Homemade air fryer donuts are a fun and easy treat to make from scratch.
Lightly sweetened yeast donuts are fluffy on the inside with a crispy exterior and coated with a fragrant vanilla glaze.
Warm freshly baked donuts will put a smile on everyone’s face!
Our Favorite Donut Recipe
- Making donuts is a great treat for kids! Let them have fun dipping and decorating their donuts with icing and sprinkles. And don’t forget to air fry the donut holes too!
- Luscious homemade donuts are easy to make! This air fryer donut recipe is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth while cutting out the calories that you get in an oil-fried version.
- Donuts in the air fryer means no greasy mess from a deep fat fryer. Cleanup is a snap!
- Make your donut treat even more cozy and comforting by serving with a warm mug of caramel cider, pumpkin spiced latte, or hot chocolate.
Ingredients & Variations
Dough – A yeast dough will make the best and fluffiest donuts in the air fryer. Use all-purpose flour and instant yeast. (check the expiration date!) If in doubt, “proof” the yeast before adding the flour by mixing it with milk and sugar and letting it sit for 5 – 10 minutes. It should become bubbly and foamy. If you can’t wait for the dough to rise, use canned biscuit dough.
Vanilla – The vanilla bean paste called for in this air fryer donut recipe will have small black specks that give that cozy homemade feel, but you can use vanilla extract in the same amount if that’s what you have on hand.
Icing – Give your donuts double vanilla goodness with the icing. Or, try other flavorings such as maple, lemon, coconut, coffee, chocolate, or whatever appeals to you!
Variations – Part of the fun of donuts is all the great toppings that you can add. Colored or chocolate sprinkles, toasted coconut, chopped nuts, or crushed Oreos all add flavor and interest. Add food coloring to some of the icing, and decorate your donuts. Load different colors into plastic bags, snip off a corner, and squeeze it out in different patterns.
How to Make Donuts in the Air Fryer
The dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the sugar and milk with the yeast, then add the egg, oil, and vanilla, as directed in the recipe below.
- Add the flour a little at a time, using a dough hook attachment on a mixer.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour or until doubled.
- Roll out dough to ½-inch and cut out donuts.
- Allow donuts to rise another hour.
To cook:
- Place a few donuts in the air fryer basket not touching, and bake for 7-8 minutes at 365° until crisp and lightly browned.
- Dip into icing, let set for a few minutes, and serve warm.
How to Make Donut Icing
Donut icing should be smooth and almost pourable for easy dipping.
- Mix powdered sugar with cream and vanilla paste.
- Stir until smooth and free of lumps.
- Dip the donuts into the icing, and set them on a wire rack.
Tips & Tricks for Storing Donuts
- Donuts taste best served warm, but be sure not to store them away until they are completely cooled.
- Store in an airtight container or zip bag with the air pressed out in a cool, dry place, or the refrigerator for up to two days.
- To freeze iced donuts, place them on a tray, icing side up. Then transfer to a freezer bag separated with wax paper, and store for up to three months. Remove them from the bag or container and thaw at room temperature to prevent a soggy donut.
More Delicious Desserts
Air Fryer Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Donuts
- ½ cup warm milk 100-110°F
- 1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or equal amount of pure vanilla extract)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Vanilla Bean Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or equal amount of pure vanilla extract)
Instructions
For the Donuts
- Add the milk, yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or into a large bowl). Mix until well combined.
- Add the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla bean paste and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour gradually with the mixer on low speed. Continue kneading on low speed until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and set it aside to rise for one hour.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is ½” thick and cut out 3” doughnuts. Set the doughnuts on a parchment-lined sheet pan to rise for an additional hour.
- Place a few doughnuts in the air fryer and cook at 365°F for 7-8 minutes, or until they are crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.
For the Vanilla Bean Icing
- Combine icing ingredients in a small bowl, dip the doughnuts in the icing, and set them on a wire rack to set. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
©I Don’t Have Time For That. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
REPIN this Air Fryer Donuts Recipe
