The exact cook time can vary. Read below for our tips!
If you want the delicious taste of donut holes without the hassle of deep frying, you should try making them in the air fryer.
Making them from scratch takes a bit of time, but it’s completely worth it. These donut holes may be small, but they hit the sweet spot!
After air frying, they are coated with butter and a cinnamon-sugar mix for an extra pop of flavor and sweetness.
For an extra twist, you can even add a dollop of jam in the center of the donut holes after air frying – you just need a piping bag or a squeeze bottle with a small tip!
Ingredients
Here are the donut hole ingredients you will need to make these tasty treats:
- All-purpose flour – To make the dough.
- Milk – Whole milk or low-fat milk both work. The milk needs to be warm, but not hot.
- Cane sugar – You can also use white granulated sugar if you prefer. Some for the dough and some for the cinnamon-sugar mix.
- Instant dry yeast – Or you can use active dry yeast. See the recipe tips section for more info.
- Vanilla Extract – To give the donut holes a little extra flavor.
- Butter – Some room temperature butter for the dough and some melted butter to coat the finished donut holes.
- Egg – One medium or large egg for the dough. It should be room temperature.
- Ground cinnamon – For the coating; you can skip it if you don’t like cinnamon.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- If you want to use active dry yeast, allow it to proof (mix it with the warm milk and sugar and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes until foamy before continuing with the recipe).
- Make sure the little balls of dough are all about the same size so that the donut holes cook evenly in the air fryer.
- For a delicious twist, you can fill the cooked donut holes with a little bit of jam (without fruit pieces).
- Instead of cinnamon-sugar, you can roll the cooked donut holes in powdered sugar or a simple glaze made of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Step by Step Instructions
We’ll show you exactly how to make these air fryer donut holes in this section.
You can follow along with all the recipe process photos and compare your progress when making them at home.
If you don’t like visuals, skip to the detailed recipe card at the end of the post.
First, combine the sugar, milk, and dry yeast in a large bowl. Make sure the milk is warm, but not hot since you don’t want to harm the yeast.
Now add the butter, egg, vanilla extract, and flour, and knead well using an electric mixer with spiral dough hooks or your hands.
Start with 1 cup of flour and add more in small increments until the dough isn’t overly sticky. The dough should be soft and elastic.
Then cover the bowl with cling film and place it in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
As you can see, the dough ball has noticeably increased in size.
Now form the dough into small balls, each no larger than 1 inch in diameter. Cover them with a dish towel and let the dough balls rest for 30 more minutes.
When the 30 minutes are almost up, preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until it indicates that it is preheated.
Then place the dough balls in one even layer in the air fryer basket and air fry at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-7 minutes, or until the donut holes are fully cooked.
Shake the basket halfway through the cooking time. The exact cooking time can vary depending on your air fryer and the size of the donut holes.
For the coating, pour the melted butter into one bowl. In another bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar.
Dip each donut hole first in the butter, then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated.
Serve the donut holes warm, or allow them to cool before serving. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
Allow the donut holes to cool, then store them in a sealed container at room temperature.
They taste best when fresh, but they will be good to eat the next day. Any longer and they just aren’t going to be as good.
You can try reheating them in the microwave or the air fryer for just a few seconds if you like.
FAQ
Yes, you can air fry donuts instead of deep frying them. Both of our recipes for donut holes and larger classic donuts are air-fried and turn out great without much oil.
Related Recipes
Here are some more air fryer desserts you can make:
- Homemade Air Fried Donuts
- Air Fryer Apple Fritters
- Air Fryer Apple Turnovers
- Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cinnamon Rolls in the Air Fryer
Air Fryer Donut Holes
Ingredients
The Dough
- 1/3 cup milk, warm
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar, or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 3 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, approximately
The Coating
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cane sugar, or granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, warm milk (not hot), and dry yeast.1/3 cup milk, 2 tablespoons cane sugar, 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
- Add the butter, egg, vanilla extract, and flour, and knead well using an electric mixer with spiral dough hooks or your hands. Start with 1 cup of flour and add more in small increments until the dough isn't overly sticky. The dough should be soft and elastic.3 tablespoon butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or until roughly doubled in size.
- Form the dough into balls, each no larger than 1 inch in diameter. Cover with a dish towel and let the dough balls rest for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until it indicates that it is preheated.
- Place the dough balls in one even layer in the air fryer basket and air fry at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-7 minutes, or until the donut holes are fully cooked. Shake the basket halfway through the cooking time. The exact cooking time can vary depending on your air fryer and the size of the donut holes.
- For the coating, pour the melted butter into one bowl. In another bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Dip each donut hole in the butter first, then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated.1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 4 tablespoons cane sugar, 3 tablespoons butter
- Serve the donut holes warm or allow them to cool before serving.
Notes
- If you’re using active dry yeast, allow it to proof (mix it with the warm milk and sugar and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes until foamy before continuing with the recipe).
- Make sure the small dough balls are all about the same size so that the donut holes cook evenly in the air fryer.
- For a delicious twist, you can fill the cooked donut holes with a little bit of jam (without fruit pieces). Use a piping bag or squeeze bottle with a small tip.
- Instead of cinnamon-sugar, you can roll the cooked donut holes in powdered sugar or a simple powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
