If only there were a way to enjoy donuts without the added oil… oh wait! There is!! Take a look at these beauties! Donuts! Real, fluffy, yeast donuts. And no frying! What? … yep! We are skipping the deep frying!

Enter: The air fryer

Air fryer donuts are awesome! I have been looking everywhere for the perfect recipe and I had the pleasure to come across several easy ones! And I am here to share what I came up with! These babies are soft, perfectly chewy, and perfect for glazing, filling and dunking! I promise you, you will not miss the added oil once you try air fryer donuts!

The perfection in these donuts is hidden in the process. Double rising the dough is so necessary to let all that beautiful chewy goodness come to light. Very few ingredients in this dough, but allowing time to do its magic will yield a perfectly fluffy dough.

The dough itself doesn't have to be sweetened much, since you will probably be glazing these air fryer donuts once they're done. But! If your sweet tooth craves more, go ahead and add more honey or sugar to the dough!

So, what makes the air fryer work so well for these, otherwise deep fried, treats? The air fryer’s magic is in the circulation of hot air. And it works with what little oil or butter it finds lingering on the surface of the dough. A very light coat of butter does the trick to mimic the deep frying process. So don’t skip the basting before placing the raw donuts in the air fryer.

Glazing the Donuts

When glazing the donuts, let them cool down completely before dipping them in the prepared glaze. Here is my ratio for an amazing glaze that will stick:

• 1 cup of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

• 2 Tbsp melted butter

• 2 Tbsp milk

Mix everything together and stir well to get Reid of any lumps.

And here comes the fun part! Flavors!

For this batch I made three separate recipes of the glaze. Then I added my favorite flavors:

• Chocolate: 1/4 cup powdered cocoa, 1 tsp very strong espresso coffee

• Vanilla: 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Pistachio: 1 Tbsp ground pistachio, 1/2 tsp rose water, 1/2 tsp orange blossom water

Try your favorite flavors in your glaze! Coffee, cinnamon, shredded coconut, caramel, ground Oreos..

I like the glaze to be on the thick side. If you want a lighter coat of glaze on your donuts just add more milk, 1/2 tsp at a time, until you reach the thickness you want. As soon as you glaze each donut you can sprinkle all sorts of goodies on top: nuts, cake sprinkles, coconut, grated chocolate, you name it!

Once you glaze the air fryer donuts, sit them on parchment paper until the glaze dries completely.

And now.. all that is left is to eat!!! Dunk! yummyyyy!