Easy Air Fryer Lemon Donuts

Lemon Baked Donuts in the Air Fryer

Today I am excited to share this easy 4 ingredient baked lemon donut recipe for the air fryer. It is a tasty treat that is so simple to make. You can enjoy these fresh donuts for breakfast, an after school snack, or as a light dessert.

Keep reading to learn how to make these incredible air fryer baked donuts!

Easy 4 Ingredient Lemon Donuts Recipe

This baked donut recipe is light and airy. The ingredients you need for this recipe are:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 medium lemon)
• 3 large eggs
• 1, 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4 cups (156g) self-rising flour

This recipe makes about a dozen or so donuts, so adapt the recipe as needed for your needs.

Ingredient Substitutions

If you don’t have the ingredients on-hand, here are some helpful recipe substitutions you can try.

Real Lemon Juice Substitute

If you don’t have a lemon for the juice and zest, you can make this recipe with using lemon juice from a bottle then replacing the lemon zest by adding a little extra lemon juice.

TheSpruceEats.com recommends replacing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for every teaspoon of lemon zest that you need to try and match the flavor. However, since we are baking I worry that it will be too liquidly and that it will change the consistency of the donuts. Additionally, the large amount lemon juice will react poorly with the baking powder from the self-rising flour.

With that being said, it might be best just to add a little extra of the lemon juice. However, you won’t have the same bright flavor as if using lemon zest. And so, I recommend making the trip to the store to make this recipe.

Side note: When I first made this recipe I knocked over my bowl of fresh lemon juice! I was so sad! I used lemon juice from a bottle and it was just as good and then zested my lemon to complete the recipe.

Homemade Self Rising Flour Recipe

If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can make a homemade version with these ingredients. This recipe ingredients will make 1 1/4 cups of self-rising flour

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 7/8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Do I Need a Donut Pan to Make Donuts?

To make this air fryer donut recipe, you will want a donut mold as the dough is more cakey than bread-like. You can make this delicious Krispy Kreme donut copycat recipe without a donut mold. Or, you can turn this recipe into lemon cupcakes and use silicone muffin liners instead.

You’ll find the recipe instructions for lemon muffins or cupcakes further down in this article.

How to Make Lemon Donuts in the Air Fryer?

I love this recipe because it is so easy to assemble the ingredients and cook the donuts in the air fryer.

Before you begin cooking this recipe make sure that you have a 4 cavity donut mold or one that will fit in your air fryer (if you don’t already have one, I got a 6 cavity mold from Amazon. Then, I cut the mold into strips of two to fit into the air fryer), an air fryer, a small bowl, a mixing spoon, and oil spray.

I love to use a reusable oil sprayer with avocado oil.

Step 1: Preheat the Air Fryer

Preheat the air fryer for 3-4 minutes at 330 degrees Fahrenheit or 165 degrees Celsius.

Step 2: Make the batter

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, sweetened condensed milk together. Keep whisking until the eggs are fully incorporated into the batter. Then, add the self-rising flour and keep mixing until the flour is completely incorporated into the batter.

Pro Tip: If you find any pockets of flour, the best way to break them up is to rapidly run your whisk in a back and forth motion rather than just stirring in a circular pattern.

Step 3: Pour the batter

Spray the donut mold with a little bit of oil so that you can easily remove them from the mold. Then, pour the batter into the silicone donut molds. I like to fill the mold anywhere from half full to 3/4 full. Place the mold in the air fryer basket.

Step 4: Bake in the Air Fryer

Bake the donuts in the air fryer at 330 degrees Fahrenheit or 165 degrees Celsius for 7-9 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 200 degrees Fahrenheit or 93 degrees Celsius.

Step 5: Cool & Top

After the donuts are done cooking, carefully remove the mold from the air fryer basket (it will be hot). Let the donuts cool in the mold. Once it is cooled enough that you can touch the mold without it being hot, remove the donuts from their molds and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Once the donuts are completely cooled, dip the donuts in a glaze.

Easy Donut Lemon Glaze Recipe

These donuts taste amazing all by itself. But, if you’d like to top it off with a tasty glaze, here are the recipe ingredients.

To make lemon donut glaze, you will need:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp milk or so

To make the lemon juice glaze:

1. Beat together the lemon juice with the powdered sugar
2. Add and beat in the milk until the glaze reaches desired consistency. (I did about 2 teaspoons of milk. Feel free to add more or less until the donuts are how you like it).

Note: If you want or need more glaze, it is a 1 cup powdered sugar to 1 tbsp lemon juice ratio. Then add however much milk you need until the glaze is as thick as you need it.

