Description
Easy homemade donuts made in an air fryer with a crispy exterior and fluffy interior, ready in under 30 minutes without deep frying or excess oil.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar, cinnamon-sugar, or glaze for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, blend buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently mix with a spatula until just combined – avoid over-mixing.
- Lightly flour your countertop and turn dough out, gently kneading a couple times until it comes together.
- Roll out dough to about 1/2-inch thickness.
- Use a donut cutter or two different sized biscuit cutters to cut out donut rounds.
- Cut small squares of parchment paper for each donut and place donuts on parchment squares.
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F (175°C) for about 3 minutes.
- Place donuts with parchment in air fryer basket in single layer, leaving an inch between each.
- Air fry for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and puffed.
- Remove to cooling rack and add desired toppings while still warm.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the dough – just combine until no streaks remain for soft, cake-like donuts
- Work in batches to avoid overcrowding for even cooking
- Warm donuts are easiest to coat – sugar glazes stick best right out of the air fryer
- Can be made gluten-free by substituting with 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- For vegan version, use plant milk with vinegar and flax egg substitute
- Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days
- Can be frozen for up to 2 months when wrapped individually
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Air Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 110-140
- Fat: 3-4g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Protein: 2-3g
Keywords: air fryer donuts, homemade donuts, easy donuts, quick donuts, healthier donuts, cake donuts, breakfast treats