Heavenly Hot Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes Light Fluffy and GuiltFree Goodness

Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes

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Preparation time:50 Mins

Cooking time:10 Mins

Servings:20

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Milk, lukewarm
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry or Instant Yeast
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Granulated Sugar (for yeast)
• 1 large Egg, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
• 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar (for coating)
• 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon (for coating)
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted (for brushing)

Instructions:

• In a small bowl, combine lukewarm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let stand for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
• Whisk the activated yeast mixture into the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and egg in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead the dough (by hand or machine) for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (approx. 30 minutes).
• Gently deflate the risen dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and portion the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter (approximately 18–20 pieces).
• Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined tray, cover loosely, and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C). Combine the 1/2 cup coating sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Melt the 1/4 cup brushing butter in a small bowl.
• Lightly spray the air fryer basket. Place 4–5 donut holes inside, ensuring they do not touch. Cook for 4–5 minutes.
• Flip the donut holes gently and cook for another 3–4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
• While hot, brush the cooked donut holes generously with the melted butter, then immediately toss them thoroughly in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
• Transfer the coated donut holes to a wire rack or serving platter and repeat the cooking and coating process with the remaining batches.

Nutrition Facts

Calories:174 kcal

Protein:4.4 g

Fat:9.8 g

Carbs:25.1 g

Fiber:4.0 g

Sugar:0.0 g

Sodium:2029 mg

Recipe Info

Category:Dessert, Breakfast

Cuisine:American

The Ultimate Oil-Free Treat: Why This Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes Recipe Shines

There are few aromas more universally beloved than that of freshly baked cinnamon and sugar mingling with warm, yeasty dough. Traditionally, achieving that perfect, pillowy donut hole meant submerging dough into bubbling hot oil—a process that delivers incredible flavor but comes with a considerable cleanup and hefty dose of guilt. Enter the future of comfort baking: these Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes . This Air Fryer Doughnut Recipe transforms a deep-fried indulgence into a wonderfully light, accessible treat perfect for weekend mornings or last-minute dessert cravings. We’re harnessing the power of circulating hot air to deliver that signature crisp exterior and cloud-like interior, making this one of our favorite Air Fryer Recipes Dessert options. Forget complicated procedures; we are diving straight into heavenly, guilt-free goodness that yields approximately 18 to 20 addictively soft puffs.

Ditching the Deep Fryer: Introducing Modern Comfort Baking

The magic of this particular Doughnut Recipe lies in its modern methodology. We bypass the heavy oil while retaining the textural integrity that makes a donut so satisfying. This is comfort food streamlined for the contemporary kitchen, proving that amazing flavor doesn't require outdated, cumbersome techniques.

A Quick Fix for Cravings: Speed and Simplicity Combined

Our foundation is a simple, quick-rise dough. While traditional yeast doughs demand hours of proofing, we utilize a relatively short rest period—about 30 minutes—to develop enough lift for those light, airy spheres. The process moves swiftly from mixing to shaping, and because the cooking vessel is an Air Fryer Oven Recipes appliance, the preheating is quick and the cooking process is hyper-efficient, yielding golden results in under ten minutes. This speed truly cements its place as an Easy Air Fryer Donuts solution.

Texture Revelation: Achieving Fluffiness Without Deep Fat

The biggest challenge in replicating fried goods in an air fryer is often achieving that perfect internal fluffiness against a crisp exterior. Here, the low-fat environment of the air fryer encourages the dough to expand rapidly and evenly. By ensuring the dough balls don't touch in the basket, we maximize the hot air flow, resulting in evenly cooked, beautifully puffed Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes that surprise you with their tenderness.

Meet Your New Go-To Dessert Staple

Once you experience the ease and the delicious results of these Air Fried Food delights, this recipe will undoubtedly find a permanent rotation in your repertoire. It’s versatile, easily scaled, and manages to hit every nostalgic note associated with classic pastry shops, without the messy cleanup, positioning it perfectly among the best Dessert Recipes available today.

Gathering the Building Blocks for Perfect Puffs

Crafting exceptional Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes starts with quality components. For the dough, we need the essentials to create a supple, fast-rising structure. We begin by awakening 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry or instant yeast with 1 cup of lukewarm whole milk and just 1 teaspoon of the recipe’s sugar—this is the foamy foundation of our lift. The wet components are then enriched with a room-temperature large egg and 2 tablespoons of melted, slightly cooled unsalted butter for richness. For the dry side, we blend 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt, ensuring even distribution before combining with the wet mixture.

Essential Equipment for Air Fryer Donut Hole Success

While a stand mixer with a dough hook simplifies the kneading, this recipe is entirely manageable by hand. The crucial pieces of equipment center around precise portioning and cooking.

What You Need for the Tender Dough Base

Beyond the standard mixing bowls, having parchment paper cut to fit your air fryer basket is invaluable for easy removal. We rely on a small cookie scoop or melon baller to ensure every piece of dough is uniform in weight and size, which is the secret weapon for even cooking in an air fryer.

Crafting the Iconic Cinnamon Sugar Finish

The coating requires two separate stages. First, melt 1/4 cup of unsalted butter—this acts as the necessary adhesive. Second, prepare the dry mix by thoroughly combining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon in a shallow dish wide enough to roll the donut holes through easily.

Tool Spotlight: Is Your Air Fryer Basket Ready?

