Looking for a showstopper dessert? These flavor-packed homemade donuts are made from scratch and cooked right in the Air Fryer! Fragrant cardamom-spiced dough with a saffron-lemon glaze and little jewels of pistachios and dried rose petals for garnish. Much healthier than the standard fried donut and no greasy mess from deep frying. Treat yourself!
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Air fryer donuts are a decadent treat that requires no oil, no deep-frying, just your air fryer. Even though you aren't deep frying them, they come out with the same crispy exterior and the melt-in-your-mouth bread that you love about yeast donuts.
These are so beautiful that they are one of my favorite brunch recipes. You will want to show them off after you bake them!
These donuts are just as tasty as they are beautiful. The pistachio and rose garnishes on top don't just make them look regal, but they add texture and a complementary flavor too.
If you have ever made yeast bread before, this recipe will seem familiar and simple. If you haven't, I will show you all of the steps so you can make the donuts perfectly the first time.
Ingredients
If you really want to impress someone - or just break out of the ordinary - make these donuts. They have Indian-inspired spices in both the dough and the zesty glaze.
This is a yeast donut, so you'll need to have fresh yeast, warm milk, and sugar in order to make them.
I enhanced the basic glaze recipe with floral saffron and lemon. Saffron a sweet aroma and taste and lemon add a tangy touch.
Then, I accentuated these flavors with the citrus taste of cardamom in the dough and the earthy rose petals as garnish.
These donuts have a sugary flavor that is rounded out with earthy spices and nutty pistachios. If you want nut-free donuts, just leave out the pistachios entirely.
How To Make Air Fryer Donuts
Activate the yeast
- Warm your milk in the microwave until it reaches 100 degrees F (photo 1).
- Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm milk and mix it up really well. Allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes, which will make it look foamy (photos 2-4).
Make the dough
- In a medium bowl, add all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, cardamom, and sugar and mix well (photo 5).
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and milk mixture, melted butter, and egg (photo 6).
- Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula or by hand to mix everything well (photo 7).
- Knead by hand until a smooth dough is formed (photo 8).
Proof the dough
- Spray the bottom of the Instant Pot insert with oil spray or place parchment paper inside. Place the dough ball in the Instant Pot insert. Use the Instant Pot to help the dough rise or proof, which will double it is in size. Full instructions for this are in the recipe card (photos 9 and 10).
- Once the dough has doubled, take out the dough and knead again (photos 11 and 12).
Roll the dough and shape the donuts and holes
- Sprinkle a little bit of dry flour, up to 1 tablespoon if needed. Roll into a 9 x 9 inch round and ½-inch thick circle (photo 13).
- Using a 2.5-inch round circle cookie cutter cut round disks. Make a hole in each circle with a small 1-inch plastic bottle cap (photos 14-16).
Proof the donuts and holes
- Pick up the cut donut circles and the round holes and line them on parchment paper-lined baking trays (photos 17 and 18).
- Cover the baking trays with saran wrap and keep the trays in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes or until the donuts have doubled in size (photos 19 and 20).
Air fry the Donuts and holes
- Preheat the air fryer at 350 F. Spray the Air Fryer basket with cooking spray and place 4 donuts and 4 donut holes inside. Lightly spray oil over. Cook at 330 F for 4 minutes (photos 21 and 22).
Glaze
- Make the glaze. In a medium saucepan melt butter. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Turn the heat off. Add bloomed saffron and lemon juice. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin out the glaze but don’t make it too watery (photo 23).
- Using a fork, dip the top of the donut into the glaze and then place the glazed side up on a baking rack. Sprinkle with pistachios and rose petals. Allow glaze to harden, about 10 minutes (photos 24-26).
Serving
Enjoy the donuts for breakfast with a hot cup of chai or enjoy as a snack or dessert. These donuts are best enjoyed within a day. You can also warm them up for 10 seconds each in the microwave just before eating.
Storing & Freezing
Store air-fried donuts at room temperature for a day. For longer storage, you can freeze unglazed donuts. Reheat them in the air fryer and glaze them right away.
Tips
- If you have a scale, I suggest weighing the flour. It is very important that you use exactly the correct amount of flour. It should be 240 grams or 8½ ounces.
- In the recipe card, I explain how to allow the dough to rise using an Instant Pot. I love that the dough doubles in 30 minutes using the low yogurt setting on my Instant Pot DUO.
- If you do not have an Instant pot, cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- To make the glaze really smooth, I suggest sifting the powdered sugar. You can leave the butter out of the glaze entirely, just use a few tablespoons of water to get the same thin consistency.
Variations
There are lots of ways you can make your donuts taste completely different when you use this basic dough recipe.
If you want to make simple glazed donuts, just leave out the cardamom and top them with a simple vanilla glaze.
