Today I’m sharing one of my absolute favorite matcha baking recipes: vegan matcha mini donuts with a lavender glaze. These donuts are like a little piece of zen in dessert form, blending earthy matcha and floral lavender for a unique flavor combo that’s totally crave-worthy. There’s something so charming about mini donuts, right? They’re cute, bite-sized, and the perfect excuse to eat more than one—no guilt involved.
Whether you’re already a fan of vegan lavender recipes or just looking to try something new, these mini donuts are a fun project for a weekend bake. I love making these when I want something a bit fancy but still really easy to whip up. Trust me, you’re going to be obsessed!
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Ingredients for Mini Matcha Lavender Donuts
Here’s everything you need to make these dreamy vegan matcha lavender donuts:
For the 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) (can use 1 ½ tbsp for less strong flavor)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegan-friendly milk (room temp)
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to activate baking soda)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado)
For the lavender glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan-friendly (and unflavored) milk
- 1 teaspoon culinary lavender buds (make sure they’re labeled as okay for eating)
- Purple food coloring (optional, for a pop of color)
- A small strainer (for straining the lavender buds away from your milk)
How to Make Vegan Matcha Lavender Donuts
Let’s get right into it—these mini donuts are honestly so simple to make.
Make the Vegan Matcha Donuts:
1. Preheat and prep: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease your mini donut pan or use a silicone one for easy removal.
2. Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. The matcha might not show through right away, but it will once you add in the wet ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, combine the non-dairy milk, applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps the donuts get nice and fluffy!
4. Combine: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just combined. Don’t overmix—you want everything smooth but not overworked.
5. Fill the pan: Scoop the batter into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe it into the mini donut pan. Fill each cavity about 3/4 full so they have room to puff up.
6. Bake: Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
1. Heat your non-dairy milk in the microwave in 20-30 second bursts until it’s just bubbling.
2. Steep your lavender buds in the hot milk for 4-5 minutes. I went for a full 5 minutes to get maximum flavor, but 4-4 ½ if you don’t want such a strong lavender flavor is fine.
3. Using a small strainer, carefully strain the lavender buds away from the milk and keep the milk. I like to use the back of a spoon to press down on the lavender buds in the strainer in an attempt to squeeze out every last drop of flavor. Your lavender flavor in the milk will get diluted significantly, as it has to flavor all of your glaze.
4. Whisk together the powdered sugar with about a tablespoon of lavender-infused milk to start. Then, add milk a teaspoon or so at a time until you reach the consistency you want. You want pretty thick glaze for donuts.
5. Add a drop or two of purple food coloring if you want a pretty purple color for the lavender glaze,
Glaze and garnish:
1. Dip the tops of the cooled donuts into the glaze, giving them a gentle twist, and then letting the excess drip off. Place them back on a plate or wire rack, glazed side up, until the glaze sets.
Pro Tips
- 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.
- Don’t skip the vinegar: It might seem like a tiny amount, but the apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the donuts rise beautifully.
FAQs
Can I make these mini donuts gluten-free?
Yes! Swap the all-purpose flour for a good 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. Just keep in mind the texture might be slightly different, but they’ll still be delicious.
What’s the best way to store these?
These mini donuts are best the day they’re made, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. If you need to keep them longer, freeze them (without the glaze) and thaw when ready to enjoy.
Do I have to make these vegan?
Not at all! In fact, I have a recipe for matcha donuts with lavender glaze here that isn’t vegan. It’s for regular-sized donuts, but produces the same number of mini donuts as this recipe does.
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.
These vegan matcha mini donuts with lavender glaze are honestly one of my go-to vegan lavender recipes when I want something light, pretty, and packed with flavor. Whether you’re new to matcha baking recipes or already love experimenting with mini donuts, this recipe is a total win. Let me know if you try them—I love hearing how your bakes turn out! 💚🍩
Vegan Mini Matcha Donuts with Lavender Glaze
Equipment
- mini donut pan
- Small strainer
- Various Mixing bowls
- piping bag optional (a plastic zip top bag with a corner cut off also works
- Whisk
Ingredients
Vegan Matcha Mini Donuts
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp matcha powder culinary grade, can use 1 1/2 tablespoons for less-strong flavor
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan-friendly milk at room temperature almond, soy, coconut or oat work. I used almond milk.
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup neutral oil vegetable, canola or avocado work
Lavender Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp unsweetened vegan-friendly milk
- 1 tsp culinary lavender buds make sure they're labeled as okay for eating
- purple food coloring optional
Instructions
Bake Mini Matcha Donuts
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease your mini donut pan or use a silicone one for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. The matcha might not show through right away, but it will once you add in the wet ingredients.
- In another bowl, combine the non-dairy milk, applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just combined. Don’t overmix—you want everything smooth but not overworked.
- Scoop the batter into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe it into the mini donut pan. Fill each cavity about 3/4 full so they have room to puff up.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make Lavender Glaze
- Heat your vegan-friendly milk in the microwave in 20-30 second bursts until it’s just bubbling.
- Steep your lavender buds in the hot milk for 4-5 minutes. I went for a full 5 minutes to get maximum flavor, but 4-4 ½ if you don’t want such a strong lavender flavor is fine.
- Using a small strainer, carefully strain the lavender buds away from the milk and keep the milk. I like to use the back of a spoon to press down on the lavender buds in the strainer in an attempt to squeeze out every last drop of flavor.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar with about a tablespoon of lavender-infused milk to start. Then, add milk a teaspoon or so at a time until you reach the consistency you want. You want pretty thick glaze for donuts.
- Add a drop or two of purple food coloring if you want a pretty purple color for the lavender glaze,
- Dip the tops of the cooled donuts into the glaze, giving them a gentle twist, and then letting the excess drip off. Place them back on a plate or wire rack, glazed side up, until the glaze sets.
