Making donuts can seem like an impossible task, but it can be really easy if you know how to take shortcuts and use your air fryer. This air fryer donut recipe is sure to impress even the most skeptical critics! After trying them, I absolutely prefer air fryer donuts over the high-caloric store-bought ones!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Flaky biscuits: this is the secret shortcut and the most amazing easy-to-use ingredient! No batter-making is needed!
- Cinnamon sugar: you can mix your sugar with just cinnamon, or add pumpkin spice mix, for example!
- Confectioner’s sugar and milk: if you wish to make glazed donuts, mix these two ingredients and add any flavoring you wish like lemon juice, almond, or vanilla extract.
- Butter: a little melted butter to brush on top of the donuts so the cinnamon sugar sticks to them
- Vegetable oil: to brush the inside of your air fryer
How to Make Donuts in the Air Fryer?
Air fryer donuts are so easy, even a child could make them! (with adult supervision of course!)
- Make the cinnamon sugar by combining ½ cup of sugar with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon in a shallow dish. Make the glaze by combining ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk
- Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and use a 1-inch round biscuit cutter (or bottle cap) to cut a hole in the middle of each biscuit
- Brush the inside of the air fryer with vegetable oil and place 3 or 4 donuts inside (make sure they are not touching because they will grow in size when baked)
- Set the temperature to 350 F and cook them for 6 minutes, flipping them over at the 3-minute mark
- Brush the cooked donuts with melted butter and place butter-side-down into the shallow dish with the cinnamon sugar, or into the glaze
- Be sure to air fry the balls left over when making the holes as well!
How to Cut Donuts?
If you are a baker you will surely have a one-inch biscuit cutter, but if you are like me (I am not a baker), you can use a bottle cap with a one-inch diameter as your cutter. Place it in the middle of the biscuit and push down until you cut out a one-inch hole.
How to Make Donut Holes?
Donut holes are simply little one-inch balls cut from the center of the donut. Place the holes inside the air fryer and cook at 350 F for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
After they are cooked, drop them in the melted butter dish and swirl them around until fully coated, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar!
How To Make Donut Glaze?
Mix 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk until silky and smooth. You can add different flavorings like vanilla or almond extract. You can also substitute the milk for orange or lemon juice, or any other fruit juice of your choice.
Tips for Delicious Donuts:
- Make sure you flip them mid-cooking so they brown evenly
- Brush them with butter before placing them in the cinnamon sugar so it sticks to the donuts
- Flavor the glaze with vanilla or almond extract, orange, lemon, or any other fruit juice for extra yummy donuts
- Glaze them or brush them with butter when they are still hot and don’t let the butter get hard before placing them into the cinnamon sugar
Easy Air Fryer Donuts
Ingredients
- 1- 16.3 oz flaky large biscuits (like Grands! Flaky Biscuits)
- Vegetable oil for brushing the air fryer
- 3 tbsp melted butter
For the cinnamon sugar:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tbsp milk (or juice, or water)
- Two drops vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
- Make the cinnamon sugar by combining ½ cup of sugar with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon in a shallow dish. Make the glaze by combining ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk
- Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and use a 1-inch round biscuit cutter (or bottle cap) to cut a hole in the middle of each biscuit
- Brush the inside of the air fryer with vegetable oil and place 3 or 4 donuts inside (make sure they are not touching because they will grow in size when baked)
- Set the temperature to 350 F and cook them for 6 minutes, flipping them over at the 3-minute mark
- Brush the cooked donuts with melted butter and place butter-side-down into the shallow dish with the cinnamon sugar, or into the glaze
- Be sure to air fry the balls left over when making the holes as well!
