Flaky Air Fryer Donuts

These puff pastry air fryer donuts are wonderfully flaky and delicious! They are so quick and easy to make in the air fryer and require just 5 ingredients. Be warned, they are going to disappear quickly!

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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the 
recipe card at the bottom of the post. 
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.

There’s nothing quite like homemade donuts, but these ones are truly out of the world! Made with puff pastry, they are so wonderfully fluffy and flaky, and because they are cooked in the air fryer, they don’t require any oil.

Rolled in cinnamon sugar, make them even more amazing when topped with my blueberry compote and whipped cream.

Ingredients You Will Need

• Puff Pastry Sheets
• Egg
• Melted Butter
• White Sugar
• Cinnamon

How To Make Flaky Air Fryer Donuts

• Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured countertop and brush egg on one side of each pastry.

• Lay the pieces of puff pastry on top of each other, making sure the sides brushed with egg are touching each other.
• Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. This step will make your donuts rise high while they cook.

• After 15 minutes, remove pastry from the freezer and use a donut cutter or two cookie cutters to cut out donut shapes. I left some donuts without holes to be filled.

• Place in air fryer basket and cook on 330 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, until the pastry has risen and is browned a bit.

• While the pastry is cooking, combine white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
• Once the pastry is finished cooking, brush with melted butter and dip in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Why make donuts with puff pastry?

It’s so easy to make these homemade donuts. They require very little prep and they are so easy to cut out and shape, unlike the traditional dough. The result is the most perfectly flaky donut, just look at those layers! You could also use other dough, such as store bought biscuit dough, but I found those to be a little saltier than puff pastry dough.

Can you make them ahead of time?

I like to serve these when they are still warm so that the texture is at it’s best. You can keep the cooled donuts in an airtight container and they will be good for about 2 or 3 days.

You can cut out the donut shapes, and keep them covered in the fridge on a baking tray for up to 24 hours until you are ready to air fry them.

Why make donuts in an air fryer?

I love my air fryer and I’m so pleased with how these donuts came out! The air fryer eliminates the need for deep frying with lots of oil, it’s easier, less messy and healthier. The results are amazing!

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Be sure to freeze the pastry together for at least 15 minutes.
• A large air fryer will be able to hold about 6 donuts at a time. Place remaining cut donuts in the refrigerator or freezer so they remain cold while the donuts are air frying. The dough needs to be cold to rise properly in the air fryer.
• Preheat the air fryer for the most flakey donuts.
• The donuts should be placed in a single layer in the basket and not touching.

More Easy Air Fryer Recipes

• Air Fryer S’mores
• Homemade Churros
• Air Fryer Biscuits
• Apple Chips
• Air Fryer Beet Chips