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Some days you want to bake up a storm and make a mess in the kitchen. Some days you want donuts in five minutes with a can of biscuits and zero cleanup. Both are valid. This is the five-minute version — air fryer donuts made from canned biscuit dough, no frying required.
From NellieBellie recipe tester Lisa
“This was as easy as can be! I have an air fryer with racks instead of a basket but I just followed the directions and it was fine also. I kind of want to make more, with cocoa in the sugar!”
These air fryer biscuit donuts are the easiest donuts I’ve ever made, and I’ve made my fair share of donuts. A can of refrigerated biscuits, a donut cutter (or the lid off a spice jar, no judgment), and an air fryer is genuinely all it takes to make donuts at home. No oil splatter, no thermometer, no standing over a pot of hot oil hoping the smoke alarm stays quiet. Just golden brown, homemade donuts in about ten minutes, made with hot air instead of a fryer.
I make these in my Ninja 4-quart air fryer, it’s the one I use for pretty much everything these days, and it gets these donuts perfectly golden without babysitting the oven.
Pillsbury Grands are my go-to canned biscuits for this because their flaky layers hold up well in the air fryer basket and don’t dry out. Store bought biscuits take all of the work out of all the steps of making your donut batter.
How to Make Air Fryer Donuts
- Open the can of biscuit dough and separate the flaky biscuits on a cutting board. Use a donut cutter (or a bottle cap) to punch a hole in the middle of each one, keeping the donut holes to fry up too.
- Lightly coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray or olive oil spray so nothing sticks.
- Place the donuts and donut holes in the basket in a single layer, leaving space between each so the hot air can do its job.
- Air fry at 350°F for 5–6 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until golden brown all over.
Other Spice Ideas
Apple pie spice is the star here, but this cinnamon sugar mixture is easy to riff on once you’ve got the basic method down. Swap in straight ground cinnamon and sugar for a classic cinnamon sugar coating. Stir a spoonful of cocoa powder into the sugar for a chocolate-cinnamon version. Or go with pumpkin pie spice instead of apple in the fall, same ratio, same method. The sugar mixture is really just a vehicle, so whatever spice mix you already have in the pantry works.
If you want a glaze instead of a coating, a simple powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar, milk, splash of apple pie spice) drizzled over while they’re warm is the other direction to take these, more bakery-style, less coated donut.
Practical Tips
If your air fryer has racks instead of a basket, don’t worry about it, just follow the cooking time as written and it works the same.
A light coconut oil spray works just as well as regular cooking spray if that’s what you have on hand.
Make Ahead and Freezing
These are best eaten warm the day you make them, but if you want to get ahead of it, you can freeze the plain air fried donuts (before the butter and sugar) in an airtight container for up to a month. To serve, pop them back in the air fryer at 350°F for 2–3 minutes to warm through, then do the butter and cinnamon sugar coating fresh, that step doesn’t hold up well pre-done.
You can also prep the biscuit dough donuts and donut holes ahead of time, uncooked, and keep them in the fridge for a few hours before air frying, handy if you want fresh donuts without the morning-of prep.
This easy air fryer donut recipe makes you look like you tried a lot harder than you did. Ten minutes, one can of biscuits, and everyone at the table thinks you got up early. You didn’t. That’s the beauty of it. Serve warm, and don’t be surprised if this becomes one of your most requested recipes.
If you make these, I’d love if you’d comment something below or leave a review, recipe ratings genuinely help other people find it.
Air Fryer Apple Pie Spice Donuts
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Open the can of biscuits and separate them. Use a small cutter (or bottle cap) to punch a hole in the middle of each.
- Place donuts and holes in the air fryer basket, leaving space between each.
- Air fry at 350°F for 5–6 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until golden brown.
- Mix sugar and apple pie spices in a shallow bowl.
- Brush the warm donuts with melted butter and roll them in the spiced sugar until coated.
