Air Fryer Beignets are sweet yeast donuts with powdered sugar that are a fun and satisfying dessert. They are hot, light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. Made famous by Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, Louisiana, this recipe is perfect when served hot with a cup of coffee or cafe au lait. You’ll love that making beignets in an air fryer creates a crisp and golden brown exterior without deep frying.
Making this sweet treat is easier than you might think, and there is no hand kneading or pot of hot oil. After blooming the yeast with milk and sugar, the dough ingredients are mixed together in a stand mixer where the dough hook does all the work! The dough rises in about an hour before stretching and cutting. Additional melted butter is brushed on just before air frying to give every beignet a golden exterior and a deliciously rich flavor before being topped with a fluffy mound of powdered sugar. For more donut recipes, try my air fryer donuts, old-fashioned donuts, and classic beignets recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Milk – warm whole milk helps to activate the yeast for perfectly risen and light air fryer beignets.
Yeast – use active dry yeast for this recipe. Dry yeast comes in a packet or a jar and will be combined with warm milk and sugar to activate it before adding it to the other ingredients. Keep yeast fresh by storing it in the back of your refrigerator away from any aromatic foods.
Butter – melt the butter and then allow it to cool slightly before using it. This ingredient will be divided, with some used in the dough and the remaining butter used to brush the tops of the beignet squares before air frying.
Cooking Spray – the spray is key in preventing the dough from sticking to the air fryer basket. Use a cooking spray that has a neutral flavor and is intended for baking.
Powdered Sugar – used for dusting the tops of the hot beignets, this ingredient gives the pastry its signature appearance. Buy it from the grocery store or learn how to make powdered sugar!
How to Make Air Fryer Beignets
1. In a small bowl, combine the milk, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and yeast. Whisk together and let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is very foamy on top.
2. Add the flour and remaining ¼ cup of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour in the mixing bowl.
4. Add the egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, vanilla, and salt.
5. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until a smooth dough has formed, about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (about 75°F) until visibly puffed, or for 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours. The dough won’t quite double in size but should be about 50% larger.
7. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Stretch and roll the dough into a 6×8-inch rectangle.
8. Cut the dough into three strips, lengthwise (2×8-inch), then into fourths, crosswise, creating twelve 2-inch squares.
9. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Working in batches, spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray. Place 4 to 6 squares in the basket, leaving space between each, then brush evenly with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Air fry for 6 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Check them after 3 minutes and brush with more butter if they aren’t browning evenly.
10. Remove from the basket and immediately dust with powdered sugar. Continue cooking the remaining squares.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use warm milk that’s not too hot. Yeast works best if it is fed with sugar and warm water or warm milk before it is used. For this recipe, heat the whole milk to 100-110°F to help the yeast bloom, but avoid heating it further or it may kill the yeast, preventing the dough from rising.
- Let the milk mixture sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or until foamy. The yeast mixture is ready to use when it has a foamy appearance. This will take about 10 minutes, but the time may vary depending on the temperature of the ingredients. If the yeast doesn’t get very foamy within 15 minutes, start over. Your milk may have been too coldor too hot, or the yeast may have been bad and not active anymore.
- Cool the butter slightly before adding. The melted butter should be cooled slightly before adding it to the dough mixture. If it is too hot, it will cook the eggs or kill the yeast. I like to melt it first, then measure out all of my remaining ingredients and bloom the yeast, so it cools during that time.
- Mix the dough until smooth. The dough hook does the work in this recipe, but make sure to give it time to do its job! Mix the dough on medium-low until it is smooth, or for about 5 minutes.
- Oil the bowl used for rising. To prevent the dough from sticking as it rises, wipe the inside of a large bowl with oil before you transfer the dough ball. Use a bowl that will allow enough room for the dough to increase about 50% in size.
- Choose a warm place to let the dough rise. The dough needs to rise for about 1-1½ hours before cutting and air frying. Select a spot in your kitchen that is warm, about 75°F, to promote a good rise. Some good places for rising are in the oven with just the oven light on, in a proofing drawer, in a sunny window, or on top of the refrigerator.
- Slice the dough with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. No special equipment is needed to shape or cut the dough. A pizza cutter or sharp knife will quickly cut the dough into the signature square shape.
- Brush with butter before cooking. After adding the beignets in the air fryer, brush the top of each square with melted butter. This will help them to have a crisp outer layer with a donut-like texture.
- Air fry in batches if needed. This easy air fryer dessert cooks best when arranged in a single layer with space between each beignet. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the beignets in two or three batches.
