This Air Fryer Copycat Krispy Kreme Donuts recipe is so simple in just 20 minutes from start to finish. A biscuit donut that is dipped in a homemade vanilla glaze. These have never tasted so good.
If you are looking for a simple quick and easy breakfast, this Krispy Kreme copycat recipe might be a perfect fit. Light and soft donuts, that melt in your mouth that are ideal for lazy Saturdays or holiday weekends. Serve a plate full of them with Sausage Breakfast Casserole and Crockpot Coffee.
Plus if you are new to the air fryer, this recipe takes just 5 minutes to cook plus time to make the glaze. Donuts are always best warm and fresh from being cooked.
🍽️ Why This Works
- Make at home
- Affordable
- Quick prep and cook time
- Similar flavor to Krispy Kreme’s
- Can double batch the recipe for serving a larger group
- Use canned biscuit dough for easy prep
🍩 Ingredients
Biscuits – This is main ingredient in the donut. You can certainly make them from scratch, but I use the buttermilk biscuits in a can.
Simple Glaze – Vanilla, powdered sugar, butter and evaporated milk make an extremely simple (and tasty) glaze. Wait until it hardens before biting in!
📝 Instructions
Step One: Cut out the center of the biscuits with a baking hole punch or even a shot glass to make the donut holes.
Step Two: Spray the basket and donuts lightly with oil to prevent the biscuits from sticking to the tray. Don’t overlap the donuts. Batch cook them at 390 degrees for around five minutes or until they are fully cooked through. Remove and place on a cooling rack.
Step Three: Whip up the donut glaze while the donuts are cooking. Just whisk the ingredients until creamy.
Step Four: Pour the glaze over the donuts, repeat the process by capturing the fallen glaze with a baking dish.
Step Five: Let the donuts cool a bit then serve warm.
Full directions and measurements are in the printable recipe card below.
Storing
Donuts are best when served fresh. But you can keep them for 1-2 days in an airtight container.
When you want to eat one, grab and go, or toss in the microwave for five seconds to heat the donut up slightly. This will give it a fresher flavor! Also, try these cinnamon roll donuts for a fun breakfast option.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- If you want a glaze that will harden more than this one, use 2.5 cups of powdered sugar, ¼ cup of milk and ¼ of light corn syrup and whisk.
- Do not use cooking spray in your air fryer. You will find it eats away the non-stick coating over time. This goes for basket style and oven style air fryers.
- Make sure to use a biscuit that is not a pull apart style.
- I find pouring the glaze over the donuts a few times ensures an even coat. Use a pan to catch the drippings, to then pour back over. That way you don’t waste. The donuts will start to cool and the glaze will start to stick more each time rather than rolling off, just like you would applying several coats of bbq sauce to ribs.
- Use a different flavor of glaze by adding lemon or cinnamon.
- All air fryers heat a bit differently so make sure that you check early to ensure they are not over-cooking.
- Leave space so the hot air can circulate all around the donuts.
- Cook the donut holes as well for a few minutes! They are just as tasty.
New to the air fryer? Check out my air fryer cheat sheet printable to help keep you on track of how long to cook food!
🥛 Recipe FAQs
If you don’t own a donut cutter, use a shot glass, small cookie cutter, etc. Just anything that is circular will work on pushing into the donut dough.
Air fry the donuts! In terms of health, air fried donuts or baked donuts are best. Frying donuts in grease adds extra calories and unwanted grease into your diet.
Go ahead and freeze the donuts you don’t plan to eat right away. Just place them in a freezer container for up to three months. Freeze them on a sheet pan first and allow to freeze for about 6 hours. Then remove and place into a freezer safe bag so you can pull one out at a time. Thaw on the counter or heat in the microwave to warm them up. Only heat up about 10-15 seconds or the glaze will end up on the plate and not on the donut.
The glaze written here will be a softer glaze that won’t be thick and hard. If you choose to have a harder, thicker glaze:
More Breakfast Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Air Fryer Copycat Krispy Kreme Donuts
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 8 Biscuits one can, or homemade
Homemade Glaze (thinner version)
- 6 tbsp Butter melted
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- ¾ cup Evaporated Milk
Homemade Glaze (thicker + will harden version)
- 2.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
Instructions
Make the Donuts
- Using a baking hole punch, punch hole in the center of biscuit to form a donut shape. Keep the centers for making donut holes!
- Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil and place four donuts in it, leaving space to expand. Spray donuts with oil.
- Cook at 390 degrees for five minutes
Make the Glaze (thinner version)
- Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter and evaporated milk until completely combined.
- Place donuts on cooking resting rack over a baking sheet.
- Pour glaze over the donuts. Place a tray under the cooling rack to catch any glaze that drips off. Re-glaze donuts several times.
Make the Glaze (thicker/harder version)
- Mix powdered sugar, milk and corn syrup in a bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Place donuts on cooking resting rack over a baking sheet.
- Pour glaze over the donuts. Place a tray under the cooling rack to catch any glaze that drips off. Re-glaze donuts, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love finding quick, easy recipes like this. The first time I tried it, I didn’t have evaporated milk or powdered sugar so just improvised and dipped them in butter and then granulated sugar. Still great 😊.
My only problem this time was the glaze. I followed your directions and poured it over the donuts several times (actually probably more like half a dozen times since it wasn’t really working). Even over an hour later the glaze on the remaining donuts still hasn’t hardened. Do you have any tips on this? Thanks!
Lisa! Thanks for the quick question! I’m happy to help! The glaze is sticky and doesn’t harden like you think of a Dunkin Donut has a hard shell. The butter in the glaze prohibits it from hardening too much. If you want it to harden, leave out the butter and add a little bit of corn syrup in stead. Alternatively, another option for you is to make a basic glaze of 2 cups of powdered sugar, ¼ cup of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla to combine until smooth. Once the donuts are cool, you can dip or drizzle this on them and it will harden. I hope these ideas help for you. Let me know how else I can help! 🙂