Air Fryer Jelly Donuts
Air fryer jelly donuts are light, fluffy, and totally delicious! This air fryer jelly donuts recipe is a healthier alternative to traditional versions, and it’s easy to customize with your favorite flavor of jam or jelly. Perfect for serving at breakfast, brunch, snacks, or as an anytime sweet treat.
Suitable for vegetarian diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
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Ever get struck with an insatiable craving for donuts? I sure do. And when it hits, it’s one of those I’ve gotta have a doughnut right now type of cravings. Thankfully, this air fryer jelly donuts recipe is a healthier yet totally delicious way to indulge my hankerings.
I looooove that air fryer donuts are a healthier alternative that tastes every bit as amazing as traditional jelly donuts. And with none of the greasiness that you get with deep oil-fried doughnuts, you can totally satisfy those donut cravings without guilt!
Table of Contents
Can You Make Donuts in an Air Fryer?
Feeling skeptical about making donuts in an air fryer? As someone who has made countless air fryer donut recipes over the years, let me assure you that they turn out great. I’m talking the perfect balance of light and fluffy with a slightly crisp exterior, and the taste is truly delectable. #somuchyum
And for all my fellow jelly donut fans, you’ll be happy to know that they’re surprisingly easy to make and fill. Since you’re making them at home, you can easily customize by choosing your favorite jam or jelly filling. Or do what my family prefers, which is to fill a few donuts with different jelly flavors. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Why Make This Recipe
- It’s fun – making donuts at home is a fun activity the whole family will enjoy!
- Versatile – you can make these with strawberry, blackberry, or your favorite flavor of jam. Or fill them with cream, lemon curd, or marmalade.
- Healthier – air fryer jelly donuts are a healthier choice than deep-fried store-bought donuts.
Ingredients Notes
To make the donuts;
- Milk: whole milk or 2% milk, warmed to around 100 degrees F / 38 degrees C.
- Active dry yeast: the leavening agent that helps the donuts rise.
- Granulated sugar: for the right amount of sweetness.
- Flour: choose all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Oil: use any neutral, light cooking oil.
- Vanilla extract: adds a delightful flavor to the dough.
To coat and fill the donuts;
- Powdered sugar & ground cinnamon: for the perfect sweet finish.
- Jam or jelly: raspberry jam is classic, but choose your favorite flavor.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Air Fryer Tools on Amazon.
How To Make Air Fryer Jelly Donuts
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
Step 1. Warm up the milk, put it in a bowl, and add sugar and yeast. Mix well and let it rest for 10 minutes. Add the flour, oil, and vanilla extract. On a lightly floured surface, knead the mixture to form a soft dough. Cover and let it rest for at least 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. Transfer to a floured surface, roll out to 1-inch thickness, and cut using a 1 ½ – 2 inch round cookie cutter. Place on a parchment paper lined tray, cover, and allow to rest for 40 minutes.
Step 2. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C. Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon on a plate and set it aside.
Line the air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper, then add in the donuts, allowing for plenty of space around them, and lightly spritz with oil.
Step 3. Air fry for 5 minutes, then gently turn the donuts over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately emove from the air fryer.
Step 4. Roll donuts in the sugar-cinnamon mixture, spoon jam into a piping bag, insert a chopstick into each donut to make a hole, then pipe jam into the hole in each donut.
Bintu’s Tips
- To activate the yeast properly, be sure to use warm milk – not hot or cold.
- Be sure to let the dough rise for at least 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- When rolling out the dough, use a lightly floured surface to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Line the air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking and help to make cleaning up easy.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket! Be sure to allow plenty of space between the donuts so they cook evenly. Air fry in batches, as needed.
- Roll the donuts in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm so that it will adhere better.
Prep and Storage
- Prep: You will need to allow 2 hours for the dough to rise, and 40 minutes for the cut donuts to rest before cooking.
- Storage: Air fryer jelly donuts can be kept in an airtight container inside the fridge for 4 days.
FAQs
Yes, to prevent them from spoiling, jelly donuts should be stored in the refrigerator. Refrigerating unfilled donuts will help keep them good for a couple extra days too.
When it comes to health benefits, air fryer donuts are better. Since they are made with far less oil than the traditional method, they contain less fat, cholesterol, and calories than deep-fried versions.
The short answer is both! While dictionaries and style guides recognize doughnuts as the preferred spelling, the use of donuts is a common variation, particularly in the United States, and is also considered to be correct.
Similar Recipes
Serve With
- Coffee is a must, and this Instant Pot iced coffee concentrate is the perfect pairing.
- Air fryer bacon and easy air fryer breakfast sausage make it a complete meal.
- Kick Sunday brunch up a notch by serving alongside a fresh fruit salad and this hearty ham breakfast casserole.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 8 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Recommended Tools
- An awesome air fryer, of course!
- Measuring cups and spoons to ensure you use the correct amounts.
- A good cutting board for kneading and rolling out the dough.
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Air Fryer Tools on Amazon.
Thank you for reading my air fryer jelly donuts recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable air fryer recipes, Instant Pot recipes, Southern recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Get The Air Fryer Jelly Donuts Recipe
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Air Fryer Jelly Donuts
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (177ml) milk
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (165g) jam raspberry or other flavor
Instructions
- Warm up the milk, put it in a bowl, and add sugar and yeast. Mix well and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then mix in the flour, oil, and vanilla extract.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the mixture to form a soft dough. Cover and let it rest for at least 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface, roll out to around 1-inch in thickness, and cut using a 1 ½ -2 inch round cookie cutter. Place on a parchment paper lined tray, cover, and allow to rest for 40 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C. Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon on a plate and set it aside.
- Line the basket with parchment paper, add the donuts and spritz with oil. Air fry for 5 minutes, then gently turn over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
- When done, roll the warm donuts in the sugar-cinnamon mixture, then spoon jam into a piping bag, insert a chopstick into each donut to create space for the filling and pipe the jam inside each donut.
Video
Notes
- To activate the yeast properly, be sure to use warm milk – not hot or cold.
- Be sure to let the dough rise for at least 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- When rolling out the dough, use a lightly floured surface to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Line the air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking and help to make cleaning up easy.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket! Be sure to allow plenty of space between the donuts so they cook evenly. Air fry in batches, as needed.
- Roll the donuts in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm so that it will adhere better.
- Storage – keep in an airtight container inside the fridge for 4 days.
- There are 8 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
