Transform canned biscuit dough into a top-rated breakfast favorite with a quick-fix recipe for Air Fryer Biscuit Doughnuts (and doughnut holes!) complete with DIY chocolate glaze.
Got 20 minutes? Then you’re about to become pretty popular with family and friends alike as you dish out batch after batch of glazed or cinnamon-sugar-coated doughnuts and doughnut holes. There’s not a pot of boiling oil or a hot oven in sight because this recipe relies on my all-time favorite air fryer to deliver doughnut perfection. Ready for Air Fryer Biscuit Doughnuts to become the breakfast and brunch MVP? Read on for my tips, technique and recipe!
How to Make Doughnuts from Canned Biscuits
A typical can of store-bought biscuits will have eight servings, meaning eight perfect rounds. I like to use a 1-inch cookie cutter to create that iconic doughnut hole in the middle.
Instead of deep-frying, our air fryer will be doing the legwork here. Spraying cooking oil into the basket of your air fryer as well as atop the doughnuts themselves will not only keep the dough from sticking, but will give them a crispy, golden exterior.
I’ve got to be honest: The doughnut holes might be my favorite, so be sure to keep that spare dough so you can use them for making cinnamon sugar doughnut holes to serve alongside your chocolate-glazed doughnuts.
What Biscuits are Good for Making Donuts?
Those humble cans of buttery, refrigerated biscuits at your grocery store are prime for making amazing doughnuts. They rise beautifully and get perfectly golden in the air fryer. Any brand will work, but I’m all in favor of the extra-flaky or buttermilk varieties.
How Do I Make a Chocolate Glaze for Doughnuts?
In a small bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, whisking in whole milk until the mixture is smooth. Feel free to add additional milk as needed until you reach your desired consistency. My full recipe is below!
Most Important: Make sure your doughnuts are completely cool before you get to dipping. And if toppings are on the horizon, those should be sprinkled on right after glazing to ensure they stick.
Can You Bake Doughnuts Instead of Air Fry?
Yes! You (and your oven) don’t have to miss out on all the doughnut fun. Instead of pre-heating your air fryer, you’ll pre-heat your oven to 375°F. After spraying your doughnuts with cooking spray (or brushing them with melted butter), bake them on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- Cooking Spray
- 1 (16.3-oz.) can refrigerated biscuits
For the cinnamon-sugar topping:Â
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the chocolate glaze:Â
- 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons whole milk
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Make the doughnuts:
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F.
- Separate the biscuits onto your work surface. You should have a total of 8 rounds.
- Using a 1-inch circular cookie cutter, cut out the centers of each biscuit to form 8 doughnuts and 8 doughnut holes.Â
- Grease the air fryer basket with cooking spray then arrange a portion of the doughnuts and doughnut holes inside the basket. Lightly coat the doughnuts with cooking spray then air-fry them until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the doughnuts to a rack to cool then repeat the air-frying process with the remaining doughnuts.
- Transfer the doughnuts to a rack to cool completely while you prepare the toppings.
Make the cinnamon-sugar topping:
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.Â
- Coat the doughnuts with the melted butter then dredge them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, shaking off any excess, then serve.
Make the chocolate glaze:
- In a small bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth, adding an additional 1 teaspoon of milk as needed to thin to your desired consistency.
- Dip the completely cooled doughnuts in the glaze then immediately top with sprinkles (optional). Return the doughnuts to the rack until the glaze is set, about 5 minutes, then serve.
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Made these this morning with grands biscuits. They were good but I think they should have cooked another minute or two bcuz the bottoms were soft and seemed undercooked. Donut holes came out perfect. Will make again but will definitely add extra time to cook.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Easy and scrumptious. A good fast dessert.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Dan!
My husband and kiddos loved this shortcut recipe! My kids loved dunking their own donuts and topping them off with loads of sprinkles. Thanks for this fun and easy recipe!
Love reading this, Amber! I’m so happy your family enjoyed the doughnuts!
I can’t WAIT to make these this weekend!!
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Carly!
So easy. Who wouldn’t love a donut for dessert after dinner. Kids were so excited when they saw these after dinner. Tasted great and easy to do! Highly recommend!
Woohoo! I’m so happy to read this, Lindsey!
These were a hit. We made them for breakfast and they were all gone! I didn’t have a 1″ cutter, so I pierced with a knife and spun on my finger to create a hole. We made chocolate icing using fudge ovaltine, half the sugar and milk (because I didn’t have coco powder). The kids covered in sprinkles and thought it was great!!
Awesome, Amy!