Air Fryer Donuts

These air fryer donuts are a quick and easy way to make delicious, homemade treats. Whether you're craving yeast donuts, cherry donuts, or healthy donuts, this doughnut recipe has you covered. Learn how to make donuts in the air fryer for a fun baking project or an effortless dessert. Perfect for air fryer sweets, these air fried donuts are the ultimate addition to your favorite recipes!

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Why these are the best air fryer donuts

It's simple and easy yeast dough recipe. Yeast donuts have more steps than a plain old cake donut, but those extra steps make the donuts light and fluffy with generous air pockets. These are the donuts you get at the donut shop, whereas traditional baked cake-style donuts are very different. That being said, this is a relatively easy yeast bread recipe with only a few steps and only one kneading step.

The ingredients are easy to find. You probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in every grocery I've ever visited.

They're totally from scratch. There's no refrigerated biscuits or pre-made dough with weird ingredients; they're just made with simple, good-for-you ingredients. They're all whole ingredients that you mix yourself. You can't get healthier than that.

The donuts taste great. The combination of the sweet cherries, vanilla bean paste, and almond extract is amazing, and the cherry glazes adds a different texture to the soft, pillowy donuts.

This recipe is allergy friendly. As written, this recipe is soy-free. If you leave out the almond extract, it will be nut-free. You may be able to use an egg substitute to make it egg-free, but I have not personally tested that. You can use a non-dairy milk and vegan butter to make it dairy-free.

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What you'll need to make the best air fryer donut recipe

Equipment

• Instant read thermometer - You need to heat the milk to approximately 110ºF, and the best way to do that is to use a thermometer. If you don't have a cooking thermometer, do your best to make it slightly warmer than body temperature but not at all hot. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast, and your donuts won't rise.
• Egg separator - This recipe calls for 2 egg yolks, and the best way to separate eggs is to use this handy gadget. I've had mine for over 20 years, and it even survived my house fire. If you don't have an egg separator, look up how to separate eggs on YouTube.
• Stand mixer - This recipe makes a yeast dough that requires kneading and proofing. Your great grandma kneaded dough without a stand mixer and its dough hook, but I don't know why you would want to do that in the year of our Lord 2024. Can you make this dough without a stand mixer? Yes. Would I? Definitely not.
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• Circle biscuit cutter set (1"-4") - You will need to cut the donuts out of the dough. Round donuts with round centers need round biscuit or cookie cutters. You'll only use a 3-inch and a 1-inch cutter (unless you want to make differently sized donuts, I guess).
• Baking sheet - You will use this several times during the preparation of air fryer donuts. It would be helpful if you have more than one.
• Parchment paper - I always line my baking sheets with parchment to make clean up easier, but it's not 100% necessary.
• Air fryer - Obviously, if you're making air fryer donuts, you're going to need an air fryer. This is the one that I have. I love it because it has several racks that slide in and out, rather than a basket which would have only one layer.
• Wire rack - This is how you will cool the donuts and also how you will let the glaze drip off at the end.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

