Air-Fried Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes

Donuts are sneaky little buggers. Unlike most fried foods, they don’t present as obviously fried. They look Iike they were baked in an oven just like most other pastries and breakfast treats. Then they come out being all fried and stuff! How dare they be fried? We need to fix this. An air fryer is the best way, cause have you tried baked donuts? They’re okay, I guess. But these Air-Fried Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes blow the baked version out of the water. And you’ll never guess they weren’t – gasp – fried.

How does an Air Fryer work?

Air fryers have baskets or wire racks for you to place food on. Then, they blow hot air all around the food, creating a convection effect. The ability of the hot air to hit all surfaces of the food is what browns and crisps it up. And it tastes so much like fried food that you can barely taste the difference. Pretty amazing, huh?

I have two air fryers. One is the basket type and the other looks like more of a regular toaster oven. I prefer the toaster oven style because it feels like I can get more food into it and because it’s easier to clean. But shop around and see what you like best. They’re really a great kitchen tool if you want to eat lighter without sacrificing the enjoyment of your favorite foods. Like donuts!

How to make these Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes

Making these donut holes is easy. The batter comes together all in one bowl – eggs, buttermilk, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and flour. Freezing the dough for a few minutes will make it easier to form it into little balls.

Once you do that, they go into the air fryer for less than ten minutes! Pretty cool. The most time consuming part of making these Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes is making them in batches. You won’t be able to fit them all into any air fryer in one batch, regardless of the model you have. A small price to pay for the end result, in my humble opinion.

The Cinnamon Glaze for these Donut Holes

The glaze is a simple mixture of butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Be sure to dip the donut holes into the glaze while they’re still warm. Then, let them set on a wire cooling rack.

All that’s left to do now is indulge! With much less guilt. And that’s a gift.

If you make these Air-Fried Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!

Air-Fried Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes

Enjoy a lighter, oil-free version of your favorite donut shop treat at home using your air fryer!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

chilling 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 3 dozen

Equipment

• 1 air fryer

Ingredients

  

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The Donuts

• 3 cups all purpose or gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter melted
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt

The Glaze

• 3/4 cups unsalted butter melted
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Whisk the egg and egg yolk together until frothy. Whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, brown sugar and butter.
• Stir in the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold in the flour. Cover and freeze for 15 minutes.
• Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees.
• Remove the dough from the freezer. Roll into long ropes. Cut into bite-sized pieces and roll with your hands to form ball shapes. Arrange the donut holes in the air fryer. Spray generously with nonstick cooking spray. Cook 6-8 minutes, until golden.
• Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients. Dip the warm donut holes into the glaze. Place donut holes on a cooling rack and allow the glaze to set.

Keyword breakfast, brunch, dessert, low fat

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