Air Fryer Coffee Donuts
Making delicious bakery-style donuts just got easier with this easy coffee donut recipe that you can make at home in your air fryer!
Coffee and donuts are an old-school pairing that just about everyone loves, so I smashed them together in this air fryer donut recipe. While these donuts have the same coffee flavor as my favorite Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha, they do have a sweet coffee flavor nonetheless. Coffee donuts are fluffy and light yeast donuts that don’t require a hot cup of coffee to have the traditional flavor pairing. So if it’s a warm morning and you’re craving a donut this will be your new favorite air fryer donut recipe.
AIR FRYER COFFEE DONUTS
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If you loved my Air Fryer Donuts from a little while back this recipe will be very different, and just as tasty! Air Fryer Coffee donuts use yeast dough made from scratch instead of canned biscuit dough in the previous recipe. (I am a firm believer that breakfast shortcuts are the best kind!)
I like to make donuts in the air fryer because you don’t need a large pan of popping scalding hot oil/grease to cook them in and clean up. This makes it easier to include the kids in the process if they aren’t worried about digging a donut out of popping grease.
If you want to have the kids join you in making Air Fryer Coffee Donuts I would get the process started before they wake up, or have other breakfast foods ready to cook while the donut dough rises. Using a yeast dough means that this will create the heavenly fresh bread scent everyone loves, and it will take a little more patience than a quick bread version. Yeast donuts are super light and fluffy, with pillowing pockets of air between the layers of delicious sweet bread.
Ingredients
MILK – You need to make sure you warm the milk enough to activate the yeast when it is added without the milk being so hot it kills the yeast. An instant-read thermometer is perfect for this!
FLOUR – This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, make sure you measure it accurately, spooning the flour into the measuring cup, and leveling it with a knife, don’t pack the flour into the cup. Also, make sure you have a little extra to sprinkle for rolling and cutting the donuts
COFFEE EXTRACT – Adding this flavoring will bring the coffee and donut flavor pairings to life, so you can still drink your coffee without needing any in the recipe
When you are choosing your ingredients there are a couple of things to look for. Make sure your yeast packet/jar is not expired. The yeast needs to be healthy and active so you get air bubbles in the rising dough.
I like to use whole milk when I make bread, it seems to hold onto the flavors and create a better texture than lower-fat milk.
For the icing, you need to use heavy cream, if you can’t find that in your store then purchase heavy whipping cream or half-and-half.
How to Make Coffee Donuts in an Air Fryer
- To start, mix the warmed milk and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer to activate the yeast and allow it to become foamy.
- Once the yeast has bloomed, add in the egg, melted butter, and coffee extract and mix with the dough hook.
- Then slowly add in the flour and brown sugar and mix and knead the dough until it pulls away from the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and allow it to rise in a warm location for about 1 hour until it’s about doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, lightly flour a work surface. Then turn the dough out onto the work surface before rolling it out and cutting it into donuts.
- Place the cut-out doughnuts in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 7 minutes.
- Allow the donuts to cool completely and then dip in the prepared coffee icing.
Pay careful attention to the instructions and notes in the recipe shown below and you will have no issues. If your dough is not rising enough then move it to a warmer room or an area of your kitchen that has warmth. (I often place the bowl inside my microwave which is the hood range and light, so I turn the light on and it warms up the microwave perfectly.) Oftentimes if you are running your dishwasher the counter above it will be warm, for another option.
Can you make donuts in an air fryer?
Making doughnuts in an air fryer is even easier than the traditional way of frying them in a deep fryer or on the stove in a pot of oil or grease. You will be able to get the fried exterior texture without having to fry the dough.
You can easily change up the flavor of the icing if you want to complement your coffee flavor to make these all your own. Use cinnamon sugar on them, drizzle with some chocolate, or even use almond extract in the icing for a nutty coffee flavor. Whatever your family loves to have with doughnuts, this air fryer doughnut recipe will cover it. Make sure to leave a review and let me know how you liked them!
Make breakfast extra delicious!
- Caramel Apple Doughnuts
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Maple Donuts
- More BREAKFAST recipes…
Tools used to make this Air Fryer Coffee Donut recipe
Air Fryer: This is the model that I like, trust, and recommend to my friends and family.
Round Cutter: I like this set especially for doughnuts because you can have different sizes and there are cutters to remove the center, you don’t have to go hunting for something to cut out the middle of your doughnuts.
Air Fryer Coffee Donuts
Ingredients
Coffee Donuts
- 1 cup milk warmed to 100-110 degrees F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon coffee extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Coffee Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon coffee extract
Instructions
- Combine the warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Allow the yeast to sit for five minutes, or until it has become foamy on top.
- Next, add the egg, melted butter, and coffee extract to the bowl and mix until combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour followed by the brown sugar.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it easily pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be smooth, but pretty sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and place it in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Use round cutters to cut out the doughnuts. (see note)
- Transfer the donuts to the air fryer basket, making sure not to overcrowd them. Cook at 400F for 7 minutes, or until the donuts are golden brown on the outside.
- Whisk the icing together and set aside while the donut cook. Set aside.
- Remove the donuts from the air fryer and allow them to cool slightly on a wire rack before icing.
- Once cooled, spread the icing over the donuts and top with sprinkles, if desired. Store the donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
