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Air Fryer Donuts made from scratch with yeast dough taste like the real deal. Better than baked and less fat than deep-fried! Learn how easy it is to make the perfect Doughnuts in the Air Fryer!
We love making savory Air Fryer Recipes like our Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Onion Rings but did you know that you can also make great desserts in it like this recipe or our Air Fryer Churros!
Air Fryer Donuts
Homemade Donuts made in the Air Fryer are soft on the outside and have a fluffy, tender interior. Dipped in a buttery donut glaze or in sweet cinnamon-sugar they make a great breakfast or treat and taste like from your favorite Donut place!
Many Air Fryer Donut recipes use canned biscuit dough which is easier but those donuts will taste like biscuits with sugar on top and not like real donuts. So save yourself the disappointment and make them from scratch. They do take a bit of time, but I promise it’s a lot easier than you might think and so worth the end result!
Why This Recipe Works:
The recipe that I’m sharing today is by far the best Air Fryer Donut recipe because they taste like real donuts! They are made with the same dough you would use for deep-fried donuts and my easy step-by-step instructions make it foolproof even if you haven’t made yeast dough before.
The other secret to making these donuts taste and look like the deep-fried storebought version is the glaze. It not only adds sweetness but also keeps the donuts soft.
If you’re looking for more Air Fryer Recipes while you’re here, try out our Air Fryer Chicken Tenders or our reader favorite, Air Fryer Potato Wedges.
How to make Donuts in the Air Fryer
- Start with making the yeast dough: Activate the yeast by sprinkling it over lukewarm milk, add a little bit of sugar, and gently stir with a fork.
- Let the mixture sit for about ten minutes. If you look closely you can see the little yeast particles popping. It should be frothy and smell like yeast if nothing happens after 15 minutes your yeast is probably no longer active because it is too old or the milk was too hot.
- Add the remaining dough ingredients and knead the dough in a stand mixer until it is elastic, smooth, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
- Spray a bowl with non-stick spray and transfer the dough to it, don’t worry if it is a little bit sticky. Gently move the dough around in the bowl so it gets coated with oil. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with oil spray and cover the bowl with it. Put it in a warm, draft-free spot and let it rise until doubled. Test the dough by making an indention with the tip of your finger, if the indentation remains it’s proofed long enough.
How to cut donuts
Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Use a 3-inch and a 1-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the donuts. I have this set of biscuit cutters that comes with lots of different sizes.
How to shape donuts without donut cutter
If you don’t have biscuit cutters you can use a wide drinking glass or wide-mouth canning ring and a shot glass. Just look around in your kitchen and pantry, you probably have something that will work.
How to make donut holes
To make donuts holes just use the dough that you cut out from the middle of the donut.
How to make Donut Glaze
Making a sweet donut glaze that dries into a crackly glaze is really easy and takes these homemade donuts to the next level of deliciousness.
For an authentic donut glaze that dries and gets crackly you need:
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 Tbsp hot water
This makes more glaze than you actually need but it makes it easier to dip them in the glaze. I’ve learned that the hard way, it’s better to have too much glaze otherwise you will have trouble coating them.
Here are some other Donut Glaze Recipes and Toppings:
Maple Glaze: Stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 5 tablespoons maple syrup.
Maple Bacon Topping: Use maple glaze on top and sprinkle with crispy bacon bits.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Spray donuts with oil spray before dipping them in the mixture.
Chocolate Glaze from Alton Brown
Sprinkles Topping: Top with sprinkles right after dipping in glaze.
How long are Air Fryer Donuts good for?
Serving: Donuts taste best fresh. Let them dry for 10 minutes after dipping them in the glaze so it sets. Because they are made with less oil than deep-fried Donuts Air Fryer Donuts dry out a bit faster.
Storing: You might wonder how to keep donuts fresh! The best way is to place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature, they will keep for 1-2 days. Some people put their donuts in the microwave for 5 seconds to soften them but I haven’t tried that.
Don’t put glazed Donuts in the fridge because it makes the glaze melt and absorb into the donut which results in a sticky mess
Freezing: These donuts taste best fresh but you can freeze them unglazed. Reheat them in the Air Fryer and glaze thems immediately once out of the oven.
Which Air Fryer should I buy?
Air Fryers I tested and recommend:
Air Fryer & Grill Combo: I recently bought this Air Fryer and love it! The basket is big (10″x10″) and it has a lot more functions than a normal Air Fryer so it can replace other small appliances. It can grill (510 degrees F), air fry, bake, broil, and dehydrate.
Air Fryer: This is the other Air Fryer I own. I really like it and but it is quite small so I would only recommend it for smaller families.
Air Fryer Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, lukewarm (about 100°F)°
- 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast, or instant yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tsp
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Oil Spray, Coconut oil works best
For the Glaze
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 Tbsp hot water, or as needed
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, gently stir together lukewarm milk, 1 tsp of sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy (If nothing happens your milk was too hot or the yeast is too old, so start over).
- Add sugar, salt, egg, melted butter and 2 cups of flour to the milk mixture. Mix on low speed until combined, then with the mixer running add the remaining cup of flour slowly, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Increase speed to medium-low and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth.
- Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. Dough is ready if you make a dent with your finger and the indention remains.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, punch it down and gently roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out 10-12 donuts using a 3-inch round cutter and a 1-inch round cutter to remove center.
- Transfer donuts and donut holes to lightly floured parchment paper and cover loosely with greased plastic wrap. Let donuts rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Preheat Air Fryer to 350F.
