Air Fried Donuts with Powdered Sugar
These Air Fried Donuts remind me of making donuts out of biscuits in kindergarten! This is a super easy air fried donuts recipe. Kids would love to help make this! I KNOW I loved making these as a kid every chance I got! The recipe does get a bit messy because it does involve powdered sugar, but it is so worth it! You can also use frosting as the second picture shows if you want them to be less messy. These air fryer donuts with biscuits hould take only 20 minutes to make and serves about 8 people.
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Air fryer or Deep Fryer?
I just got my air fryer when I first thought of making this air fried donuts recipe as an adult since the last time I made them before was when I was 6. These donuts work well in both air fryer or deep fryer! Not using a deep fryer helps cut down on the grease, plus it is a lot easier to clean up. Just have to throw the basket in the dishwasher when using the air fryer.
I like to use the Ninja Air Fryer. It has a 4 quart basket, so it is a nice size for making anything you like! There are several desserts you can make in an air fryer. It can fit up to 4 biscuits at a time and turn them into donuts. You only have make this recipe in two batches as opposed to the deep fryer that would to be made in probably 3 batches. If you are interested, click the image to see the price or the above link.
There is perks to deep frying these donuts from biscuits though. The deep fryer does add more of a dessert taste to the biscuit compared to the air fryer. If I was going to use a deep fryer, it would be the Presto Fry Daddy electric deep fryer. This deep fryer is very affordable (under $35), and it gets the job done!
How to make powdered sugar donuts:
- make a hole in the center of the biscuit-this will give it a donut shape. As you can see in the picture, mine ended up looking more like a slit because I did not make my hole big enough. If you wanted to cut the center hole out and make a donut hole instead of just making a hole with you finger, that could be an option. Fry your donut holes separately and you have more dessert to go around!
- air fry your biscuits-I like to flip my biscuits over halfway through air frying, and brush the new side on top with melted butter. I find that by adding a lot of butter, it makes it taste more like a donut as air fried donuts can sometimes taste more like a biscuit if there isn’t enough fat and sweets.
- shake in powdered sugar-I used a brown paper bag to put my powdered sugar in to shake the donuts in it. You could use a plate and press the donuts into the plate, but it might not stick as well that way. Another option would be to add cinnamon and make these into cinnamon powdered sugar donuts.
- if wanting frosting-instead of powdered sugar, let the air fried donuts cool a bit after coming out of the air fryer, and dip in frosting
- drying rack to cool-this kind of makes a mess because some powdered sugar does fall off between the cracks of the rack (you could place a paper towel below to collect the excess powdered sugar), but it does help the air fried donuts dry.
Check out my other easy air fryer recipes:
- Air Fryer Jalapenos
- Air fried Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
- Air Fried Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Polenta fries
Favorite ingredients to use for these air fryer biscuit donuts:
- biscuits-Pillsbury Grands! You could use an off brand, but air fryer donuts from pillsbury grands just taste better.
- butter-tub or stick butter work here
- powdered sugar-provides sweetness
How to store air fried donuts:
- room temp-store the powdered sugar donuts in an air tight container at room temperature for about a week
- freezer-I do not think these air fried donuts would freeze very well. If you wanted to try, it go for it, but it is up to you.
Air Fried Donuts
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Ingredients
- 1 16.3 oz can of original biscuits
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Open canned biscuits and create a hole in the center of each biscuit with your fingers. I did not cut the centers out, but if you wanted to, you could cut out a circle and create the hole instead.
- Place 3 biscuits in the air fryer tray at a time (or however many your air fryer fits). Air fry for 3 minutes at 350 degrees.
- After the 3 minutes, flip biscuits over and brush some melted butter on top. Place back in air fryer for 2 minutes.
- During the 2 minutes, pour the powdered sugar in the lunch sack.
- After 2 minutes, take biscuits out of air fryer and brush again with butter on both sides. Place biscuits into the bag of powdered sugar and shake. Take out of bag, and place on a cooking rack to dry. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Serve your Air Fried Donuts warm or cold!
Nutrition
All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. Nutritional facts listed are a rough estimate and should only be followed as a general idea.
Not only are these super easy to make, but they also taste amazing. I prefer to cut the donut holes out. They come in handy if u don’t want to eat the whole donut. I prefer to dip these in coffee. It may also sweeten your coffee a bit.