Air-Fried Jelly Donuts: The Quick, Crispy Treat

Making jelly donuts in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to satisfy your sweet tooth. This recipe is perfect for those who want to indulge in a delicious treat without the greasiness of traditional deep-fried doughnuts. With just a few simple ingredients and an air fryer, you can create light and fluffy jelly donuts that are sure to impress.

Choosing your ingredients

Choosing the right ingredients is essential for making delicious jelly donuts in an air fryer. Here's a detailed guide to help you select the best ingredients for this mouth-watering treat:

Dough

The foundation of your jelly donuts starts with the dough. You can choose to make the dough from scratch or opt for a convenient canned biscuit dough. If you're short on time, the canned biscuit dough is a great option, and it tastes just like the sugar donuts from your favourite bakery. Look for varieties like flaky layers or buttermilk biscuit dough. The flaky layers add a delightful texture to your donuts, while buttermilk biscuits are easier to fill as they are less likely to split apart.

Filling

Now, let's talk about the star of the show – the filling! You can use any flavour of jelly or jam that tickles your taste buds. However, it's essential to choose a seedless variety to ensure a smooth and easy filling experience. Raspberry jelly is a classic choice for jelly donuts, but you can also experiment with other flavours like strawberry, grape, peach, or apricot. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even try filling your donuts with vanilla pudding for a Boston Cream variety.

Coating

The coating adds that extra touch of sweetness and crunch to your jelly donuts. For a traditional sugar coating, simply melt some butter and dunk your freshly cooked donuts into it before tossing them in granulated sugar. This method creates a thick and indulgent sugar coating. If you prefer a lighter touch, brush the donuts with melted butter using a pastry brush and then sprinkle the sugar over them. This way, you'll still get that sweet crunch without making your donuts too sugary.

Yeast and Leavening Agents

If you're making your dough from scratch, don't forget the yeast! Active dry yeast or instant yeast will help your donuts rise and give them that airy texture. Make sure to use warm (not hot) milk to activate the yeast properly. The ideal temperature for the milk is around 100°F to 110°F (43°C). This step is crucial, as too hot milk will kill the yeast and ruin your donuts.

Milk and Eggs

Milk and eggs are essential ingredients in your dough. For the milk, you can use whole milk or 2% milk. As for the eggs, they play a vital role in binding the ingredients together and contributing to the structure of your donuts.

Sweeteners

Sugar is a must-have ingredient to sweeten your donuts and balance the tartness of the jelly. You can use granulated sugar or powdered sugar, depending on your preference. Additionally, a touch of vanilla extract adds a delightful flavour to the dough.

Flour

All-purpose flour is the best choice for this recipe. It has the right balance of protein and starch, ensuring your donuts have a soft and fluffy texture.

Oil

A neutral, light cooking oil is perfect for frying your donuts. It helps to create a crispy exterior without overpowering the delicate flavour of the dough.

Toppings and Extras

For an extra touch of indulgence, dust your jelly donuts with powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar. You can also get creative and add ground cinnamon to the sugar mixture for a warm, spicy kick. A sprinkle of lemon zest in the sugar coating can also add a refreshing twist to your treat.

Preparing the dough

Firstly, gather your ingredients. You will need milk, active dry yeast or instant yeast, sugar, salt, unsalted butter, and all-purpose flour. The exact quantities can vary depending on the recipe, but a typical recipe may call for 1 cup of milk, 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 4 tablespoons of butter, and 3 cups of flour.

Once you have your ingredients, start by warming the milk to around 110°F (43°C). This temperature is important as hotter milk can kill the yeast. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm milk, a small amount of sugar, and the yeast. Let this mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy. This step is crucial for activating the yeast, which will help the dough rise.

While the yeast mixture is resting, melt the butter and lightly beat an egg, if your recipe calls for it. Then, add the remaining sugar, salt, egg, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Stir or whisk to combine these ingredients.

Now it's time to add the flour. Start by mixing in 2 cups of flour on low speed, and then gradually add the remaining 1 cup of flour as needed. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but it may still be slightly sticky. If needed, you can add up to 1/4 cup more flour, but be careful not to over-flour the dough as this can affect the texture of your donuts.

At this stage, you can increase the mixing speed to medium-low and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough will become smoother and more elastic. If you are using a stand mixer, remove the dough hook or transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This may take about 30 minutes with instant yeast, but the timing can vary.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll out the dough to your desired thickness, typically between 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into circles, about 3 inches in diameter, using a cookie cutter or the top of a drinking glass. Place these dough circles on a parchment paper-lined tray, leaving space between them, and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.

Your dough is now ready to be cooked in the air fryer! Follow the remaining steps in your chosen recipe for filling and coating your delicious homemade jelly donuts.

Filling the donuts

Filling donuts can be a messy business, but it's worth it for that delicious first bite! Here's a step-by-step guide to filling your jelly donuts:

Firstly, you'll need to decide on your filling. Raspberry jam is a popular choice for jelly donuts, but you can use any flavour of jam or jelly you like. Just make sure it's seedless and smooth, without any big chunks of fruit. Strawberry, grape, peach and apricot are all great options. If you want to go for a cream filling, a simple mix of powdered sugar and lemon can be very effective.

Next, you'll need to transfer your filling to a piping bag. You can use a simple plastic sandwich bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner if you don't have a proper piping bag. Use a long cake frosting tip, or a Bismarck tip, to pipe the filling into the donuts. If you don't have a tip, don't worry—you can pipe half the jelly into one side of the donut, flip it over, and pipe the rest into the other side.

Now, it's time to fill your donuts. Stick the tip of the piping bag into the centre of the donut and gently squeeze the filling inside. Be careful not to overfill, as the jelly will start to leak out. A good sign that you've filled it enough is when the filling starts to push back.

If you're making a lot of donuts, it's best to eat them fresh. However, if you have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Enjoy!

Cooking the donuts

Now that you've prepared your dough, it's time to cook your donuts! Start by preheating your air fryer to 350°F. Spritz the air fryer basket with some oil spray to prevent sticking.

Open your biscuits and arrange them in a single layer inside the basket, making sure they don't touch each other. You may need to cook the donuts in batches to avoid overcrowding. Lightly spray the biscuits with oil spray.

Air fry your donuts for 5-6 minutes, or until they achieve a golden brown colour. If you're cooking more than one batch, try to maintain the air fryer temperature at 350°F between batches.

Once your donuts are done, remove them from the air fryer and immediately dunk them in melted butter. This will help the sugar coating stick to the donuts. Toss the donuts in granulated sugar to coat them thoroughly.

For a healthier alternative, brush the donuts with melted butter and sprinkle the sugar over them, rather than dunking them.

Coating the donuts

Once your donuts are cooked, it's time to coat them in sugar. You can use regular granulated sugar, or for a more indulgent option, try a lemon zest sugar coating. Simply mix lemon zest with sugar and keep stirring if it starts to clump together.

To get the sugar to stick, brush the donuts with melted butter or oil. You can either brush the donuts and then sprinkle them with sugar, or for a more generous coating, dunk the donuts in butter or oil and then toss them in sugar. If you prefer a less sugary donut, brush the outside with butter and sprinkle with sugar, rather than dunking and tossing.

If you want to make your donuts even more decadent, you can also coat them in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. To make a cinnamon sugar coating, simply mix powdered sugar with ground cinnamon and roll the donuts in the mixture while they're still warm.

Frequently asked questions