{"id":41476,"date":"2026-05-15T19:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T19:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/blog\/recipe\/orange-zest-doughnuts\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T23:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:28:24","slug":"orange-zest-doughnuts","status":"publish","type":"cuisine-recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/blog\/recipe\/orange-zest-doughnuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange Zest Donuts Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Packed with zesty orange flavor, these delightful donuts are a refreshing weekend treat or holiday breakfast. Freshly baked and bursting with citrus, they&#8217;re too delicious to resist. The best part? No special fryer equipment needed!<\/p>\n<h3>Ingredients<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>2 cups all-purpose flour<\/li>\n<li>1\u00bd cups granulated sugar<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons baking powder<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon kosher salt<\/li>\n<li>1 large egg, lightly beaten<\/li>\n<li>1\u00bc cups whole milk<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons butter, melted<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon orange zest (from Hale Groves <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/navel-oranges\/p\/halenaveloranges\/\">Navel Oranges<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/valencia-oranges\/p\/129v\/\">Valencia Oranges<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon fresh orange juice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Optional Glaze:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 cup powdered sugar<\/li>\n<li>2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon orange zest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Directions<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Preheat oven<\/strong> to 350\u00b0F. Grease two standard donuts pans thoroughly (or use non-stick spray).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mix dry ingredients:<\/strong> In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Combine wet ingredients:<\/strong> In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Combine wet and dry:<\/strong> Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The mixture should still be slightly lumpy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add citrus:<\/strong> Fold in orange zest and orange juice. Mix gently until incorporated. Do not overmix or donuts will be tough.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fill pans:<\/strong> Spoon or pipe batter into prepared donuts pans, filling each cavity about \u00be full.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bake:<\/strong> Bake for 15-17 minutes until donuts spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cool:<\/strong> Let donuts cool in pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Glaze (optional):<\/strong> Whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, and zest until smooth. Dip cooled donuts in glaze or dust with powdered sugar.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Tips for Success<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Which oranges to use?<\/strong> Both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/navel-oranges\/p\/halenaveloranges\/\">Navel Oranges<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/valencia-oranges\/p\/129v\/\">Valencia Oranges<\/a> work beautifully in this recipe. Navels are sweeter with thicker skin (easier to zest), making them ideal for baking. Valencias have a more tart, bright flavor and are perfect if you prefer a tangier donuts. Use what&#8217;s in season or what you have on hand!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t overmix:<\/strong> Lumpy batter is okay! Overmixing develops gluten, which makes donuts dense instead of tender.<\/p>\n<p><strong>No donut pan?<\/strong> Use a muffin tin instead and make orange muffins. Bake for 18-20 minutes.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Ready to bake?<\/strong> Shop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/navel-oranges\/p\/halenaveloranges\/\">Hale Groves Navel Oranges<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halegroves.com\/valencia-oranges\/p\/129v\/\">Valencia Oranges<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Perfect for weekend brunch, holiday mornings, or anytime you want a citrusy treat that fills your kitchen with the most amazing aroma!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43002,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[44,63],"cuisine-recipe-category":[55],"cuisine-recipe-course":[28],"cuisine-recipe-cuisine":[],"class_list":["post-41476","cuisine-recipe","type-cuisine-recipe","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-navel-oranges","tag-valencia-oranges","cuisine-recipe-category-desserts","cuisine-recipe-course-dessert"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cuisine-recipe\/41476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cuisine-recipe"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cuisine-recipe"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41476"},{"taxonomy":"cuisine-recipe-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cuisine-recipe-category?post=41476"},{"taxonomy":"cuisine-recipe-course","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cuisine-recipe-course?post=41476"},{"taxonomy":"cuisine-recipe-cuisine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog2.halegroves.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cuisine-recipe-cuisine?post=41476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}