- Serve hot! These are best served hot, so I suggest serving each batch right out of the air fryer while making the next if cooking in batches.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is best served hot out of the air fryer, but leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Reheat plain beignets (without sugar) in an air fryer preheated to 350°F for 2-3 minutes, or until warmed through. If your beignets are coated with sugar already, I recommend heating them at the same temperature in a regular oven. The fan in an air fryer will send the sugar all over the inside of your appliance, making a big mess.
Serve air fryer beignets hot with powdered sugar and your favorite coffee, hot beverage, or an espresso martini. If you’re feeling indulgent, add a drizzle of chocolate ganache or chocolate syrup. The beignets are wonderful for dipping in dark roast coffee because the sugar balances out the coffee.
There are a few reasons the dough may fall flat. One reason is that the yeast was not activated due to not being fresh or mixing it with ingredients that were too hot or too cold. Check the date on the yeast before using it, and use warm, not hot, milk and butter for this recipe. The dough also needs the proper time to rise. Not letting it rise enough will create dense beignets, and rising too much means they will puff up and then collapse. The right cooking temperature will also help this recipe to puff. I recommend cooking air-fried beignets at 375°F and preheating your air fryer if recommended by the manufacturer.
This is one of those recipes that you can enjoy any time of the day and is traditionally eaten at breakfast, or as a snack, dessert, or late-night sweet treat.
Yes, if you do not have an air fryer you can make this recipe with a convection oven, as they also work by rapidly circulating hot air, creating results similar to air fryers. If all you have is a conventional oven, that works, too! Place the beignet dough squares 2 inches away from each other on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 375°F for 10-13 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. If baking, brush them again with melted butter before topping with sugar.
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Air Fryer Beignets
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup warm whole milk (110-120F) (80ml)
- ⅓ cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (66g)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 large egg beaten
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (57g)
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cooking spray
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the milk, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and yeast. Whisk together and let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is very foamy on top.
- Add the flour and remaining ¼ cup of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast mixture, egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until a smooth dough has formed, about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot (about 75F) until visibly puffed, 1 to 1½ hours. (The dough won’t quite double in size but should be about 50% larger.)
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Stretch and roll the dough into a 6×8-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into three strips, lengthwise (2×8”), then into fourths, crosswise, creating twelve 2” squares.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Working in batches, spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray. Add 4 to 6 squares, leaving space between each, then brush evenly with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Air fryer for 6 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. (Check them after 3 minutes and brush with more butter if they aren’t browning evenly.) Remove from the basket and immediately dust with powdered sugar. Continue cooking the remaining squares. These are best served hot, so I suggest serving each batch right out of the air fryer while making the next.
Notes
- Use warm milk that’s not too hot. Yeast works best if it is fed with sugar and warm water or warm milk before it is used. For this recipe, heat the whole milk to 100-110°F to help the yeast bloom, but avoid heating it further or it may kill the yeast, preventing the dough from rising.
- Let the milk mixture sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or until foamy. The yeast mixture is ready to use when it has a foamy appearance. This will take about 10 minutes, but the time may vary depending on the temperature of the ingredients. If the yeast doesn’t get very foamy within 15 minutes, start over. Your milk may have been too coldor too hot, or the yeast may have been bad and not active anymore.
- Cool the butter slightly before adding. The melted butter should be cooled slightly before adding it to the dough mixture. If it is too hot, it will cook the eggs or kill the yeast. I like to melt it first, then measure out all of my remaining ingredients and bloom the yeast, so it cools during that time.
- Mix the dough until smooth. The dough hook does the work in this recipe, but make sure to give it time to do its job! Mix the dough on medium-low until it is smooth, or for about 5 minutes.
- Oil the bowl used for rising. To prevent the dough from sticking as it rises, wipe the inside of a large bowl with oil before you transfer the dough ball. Use a bowl that will allow enough room for the dough to increase about 50% in size.
- Choose a warm place to let the dough rise. The dough needs to rise for about 1-1½ hours before cutting and air frying. Select a spot in your kitchen that is warm, about 75°F, to promote a good rise. Some good places for rising are in the oven with just the oven light on, in a proofing drawer, in a sunny window, or on top of the refrigerator.
- Slice the dough with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. No special equipment is needed to shape or cut the dough. A pizza cutter or sharp knife will quickly cut the dough into the signature square shape.
- Brush with butter before cooking. After adding the beignets in the air fryer, brush the top of each square with melted butter. This will help them to have a crisp outer layer with a donut-like texture.
- Air fry in batches if needed. This easy air fryer dessert cooks best when arranged in a single layer with space between each beignet. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the beignets in two or three batches.
- Serve hot! These are best served hot, so I suggest serving each batch right out of the air fryer while making the next if cooking in batches.
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