Air Fryer Pumpkin Donuts

Air Fryer Pumpkin Donuts

Mix things up this Thanksgiving and trying these tasty and fun pumpkin donuts in the air fryer. You will love how quick and easy this recipe is to make. Top the donuts with a fabulous brown sugar icing and it will be a thanksgiving treat that everyone will enjoy!

What You Need to Make Pumpkin Donuts in the Air Fryer

The ingredients for this recipe are pretty simple, besides the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice mix, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand!

• 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted coconut oil)
• 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (227g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to Make Pumpkin Donut Recipe

First, combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the the wet ingredients. Make sure everything is well mixed, then combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Baking Donuts in the Air Fryer Tips and Tricks

The best way to cook donuts in the air fryer is to use a donut cavity. Then, make sure there is a hole in the middle of the donut tray, this will allow air to flow and fully cook the donuts.

I also love to pour the batter in a Ziploc bag. I cut a whole in the corner and use the bag as a homemade piping bag to evenly pour the batter in the donut cavities.

Cooking Donuts in the Air Fryer

Preheat the air fryer at 400˚F/200˚C for 2-3 minutes. Place donut mold in air fryer and bake at 330˚F/165˚C for 6 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to measure the doneness of the donuts. Once the  internal temperature of donuts reads above 160˚F/71˚C, remove from air fryer and let cool for 2 minutes in mold, then carefully remove donuts from the mold.

Homemade Brown Sugar Icing

Top the donuts with a delicious and tasty, homemade brown sugar icing. To make this icing, you need:

• 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
• 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (175g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt, to taste

First, combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer. Then, allow to simmer for a minute. Remove the mixture from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined.

Take a gentle taste of the icing, and add a pinch of salt if desired. This will really bring out the flavors. Let the icing cool for 5 minutes to slightly thicken.

Next, dip the tops of the donuts in the warm icing. Place the donuts on a wire rack on a baking sheet. After about an hour, the icing will be set.

Final Thoughts

We love using the air fryer to make donuts. These pumpkin donuts are another fun air fryer donut that you have to try! This holiday season, enjoy these tasty treats with other Thanksgiving desserts like hand pies, mini cheesecakes, pumpkin pie cake bars, or apple cobbler.

More air fryer holiday dishes that you’ll love:

• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts Apple Pecan Salad
• How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole in the Air Fryer
• Quick & Easy Air Fryer Turkey Breast
• Air Fryer Rosemary Ranch Chicken

Wondering How to Use an Air Fryer? I got you!

• 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 Pumpkin Donuts

Pumpkin donuts are a fun new treat that are so easy to whip up in the air fryer!

4.50 / 5 ( 2 Reviews )

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes minutes

Total Time: 31 minutes minutes

Serves: 8

Adjust Servings: 8

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil or melted coconut oil
• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup pumpkin puree fresh or canned
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Icing

• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar sifted
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
• Spoon the batter into the donut cavities or for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
• Preheat air fryer at 400˚F/200˚C for 2-3 minutes. Place donut mold in air fryer and bake at 330˚F/165˚C for 6 minutes, or until internal temperature of donuts reads above 160˚F/71˚C. Remove from air fryer and let cool for 2 minutes in mold, then carefully remove donuts from the mold.

Brown Sugar Icing

• Combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 1 minute then remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth and combined. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if desired– I always add a tiny pinch.
• Let the icing cool for 5 minutes to slightly thicken. Dip the tops of the pumpkin donuts into the warm icing. If icing is getting too thick as you’re dipping, add a little more milk or warm back up in the microwave or on the stove to thin out.
• Place dipped donuts on a wire rack placed on a baking sheet so any excess icing can drip off. Top with chopped nuts or other toppings if desired. If applied lightly, the icing will eventually set in about 1 hour so you can stack or transport the donuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 375mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 64g