Craving homemade donuts but don’t want the hassle of deep frying? These Air Fryer Donuts made with Pillsbury biscuits are the ultimate shortcut treat! Light, fluffy, and ready in just 10 minutes, this recipe is perfect for a quick breakfast, a fun dessert, or a late-night sweet tooth craving.
The best part? No oil splatters or messy frying—just golden, soft, and perfectly sweet donuts straight from the air fryer!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✅ Only 3 main ingredients
No deep frying = healthier & easier
Ready in 10 minutes
Customizable toppings—glaze, cinnamon sugar, or chocolate drizzle!
Ingredients
This recipe makes 8 donuts and 8 donut holes.
- 1 can Pillsbury Grand Biscuits (or any refrigerated biscuit dough)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Cinnamon sugar or (½ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
- Cooking spray. I used Ghee oil butter taste
How to Make Air Fryer Donuts
1. Prep the Biscuits
- Open the can of biscuits and separate them.
- Use a small cookie cutter or bottle cap to cut out the center of each biscuit, creating a donut shape. (Save the holes for mini donut bites!)
2. Air Fry Donuts
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, let it run empty for 3 minutes
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. I like using avocado oil spray because it prevents sticking without adding extra flavor.
- Place the donuts in a single layer in the air fryer (do not overcrowd).
- Air fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.
- Cook the donut holes for 3-4 minutes. Check on them early since they cook faster!
3. Coat the Donuts
- While warm, brush the donuts with melted butter. (Tip: Brushing instead of dipping helps control how much butter you use—just enough to make the sugar stick!)
- In a shallow bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll the donuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated. (Tip: For an extra crunch, use coarse sugar instead of regular granulated sugar!)
Step 4: Serve & Enjoy!
Eat them warm for the best texture! Pair with coffee, hot chocolate, or a glass of milk for the ultimate treat.
Topping Variations
- If you want to add a little something extra to your donuts, a simple glaze can do the trick. Start with a combination of 3 tbsp butter (unsalted), 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp hot water. This donut glaze is perfect to either drizzle on top of your air fryer donuts, or to completely dunk them in.
- Make a glaze with maple syrup: Add half a cup of powdered sugar or icing sugar and 5 tbsp of maple syrup. Stir it together and apply it to the top of your donuts by dipping them.
- Maple glaze and Bacon topping: dip the top part of the donuts into maple glaze and sprinkle bacon into it.
- Cinnamon and sugar topping: Take half a cup of ground sugar and cinnamon mix them together and sprinkle on the top after butter wash. (I used this topping in my recipe)
- Chocolate glaze: Dip your donuts into Nutella or melted chocolate for chocolate topping. Or you can also drizzle chocolate syrup on the donuts.
Personal Tips & Tricks
✅ Best Biscuits to Use: I recommend Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers for the lightest, fluffiest donuts! Buttermilk biscuits also work well, but they’re a little denser.
✅ Don’t Skip Flipping: Flipping halfway ensures even browning—otherwise, one side might be too dark!
✅ Make Them Ahead: If you want fresh donuts in the morning without the prep, cut them into shape the night before and store them in the fridge. Air fry in the morning for fresh, warm donuts in minutes!
✅ Leftover Donut Holes? Toss them in powdered sugar instead of cinnamon sugar for a different twist!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I shape donuts without a donut cutter?
No donut cutter? No problem! You can use a small shot glass, an apple corer, a water bottle cap, or even a knife to cut out the center of each biscuit. If you don’t want to cut out the middle, you can make “donut holes” instead by rolling the entire biscuit into a ball before air frying.
2. Can I use any type of biscuit dough for air fryer donuts?
Yes! While Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers biscuits work best for light and fluffy donuts, you can use any refrigerated biscuit dough. Buttermilk biscuits will create a slightly denser texture.
3. Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
It’s recommended! Preheating your air fryer to 350°F (175°C) helps ensure even cooking and that your donuts turn out golden brown and crispy on the outside while staying soft inside.
4. How do I prevent my donuts from sticking to the air fryer basket?
Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or brush it with a little oil before adding the donuts. Avoid using too much spray, as it can make them greasy.
5. How do I store and reheat leftover donuts?
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat, air fry at 300°F for 2 minutes or microwave for 10-15 seconds with a damp paper towel to keep them soft.
Other Recipes with Pillsbury You’ll Enjoy
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Easy Air Fryer Donuts (With Pillsbury biscuits)
Ingredients
- Pillsbury grands! Flaky layers biscuits
- 2 TBS butter melted
- Cinnamon sugar
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Prep the Biscuits: Open the can of biscuits and separate them. Use a small cookie cutter or bottle cap to cut out the center of each biscuit, creating a donut shape. (Tip: A shot glass or an apple corer works great for this!) Save the donut holes for mini donut bites—they cook up just as deliciously!
- Air Fry: Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). (Tip: If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, let it run empty for 3 minutes.)Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. (Tip: I like using avocado oil spray because it prevents sticking without adding extra flavor.)Place the donuts in a single layer in the air fryer (do not overcrowd).Air fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.Cook the donut holes for 3-4 minutes. (Tip: Check on them early since they cook faster!)
- Coat the Donuts: While warm, brush the donuts with melted butter. (Tip: Brushing instead of dipping helps control how much butter you use—just enough to make the sugar stick!)In a shallow bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Roll the donuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated. (Tip: For an extra crunch, use coarse sugar instead of regular granulated sugar!)
- Serve & Enjoy!Eat them warm for the best texture!
What setting is ninja oven fryer set on? Air fry? Bake?
Thanks!
Wat kind of air fryer are you using. I have a Emeril Lagasse 360.
The one I’m using is a Cuisinart air fryer oven.
I agree with other posts. Taste nothing like donuts. Maybe if you put enough sugar, cinnamon, or chocolate on them. I won’t be doing this anymore. I only bought the flaky layers for this recipe. Other brand biscuits taste as good, and can be cheaper.
I have to agree with the first responder, I too am a donut lover and these do not taste like donuts but more like sweet biscuits.
I tried these this morning. My air fryer is small, so I did in batches of four. I lowered my temp to 340 & 6 minutes. They were good but not like a real donut. I would make them again. I think eating them warm will be the best way to eat them. I am going to try biscuits in the air fryer next.
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we used a farberware xl digital air fryer.we followed directions and easy tasty recipe.just right for a sweet tooth! tou can use a shot glass to make the hole came out flaky several round pieces to dip. we would make them again maybe dip in nutella but i love sugar and cinnamon
I had them dipped in Nutella today. Delicious!
Made the Air Fryer Donuts …..ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Sugar and Cinnamon was my topping .
Yummmyyyy!!! Thank you for writing!
I made these I only have small air fryer had to make 2 at a time . I made 2 brown sugar and cinnamon. 2 glazed, 2 powder sugar, 2 carmel glazed and just left the donut holes plain brushed with homemade butter. Will be making again. They are easy and delicious
Yummy. Sounds delicious 😋 thank you for sharing your feedback 😊
Definitely a hit! My kids loved them!
Mine came out delicious too! Use them all the time
Made these with my grandson tonight, and they are delicious! Will be making them often.
Tried this exactly on the presto pizzazz pizza oven and in a go wise air fryer. And also baked the doughnut holes.
Both instances, they smelled and tasted like sugar covered biscuits. Not like doughnuts.
I’ve not tried other air fryer doughnut recipes, so I can’t compare.
2 stars because, well, they weren’t bad biscuits. But it was very misleading because they did not taste or smell like doughnuts but…like biscuits.
:/ it was kind of a waste of time and money and effort.