Moist, fluffy, and crispy air fryer donuts made from scratch with a simple yeasted dough. Soft and fluffy inside with a crispy exterior, topped with an easy homemade glaze. No deep frying required—convenient, faster, and easier to clean up.
coconut oil or high-heat oilfor spraying the air fryer basket
powdered sugar
for glaze base
2 tbsp
melted butterfor glaze2 tbsp
whole milkfor glaze, adjust as needed for consistency½ cup
vanillafor glaze flavoring½ tsp
Steps
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1
Heat 1 cup of whole milk to 105–110°F.
2
Mix in 1 tsp sugar and 1 packet of active dry yeast (or 2¼ tsp), stir gently, and set aside for about 5 minutes until foamy. The yeast should be puffy and foamy to indicate it's alive; otherwise, start over.
3
In a stand mixer, combine the remaining wet ingredients: ¼ cup granulated sugar, 6 tbsp melted butter, and 1 large egg at room temperature. Whisk briefly to combine.
4
Add the foamed yeast mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
5
Add 360 g all-purpose flour (3 cups) and ½ tsp salt. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms.
6
Scrape down the bowl, increase speed to medium-low, and continue mixing for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic.
7
If the dough still breaks apart when stretched, mix for another 2–3 minutes. The dough should be tacky but not stick to clean, dry fingers. Do not add extra flour; this recipe uses less flour to prevent the donuts from becoming dry when air-fried.
8
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl (about 1 tbsp oil or less), turn it over once to coat evenly, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 90 minutes until doubled in size.
9
Once the dough has risen, punch it down gently and turn it out onto a work surface.
10
Flour your work surface, pat the dough into a rectangular shape, and roll it out to about ½ inch thickness.
11
Using a 3-inch cutter dipped in flour, cut out circles. Carefully lift each circle and place it on a lined baking sheet.
12
Using a 1-inch cutter, cut out the center of each circle to create the donut hole.
13
Re-roll the dough scraps and cut additional donuts. Cover all shaped donuts loosely and let them rest for about 20 minutes to puff up slightly.
14
Make the glaze: whisk together powdered sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter, ½ cup whole milk, and ½ tsp vanilla until smooth. Adjust consistency with reserved milk if needed.
15
Preheat your air fryer and lightly spray the basket with coconut oil or high-heat oil.
16
Lightly spray the bottoms of the donuts, then place them in the air fryer basket. Fit 4–5 donuts per batch depending on basket size. Cook donuts and donut holes separately as they have different cooking times.
17
Air-fry the donuts at 375°F for 8 minutes until golden brown.
18
Air-fry the donut holes for 6 minutes at the same temperature.
19
Dip the warm donuts into the glaze. Best enjoyed warm.
PrimedTableBETA
