These air fryer donuts are an absolute game changer. They are soft, fluffy, and coated in delicious cinnamon sugar. The best part? They are made with just self-raising flour and vegan vanilla yogurt. No yeast, no rising time, no hassle.
When I first tried this recipe, I couldn’t believe how simple it was. With minimal prep and the air fryer doing all the work, you will have warm, homemade donuts in under 20 minutes. And trust me, the smell of cinnamon sugar wafting through your kitchen is pure heaven.
Also, this recipe is vegan, but those eating dairy could easily use their dairy substitutes here.
You will also love air fryer chocolate mug cake, air fryer Oreos, peanut butter cookies in air fryer, homemade granola in air fryer and chocolate peanut butter made using Air fryer, air fryer pumpkin muffins, air fryer banana donut holes.
Ingredients
Self-raising flour: This takes all the guesswork out of making donuts rise perfectly. But in case, you don’t have it, check recipe notes for how you can use all-purpose flour here.
Vegan Vanilla yogurt: Adds a lovely hint of sweetness and keeps the donuts soft and moist. I have used cashew yogurt but any plant-based option works great.
Vegan butter and cinnamon sugar: The perfect finishing touch for that classic donut flavor. It also hides the less golden look from air frying.
Instructions
Start by mixing the self-raising flour and vegan vanilla yogurt in a bowl until a soft, sticky dough forms.
In case your dough feels too liquidy, add some more dough to balance it out. If the dough feels too dry, add a bit more yogurt. Your dough will be sticky though.
Flour your surface lightly and knead the dough gently—just enough to bring it together. Don’t overdo it; we are looking for soft and fluffy donuts, not chewy ones. I normally oil my hands so that it gets easier to handle the dough.
Roll out the dough to cylinder shapes and then cut each cylinder into 3-4 parts. Join the ends of each cylinder to form a donut. Repeat this for all.
In case, you are in the mood for donut holes, you can shape the dough into rounds and then follow the process for delicious donut holes.
Preheat air fryer to 180C or 360F. Arrange your donuts in a single layer after lightly brushing them with vegan butter. Leave enough space between them so that they can puff up.
Air fry at 180C or 360F for about 5–7 minutes. This will depend upon the size and thickness of your donuts and the type of your air fryer. Watch them after 5 minutes.
Your donuts will not get too brown like the fried version but will be golden outside and will feel fluffy when pressed lightly. Don't be tempted to air fry them more or they will get dense inside.
Take them out and lightly dip or brush them into the melted vegan butter, making sure they are fully coated. Then, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture so that they are nicely coated.
You will love the buttery, sugary goodness of this indulgence of air fryer donuts. Your kids are going to love them.
Expert Tips
1.Don’t skip the vegan butter dip. It is important for the signature donut taste. It is also how you get that irresistible cinnamon sugar to stick.
2. Be careful when kneading the dough. Handle the dough gently and don’t over knead, or you’ll lose that soft, tender texture.
3. These donuts are at their absolute best fresh out of the air fryer. If you have leftovers, pop them back in the air fryer for a minute to refresh.
4. In case you don’t have self-raising flour, you can use 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 tsp. Baking powder and ⅛ tsp. Salt as a substitute.
5. This recipe is vegan and dairy free. Those who consume dairy can use the dairy substitutes here.
I can’t tell you how many times these air fryer donuts have saved the day when a sweet craving hits. They’re easy, quick, and taste like store-bought, minus the deep frying and guilt. These are healthier than their deep-fried versions but still have flour and sugar so indulge in smaller portions.
📖 Recipe Card
Air fryer Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups self-raising flour check notes for all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegan vanilla yogurt
- ¼ cup vegan butter melted
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
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Instructions
- Mix 1.5 cups self-raising flour and ¾ cup plant-based vanilla yogurt in a bowl until a soft, sticky dough forms. In case your dough feels too liquidy, add some more dough to balance it out. If the dough feels too dry, add a bit more yogurt. Your dough will be sticky though.
- Take the dough out on to a floured surface and lightly knead the dough gently—just enough to bring it together. Don’t overdo it; we’re looking for soft and fluffy donuts, not chewy ones. I normally oil my hands so that it gets easier to handle the dough.
- Roll out the dough to cylinder shapes and then cut them into 3-4 parts. I got 2 cylinders out of the this dough. Join the ends of each cylinder to form a donut. Repeat this for all.
- Preheat air fryer to 180C or 360F for three minutes. Arrange your donuts in a single layer after lightly brushing them with vegan butter. Leave enough space between them so that they can puff up.
- Air fry at 180C or 360F for about 5–7 minutes. This will depend upon the size and thickness of your donuts and the type of your air fryer.
- Your donuts will not get too brown like the fried version but will be golden outside and will feel fluffy when pressed lightly. Don't air fry them more for more browning because they will end up getting dense.
- Take them out and lightly dip or brush them into the melted vegan butter, making sure they are fully coated. Then, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture so that they are nicely coated.
- Not all of the cinnamon sugar will be used up. You will love the buttery, sugary goodness of this indulgence of air fryer donuts.
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