Before you even start the dough, verify that your air fryer basket or tray is clean and ready. Because we are cooking in batches and these need to be moved quickly after cooking, having everything organized—the basket ready, the butter melted, and the sugar mixed—will streamline the final, crucial cooking steps.

Mastering the Dough: From Mix to Muffin-Sized Perfection

Our journey into making these puffs begins with activating that yeast. Combine the lukewarm milk, yeast, and the small amount of sugar, letting it bloom for about 5 to 10 minutes until noticeably foamy. Once you have that active yeast, whisk in the egg and the melted butter. In a separate container, quickly whisk the remaining flour and salt. Gradually introduce the dry blend into the wet ingredients. Once a shaggy mass forms, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead—either by machine or by hand—for about 5 to 7 minutes until you achieve a smooth, elastic texture. Transfer this beautiful dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rest in a warm spot until it has doubled in volume, which usually takes about 30 minutes.

Step-by-Step Mixing and Shaping Guide

Once proved, gently punch the air out of the dough. On a lightly floured surface, you can either roll the dough into a log and slice it into even 1-inch pieces, or, for the most consistent results, utilize that small cookie scoop to portion the dough into individual balls, aiming for roughly 1-ounce portions each. Arrange these dough balls onto a parchment-lined tray, ensuring there is ample space between them, and cover them loosely for a final, quick rest of 10 minutes while you prepare your cooking environment.

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The Air Fryer Magic: Cooking Your Sweet Spheres to Golden Brown

This is where the modern miracle happens. The air fryer cooks these spheres quickly, creating the structure that would otherwise require gallons of oil.

Preheating Pointers for Optimal Air Circulation

Always preheat your air fryer. Set it to 350° F ( 175° C). Preheating ensures the moment the dough enters the basket, the cooking process starts immediately, leading to a faster rise and better external crisping rather than a slow bake.

Temperature and Timing for Crispy Edges

Lightly spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Carefully place 4 to 5 dough balls inside; crucially, they must not touch one another. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. After this initial burst, gently flip each donut hole using tongs, and return them to the air fryer for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. They are done when they look golden brown and sound slightly hollow when tapped—remember, total cook time is only around 8 to 9 minutes.

The Grand Finale: Coating Your Freshly Fried Delights

The coating is what transforms a simple cooked dough ball into a true confection. Timing is everything here; the donut holes must be coated while they are still piping hot to ensure the butter melts slightly and the sugar adheres perfectly.

The Butter Bath Technique for Maximum Coating Adhesion

As soon as a batch comes out of the air fryer, brush each piece generously on all sides with the reserved melted butter. Immediately, roll the buttered sphere through the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it is completely blanketed. Transfer the finished Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes to a wire rack to set slightly. Repeat this process swiftly with the remaining batches, always ensuring you don't overcrowd the basket during cooking.

Troubleshooting and Tips for Flawless Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes Every Time

Achieving perfection on your first try is always the goal, but sometimes the mechanics of air frying require minor adjustments.

Why Aren't My Donut Holes Puffing Up? Quick Fixes

If your donut holes remain dense, the primary culprit is usually under-active yeast or an insufficient resting period. Ensure your milk was lukewarm (around 105– 115° F). If you skip the initial proofing, you are better off substituting the yeast entirely with 2 teaspoons of baking powder mixed directly into the flour, which yields a cake-style donut but guarantees a lift. Also, avoid overcrowding the basket; contact between the pieces causes steaming, which inhibits puffing.

Storage Secrets: Keeping Leftovers Soft for Days

While best enjoyed immediately, these store well. Once completely cooled, place them in an airtight container at room temperature. To revive them the next day, simply microwave a batch for 10 to 15 seconds—the trapped steam will reactivate the softness in the dough wonderfully.

Flavor Twists: Incorporating Zest or Spices into the Coating

To customize your finish, consider adding a pinch of finely ground nutmeg or cardamom to your cinnamon sugar mix for a warmer profile. Alternatively, for a slightly brighter taste, incorporate the zest of one small lemon directly into the dough mix before kneading to offer a lovely counterpoint to the sweetness.

Nutritional Snapshot: A Lighter Look at a Classic Indulgence

While this recipe significantly reduces the fat absorbed during frying, it remains a sweet treat. Based on 20 servings, you are looking at approximately 145 calories per serving, with about 5 grams of fat and 23 grams of carbohydrates. It’s a brilliant way to enjoy a classic indulgence with substantially less grease than traditional methods.

Elevating Your Doughnut Experience: Variations and Pairings

These golden puffs are fantastic on their own, but they pair beautifully with a variety of accompaniments that enhance the comforting nature of these Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes .

Storage Secrets: Keeping Leftovers Soft for Days

(Note: This section was covered above in Troubleshooting, but for flow, let's focus on presentation.)

Flavor Twists: Incorporating Zest or Spices into the Coating

(Note: This section was covered above in Troubleshooting, but for flow, let's focus on pairings.)

Serving Suggestions

For the quintessential experience, serve these straight from the air fryer alongside a bold, freshly brewed Americano—the bitterness cuts through the sugar perfectly, making them ideal for dunking. If you prefer a richer experience, a side of warm salted caramel sauce provides a decadent dip. For those seeking a slight contrast, a small serving of fresh, tart raspberries can balance the sweetness beautifully, making these Air Fryer Recipes Dessert an exciting addition to any brunch menu.