You Can Make Donuts In An Air Fryer Even Quicker Than You'd Think

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If you own an air fryer, as about 60% of American households do, then you undoubtedly want to use that appliance to the fullest. We can think of no better purpose than using it to make doughnuts (check out our recipe for air fryer bomboloni), since eschewing the fat from the deep fryer will make a dessert that, if not exactly nutritious, is quite a bit better for you. Clare Andrews (also known as "The Air Frying Angel"), author of "The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook: One Basket Meals," told The Takeout, "Air frying your doughnuts is great if you want a healthier, easier option." For the quickest and easiest doughnuts of all, she said you can even use canned biscuit dough.

"Canned biscuit dough," said Andrews, "is the ultimate cheat code for fast, delicious air fryer doughnuts with minimal effort and great results." Cut out the biscuit centers with a shot glass, spice jar, or small round cookie cutter to form the classic ring shape. Once the doughnuts are done cooking, Andrews recommends brushing them with melted butter and tossing them in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. Alternatively, you can dip them in a classic three-ingredient glaze. Colored sprinkles are optional, but highly recommended — unless you're a sprinkle hater, in which case, less decorated doughnuts will do.

If you'd rather not use canned biscuit dough to make your air fryer doughnuts, you can certainly make them from scratch, but Clare Andrews advises using a recipe for yeast dough rather than one calling for cake dough. "Yeast-based doughnuts," she said, "will give you a light, fluffy, pillowy texture, much more like what you'd get from a bakery."

The reason why yeast dough works so well in the air fryer is that it gets aerated by the internal steam released as it cooks. This lets the doughnuts puff up just like they would in hot oil. Andrews emphasized, however, that for this to work, the dough needs to be fully proofed. Yes, this will take some time –- perhaps an hour for the initial rise, then another 45 minutes for the second rise (the proofing) — but well-proofed dough is worth the effort. According to Andrews, as long as you've taken this step, "The yeast dough rises beautifully in the air fryer, giving it that soft interior and slightly crisp exterior."

It's important to pay attention to the details as you prepare to bake your air fryer doughnuts. (Yes, we said bake instead of fry, because an air fryer, despite the name, is essentially a miniature convection oven with a drip tray.) Clare Andrews noted that there are three important elements in the process, telling us, "The right temperature, timing, and spacing are key to air fryer doughnut success."

For starters, you need to set the air fryer to the correct temperature range, typically between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit (standard baking temperatures you're likely to find in any given recipe). At these temperatures, the doughnuts cook through without the outsides burning. If your air fryer isn't hot enough, your doughnuts could be dense. If it's set too high, the dough in the centers might still be raw by the time the outsides blacken. As for the timing, this may vary by recipe and also with the size and power of your air fryer. To be on the safe side, check the doughnuts a few minutes before you expect them to be done.

Andrews observed that air-fried doughnuts can be lighter colored than the deep-fried kind, but suggested that this can be compensated for by brushing the dough with butter or beaten egg before baking. She also pointed out that the doughnuts need plenty of room to expand, so you should make sure not to overcrowd the basket. It's better to cook them in several batches than to risk cramming too many in at once.