Merken An air fryer changes everything when you're craving donuts but don't want to spend an hour in the kitchen. I discovered this trick on a lazy Sunday morning when my kids were bouncing around asking for something sweet, and I had exactly nine minutes before we needed to leave for soccer. The biscuit dough sat in my fridge like a secret shortcut, and suddenly these golden, fluffy donuts were cooling on a plate. It felt almost like cheating, but the real magic wasn't the speed—it was watching their faces light up at something that tasted like we'd been planning it all along.
There's a moment when my neighbor smelled these cooking and appeared at my kitchen door asking what bakery was in my house. That's when I knew this wasn't just a quick snack—it was the kind of thing people notice. She helped me brush the butter and toss the coating while we caught up, and suddenly it became one of those unplanned kitchen moments that stick with you. Now whenever she visits, she asks if we're making them again.
Ingredients
- Refrigerated biscuit dough (one 16 oz can): This is the entire foundation—don't use homemade, because the point is speed and that light, slightly salty base that canned dough gives you.
- Nonstick cooking spray: Just enough to prevent sticking without making the basket slippery; a light mist, not a coating.
- Granulated sugar (1/2 cup): The sweetness that clings to warm butter and becomes the reason these are irresistible.
- Ground cinnamon (1 1/2 tsp): Don't skip this or use too much; it should whisper cinnamon, not announce it.
- Unsalted butter (4 tbsp, melted): The vehicle that makes the sugar stick and adds that buttery richness that separates these from tasting too light.
Instructions
- Get your air fryer ready:
- Preheat to 350°F for 3 minutes while you prep everything else. A hot basket means your donuts start cooking immediately and puff up instead of turning dense.
- Shape the donuts:
- Open the biscuit dough and separate each one gently—they'll want to stick together, so take your time. Use a small round cutter (about 1 inch) to punch out the center of each biscuit, creating a donut shape with a hole you can save for donut holes if you want.
- Prepare the basket:
- A light spray of cooking spray keeps everything from sticking, but don't overdo it or your donuts will slide around.
- Cook the donuts:
- Arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket—if they're too crowded, the steam won't circulate properly and you'll get dense spots instead of fluffy texture. Air fry for 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they're golden brown and puffed up like tiny pillows.
- Mix your coating:
- While the donuts cook, combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl—this only takes 20 seconds and lets you coat immediately after they come out.
- Coat them while warm:
- This is the secret moment: brush melted butter on all sides while the donuts are still warm, then toss them in the cinnamon sugar. The heat helps the coating stick and creates that crispy shell.
- Finish and serve:
- Eat them right away if you can, or repeat the process with any remaining donuts and the little holes you cut out.
Merken My favorite memory of these isn't about how fast they are—it's about my son dunking one in his milk at breakfast and asking if we could make them every weekend. I laughed and told him maybe not every weekend, but the way he looked at that donut, like it was something special we'd made together, made me understand why people actually put in the effort to fry donuts at home. Some recipes become favorites because of what they are; this one became special because of who I was sharing it with.
Why the Air Fryer Method Works
The air fryer creates a convection environment that mimics deep frying without the oil, mess, or the smell that lingers in your kitchen for three days. The biscuit dough, which is already designed to be light and fluffy, responds beautifully to that dry, circulating heat. You get the same golden exterior and tender crumb as a traditional donut but with about 90% less cleanup and zero oil splatters. The key is understanding that you're not actually frying—you're using circulating hot air to create that crispy-outside, fluffy-inside texture, which is why the temperature at 350°F is perfect and why flipping matters so much.
Flavor Variations to Try
Once you've made these once, your brain starts generating ideas. The cinnamon sugar coating is the classic, but it's not the only route. Powdered sugar dusting gives a more delicate sweetness, cocoa powder creates something closer to a chocolate donut, and if you want to get fancy, a simple vanilla glaze (powdered sugar mixed with milk and vanilla) turns them into something that looks almost homemade. The beauty of using biscuit dough is that it accepts any coating—you're working with a neutral canvas that's already delicious, so the toppings are where you can play around and figure out what your people actually want.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
These donuts are absolutely best eaten fresh, warm, and within an hour of cooking, but real life doesn't always work that way. If you need to store them, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day—after that, they start to lose their texture and taste a bit stale. You can't really freeze them successfully because the coating gets weird and the dough gets dense. The smarter move is to cut and prep the donuts earlier in the day, keep them in the fridge, and air fry them fresh whenever you actually want to eat them.
- Prep your donuts the morning you want to cook them for the best texture.
- If you're making a glaze, mix it just before you cook the donuts so it's ready to apply.
- Donut holes cook faster than full donuts—watch them and pull them out in about 2-3 minutes.
Merken These donuts are proof that sometimes the best things don't require a lot of fuss or expertise—just good ingredients and nine minutes. Make them when you want to feel like you've accomplished something sweet without spending your entire morning in the kitchen.
Fragen und Antworten zum Rezept
- → Wie gelingt der Teig besonders fluffig?
Der gekühlte Biscuitteig sorgt durch seine luftige Konsistenz für fluffige Donuts beim Airfryen.
- → Wie vermeide ich, dass die Donuts am Korb haften bleiben?
Ein leichtes Einsprühen mit Antihaft-Spray im Airfryer-Korb verhindert das Ankleben der Donuts.
- → Wie lange sollten die Donuts im Airfryer garen?
Die optimale Backzeit beträgt 3 bis 4 Minuten bei 175°C, dabei die Donuts zur Hälfte wenden.
- → Wie wird die Zimt-Zucker-Schicht besonders gleichmäßig?
Die noch warmen Donuts direkt nach dem Backen mit geschmolzener Butter bestreichen und sofort in der Zimt-Zucker-Mischung wälzen.
- → Kann ich den Teig auch variieren?
Grundsätzlich eignet sich gekühlter Biscuitteig am besten, für kreative Varianten kann man aber auch andere luftige Teige ausprobieren.