If you’re a fan of matcha baked goods or just love experimenting with unique flavor pairings, you’re going to love these matcha donuts with lavender glaze.
I love that these are baked donuts instead of fried. They’re lighter, a little healthier, and so much easier to make at home. Plus, they look absolutely gorgeous with their soft green hue and pale purple glaze—perfect for brunch, a weekend treat, or even a low-key gathering with friends. Every time I make them, I feel like I’m creating a bakery-worthy dessert right in my own kitchen.
If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at lavender matcha desserts, these donuts are such a fun (and delicious) place to start. Let’s get into what you’ll need to make them!
Ingredients for Matcha Donuts with Lavender Glaze
Here’s everything you’ll need for these magical donuts and their glaze:
Donut Ingredients (makes about 10–12 full-sized donuts):
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp matcha powder (culinary grade)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk (room temp)
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (room temp)
- 1 large egg (room temp)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup melted butter (or neutral oil)
For the lavender glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heaving whipping cream (plus more if needed)
- 1 tsp dried culinary lavender (Make sure it’s marked as okay for cooking)
- A small strainer
- Optional: light purple food coloring
How to Make Matcha Donuts with Lavender Glaze
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how I make these gorgeous donuts:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a full-size donut pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and matcha powder.
3. In another bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined.
5. Put batter in a piping bag with no tip or a plain, round tip. Pipe batter into donut pan, filling each well about 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Make Glaze
8. While donuts cool, prepare the glaze. Microwave your heavy cream in short 10-20 second bursts until it’s just bubbling. How long this takes depends on the strength of your microwave.
9. Steep your lavender buds in the hot cream for 4-5 minutes, depending on how strong of a lavender flavor you want. I went for a full 5 minutes because I love lavender matcha and all the flavorful goodness it has to offer.
10. Strain the lavender buds away from the cream and keep the cream. I like to use the back of a spoon to press down on the lavender in the strainer to make sure I squeeze every last drop out.
11. Mix your powdered sugar and about half of your lavender-infused cream until smooth. Gradually add the cream a little bit more at a time until you get the consistency you want. You do want a pretty thick glaze for donuts.
12. Add a couple drops of light purple food coloring to lavender glaze, if you like, and mix it in thoroughly.
13. Place donuts face-down in the bowl of glaze and give them a gentle swirl. Place them glazed-side up on a plate until they set (an hour or two is probably good).
Pro Tips
Over the past few times I’ve made these donuts, I’ve picked up a few tips that really make a difference:
- Make thick glaze. Like, the glaze that you think is too thick to work will probably work well. You can always make your glaze a little thinner by adding more cream, but definitely start with a thicker glaze and see how it goes. If your glaze is too thin, it will absorb into the donut instead of sitting pretty on top.
- Get culinary grade lavender. Make sure you check that your lavender is marked as okay for cooking, because you don’t want to use lavender made for potpourri. You can also use lavender extract, but I would recommend you test it out with 1/4 teaspoon to start and then taste test and add a bit more from there.
- Don’t skip the lavender steeping step. It brings out the floral notes without making the glaze taste soapy. Also, I do recommend trying to squeeze out every last bit of lavender flavor you can by pressing the back of a spoon into your lavender buds in the strainer.
- Check your donuts early while baking. Since every oven is a little different, start checking at 10 minutes. You don’t want them to dry out.
- Use “the good” matcha. Matcha for baking isn’t always the matcha that you see in the tea aisle at the grocery store. Make sure you check the label to see if it says it will work for baking. Also, a hint, I usually find the cheapest matcha for baking online or sometimes at Costco. Grocery store matcha, while convenient if it can be used for baking, is typically more expensive.
FAQs
Can I make these donuts ahead of time?
Absolutely! I usually bake them a day ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. I wouldn’t make them a week ahead of time, but a day or so will be just fine.
Do I need a donut pan?
A donut pan really helps with the classic shape, but if you don’t have one, you can bake the batter in a muffin tin—just know they’ll look more like muffin tops than donuts!
Can I make these vegan?
Yes! I actually have a recipe for vegan matcha donuts with lavender glaze here! The recipe is for mini donuts, but it produces the same amount of batter as this recipe and can be made with regular-sized donut pans.
How strong is the matcha flavor?
It’s noticeable but not super overpowering. That being said, I love matcha flavor and I don’t know what would be too strong for me. If you’re not as obsessed with matcha as I am, I think you could get away with 1 ½ tablespoons of matcha powder too.
What other glazes would work with these donuts?
If lavender isn’t your thing, try a simple vanilla glaze or even a lemon glaze for a bright, citrusy twist. But honestly, the lavender matcha combo is my favorite—it feels so special every time. My husband claims he doesn’t like matcha, but he likes matcha lavender (Or maybe I make it too much and he’s just succumbed?).
I hope you have as much fun making these matcha donuts with lavender glaze as I do! They’re such a fun way to bring a little calm and creativity into your baking routine. If you do make these donuts, please let me know how they turned out! Happy baking!
Matcha Donuts with Lavender Glaze
Equipment
- Small strainer
- Donut Pan
- Various Mixing bowls
- Whisk
Ingredients
Matcha Donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking sodea
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp matcha powder use culinary grade (Can lower to 1 1/2 tablespoons for less intense matcha flavor)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup melted butter or a neutral oil
Lavender Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp dried culinary grade lavender buds
- light purple food coloring optional
Instructions
Make Matcha Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a full-size donut pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and matcha powder.
- In another bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined.
- Put batter in a piping bag with no tip or a plain, round tip. Pipe batter into donut pan, filling each well about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Make Lavender Glaze
- Microwave your heavy cream in short 10-20 second bursts until it’s just bubbling a bit. How long this takes depends on the strength of your microwave.
- Steep your lavender buds in the hot cream for 4-5 minutes, depending on how strong of a lavender flavor you want. I went for a full 5 minutes because I love the lavender flavor, but for a more subtle flavor 4-4.5 minutes is good.
- Strain the lavender buds away from the cream and keep the cream. I like to use the back of a spoon to press down on the lavender in the strainer to make sure I squeeze every last drop out.
- Mix your powdered sugar and about half of your lavender-infused cream until smooth. Gradually add the cream a little bit more at a time until you get the consistency you want. You do want a pretty thick glaze for donuts.
- Add a couple drops of light purple food coloring to lavender glaze, if you like, and mix it in thoroughly.
- Place donuts face-down in the bowl of glaze and give them a gentle swirl. Place them glazed-side up on a plate until they set (an hour or two is probably good).
