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BeeyondCereal » Recipes » Breakfast Recipes

Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts

Modified: Oct 17, 2023 · Published: Feb 10, 2022 By Nicole Durham
This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment · Cost Minimum $1.82

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5 from 6 votes
promotional image for air fryer donuts
promotional image for air fryer donuts

These Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts are a tasty and simple treat perfect for breakfast or dessert. Ready in just about 5 minutes these donuts are a quick fix for any sweet tooth and craving!

assorted donuts on a metal cake stand with donuts and sprinkles below it.

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You are going to love making air fryer donuts with biscuits! It's such a simple way to enjoy a tasty treat without having to drive to a shop for fresh donuts. Save time, money, and effort with this simple fix of recipe.

These donuts are just one of our favorite Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners!

We enjoy making biscuit donuts in the air fryer because it keeps us from driving 15 minutes to the nearest Dunkin Donuts and while it doesn't taste the same, it does taste delicious, especially when the donuts are still fresh and warm. Yum!

Serve up your donuts with some Caramel Iced Coffee to satisfy all the breakfast cravings. Whip up these 4 Ingredient Scones and Strawberry Cheesecake Crescent Rolls and let it become a delicious brunch for any occasion.

Jump to:
  • 💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • 🛒 Ingredients
  • 🍩 Topping Variations
  • 💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
  • 🥄 Instructions for Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips
  • ❄️ Storage and Reheating
  • 🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
  • ❓ Recipe FAQs
  • 🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe

  1. You can customize your donuts. Top your donuts off with any number of glazes or toppings and they'll turn out great every time. Recipes for different glazes are included in this recipe!
  2. The kids will love them! I mean, what kid doesn't love donuts? This recipe is so fabulous that you're sure to be the coolest parent at school.
  3. No yeast is needed! Because we use canned biscuits to make this recipe, we don't need to make any dough from scratch. This saves us hours of patience and effort! Want to make some from scratch? Check out our Lemon Curd Donuts.

🛒 Ingredients

Canned biscuits- You will need a can of biscuit dough for this recipe. We prefer the flaky biscuits for the best results. If you've got more canned biscuits on hand, check out our Air Fryer Canned Biscuits and Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread.

See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.

🍩 Topping Variations

Chocolate Glaze: Make a simple chocolate glaze by whisking together melted chocolate chips, a little butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. It sets quickly and gives the donuts a classic donut-shop finish.

Maple Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar with maple syrup and a splash of milk. This gives you a sweet, pancake-style glaze that pairs perfectly with flaky biscuit donuts.

Strawberry Glaze: Mix powdered sugar with a spoonful of strawberry jam and a small splash of milk. It makes a bright, fruity glaze without needing any fresh berries.

Cinnamon Sugar: Toss warm donuts in a mixture of granulated sugar and cinnamon. This is the quickest topping and gives them a churro-style texture.

Powdered Sugar: Dust warm donuts lightly with powdered sugar for a simple, classic finish. Great when you want something sweet but not too heavy.

💰 Budget-Friendly Tips

Use store-brand biscuits. Flaky store brands work just as well as name brands and often cost half as much.

Skip specialty toppings. Cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar are the cheapest choices but still taste amazing.

Use pantry glazes. Powdered sugar + a splash of milk = instant glaze without buying extra ingredients.

🥄 Instructions for Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts

Step 1: Brush your Air Fryer basket with olive oil to grease it before use.

Step 2: Preheat your Air Fryer by heating it to 360 degrees F for 2 minutes while you prep the donuts.

a medicine cup pressing down onto a raw biscuit.

Step 3: Use a small circle cutter to cut out the centers of the donuts.

raw biscuits with centers cut out.

I used a kid's medicine cup as it worked out perfectly.

4 raw biscuit rings in an air fryer.

Step 4: Place 2-4 donuts into your Air Fryer, depending on the size of your Air Fryer. you want at least 1 inch of space between them.

Step 5: Cook the donut rings for 5 minutes. Cook donut holes for 3 minutes. DO NOT COOK HOLES AND DONUT RINGS TOGETHER. Work in batches.

4 cooked biscuit rings in an air fryer.

Step 6: Repeat until all donuts have been cooked and then give them the toppings of your choice.

an assortment of donuts on a metal cakestand.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

  1. Brand Versatility. When making air fryer donuts, any brand of canned biscuits will suffice. However, Pillsbury Grands are preferred for their taller and flakier texture, resembling authentic fresh donuts.
  2. Consideration for Other Brands. If opting for a different brand, select larger and flakier biscuits over smaller, store-brand ones. While smaller biscuits may be cheaper, they are prone to burning and do not yield the same quality as larger ones.

