Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (2024)

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There is nothing easier to make in the Air Fryer than these Donuts. In fact, they were the very first thing that I made when I purchased my first air fryer years ago.

Since then, I have made these donuts and air fryer cinnamon rolls at least a dozen times in my Ninja Foodi . And now I also make Breakfast Egg Rolls and Bacon in my Air Fryer.

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (1)

They take 5 minutes to make from start to finish. And they make for a fantastic quick and easy breakfast treat or a snack any day of the week!

Biscuit Donuts

When I was a kid, we would have these donuts on Saturday mornings. That is the day that was dedicated to having a large family breakfast.

There would be pancakes, waffles, eggs, hash browns, and bacon on the table. And there would always be biscuit donuts as well.

However, that was after we all had a chance to make our own.

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (2)

My mother would go to the refrigerator and pull out one or two tubes of refrigerator biscuit dough.

My siblings and I would then have the chore of cutting the hole out of the center to make each biscuit look like a donut.

I was very methodical and would use an apple corer to make the perfectly centered hole.

However, my brother would just tear a hole in the center with his hands and shape it.

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (3)

Either way, each one worked perfectly to make our favorite donuts.

However, back in the day, the donuts were not air fryer donuts. They were cooked in vegetable oil in the deep fryer.

After my mother would pull them out of the oil, it was our job as kids to shake them in whatever topping that we preferred.

We had brown paper bags filled with a cinnamon sugar mixture and others filled with powdered sugar.

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And if we felt creative, we would combine milk and powdered sugar in a bowl to make icing.

Then we would either shake the hot donuts in the bags, or drizzle the icing on top. They were absolutely delicious, and we looked forward to making them every weekend.

Easy Air Fryer Donuts – donuts made a little healthier

Although we all know that donuts are not the healthiest choice for breakfast, we have made them a little healthier by cooking them in the air fryer.

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (5)

However, we use the same concept as when we made them in my younger years.

We purchase refrigerator biscuit dough from the grocery store. Then when we are ready to make them, we pop them open and cut out a center hole.

Although most of the time I still use an apple corer, I have found other methods to work just as well.

A bottle cap, bottle opening, or a shot glass will work in a pinch if that is all that there is available. And of course, you can always do what my brother did and simply tear a hole in the center and shape the biscuit into a donut shape.

Cooking Air Fryer Donuts

Now comes the easy part. Spray your air fryer basket with olive oil spray and place your donuts inside in a single layer.

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Then cook for 5 minutes. Yes, it only takes 5 minutes!

Once the donuts are cooked, remove them from the air fryer and either dip them in butter or spritz them with olive oil.

Then it is time to add the cinnamon sugar topping. To this day, I still prefer to shake them in a brown paper bag to coat them evenly.

However, you can also just use your fingers or spoon to sprinkle the donuts by hand.

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Either way, you are going to fall in love with these Easy Air Fryer Donuts!

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (8)

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Easy Air Fryer Donuts

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (9)

Make these quick and easy air fryer donuts from a can of refrigerator biscuit dough. Shake in a sugar/cinnamon mixture for the perfect breakfast treat or a snack.

Ingredients

  • 16 oz refrigerated flaky jumbo biscuits
  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 Tbsp butter melted, optional
  • olive oil spray

Instructions

  1. Place sugar and cinnamon sugar in a brown paper bag, shake and set aside.
  2. Remove the biscuits from the can, separate them and place them on a cutting board. Use a 1-inch round biscuit cutter to cut holes out of the center of each biscuit. You can also use an apple corer or bottle opening to cut open the hole if you don’t have a small biscuit cutter.
  3. Lightly coat air fryer basket with olive oil spray.
  4. Place 4 donuts in a single layer in the air fryer basket, being sure that they do not touch.
  5. Bake at 360 degrees F for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
  6. Remove donuts from Air Fryer, dip in melted butter or spray both sides with olive oil spray, then shake in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
  7. Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe provided by Make Your Meals

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Easy Air Fryer Donuts Recipe - Ready in Just 5 Minutes (2024)

FAQs

Can you air fry donuts instead of deep fry? ›

Crispy and golden on the outside and incredibly tender in the center, our air-fryer doughnuts are totally dunk-worthy. These doughnuts are baked in the air fryer instead of fried in messy, smelly oil. After air-frying, each doughnut is brushed with a melted butter-vanilla mixture and coated in cinnamon-sugar. Yum!

