These air fryer donuts are a delightful way to start the day or as a little afternoon treat. They are pillowy soft and the homemade glaze reminds me of a classic coffee shop donut as they’re made with yeasted dough and not canned biscuit dough. They’re always a hit with the family, and after your first bite, you’ll see why!
When you air fry donuts, you get lighter and healthier donuts as they’re not absorbing the oil that they’re deep fried in, but the hot air in the air fryer will still leave you with a crispy exterior and moist interior. It’s perfect for when you want a delicious donut but minimal cleanup. It’s also perfect in the summer as you don’t heat up the entire kitchen by baking or deep frying donuts.
Don’t have an air fryer but still want to make donuts from scratch? Try my baked donut recipe, old fashioned donuts recipe, or chocolate donut recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Milk — I recommend blooming yeast in warm whole milk. Milk has natural sugars such as lactose to help activate the yeast. Make sure the milk is between 105 to 110F. If your milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast, but if the milk is cold, it won’t activate it. You’ll also need milk for the glaze as it adds flavor.
Yeast — always double-check the expiration date of your yeast before starting. This recipe uses active dry yeast. If it is past its best-before date, pick up a new packet of yeast, or your donuts will not rise.
Butter — I recommend using unsalted butter since the dough has salt added to it. Salted butter is not consistent between various brands, so it’s best to use unsalted butter.
Powdered sugar — the powdered sugar sweetens and thickens the glaze. If you do not have any on hand, then see my post on how to make powdered sugar.
Oil spray — you’ll need a few spritzes of oil spray to help the air fryer “fry” the donuts. Make sure you use coconut or olive oil cooking spray. Avoid using non-stick sprays such as PAM as it can damage the lining of the air fryer basket.
How to Make Air Fryer Donuts
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let the mixture stand until very bubbly.
2. Whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and remaining ¼ cup sugar until smooth in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in yeast mixture until combined.
3. Add the all purpose flour and salt to the mixer bowl.
4. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase speed to medium-low, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size.
6. Punch down the risen dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle.
7. Using a donut cutter or biscuit cutters, cut out 12 donuts and 12 donut holes, re-rolling scraps as necessary. You can also use a 3-inch and 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the donuts.
8. Place donuts and holes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer on parchment paper lightly dusted in flour. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place, until doubled in size.
9. Preheat the air fryer and then spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Working in batches, carefully place donuts in an even layer in the air fryer basket, about 1 inch apart. Lightly spray the tops with oil before air frying.
10. While you air fry the donuts, make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth. Dip the warm and golden brown donuts and donut holes into the glaze. Place on a wire rack and let the glaze set for about 5 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Avoid the temptation to add more flour during the kneading process. The dough should be a little tacky.
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off to avoid overpacking the measuring cup.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, then you can mix the dough by hand. Combine the dough as directed, stirring together with a wooden spoon until shaggy. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, and knead the dough by hand until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Don’t wait too long to glaze your donuts. You want the donuts to still be warm to get the classic crackly glaze look. However, if they’re too hot, the glaze will slide off.
- If you don’t have a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut out the donut hole, use the base of a large pastry tip.
- The time it takes for your donut dough to rise depends on the temperature of your kitchen, as it’ll take longer to rise if you have a cold kitchen. The ideal temperature for the dough to rise is between 75 to 78F. If your kitchen is on the colder side, you can place your bagel dough in an OFF oven with the light on.
- Do not skip the double-rise and be careful not to overmix the dough. The second rise and mixing until just combined will result in light and airy delicious donuts.
- Careful not to roll out the dough too thin, or the donuts will be flat once they come out of the air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions
These donuts are best consumed the same day as you make them. However, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freshen them up by reheating them in the air fryer or microwave.
These donuts freeze very well. Allow them to cool to room temperature, wrap them in plastic wrap, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to enjoy, thaw them overnight in the fridge and reheat them in the air fryer or microwave to warm them back up.
Every model and brand of air fryer is different, so baking times can vary. If your air fryer is stronger than the one I’m using, the donuts may overcook. To determine if the baking time for your air fryer needs to be adjusted, you can try baking a test donut.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Air Fryer Donuts recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Donuts
Video
Equipment
- Stand mixer (optional)
- Donut cutter or cookie cutters
- Air fryer
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 1 cup warm whole milk (105 to 110F)(240mL)
- 1 (0.25-ounce/7g) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar divided (62g)
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (85g)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting (360g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- coconut or olive oil cooking spray
For the Glaze:
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (120g)
- ½ cup whole milk (120mL)
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the Donuts:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let the mixture stand until very bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and remaining ¼ cup sugar until smooth. Stir in yeast mixture until combined. Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase speed to medium-low, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (The dough will be slightly sticky.)
- Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour.
- Punch down the risen dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle. Using a donut cutter, cut out 12 donuts and 12 donut holes, re-rolling scraps as necessary. You can also use a 3-inch and 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the donuts. Place donuts and holes on the prepared baking sheet. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place, until doubled in size, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F for 10 minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Working in batches, carefully place donuts in an even layer in the air fryer basket, about 1-inch apart. Lightly spray the tops with oil.
- Cook for 6 minutes for donut holes and 8 minutes for big donuts or until golden brown. (I recommend frying the big donuts and donut holes separately since the cook times are slightly different.)
For the Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth. Dip the warm donuts and donut holes into the glaze. Place on a wire rack and let the glaze set for about 5 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Avoid the temptation to add more flour during the kneading process. The dough should be a little tacky.
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off to avoid overpacking the measuring cup.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough by hand. Combine the dough as directed, stirring together with a wooden spoon until shaggy. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, and knead the dough by hand until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Don’t wait too long to glaze your donuts. You want the donuts to still be warm to get the classic crackly glaze look. However, if they’re too hot, the glaze will slide off.
- If you don’t have a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut out the donut hole, use the base of a large pastry tip.
- The time it takes for your donut dough to rise depends on the temperature of your kitchen, as it’ll take longer to rise if you have a cold kitchen. The ideal temperature for the dough to rise is between 75 to 78F. If your kitchen is on the colder side, you can place your bagel dough in an OFF oven with the light on.
- Do not skip the double-rise and be careful not to overmix the dough. The second rise and mixing until just combined will result in light and airy delicious donuts.
- Careful not to roll out the dough too thin, or the donuts will be flat once they come out of the air fryer.