❄️ Storage and Reheating

Storage: Keep cooled donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They'll stay softest if you store them without glaze and decorate right before serving.

Reheating: Warm leftover Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts in the microwave for 5-10 seconds to bring back their soft, fresh-from-the-air-fryer texture.

🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas

These Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts pair wonderfully with other fun breakfast treats like my Lemon Curd Donuts, Apple Donuts, and Sourdough Donuts. For a full brunch spread, serve them alongside Caramel Iced Coffee or a simple fruit bowl for balance.

  • raspberry filled sourdough donuts.
    Sourdough Donuts
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  • frosted donuts and donut holes.
    Dairy Free Donut Recipe
    Recipe $1.61 / Serving $0.67
  • powdered sugar covered lemon curd donuts.
    Lemon Curd Donuts
    Recipe $8.04 / Serving $0.58
  • 4 apple donuts on a white plate.
    No Bake Apple Donuts
    Recipe $2.66 / Serving $1.33

❓ Recipe FAQs

How long are air fryer donuts biscuits good for?

These donuts are best when eaten warm and fresh from the air fryer, but they can be kept safely stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, they become a bit too stale and chewy to enjoy.

Are air fryer donuts healthy?

To be honest, they aren't the healthiest treat out there (mostly because of the canned biscuits having a high sodium content), but they are much less fattening than regular fried donuts and still taste pretty great!

Can I use cooking spray inside of my air fryer?

No, I do not recommend using any aerosol spray cans inside of your air fryer as they have been known to cause the baskets to chip as they are made with harsher chemicals. Brushing olive oil over the basket is a great way to grease the basket without hurting it in the process.

assorted donuts on an edged metal cakestand.

🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love

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🐝 If you tried these Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!

📖 Recipe

different assorted donuts made from canned biscuits in the air fryer.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts

By: Nicole Durham
Cost: Minimum $1.82
5 from 6 votes
These Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts are a tasty and simple treat perfect for breakfast or dessert. Ready in just about 5 minutes these donuts are a quick fix for any sweet tooth and craving!
Prep TimePrep: 5 minutes mins
Cook TimeCook: 5 minutes mins
Total TimeTotal: 10 minutes mins
ServingsYield: 5 donuts
CaloriesCal: 447kcal
: Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • Air Fryer
  • Pastry Brush
  • Small circle cutter

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil - ($0.28)
  • 1 can (8 count) Grands Flaky Biscuits - ($1.54)

Maple Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon milk, as needed

Strawberry Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry extract
  • 1 drop pink food coloring, optional

Chocolate Glaze

  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • rainbow sprinkles, optional

Cinnamon Sugar

  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Powdered Sugar Coating

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Prep. Brush the air fryer basket with olive oil. Preheat the air fryer to 360°F for 2 minutes.
  • Cut donuts. Separate the biscuits. Use a small round cutter to remove the centers, creating donut rings and holes.
  • Air fry donuts. Place 2 to 4 donut rings in the air fryer, leaving at least 1 inch of space between each. Air fry for 5 minutes.
  • Air fry donut holes separately for 3 minutes. Do not cook holes and rings together. Repeat in batches until finished.
  • Finish. While warm, coat donuts with the topping of your choice.

Maple Glaze

  • Mix. Whisk powdered sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Add milk a little at a time until a thick, drizzleable glaze forms. Dip or drizzle over donuts.

Strawberry Glaze

  • Mix. Whisk powdered sugar and milk until smooth and thick. Stir in strawberry extract and food coloring, if using. Dip or drizzle over donuts.

Chocolate Glaze

  • Melt. Microwave chocolate chips and milk in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Dip donuts and add sprinkles, if desired.

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • Coat. Whisk sugar and cinnamon together. Brush warm donuts with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar until coated.

Powdered Sugar Coating

  • Coat. Roll warm donuts directly in powdered sugar. For heavier coverage, roll twice.

Notes

  • Biscuits. Larger biscuit varieties work best; smaller biscuits cook too quickly.
  • Storage. Store donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • Refreshing. Warm donuts in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds before serving.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1donut | Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 876mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition and cost info are estimates and may vary. See How We Calculate Recipe Costs.

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About the Author

Nicole Durham

Nicole is the frugal foodie behind Beeyond Cereal. Based in Michigan, she shares budget-friendly recipes, homemade pantry staples, and practical tips to help families stretch every grocery dollar. When she’s not developing recipes, Nicole enjoys crocheting, thrifting, and spending time with her two kids, always with a cup of coffee close by.

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Hey, I'm Nicole

The proud owner and recipe developer behind BeeyondCereal. Here, I'm passionate about showing people how to navigate the kitchen with frugality in mind, whipping up family-friendly recipes that not only save money but also bring joy to every meal.

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