How To Make Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts?

Everyone loves donuts, they are fluffy, soft, tasty, and very cute-looking fried pieces of dough. However, making them from scratch is a messy process for which most people don’t have time, skills, or nerves.

If you aren’t a fan of buying donuts in the shop and prefer making ones at home I have great news for you – air fryer biscuit donuts. They are a thing! All you need is two main ingredients and an air fryer. Toppings are optional.

You might think I’m joking but I’m dead serious, and I will say this out loud – they taste even better than regular donuts. If you are a true donut enthusiast, and you love flaky layers, I’m sure this intrigued you enough to keep on reading.

Are Air Fryer Donuts Healthy?

Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts
Image Credit: bitsandbitesblog

This is a tricky question, considering you’ll use storebought processed biscuit dough that is full of sugar and calories that many people tend to avoid. But, all I can say is that they are healthier than fried ones for sure since you’ll at least reduce the oil consumption which impacts the levels of cholesterol.

The problem with donuts is that they are like sponges, if the temperature for frying isn’t high enough and you use the wrong type of oil (the one that burns at high temperatures), they will soak up as much oil as they can. This way you’ll eat a lot more calories than you might think.

When you decide to prepare donuts in an air fryer, you’ll only use a few spoons of oil to prevent biscuit dough to stick on the surface and avoid submerging donuts in a pool of oil. Or you can use coconut oil spray, olive oil spray, or any other cooking spray of your choice.

The taste is a bit more different, but for the better. Your donuts will be lighter, soft on the inside, and crispy on the surface. This is almost as close as it can be to this guilty-free version.

Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts Recipe

Now that I have explained to you why you should give a chance to these little rockstars, it is time to introduce you to the full step-by-step guide, and ingredient list. I will also share some of my favorite ways to consume these babies. So less talk more work.

Ingredients you will need

Not everyone is skilled in the kitchen, or maybe you are great with cooking but baking and preparing dessert is just not your cup of tea. If your bakery peak is preparing a cake in a mug or baking a store-bought brownie, then you’ll love this recipe.

Ingredients for the donuts:

  • 1 or 2 cans (or even more depending on how many mouths you have to feed) of your favorite canned biscuit dough)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons of melted butter

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar donuts:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pink frosting ingredients:

  • 1 cup of sugar powder or a regular one, whichever you prefer
  • Pink color, you can use flavored ones (strawberry)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 or 2 spoons of milk to regulate the texture (for biscuit donuts, thicker frosting seems to stick better so be careful with the milk)
  • Sprinkles or dehydrated raspberries

Chocolate frosting:

  • 1 cup of chocolate of your choice
  • 1 tablespoon of melted butter
  • ½ cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips
how-to-make-air-fryer-donuts
Image Credit: momontimeout

Kitchen Tools You Will Need

  • A knife or a cookie cutter
  • A cutting board
  • Small bowls for frostings
  • A wire rack for cooling off

Step-by-step air fryer biscuit donuts

The process of making these donuts couldn’t be easier if you wanted to.

  1. The first step is to preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. This can take some time depending on the model of your air fryer, but it’ll take at least a few minutes. While you wait for the right temperature you’ll have enough time to shape the donuts.
  2. Now the second step is to open up canned biscuits and pull it out on the cutting board and separate it carefully.
  3. After that, the third step is to cut out a small and approximately 1-inch thick circle, this is your donut.

    How-to-make-Air-Fryer-Donuts
    Image Credit: tammileetips
  4. The next step is how you prefer your donut. If you like them with the holes cut the one in the middle, if you prefer them without so you can fill them with jam or custard leave them be.
  5. When you prepared all your donuts, it is time to add them to an air fryer. Depending on the size of your frying basket, and the size of your donuts, add four or 5 at a time. Cook them for 2 minutes on each side, and they are done.
  6. Remove donuts from the air fryer and place them on a cooling rack, using a pastry brush coat both sides with melted butter and leave the to rest. While you do this place another batch of donuts in the air frier and do this until you cook all of them.

    brushing-butter-on-a-donut
    Image Credit: messforless
  7. When they are completely cooled off, it is time to coat them with frosting or fill them up. You can dip donuts with holes in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, dip them in plain powder sugar, or frost them with your favorite frosting. In case you made donuts without holes, you can use a syringe to fill them up with custard, jam, or chocolate filling. Or you can be innovative as I was, cut them in half like you’ll make a sandwich, fill them with a cream of your choice and seasonal fruit.
  8. Sprinkle them with sugar or drizzle them with light corn syrup. After you coat or fill them, let them rest for some time so the dough can absorb the flavor, have patience, it will pay off in the end.
Air-Fryer-Donuts-Landscape
Image Credit: skinnycomfort

FAQ

  1. How do I store biscuit donuts?

There are two options when it comes to storing.

You can store them uncooked in an airtight container or freezing bags, but make sure you place parchment paper between donuts to prevent sticking. Prepare as much as you want, read the instruction on the cookie can there you’ll find info on how long you can keep the dough in the freezer.

You can store cooked leftover donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, in case it is not too hot. For donuts that have coating or filling that is unstable at room temperature place them in the fridge and use them in the next two to three days.

  1. Can I freshen them up after storing them?

Donuts will stay soft and fresh in an air-tight container, but in case you want them fluffy and warm you can opt to place them in a microwave for 60 seconds. Keep in mind that if you pop them in the microwave for more than a minute the frosting will start melting.

You can also reheat them in an air fryer if you don’t have a microwave oven, but it will take more time. First preheat the air fryer to 300 degrees, when it reaches the temperature place the donut in the air fryer for no more than 2 minutes.

  1. How to make an authentic crackling donut glaze?

Making a sweet crackly donut glaze is really simple and quick. However, keep in mind that homemade donut dough isn’t as sweet as biscuit dough, so naturally, this glaze is used to add sweetness to fried donuts.

What I am trying to say is that this glaze isn’t particularly the best coating choice for biscuit donuts. But if you like crazy sweet things then you can try it out. Here are the ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
  • 2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons of hot water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl since you’ll have more glaze than you actually need. Don’t reduce the amount of ingredients, when you have more glaze it will be easier to coat the donuts. Just dip them in the glaze and let them dry off on the rack.

Conclusion

When you crave donuts, but you don’t want to make them from scratch and mess your kitchen up, all you have to do is grab a can of biscuit dough and get creative.

Yes, you can grab the car keys instead and hit your favorite donut shop, but why not save up on some money and calories, and make your own, healthier version at home. I hope this post motivated you to try these mess-free, easy air fryer biscuit donuts.

If some of you already tried these at home, tell us how you liked them, and please share some interesting toppings with us.

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