For the donuts

• Active dry yeast - This is what makes the dough rise and become light and fluffy. Make sure your yeast is not expired; yeast is a living organism, and if the packet is expired, it is likely dead and won't rise.
• Whole milk - I prefer to use whole milk, but you could use low fat milk or non-dairy milk as you prefer.
• Maraschino cherry juice - This will give the dough a subtle cherry flavor, and it also makes the donuts slightly pink. If you want your donuts to be more pink, you can use a dab or two of red gel food color. I don't recommend using liquid food color as this will dilute the dough. If you don't want to use cherry juice, feel free to use any fruit juice or even plain water.
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• Bread flour - Bread flour has more protein (12-14%) than all-purpose flour (9-10%), and this leads to a stronger, stretchier dough with more structure. You can't make all-purpose flour into bread flour, and you can't substitute AP flour for bread flour. More protein in the flour means more gluten in the baked goods, and you need more gluten to make hearty donuts that have a nice bite and a light, fluffy texture. If you use AP flour in this recipe, your donuts will be flat and tough, not fluffy and chewy.
• Egg yolks - These give the dough protein and richness without adding too much extra liquid.
• Egg - This adds fat, protein, and liquid to the dough.
• Vanilla bean paste - Vanilla bean paste is concentrated vanilla extract with crushed up vanilla beans mixed in. It has a stronger vanilla flavor and results in richer, tastier baked goods. That said, you can substitute vanilla extract in an equal amount.
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• Almond extract - I love almonds and cherries together. It is probably my most favorite flavor combination. So naturally, I added a dash of almond extract to these cherry donuts. If you have a nut allergy, leave it out.
• Granulated sugar - This is just plain white sugar.
• Table salt - You need a pinch of salt to help the dough to rise.
• Room temperature butter - Bakers will tell you that you must use salted or unsalted butter, but I say it doesn't matter. Salted butter has less than one teaspoon of salt per pound of butter, so there's likely not even enough salt to notice a difference. Use whatever you have.
• Chopped Maraschino cherries - I think the cherries make these donuts really special, but if you hate cherries (how could you?! Just kidding, both of my kids hate them.), you can use any dried fruit (soaked in warm water for 15 minutes then drained thoroughly before adding to the dough) or just leave them out.

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For the cherry-vanilla glaze

• Powdered sugar - Powdered sugar is called icing sugar in most of the world for a reason. It's the base of most frostings, icings, and glazes. I don't know of any other way to make a glaze than to use powdered sugar.
• Vanilla bean paste - See the description of vanilla bean paste above. I think vanilla bean paste is highly preferred in glazes and frostings because it lacks the strong alcohol flavor that vanilla extract has and just gives you a lovely vanilla flavor. In baked goods, it doesn't matter as much because the alcohol cooks off, but since the glaze isn't cooked, it stays behind and I personally can taste it, where as I don't taste it with the paste.
• Maraschino cherry juice - You might use more or less depending on how thick or thin you want your glaze to be. As above, if you're not using cherries, you can use another fruit juice, melted butter, or milk. But do understand that in the glaze, the cherry juice makes a big difference because it adds significant flavor.
• Salt - This is to balance the flavors.
• Maraschino cherries - These are for garnish on top of the glaze.

How to make air fryer donuts from scratch

1. In a medium bowl, warm ¾ cup of milk to between 100º-110ºF. (Use a thermometer.) Add 1 tablespoon of yeast to the warm milk and stir. Add 2 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice, then add 1 cup of bread flour and mix all together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes to rise.
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2. When the dough mixture has risen, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer.
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3. Add the remaining ¼ cup milk, warmed to 100º-110ºF, then add remaining 1 teaspoon yeast, egg yolks, vanilla bean paste, almond extract, plus 2½ cups of remaining flour, sugar, and salt.  With a dough hook, mix all together on low for about 30 seconds. While the mixer is going, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. 
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4. Turn mixer to medium low and knead dough for about 5 minutes.  If dough is not pulling away from the sides after that time, add up to ½ cup more of flour, one tablespoon at a time.  Place the ball of dough in a buttered or greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for 30 minutes. 
5. Punch down dough after 30 minutes.  Add ½ cup of the maraschino cherries and knead in on the counter. 
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6. Return dough to the bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator to proof again for 1 hour. 
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7. Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a well floured surface to about a ½-inch thickness. Cut the donut circle out with a 3" circle biscuit cutter.  Cut the center with a 1" circle cutter and set the centers aside for doughnut holes.
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8. Place donuts and donut holes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to proof one more time for about 45 minutes (or until doubled in size).
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9. Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF for about 2 minutes.  Spray racks with cooking spray and place donuts on the racks leaving room in between.  Spray tops of donuts with cooking spray or brush with melted butter.  Air fry donuts for 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Use the same process for the donut holes, air frying for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove donuts and donut holes from the air fryer and place on a wire rack to cool.
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10. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, milk and salt. Place a rack of donuts back on a wire rack on top of the baking sheet and pour the glaze over the donuts. 
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11. Top the glaze with more maraschino cherries. 
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12. You can also pour the glaze into a wide, shallow pan and dip the donuts into it. If desired, you can add sprinkles before the glaze hardens.
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Variations and substitutions

I love maraschino cherries, so that's what I used to make my donuts, but you could use another fruit if you wanted. I recommend a dried or canned fruit. Canned fruit, you can use as-is. To use dried fruit, you should soak them in warm water for 15 minutes, then drain thoroughly, then add to the dough.

