Easy baked Key Lime Donuts topped with a key lime glaze and crushed graham crackers. These taste like a key lime pie, but in donut form! 

Four baked key lime donuts on a white plate. Graham crackers and lime halves rest in the background.

I like to think of myself as a pretty focused and organized person in life. But I have this weird habit of taking things out of the cabinet or refrigerator and then putting them back in the wrong place. It drives my husband CRAZY.

About a month or so ago, I was baking a few dozen cupcakes one night and my husband opened the refrigerator and pulled out an oven mitt. An oven mitt. To be honest, I have no idea how it got there. I’m still trying to figure that one out.

This past weekend I went to the store and picked up everything to make these key lime donuts, including some milk. The next morning I woke up ready to start baking and could not find the milk anywhere. I looked everywhere I could possibly think of and could not find it.

Any guesses as to where I found it? In the freezer. Frozen solid. I have no idea how I do these things, but someone please tell me I am not the only one?!

So if you’re wondering where I’m going with this story, it’s that I ended up using some vanilla Greek yogurt in these donuts instead of milk. To be honest, I was actually happy with how these donuts turned out with the Greek yogurt instead of the milk.  The Greek yogurt adds a little bit of tanginess to the donuts that works well with the key lime flavor!

Key lime donut batter in a donut pan, ready to be baked.

Ingredients for This Recipe 

This is such an easy baked cake donut recipe that calls for ingredients you likely have on hand already. Here’s what you’ll need to make the donuts and glaze: 

  • All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it, otherwise you may accidentally measure out too much. 
  • Baking powder: Helps the cake donuts rise in the oven. 
  • Salt: Balances out the sweet yogurt and sugar and enhances the lime flavor. 
  • Vanilla Greek yogurt: Adds a subtle tanginess that complements the key lime flavor perfectly. 
  • Granulated sugar: I used just enough sugar to balance out the key lime flavor without totally overpowering it. 
  • Key limes: To really make the key lime flavor stand out in these donuts, I use fresh key lime juice and key lime zest in the donuts. I also used key lime juice in the glaze, but if you prefer it a little less tangy you can use milk instead for the glaze.
  • Unsalted butter: Needs to be melted and allowed to cool before being mixed into the batter. If you add the melted butter while it’s still hot, you may scramble the egg by mistake. 
  • Egg: Should be room temperature before making the batter. 
  • Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla is always preferred. 
  • Powdered sugar: Used to make a simple lime glaze for the top of the baked donuts. 
  • Graham cracker crumbs: An optional (but highly recommended) topping for the donuts. 

How to Make Key Lime Donuts 

To make this easy baked donut recipe, simply combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

Then, divide the batter between 8 donut cavities. I like to use a piping bag to do this, but a spoon works too! The best thing about making baked donuts is that they only take about 10 minutes to bake. Then just let them cool for a few minutes, dunk them in the glaze, and boom! Easy Baked Key Lime Donuts.

I topped these off with a little bit of crushed graham cracker to stick with the key lime pie theme. I love the little extra sweetness and crunch that it adds to the tops of these donuts, but you can feel free to leave it off. 

Three key lime donuts on parchment paper. Lime halves and graham crackers are in the background.

Can I Use Regular Limes? 

Yes, if you can’t find key limes you’re welcome to substitute regular limes instead. 

Baking Tips 

  • If you have milk on hand that you’d like to use instead of the yogurt, add 1/3 cup milk to the batter and omit the yogurt altogether. 
  • Use a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) and pipe the batter into the donut cavities. So much easier than using a spoon and less messy too!
  • Homemade baked donuts can be kept at room temperature for up to three days in an airtight container. 

More Oven Baked Donuts to Make! 

Baked Key Lime Donuts

4.67 from 3 ratings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Easy baked Key Lime Donuts topped with a key lime glaze and crushed graham crackers. These taste like a key lime pie, but in donut form! 
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Ingredients

Servings: 8 donuts

For the donuts:

  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup (80 grams) vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (80 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh key lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon key lime zest
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
  • 1 large egg (at room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) fresh key lime juice

Optional topping:

  • Crushed graham cracker

Instructions
 

To make the donuts:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a donut pan well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, sugar, key lime juice, key lime zest, melted butter, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Pipe or spoon the batter into the donut cavities, you should end up with about 8 donuts. If using a 6-count donut pan, you will need to bake in two separate batches.
  • Bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the donut comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the glaze:

  • Add the powdered sugar and key lime juice to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. If the glaze is too thick, add in a little extra key lime juice to thin it out. If the glaze is too thin, add in a little extra powdered sugar to thicken it up.
  • Dunk each donut into the glaze and return back to the wire rack. Top with crushed graham crackers if desired.
  • Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes so the glaze can harden. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Yogurt substitute: If you don't have any yogurt on hand, you may use 1/3 cup milk instead. 
Storage instructions: The donuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. 
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.

 

Easy Baked Key Lime Pie Donuts topped with a key lime glaze and crushed graham crackers!