Air Fryer Apple Donuts
Ahhh…fall has finally arrived in our area. The nights are finally cold and the days are crisp. Fall is apple season for us and one of our all-time favorite treats are Apple Donuts. In years past, we have made the trek up to Apple Hill to get fresh apple donuts. Given how different everything is this year, we thought you may want to make some fresh, warm Air Fryer Apple Donuts in the safety of your own kitchen. So we came up with a recipe for you to do just that!
Our Air Fryer Apple Donut recipe calls for using an air fryer (in case you couldn’t tell from the name, haha!). If you don’t have an air fryer, you can fry them in a deep fryer or in a pot of oil on the stove top. If you make them on the stove top, omit the butter coating in the recipe. Everything else should stay the same. Our recipe also calls for Boiled Cider. If you can’t find boiled cider, you can make your own by boiling 2 cups of fresh apple cider until reduced to ½ cup.
We hope you are enjoying cooler weather and all the joys of fall wherever you are!
Jump to Recipe
Lots of apple flavor from the Boiled Cider and fresh chopped apples!
Coat the cold donut dough in melted butter – it will look almost like glaze.
Cook in your air fryer until golden brown and firm.
Brush with butter and toss in cinnamon-sugar to coat.
Enjoy while still warm!
Air Fryer Apple Donuts
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (13oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup Boiled Cider*
- ⅓ cup (2⅓ oz) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 4 TBS unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 small apple peeled and chopped (we like Honeycrisp)
- Cooking and Coating:
- 8 TBS salted butter
- 1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt together in bowl.
- Whisk boiled cider, sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, and egg together in large bowl.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix about half of flour mixture into cider mixture until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture; and fold in just until all flour is incorporated. Gently stir in the apples.
- Dust counter with flour. Turn out dough onto floured counter, then dust top of dough with additional flour. Using your floured hands, gently pat dough into about ½ -inch-thick round, 9 to 10 inches in diameter. Using floured 3-inch round cutter, cut out 5 - 6 doughnut rounds. Using 1-inch round cutter, cut hole in center of each round.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Transfer doughnut rounds and holes to prepared sheet. Combine dough scraps, then knead into cohesive ball and pat into ½ -inch-thick round. Cut out 2 or 3 more doughnut rounds and holes (you should get about 8 of each). Transfer to sheet. Transfer sheet to freezer for 30 minutes.
- Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a bowl just large enough for one donut. Allow to cool slightly. Remove donuts from freezer and quickly toss donuts one at a time in melted butter, coating completely. The butter will coat the cold donuts almost like a glaze. Repeat with donut holes and return all to parchment lined sheet and return to freezer for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
- Working in batches, place 3-4 donuts in air fryer (depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be able to cook more per batch) and cook for 8-9 minutes at temperature of 350. Keep the uncooked donuts in the refrigerator until ready to go in the air fryer. Doughnuts are done when golden brown, puffed and fairly firm. Remove from air fryer to wire rack placed over a baking sheet.
- The doughnut holes will only need to cook for about 6-7 minutes, so it is easiest to do all of those in their own batch.
- Allow to cool just until able to handle, then brush each one all over with remaining melted butter and toss in cinnamon sugar coating. Return to wire rack to cool a bit more while your repeat the air frying process with the remaining dough.