I really was skeptical about how these would taste but was seriously shocked at how great they easy and the possibilities of fillings or toppings are incredibly easy.
These donuts can be dipped in chocolate frosting with sprinkles, rolled in cinnamon, sprinkled with powdered sugar, frosted with maple topped with crispy bacon, or even filled with instant pudding.
Also, they can be left without a hole in the center, air fried, cool then fill with custard for a Boston Cream Style Donut! Psst, they can even be donut holes, just roll them into balls!
It just so happens that on June 2nd it's National Donut Day and these are the perfect way to celebrate the day with a quick morning donut or dessert!
If you're looking for a quick easy fix, this is any kind of usual recipe it's instructions to make a tasty quick donut with just a few store-bought ingredients.
You may also like to try our old-fashioned Red Rasberry Filled Jelly Buns, Apple Fried Donut Holes, and Baked Apple Cider Donuts.
Check out this easy fun suggestion below and the tips to get started on making these delicious semi-homemade donuts in around 12 minutes.
Step by Step making Air Fried Donuts
- Unroll 12 refrigerated biscuits
- Place them on a flat surface IE cutting board
- Cut a circular hole in the center sharp knife or a 1-inch biscuit cutter
- Oil brush your basket
- Air fry for around 6 minutes on each side
- Roll them in cinnamon sugar, frost them or use our topping suggestions. These can be also filled with a pastry tip, or roll in powdered sugar, and serve
Garnish and Filling Suggestions
- roll into cinnamon sugar before frying or lightly glaze with powdered sugar and water icing and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture
- frosting with any flavored canned frosting
- top with any kind of chopped nuts on the frosting
- top frosting with mini chocolate chips
- after fried filled with a pastry tip with jam
- drizzle with white chocolate ganache and sprinkles
- add lemon or orange zest on top of the frosting
- after they are air-fried rolled in powdered sugar twice
- air-fry without the hole in the middle, air fry, and fill like Boston Cream Custard style donuts
- fill with instant pudding with a pastry tip and dip in chocolate ganache or spread with chocolate icing
- make a lemon powdered sugar glaze for the tops
- slice in half and fill with apple pie filling and drizzle caramel ice cream topping on it for a dessert garnish with whipped cream
Tools You Will Need
- Rolling pin
- Air Fryer
- Pastry bag and tip if filling them with jam or pudding
- Biscuit center to cut the middle use that cutter or knife
- Plastic covered container to store them in
- Frosting spreader
- Powdered sugar sifter
- Tongs to flip them over
Ingredients You Will Need
- 12 large refrigerator biscuits
- Optional
- canned frosting
- powdered sugar
- cinnamon and sugar mixture
- sprinkles, nuts, mini chocolate chips
- cooking oil to brush basket while air frying
- pie filling
- instant vanilla or chocolate pudding to fill them
Tips
- if you don't have a biscuit cutter for the center use a bottle cap or use and knife and mold them
- save the center cut-outs and make donut holes
- always brush the basket with cooking oil first so these don't stick
- to make cinnamon sugar use 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- dip in melted butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for a French treat
- make tinted frosting and colorful candies to decorate for holiday themes
- these can be filled using a pastry tip
- sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them before air frying or after
- you can use any kind of refrigerated biscuits and make all donut holes instead of whole donuts using a biscuit center cutter or the bottle cap to cut them with
- when using canned frosting, microwave the frosting around 7 to 10 minutes until free flowing for an easy dipping method for the donuts
- Note: since all air fryers are completely different I would test one donut before using instructions mine are based on using a Ninja 10 in one air fryer oven
Pin for Later
Quick and Easy Donuts
These are super easy and no standing over a hot stove frying or using your oven so these are the perfect summer dessert!
Make these festive for the 4th of July drizzled with white frosting and add a few blueberries and raspberries on top.
Seriously, these are the easiest donuts you will ever make, and a great little breakfast treat.
These will never taste exactly like a fried bakery donut but they're sure a nice surprise and quick dessert any time of the day in no time!
Yield: 12
Air Fried Donuts
Easy refrigerated dough donuts made in an air fryer. The dough is simply unrolled and shaped into donuts or use all of the dough for donut holes. Dip, fill, or simply roll into your favorite garnish!
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min
Ingredients
- 1 package of 10 buttermilk biscuits or 12 large Grand sized refrigerated biscuit dough (any brand can be used the some may be smaller than others depending on the size you purchase and cooking times will vary)
- cooking oil using a brush for your basket or spray outside the air fryer with cooking spray oil
- Optional: powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, canned frosting, jam or jelly, instant pudding, pie filling (see all suggestions under notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Separate the biscuits and place them on a cutting board surface.
- Cut the center out for whole donuts using a 1-inch biscuit cutter, knife or bottle cap or (just small rounds if making all donut holes).
- Lightly brush air fryer basket with cooking oil or spray.
- Add around 3 donuts ( or 6 donut holes) to the preheated air fryer basket not touching each other around 3 inches apart.
- Air Fry for about 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until lightly golden.
- Cool on wax paper or a wire rack.
- After all the biscuits are air fried make the topping or prepare to fill them with a pastry tip.
- These can be just brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for a French Twist style donut or use the many suggestions in the notes below.
Notes
Garnish and Filling Suggestions
- roll into cinnamon sugar before frying or lightly glaze with powdered sugar and water icing and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture
- frosting with any flavored canned frosting
- top with any kind of chopped nuts on the frosting
- top frosting with mini chocolate chips
- after fried filled with a pastry tip with jam
- drizzle with white chocolate ganache and sprinkles
- add lemon or orange zest on top of the frosting
- after they are air-fried roll in powdered sugar twice
- fill with instant pudding with a pastry tip and dip in chocolate ganache or spread with chocolate icing
- make a lemon powdered sugar glaze for the tops
- slice in half an fill with apple pie filling and drizzle caramel ice cream topping on it for a dessert garnish with whipped cream
Tips
- if you don't have a biscuit cutter for the center use a bottle cap or use a knife and mold the centers
- save the center cut-outs and make donut holes
- always brush the basket with cooking oil first so these don't stick
- to make cinnamon sugar use 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them before air frying or after
- dip in melted butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for a French treat
- make tinted frosting and colorful candies to decorate for holiday themes
- these can be filled using a pastry tip
- you can use any kind of refrigerated biscuits and make all donut holes instead of whole donuts using a biscuit center cutter or the bottle cap to cut them with
- Note: since all air fryers are completely different I would test one donut before using instructions mine are based on using a Ninja 10 in one air fryer oven
Pin for Later
Don't Forget to Try Our Other Air Fryer Favorite Recipes
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Air Fryer Summer Favorite Recipes
Air Fryer Donuts
Air Fryer Home Fries
Air Fried Chicken and Vegetables
Air Fried French Toast Sticks