Can I bake doughnuts instead of frying? ›

Spoon the batter into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4" shy of the rim. Bake the doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 to 7 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.

How long should donuts be fried? ›

Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, in the oil 2 to 3 minutes or until they are golden brown, turning once. Remove the donuts with the slotted spoon, allowing excess oil to drain back into the fryer or pan. Drain the donuts on paper towels to avoid a greasy end result.

Can you air fry without batter? ›

Yes, absolutely. You can cook many types of raw meat in the air fryer. This recipe is for air frying chicken from scratch, not reheating pre-cooked breaded strips. The beauty of the air fryer is that all that hot air is blowing all around your meat like a mini convection oven to cook it in less time.

Do Dunkin donuts bake or fry their donuts? ›

Some Dunkin' locations bake their donuts in house, but not all. There are three ways Dunkin' locations can acquire donuts, according to TikTok user and franchise owner Amir Mohamed.

Does Krispy Kreme baked or fry their donuts? ›

Like most doughnuts, Krispy Kremes are fried (cooked in oil). Frying cooks the dough rapidly from the outside in to give the doughnuts their distinctive crispy texture. The conveyer belt carries the doughnuts through a vegetable oil bath heated to between 355 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (about 180 C).

Is it better to fry donuts in lard or oil? ›

Lard and tallow are the traditional fats for frying donuts. Their high saturated fat content sets nicely on the donut surface to produce a “dry” donut that holds for a length of time.

How to tell when donuts are done? ›

If you want to check a donut on the first batch through the cook, you can stick it with a Thermapen and look for a reading in the range of 185–190°F (85–88°C). After you cook one set of donuts, give the oil time to come back up to temp before cooking more.

What oil is best for frying donuts? ›

Canola oil specifically is the one of the best choices because it has a light color, mild flavor and a high smoke point making it ideal for frying donuts.

How do you keep donuts crispy? ›

Store the donuts in a cool, dry area.

Freshly baked donuts will last longer if kept out of direct sunlight. Like air, sunlight is the enemy here—not only will it cause your donuts to become stale, it will also melt off any delicious, beautiful icing or glaze.

Do air fryer donuts taste good? ›

Topped with an easy homemade glaze, this air fryer version tastes just like store-bought donuts, if not better! Made with a simple yeasted dough, these donuts are soft and fluffy inside and crisp on the outside. These air fryer donuts are a delightful way to start the day or as a little afternoon treat.

Why are things not getting crispy in air fryer? ›

Dry the outside of the food properly before you add oil. Do not use too much oil, as this will make the food less crispy and more fattening. Meat or poultry can be lightly brushed with oil or marinated to get the crispiest results.

Can you air fry instead of deep fry? ›

Because the circulating air of an air fryer will be in less intense contact with your food than hot oil, you'll need to compensate by increasing your temperature a bit to around 390°F for anything that's traditionally deep fried. Oil: Get that crisp right with a small amount of oil.

How to fry donuts without a deep fryer? ›

Stovetop Cooking

Fill it with vegetable oil, about 2-3 inches deep, and heat it over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, prepare your donut dough following your favorite recipe. Once the oil reaches around 350°F (176°C), carefully slide the donuts into the pot using a slotted spoon or tongs.

How to fry without deep fryer? ›

Six Steps for Deep-Frying Without a Deep Fryer
  1. Choose an appropriate frying oil, one that has a higher smoke point than the desired cooking temperature. ...
  2. Add the oil to a deep pot, but fill it no more than half full. ...
  3. Preheat the oil to the cooking temperature. ...
  4. Pat food dry with paper towels before frying.
Apr 4, 2013

Can you air fry something covered in flour? ›

It should work. The one exception might be if you like a very thick breading on your fried chicken. If you double dip your chicken in flour for the coating, it's going to be hard to hydrate all that flour in an air fryer, and you'll almost certainly end up with floury spots that haven't really cooked.

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