These Air Fryer Donuts – Chocolate Glaze Donuts are air fried, not deep fried in oil – and are so simple to make! These definitely make a healthier treat and are made from scratch.
Since these are not deep-dried donuts they will have a different texture and taste so they are more like bagels with frosting. Nevertheless, they are still fun to make and fun to eat.

What ingredients do I need to make Air Fryer Donuts – Chocolate Glazed Donuts?
Whole milk, instant yeast, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour and salt.
For the glaze: confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla extract.
How do I make Air Fryer Donuts – Chocolate Glazed Donuts?
Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough. Or you can even heat it in the microwave for 40 seconds. It should be at about 110 F, not too hot nor too cold.
Once the milk is warm, add in the sugar and whisk well. Further, add in the yeast and whisk. Yeast is fed by sugar and this will help it multiply and activate.
Set this aside for about 10 minutes until it looks cloudy and foamy.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl whisk together the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. And set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
After the yeast is foamy, mix the wet ingredients together. So, you mix the egg mixture with the foamy yeast. Further, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (flour and salt), stirring to blend; there’s no need to beat the batter, just make sure everything is well-combined.
If you are making the dough by hand, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be thick, soft, elastic, and slightly sticky.
If using a stand mixer, switch to your dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl don’t worry if it is a little bit sticky. Gently move the dough around in the bowl so it gets coated with oil. Cover the bowl with piece of plastic wrap and put it in a warm, draft-free spot and let it rise. The minimum time is an hour but up to overnight.
Shape the donuts:
Remove your dough from the bowl roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. It should be about 1/2 to 1/3 of an inch thick. Then use a three-inch donut cutter to cut out the rounds. You can also use cookie cutters or a drinking glass flouring the cutters as you go. I used a stainless-steel bowl.
Use a 1/2-inch cookie cutter for the center hole. I used a bottle lid.
Gather the remaining dough and knead the scraps together until all the dough is used up.
Transfer the donuts to parchment paper that is dusted with flour.

Cover the parchment paper with a clean kitchen cloth or napkin to prevent the donuts from drying. Set it aside and let it rise for another 30 minutes to an hour.
Air Fry:
Furthermore, when you are ready to cook, grease your Air Fryer basket with oil or cooking spray. I grease mine by rubbing, brushing, or spraying, a little bit of oil on the bottom grate.
Working in batches, place the donuts and donut holes gently in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the donuts or they will be hard to flip and they may stick to each other.
Air fryer the donuts at 350°F for 4 to 6 minutes. Turn midway. They tend to get hard if cooked for long so make sure you check at the 5-minute mark. They should be golden brown and not too dark. Cool the donuts entirely before you glaze them with chocolate.
Glaze:
While the donuts are cooking you can start making the glaze. In a medium bowl combine confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla, until it’s smooth and glossy. If its too thick you can add a tablespoon of milk or more depending on how you desire it.

Once the donuts have cooled, dunk each donut in the glaze. Allow glaze to set for 10 minutes before serving.
How long do these donuts last?
Its best to eat these fresh since they dry out easily. You can store them in an air tight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Do not do not microwave excessively while heating them. The glaze can melt if heated for too long and the donuts might actually become hard.
Tried this recipe yet? Give us a rating, comment below in the reply section and let us know what you think.
Also, try some of our other recipes:
Air Fryer Chicken Tikka – Chicken Banjara Tikka

Air Fryer Donuts – Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the Donut
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup butter, unsalted (melted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour (plus some extra for dusting)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 4 tbsp milk, whole
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep
- Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough. Or you can even heat it in the microwave for 40 seconds. It should be at about 110 F, not too hot nor too cold. Once the milk is warm, add in the sugar and whisk well. Further, add in the yeast and whisk. Yeast is fed by sugar and this will help it multiply and activate. Set this aside for about 10 minutes until it look cloudy and foamy.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl whisk together the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. And set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- After the yeast is foamy, mix the wet ingredients together. So, you mix the egg mixture with the foamy yeast. Further, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (flour and salt), stirring to blend; there's no need to beat the batter, just make sure everything is well-combined.
- If you are making the dough by hand, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be thick, soft, elastic, and slightly sticky. If using a stand mixer, switch to your dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl don’t worry if it is a little bit sticky. Gently move the dough around in the bowl so it gets coated with oil. Cover the bowl with piece of plastic wrap and put it in a warm, draft-free spot and let it rise. The minimum time is an hour but up to overnight.
Shape the donuts
- Remove your dough from the bowl roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. It should be about 1/2 to 1/3 of an inch thick. Then use a three-inch donut cutter to cut out the rounds. You can also use cookie cutters or a drinking glass flouring the cutters as you go. I used a stainless-steel bowl.
- Use a 1/2-inch cookie cutter for the center hole. I used a bottle lid.
- Gather the remaining dough and knead the scraps together until all the dough is used up.
- Transfer the donuts to parchment paper that is dusted with flour.
- Cover the parchment paper with a clean kitchen cloth or napkin to prevent the donuts from drying. Set it aside and let it rise for another 30 minutes to an hour.
Air Fry
- Grease your Air Fryer basket with oil or cooking spray. Working in batches, place the donuts and donut holes gently in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the donuts.
- Air fryer the donuts at 350°F for 4 to 6 minutes. Turn midway. They tend to get hard if cooked for long so make sure you check at the 5-minute mark. They should be golden brown and not too dark. Every air fryer is different so make sure they are not over cooked.
Glaze
- While the donuts are cooking you can start making the glaze. In a medium bowl combine confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla, until it's smooth and glossy. If its too thick you can add a tablespoon of milk or more depending on how you desire it.
- Once the donuts have cooled, dunk each donut in the glaze. Allow glaze to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- These Air Fryer Donuts – Chocolate Glaze Donuts are air fried, not deep fried in oil – and are so simple to make! These definitely make a healthier treat and are made from scratch.
- Proof the dough for a minimum of 1 hour.
You must log in to post a comment.