Another idea that almost everyone will want is to use a chocolate glaze instead of saffron. Chocolate goes with just about anything.
Finally, you just can't go wrong with a simple cinnamon-sugar coating instead of a glaze. Roll the donut holes in cinnamon sugar too.
FAQ
If the yeast doesn't activate and make the milk and sugar mixture foamy, then either your yeast is too old or the milk was too hot. Try it again and measure the temperature of the milk before you add the yeast.
If the dough is too sticky to form a ball, add up to 1 tablespoon of dry flour. Do not add too much flour, the dough will be soft but you should be able to make a ball.
Yes, but make sure the oven is not set to a high temperature. Preheat it to a low temperature, turn off the oven. Then keep the dough inside while the oven is just warm.
The donuts should double in size and look airy from the sides.
Related Recipes
If you enjoyed these air fryer donuts, here are some more desserts you will enjoy too.
- Gluten-Free Brownies
- Almond Flour Banana Bread
- Mango Cheesecake
- Cardamom Ricotta Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Bread Pudding
Recipe
Air Fryer Donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ cup warm milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar plus ½ teaspoon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for kneading
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom use more if its store-bought
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar confectioners icing sugar
- 1 pinch saffron + 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Optional garnish
- 2 tablespoons pistachios thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals optional
Instructions
Activate Yeast
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Give a quick stir and check the temperature with a digital thermometer. The milk should be lukewarm, around 100 F.
- Stir in yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar, and mix well. Allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes, which will make the milk foamy. If that does not happen, your yeast may be too old or the milk was too hot. You may have to start over.
Make the dough
- In a medium bowl, add all the dry ingredients - flour, salt, cardamom, and sugar and mix well.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast and milk mixture, melted butter, and egg. Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula or by hand to mix everything well.
- Knead by hand until a smooth dough is formed. If the dough is too sticky to form a ball, add up to 1 tablespoon of dry flour. Do not add too much flour, the dough will be soft but you should be able to make a ball.
Proof the dough
- Spray the bottom of the Instant Pot insert with oil spray or place parchment paper inside. Place the dough ball in the Instant Pot insert. Place a non-locking lid on top and press yogurt(low).
- Allow the dough to proof for 30 minutes which will double in size. If the dough has not doubled, allow extra 10 minutes.
- Note: If you do not have an Instant pot, cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Roll the dough and shape the donuts and holes
- Once the dough has doubled, take out the dough and knead again. Sprinkle a little bit of dry flour, up to 1 tablespoon if needed. Roll into a 9 x 9 inch round and ½ inch thick circle. Using a 2.5 inch round circle biscuit or cookie cutter cut round disks. Make a hole in each circle with a small 1-inch biscuit cutter or use a plastic bottle cap.
- Pick up the cut donut circles and the round holes and line them on parchment paper-lined baking trays. Knead the leftover dough and repeat rolling and cutting out the donuts.
Proof the donuts and holes
- Cover the baking trays with saran wrap and keep the trays in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes or until the donuts have doubled in size. I usually keep my trays inside a warm oven. Remember not to overheat the oven, we just want warm temperature not hot. After the second proofing, the donuts and holes will look airy from the sides and double in volume.
Air fry the Donuts and holes
- Preheat the Air Fryer at 350°F. Spray the Air Fryer basket with cooking spray and place 4 donuts and 4 donut holes inside. Lightly spray oil over. Cook at 330°F for 4 minutes.
- While the donuts are cooking, make the glaze. In a medium saucepan melt butter. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Turn the heat off. Add bloomed saffron and lemon juice. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin out the glaze but don't make it too watery.
Glaze the donuts
- Using a fork, dip the top of the donut into the glaze and then place the glazed side up on a baking rack. Sprinkle with pistachios and rose petals. Allow glaze to harden, about 10 minutes.
- You can also dip the whole donut in the glaze and coat all over. This will keep the inside donut soft for a longer time. Just make sure to double up the glaze.
Amy says
Hi! These sound delicious, but I don't own an air fryer. Is there another way you could suggest cooking them for those of us without one? Thanks very much!
Archana says
I have added instructions to the recipe card notes section for the oven:
Preheat the oven at 350°F and bake for 10 to 15 mins turning the tray halfway through.
Amy says
Thank you so much!
Vandana Vij says
Amazing recipe and so easy to follow. Was really happy with the results. I used air fryer for half batch and deep fried the other half . Both were equally delicious. Also cut them in heart shape in lieu of Valentine’s day before 2nd proofing
Fatima says
Hi! Do you think if I bake the donuts completely (non-yeast style), it would still work well with the glaze you suggested?
Thanks!
Fatima
Archana says
yes!