You can use plain water, milk, or another fruit juice in place of the cherry juice in the dough and in the glaze.

The glaze is very customizable. You can make chocolate glaze by melting ½ cup of chocolate (baker's chocolate would be best but chocolate chips will work) with a tablespoon of butter. Add both to a glass bowl and microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring completely in between. When the chocolate is smooth, then mix it with the powdered sugar as suggested, and leave out the cherry juice unless you need to thin your glaze.

You can also skip the glaze, brush melted butter on your donuts (tops and bottoms), and then dip the donuts into cinnamon sugar. You can either buy cinnamon sugar or mix it up in a ratio of ½ cup sugar to 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (start with one and then taste; add more if you think it needs more).

Baker's Tips for the best air fryer donuts

• Gather all your ingredients: Gather all your ingredients at once and prepare the equipment ahead of time. Oil the bowl, make sure everything is out on the counter. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
• Take your time: This is a multi-step recipe, but it will be well worth it if you take your time and perform each step carefully.
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• Incorporating the cherries: To incorporate the cherries into the dough,  stretch the dough and tuck it in on itself, moving the cherries around and allowing them to spread out in the dough. If you're still not sure how to knead the cherries in, go to YouTube and search for "how to knead bread dough."
• Correct Proof: Proofing is when you leave the dough to rest and rise. During the final proofing, the donut is done when you touch it, and it springs back slowly. If it springs back too quickly, it needs to proof a little longer. 
• Flour your surface: Make sure your surface is well floured so when you're ready to move donuts to the air fryer, they easily move off of the counter. 
• Leftover dough: Any leftover donut dough that's not big enough for a whole donut can be cut into donut holes.
• Let them cool: Let the donuts cool completely to room temperature before adding the glaze. If you don't, the glaze will either slide right off or soak right in. Neither is desirable, obviously.

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Do you have to use an air fryer with wire racks?

No, of course not. I have an air fryer with three wire racks that allow me to air fry a lot of food at one time, but if you have a traditional air fryer with a basket, you can still make these air fried donuts. Simply place the donuts in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry them in batches.

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What if I don't have an air fryer?

If you don't have an air fryer, you can use your oven to make cherry donuts.  Heat the oven to 390ºF.  Leave the donuts on the baking sheet to bake. Spray the tops with cooking spray, and start by baking the donuts for 4-5 minutes. Check for color, and continue to bake until golden brown. Bake time will depend on your individual oven. Mine takes about 6-8 minutes.

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Storing leftover air fryer donuts

Store your doughnuts in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag on the counter for up to 5 days. They will last another 2-3 days in the refrigerator, but be prepared for stale donuts because refrigerated baked goods tend to go stale more quickly than they do at room temperature.

You can freeze unglazed air fryer donuts in an airtight container for up to 3-4 months. To freeze them, place the donuts on a baking sheet in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until hard. Once they are no longer sticky, transfer the frozen donuts to an airtight container or zippered freezer bag. The purpose of this additional step is so that you can remove just one or two donuts from the bag without defrosting the entire batch of donuts.

To serve frozen donuts, simply set them out on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature.

You may be able to freeze glazed donuts, but I have never tried, and I'm not sure how well they would come out. If you try it, come back and leave a comment to let us know.

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Try these other delicious donut recipes:

• Easy Baked or Fried Yeast Zebra Donuts
• Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts
• Baked Double Chocolate Donuts
• Baked Chocolate Frosted Candy-Filled Chocolate Donuts
• Baked Vegan Double Chocolate Donuts
• Baked Gluten Free Glazed Donuts with Almond Flour
• Baked Pumpkin Spice Glazed Donuts
• Baked Coffee Cake Crumb Donuts
• Air Fryer Donuts with Cherry Glaze

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