Air Fryer Lemon Muffins

If you don’t have a donut mold, you can easily make this recipe into muffins instead! Make the batter as previously explained. Then lightly spray 8 to 9 silicone muffin liners with oil (this depends on how many you can fit in the air fryer). Pour the batter into the muffin liners and place the liners in the air fryer basket.

When are muffins done cooking?

Cook the muffins in the air fryer for 330 degrees Fahrenheit or 165 degrees Celsius for 7-11 minutes. Muffins are done when they reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit or 93 degrees Celsius.

The cooking time for this recipe is generally the same as with the donuts. Use an instant read thermometer to gauge when the muffins (or donuts) are done cooking. Or, you can stick a tooth pick into the donuts and once it comes out clean it is done.

Let the Muffins Cool

Before enjoying these tasty muffins, carefully remove the liners from the air fryer basket (it will be hot). Let the muffins cool in the mold. Once it is cooled enough that you can touch the liner without it burning your hand, remove the muffins from their molds and let cool completely.

Once the muffins are completely cooled, dip them in the glaze.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few common questions I get when making baked goods in the air fryer. Hopefully these answers will help you too!

What if my air fryer doesn’t have a bake setting?

Your air fryer does not need to have a bake setting to make this recipe.

I often get questions about when to use the different settings on the air fryer like bake, air fry, or roast. Not every air fryer has these settings. But, here is what I have noticed about these settings.

These settings are like presets- they are just a quick button that will give you a recommended time and temperature. I haven’t noticed a difference in how it actually cooks the food. If you have noticed something different with your air fryer, share with us in the comments below!

Do I Need a Donut Mold to Make Donuts?

To make this air fryer donut recipe, you will want a donut mold as the dough is more cakey than bread-like. You can make this delicious Krispy Kreme donut copycat recipe without a donut mold. Or, you can turn this recipe into lemon cupcakes and use silicone muffin liners instead.

How do I know when donuts are done baking?

Cake is done cooking once it reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit or 93 degrees Celsius. Because these lemon donuts are cake donuts, they will also be done at the same internal temperature.

Download the complete and FREE guide for the internal temperature of baked goods. 

Will homemade donuts be good the next day?

Cake donuts like these lemon donuts are good for 5-6 days if stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Final Thoughts

I love this recipe because of the light and fresh lemon flavor. Enjoy these tasty homemade donuts for breakfast, snack, or dessert anytime of the year. I think you’ll especially love it during the summer time.

Share with us in the comments below how this recipe went for you!

More air fryer donut recipes

• Air Fryer Donuts + Donut Holes with a Sweet Glaze
• Air Fryer Donuts with Jelly or Cream Filling
• Quick and Easy Air Fryer Cake Donuts Recipe
• Air Fryer Pancake Donuts Recipe

Air Fryer Tips and Tricks

• Air Fryer 101
• Learn these common Air Fryer Mistakes!
• All about the Best and Worst Air Fryer Accessories
• How to Clean Your Air Fryer
• How to Cook Any Recipe in the Air Fryer

Air Fryer Lemon Baked Donuts

Air fryer lemon baked donuts are a simple and easy 4 ingredient recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to bake! This is the perfect recipe for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

4.43 / 5 ( 7 Reviews )

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Serves: 12

Adjust Servings: 12

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• ¼ cup lemon juice and 2 tsp lemon zest (1 medium lemon)
• 3 large eggs
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 ¼ cup self rising flour see recipe notes for substitution

Lemon Glaze (optional)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 medium lemon or bottled
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• milk as needed

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer for 3-4 minutes at 330 °F.
• In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, and sweetened condensed milk together. Keep whisking until the eggs are fully incorporated into the batter. Then, add the self-rising flour and keep mixing until the flour is completely incorporated into the batter.
• Spray the mold with a little bit of oil so that you can easily remove the donuts from the mold. Pour batter into silicone donut molds.
• Bake in the air fryer at 330 °F for 7-9 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 200 °F. Let them cool in the mold, then when it is cooled enough that you can touch the mold without it being hot, remove donuts from the mold and let cool completely.
• Once cooled, drizzle or dip glaze on top of donuts.

Lemon Glaze Instructions

• Beat together 1 tbsp lemon juice with 1 cup of powdered sugar. Add any milk until the glaze reaches desired consistency (I added about 2 tsp milk).
• If you want more glaze it is a 1 cup powdered sugar to 1 tbsp lemon juice ratio.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have a donut mold, you can use silicone muffin liners instead. Cooking time is generally the same, you may need to add an extra minute or so. Let the muffins cool completely before adding glaze. 

If you don't have self-rising flour, you can make a homemade version with these ingredients. This recipe ingredients will make 1 1/4 cups of self-rising flour

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 7/8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g