pool on your rack instead of coating them evenly.
  • If your blueberries sink to the bottom, it's usually because the batter was too thin; next time, add just a pinch more flour to the dry ingredients or dust those berries a bit more generously.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix more smoothly together, so pull your eggs and buttermilk out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to bake.
  • If you don't have nonstick donut pans, silicone pans work just as well, though traditional metal pans need extra greasing and patience to release the donuts without breaking.
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