How to make warm, fluffy donuts in an air fryer

• Air-fried donuts are lower in fat than deep fried donuts, and take less time than baked donuts.
• All that's needed is flour, sugar, salt, milk, butter, dried yeast, one egg, and cooking spray.
• Air-fried donuts last for one or two days if stored in an airtight container out of sunlight.

When you're craving warm donuts in a pinch, an air fryer offers a no-fuss, no-muss solution. While air-fried donuts have a remarkably similar texture to their deep-fried counterparts, but they're healthier and easier to make. Petranka Atanasova, the baker, food blogger, and recipe developer behind Sunglow Kitchen, finds a few different advantages to air-frying her donuts.

• Quicker than the oven. Air frying donuts is at least three times faster than baking them. Air frying only takes three to four minutes, while baking in the oven takes 10 to 20 minutes.
• Will yield comparable results to deep frying. Although they may be slightly less crispy on the outside than deep-fried donuts, air fryer donuts are super soft and fluffy with just enough chewiness.
• Lower in fat. You don't need to submerge air-fried donuts in hot oil to cook them, making them healthier.
• Less messy. Since there's no hot oil involved and the "frying" happens in the air fryer, you won't have to deal with any messy splatters with this method.

What you'll need

• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• One egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• ⅓ stick (40 grams) melted butter
• 1 packet (7 grams) dried yeast
• Cooking spray

How to make donuts in an air fryer from scratch

1. Combine the dry ingredients for the dough. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
2. Combine the wet ingredients for the dough. In a separate bowl, add the milk, egg, melted butter, and yeast, and mix well.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and knead the dough. Mix gently until they form a dough-like texture. Then transfer the dough onto a flat, clean, lightly floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes or until it has an elastic, somewhat tacky feel. If you're using a stand mixer rather than kneading by hand, Atanasova advises kneading the dough on high for three minutes.
4. Leave the dough to rise. After transferring the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about two hours or until it's doubled in size.
5. Roll and cut the dough. Start by rolling out the dough to a 1-inch thickness, and then cut out the donuts using a donut cutter or two different-sized biscuit cutters.
6. Let the donuts rise further. Place the donuts onto a sheet of parchment paper, brush them with a tiny bit of melted butter, and let them rise for around 45 minutes.
7. Preheat the air fryer. Turn the air fryer on and set it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, letting it preheat for about three to four minutes.
8. Air fry the donuts. Lightly spray the basket with coconut or canola oil, gently transfer the donuts to the basket, and air fry for three to four minutes. Atanasova says you'll know they're ready when you stick a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean.

Quick tip: Use any leftover dough to make donut holes. Just scoop out about 1-2 tablespoons of dough at a time, shape them into a ball, place them on parchment paper and brush the outside with melted butter, allow them to rise for 30 minutes, and then air fry them for two minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Glaze ideas

Want to give your donuts a sweet, glossy finish? For a basic vanilla frosting, all you need is confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Then you can get creative with other ingredients, like fruit, nuts, herbs, and spices. These are some of Atanasova favorite glaze flavors:

Storing the donuts

Atanasova recommends storing the air-fried donuts in an airtight container. They'll last one to two days at room temperature if kept out of sunlight. You can also store them in the refrigerator for about three to four days, as long as they're not glazed yet.

Reheat the donuts either in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or in the air fryer for one to two minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Insider's takeaway

Air-fried donuts are not only healthier, but also faster and less messy to make than their deep-fried relatives - and just as drool-worthy.

Patience is crucial. The key to achieving light, airy donuts is allowing the dough to rise for plenty of time both before rolling it out and after cutting it into donut shapes.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to flavored glazes - but remember that once you glaze the donuts, you don't want to store them in the refrigerator or the dough will absorb the sugar, compromising the texture. Instead, store the donuts in an airtight container on the counter or in the pantry.