- Spray Air Fryer basket with oil spray, carefully transfer donuts to Air Fryer basket in a single layer. Spray donuts with oil spray and cook at 350F until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining donuts and holes.
- While the donuts are in the Air Fryer, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
- Dip hot donuts and donut holes in the glaze using to forks to submerge them. Place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to allow excess glaze to drip off. Let sit until glaze hardens, about 10 minutes.
Notes
- Make sure the milk is not hotter than 115 degrees F. Using hot liquid will kill the yeast.
- If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, drizzle a few drops of the warmed up milk onto the inside of your wrist. It should feel warm. If it feels hot the yeast will die off, if it feels cold it will remain dormant.
Nutrition
Would it be better to use cake flour instead of all purpose?
Are these donuts good for filling, like jelly donuts?
Wow. I was skeptical at first so i only made half the recipe. But it turned out soooo good. As good as a fried donut.
I’m already planning on making it again to take to my parents house this week.
Try it! As it is. Its perfect
I just made these and was so disappointed as they just had no taste what so ever. What would I have done wrong? They did rise and when I transferred dough to roll it felt so fluffy so I was so surprised as to the bland taste. Here are some thoughts as maybe why the bland taste?
I added the milk TO the yeast instead of the reverse.
I used a normal mixer so had to end up mixing by hand as beaters got overwhelmed.
The dough rose so why would they taste so bad?
Any thoughts?
Mmh I’m not sure why they would taste bad? Were any of your ingredients bad, for example, the eggs or milk? This recipe uses a traditional donut dough that you would also use for “normal” donuts, the dough is not overly sweet like cake. But there is enough sugar in it to make it not taste bland like bread. One big thing that makes a donut a donut is the glaze! To me, it sounds like you didn’t use a glaze. The glaze is very important for the taste and texture of the donut, otherwise, you will essentially make a slightly sweet bun (the same thing happens if you don’t put a glaze on a normal donut).
Perhaps they taste bland because they’re not deep-fried like donuts usually are..? I’m not sure.
Veganized these and they turned out perfect!
Thanks for posting the recipe!!
I used energee-egg replacer for an egg which is mostly potato starch but I bet flax egg would work too
I have a question, for the cinomin sugar glaze do i add it to the normal and then dip the doughnuts in the glaze or sprinkle the sugar coat on top?
I have a question about what type of milk I should use? I normally don’t do a lot of baking and usually only have skim or fat free milk around. Would I be better advised to use whole milk, or butter milk? I haven’t added a ratting because I probably won’t be making these for about a week still. I’ll add a rating after :).
I use whole milk but 2% will work too.
My 13yo made a double batch for our family last night and they are delicious! Sharing this recipe!
I am so going to try this recipe. I learned a tip years ago for applying the glaze. You string the cooked donuts onto the handle of a wooden spoon and lay the spoon across the bowl of glaze. Then using a spoon you drizzle the glaze over the donuts, spinning them around on the spoon so as to properly cover them with the glaze, then they stay there for a moment, so that the excess can drip off back into the bowl of glaze. Too easy :D
Real (yeast) dough-nuts are NOT super sweet or cake-like. Those are packet mix donuts which are made with cake. Unfortunately this is what a lot of American’s think are doughnuts. It’s spelt with ‘dough’ (outside the USA) for a reason, it’s a yeast dessert. ‘Donuts’ aren’t the real thing. They are deep fried cake, which honestly sounds as appetising as it tastes (not at all).
Dough-nuts are of european origin and are based on the German delicacy the Berliner or the polish delicacy the Paczi. Both are made with yeast and are chewy and only slightly sweet. This recipe is true to the european tradition, the glaze however, is not. They should be lightly dusted with fine sugar and served with a tart jam.
Unfortunately American cuisine has been drowned in sugar and people there have a taste for sweetness which is unpalatable to the rest of the world. No-one here would consider consuming anything encrusted in a hard layer of sugar like that. Try this recipe with pumpkin spice and orange zest in the dough, very nice and less bland for American tastes.
Clara, you make a lot of valid points! I think you would enjoy my Berliner (or Krapfen) recipe.
Girl you said all that when you could have said nothing at all.
Exactly! ^^ This recipe looks bomb, I’m stoked to try making them soon. And I will be unashamed in my choices of sugary coating and fillings.
Clara, you honestly have no idea of what an American donut is. There are several kinds, and if you don’t like them, don’t eat them. You “educating” tone is obnoxious and condescending. Why comment on a recipe you undoubtedly will never even make??!
Clara is a typical Karen. I bet she’s real fun at parties. Let people be, food is subjective. These are a lot healthier than most DOUGHnuts.
I agree with you completely. Your comment was interesting and truthful. I just got an air fryer and am so happy I found this recipe.
Clara, Polish pączki (not paczi) are super sweet and traditionally come with either icing sugar or glaze. They’re just as sweet as American donuts. Take it from a Pole, raised in Poland, who loooves doughnuts.
Most of America is of European origin. German, Polish, Italian, Irish, etc. all brought their traditions and food-ways with them upon immigration. I’ll give you the American diet is drowned in sugar but the “European tradition” is baked into just about all of our food. And btw, “unpalatable to the rest of the world”? Ever had breakfast in Italy? Mile high whipped cream on a flaky, sweet pastry the size of a dinner plate is just an average weekday.
just purchased an air fryer oven this week, this is the first dessert i tried. So far, so good! i’ll post a picture when they are done