Air Fryer Donut Holes

When you’re in the mood for donuts without much effort, these easy air fryer donut holes are the answer. The base for these donut holes is naturally sweetened with applesauce and ripe bananas. The cooked bites are then rolled in a cinnamon sugar coating for added sweetness and crunch.

If you’re looking for more easy homemade treats, you’ll love these chocolate-baked oats, peanut butter banana cake, and no-bake coconut balls as well!

What You’ll Need

Here is what you’ll need to make these air fryer donut holes:

• Unsweetened Applesauce: The base for the apple cinnamon donut holes. I used unsweetened applesauce, but you could also use sweetened applesauce for added sweetness, or cinnamon-flavored unsweetened applesauce for added flavor.
• Banana: The base for the banana bread donut holes. An overripe banana is best here and will provide the best natural sweetness.
• All-Purpose Flour: Gives the donuts a light and airy texture.
• Baking Powder: Leavening agent to help the donut holes rise.
• Oil Spray: To help the donut holes obtain a golden brown color. Oil spray is also used to help the cinnamon sugar mixture stick to the donuts.
• Cinnamon Sugar: Sweet coating for added flavor and crunch.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Ingredient Substitutions & Additions

• All-Purpose Flour: This flour may be replaced with equal parts self-raising flour. If you are using self-raising flour, omit the added baking powder from the recipe as self-raising flour contains baking powder.
• Oil Spray: If you don’t have oil spray, you can brush the tops of the donut holes with oil or melted butter.
• Add-Ins: Feel free to add ground cinnamon or vanilla to the dough mixture for added flavor. You can even inject some strawberry jam in the center of the cooked donut holes for added sweetness! For glazed donuts, dip the holes into a glaze mixture of powdered sugar and milk.

Step By Step Instructions

STEP 1: Add the flour, baking powder, and fruit (applesauce or mashed banana) to a bowl and mix it until combined into a moist dough (Images 1 & 2). It may seem dry at first, but keep mixing until it comes together. If the dough seems too moist, add in a little extra flour. If the dough seems too dry, add in a bit more mashed fruit.

STEP 2: Place the dough onto a well-floured surface and break it into 8 equal pieces (Images 3 & 4). The dough pieces will seem sticky, but use the excess flour on the surface to gently coat them so that they can easily be rolled into small circles.

STEP 3: Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil spray and place the 8 dough balls into the basket. Spray the top of the dough balls with an even layer of oil (this will help with browning) (Image 5).

STEP 4: Air fry the donut holes at 400 degrees F for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the donut holes are slightly golden and dry to the touch (Image 6).

STEP 5: Spray the cooked donut holes with a light layer of oil spray (Image 7) and dip them into a small bowl with cinnamon sugar to fully coat them (Image 8). Serve warm.