Biscuit donuts in the air fryer are a quick and easy way to make homemade donuts! Made using either Grands Biscuit dough or Pamela’s Biscuit and Scone mix for a gluten-free option, these are air-fried and then coated with sugar while still hot.
Enjoy while they’re still steaming for that old-fashioned carnival flavor everyone drools over.
If you love these biscuit donuts, you might want to try a few of my air fryer appetizer recipes. Some of my favorites are my Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks and Air Fryer Pizza Rolls. Both come out of the air fryer ooey gooey, hot, and crispy!
What are Donuts Made From Biscuits?
If you’ve never used biscuits to make donuts, this is your invitation to give them a try – today! To make biscuit donuts, you use biscuit dough, such as Pillsbury Grands, to skip the step of making donut dough, and jump right into the baking and sugaring (or glazing if you prefer). Biscuit donuts are quick, delicious, and inexpensive to make.
Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these hot air fryer biscuit donuts:
- 8 Grands Biscuits (1 can) or Pamela’s Biscuit and Scone Mix for a gluten-free option
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
How to Make Biscuit Donuts in the Air Fryer
STEP ONE: Prep the biscuit dough. Place the biscuits onto a clean surface. Carefully use the cookie cutter to remove the center of the biscuit. (You can skip this step if desired.) Reserve the cut-out pieces of dough to make donut holes.
STEP TWO: Prepare the air fryer. Line the air fryer with parchment paper. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
STEP THREE: Air Fry. Place 4-6 donuts (however many fit in your air fryer) onto the parchment paper. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Cook the rest of the donuts.
STEP FOUR: Blend the cinnamon and sugar. In a medium-sized bowl blend the cinnamon and sugar.
Step Five: Coat the donuts. Brush the donuts with melted butter and then place them into the bowl of cinnamon and sugar. Press gently and flip, coating the entire donut. Repeat for all the donuts.
STEP SIX: Serve. Serve warm.
Ingredient Substitutions:
Biscuit Dough: Instead of using Grands, you can use a different brand. Grands make nice big donuts, so if you’re using another brand, they may end up smaller and might need a minute or so less in the air fryer.
Cinnamon and Sugar: You can also coat your donuts in vanilla sugar or powdered sugar. I’ve also included a glaze recipe below!
Recipe Variations
There are lots of yummy ways to decorate your donuts! Here are a few ideas:
- Melt a scoop of canned frosting in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir, then place your donuts in the frosting to coat.
- Drizzle chocolate or other flavors of frosting over top. Melt it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then place it in a Ziploc bag. Cut a tiny hole in the corner, and quickly move the Ziploc from side to side to decorate.
- Sprinkles can be dropped on unset donut frosting or glaze.
- If you choose not to remove your donut centers, you can fill your donuts, coffee-shop style. Put custard or jelly in a Ziploc or piping bag. Then, poke a hole in your donut from the outside edge in towards to the center of the donut. Stick your piping bag into the hole and gently squeeze to release some of the filling into the middle of your donut. Be careful not to overfil! Then, dip your donuts in powdered sugar to finish.
Donut Glaze Recipe:
Want to make a quick donut glaze instead of cinnamon sugar? It’s really simple. Here’s what you do:
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1/8 cup of whole milk. Whisk until no lumps remain. When your donuts are cool enough to handle, dip them gently and quickly into the glaze and place them on parchment to set. Make more glaze as needed.
Notes and Helpful Hints:
- For the best result, leave some space between your donuts in the air fryer. They’ll puff up some, so you’ll need to leave an inch or so between them. This will help them to cook evenly and get brown on all sides.
- Sugar your donuts while they’re still nice and hot. This will help the sugar stick and keep your donuts crispy on the outside.
- You’ll know your donuts are done when they’re getting nicely browned on the outside and look a bit crispy, just like when Grands Biscuits are done baking. Don’t let them get overcooked!
- Every air fryer is a little bit different. Keep in mind your air fryer may cook slightly faster or slower than mine, so watch your first round of donuts carefully and adjust as necessary.
How To Store Air Fryer Donuts
Donuts are best served warm, but if you have leftovers or want to make these for later, I suggest keeping them at room temperature. Store them in a Ziploc or sealed container on the counter for 2-3 days. These don’t freeze well as they won’t taste fresh after they thaw.
I recommend enjoying your donuts hot and fresh out of the air fryer!
FAQs
You’ll likely need to cook your donuts for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. However, because each air fryer is a little different, keep a close eye on your donuts so they don’t end up under or over-baked.
Yes! You can, however, keep in mind it’s not likely they’ll regain their original freshness. If you want to reheat them, turn the air fryer to 350 and place your donuts inside for 3-4 minutes. A warning – don’t reheat donuts that have frosting or glaze on them, as the topping will melt and burn!
To stop your donuts from sticking to your air fryer basket, spray the basket lightly with cooking oil. You can also simply line the basket with parchment paper (this is my preference).
Biscuit Donuts in Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Grands biscuits Pamela's Biscuit and Scone mix prepared for gluten-free
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep the biscuit dough. Place the biscuits onto a clean surface. Carefully use the cookie cutter to remove the center of the biscuit. You can skip this step if desired. Use the cut-out dough to make donut holes.
- Preheat the air fryer. Line the air fryer with parchment paper. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
- Air Fry. Place 4-6 donuts (however many fit in your air fryer) onto the parchment paper. Cook for 5 minutes then flip and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Cook the rest of the donuts.
- Blend the cinnamon and sugar. In a medium-sized bowl blend the cinnamon and sugar.
- Coat the donuts. Brush the donuts with melted butter and then place them into the bowl of cinnamon and sugar coating the donut. Repeat for all the donuts.
- Serve. Serve warm.
Notes
- For the best result, leave some space between your donuts in the air fryer. They’ll puff up some, so you’ll need to leave an inch or so between them. This will help them to cook evenly and get brown on all sides.
- Sugar your donuts while they’re still nice and hot. This will help the sugar stick and keep your donuts crispy on the outside.
- You’ll know your donuts are done when they’re getting nicely browned on the outside and look a bit crispy, just like when Grands Biscuits are done baking. Don’t let them get overcooked!
- Every air fryer is a little bit different. Keep in mind your air fryer may cook slightly faster or slower than mine, so watch your first round of donuts carefully and adjust as necessary.
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