Toasted Coconut Donuts with Lychee Glaze

These toasted coconut donuts with lychee glaze are soft, fluffy, and baked—not fried—with a delicate tropical flavor in every bite. Toasted coconut is folded into the batter for depth and warmth, then the coconut doughnuts are dipped into a fragrant, floral lychee glaze and finished with more golden coconut on top.

If you enjoy tropical, bakery-style bakes like this, you’ll also love my Coconut Cream filled Baked Yeast Donuts Recipe. Now for the toasted coconut donuts you’ve all been waiting for!

Jump to:

• Video Instructions
• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Instructions
• Pro Cooking Tips
• FAQs
• Recipe

Video Instructions

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Baked, not fried: These toasted coconut donuts with lychee glaze are soft and fluffy without dealing with hot oil or a frying mess.
• Tropical but balanced: The toasted coconut adds richness, while the lychee glaze keeps everything light and fragrant.
• Simple ingredients, bakery feel: Nothing complicated here, simple prep time, and the end result looks and tastes gourmet.
• Perfect texture: Pillowy inside, lightly golden outside, with a delicate crunch from the toasted coconut.
• Great for brunch or gifting: They look beautiful, hold well, and always get compliments.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Shredded coconut (toasted): This adds the nutty flavor and texture throughout the donuts, which makes them irresistible. If you want a finer texture, you can use desiccated coconut.
• All-purpose flour: Gives the donuts structure while keeping them tender. If I have friends over with gluten intolerance issues, I use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
• Baking powder: This helps the donuts rise and stay fluffy. You cannot replace the baking powder with anything else, so this ingredient is a must. 
• Coconut milk: Used to keep the donuts moist and increase the tropical flavor. As an alternative, I like to use regular milk + 1 tablespoon melted butter, or any dairy-free milk.
• Egg: You need the egg as it binds the batter and adds structure. You can use Flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 2½ tablespoon water) as an alternative.
• Lychee purée: For a floral, fruit-forward glaze that makes these donuts special. If you don’t like lychee, you can substitute it with mango, rambutan, or longan purée.
• Powdered sugar: This ingredient is needed as it sweetens and thickens the glaze.

Instructions

1. In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the shredded coconut for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until golden and fragrant. Set aside ½ cup for the batter and ½ cup for the topping.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a donut pan. In one bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ½ cup toasted coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk coconut milk, egg, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined.

3. Spoon the batter into the donut wells, filling each about ¾ full. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until lightly golden and springy to the touch. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.

4. Whisk the lychee purée with powdered sugar until smooth and pourable. For a thicker glaze, add more sugar. For a thinner consistency, add more purée.

5. Dip each cooled donut into the glaze. You can use the back of a tablespoon to smooth the surface, but be quick. Immediately sprinkle with the remaining toasted coconut. Let them sit for 10 minutes before serving.

For a no-bake dessert with a tropical vibe, Pineapple Coconut Yogurt Bark is a great option.

Pro Cooking Tips

• Don’t overmix the batter: I’ve learned this the hard way—overmixing makes donuts dense instead of fluffy. Stir just until combined.
• Toast the coconut: This step makes a huge difference. Untoasted coconut tastes flat compared to the nutty, warm flavor you get once it’s golden.
• Cool completely before glazing: If the donuts are even slightly warm, the glaze will slide right off, leaving you with an unwanted mess, as I learned to my disappointment. 
• Adjust the glaze slowly: Lychee purée varies a lot. I always add powdered sugar gradually until the glaze coats the donut without dripping everywhere.
• Add a citrus pop: A tiny splash of lime juice in the glaze brightens everything beautifully.

Looking for an easy dessert? Try coconut pineapple dump cake.

Recipe