Vegan Air Fryer Doughnuts

Vegan air fryer doughnuts - these incredible cinnamon sugar yeast doughnuts are light, soft and very moreish!

They are made in an air fryer so there's no need to mess around with hot oil, and the tangzhong method ensures that they are wonderfully light and fluffy.

While you can't beat a proper deep fried doughnut, they are a bit of a faff, especially if you don't own a deep fryer.

Luckily air fryer doughnuts are much easier (and safer!) to make. They don't have quite the same texture as a deep fried one, but they are still absolutely delicious!

I used the tangzhong method to make these, which ensures that the doughnuts are really light and fluffy, even without being fried.

It is very simple to do, you just need to combine some flour and milk in a pan and cook while whisking until it forms a thick paste. This is then added to the rest of your ingredients to make the bread dough.

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Air Fryer Doughnuts?

Flour: I use a mixture of plain (all-purpose) flour and bread flour for a soft yet chewy texture. You can use all of one or the other though.

Milk: Soy milk is always my favourite for baking as it has the highest protein content so most closely resembles dairy milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk will work however, but go for an unsweetened one if you can, and definitely soy milk if you have it.

Instant Yeast: I always prefer to use instant yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn’t need to be activated first.

Sugar: I use caster sugar in the dough as it dissolves easily; it can be swapped for granulated if that is all you have. You also need to roll the doughnuts in sugar once they are cooked. Caster sugar is best but granulated will do.

Vegan butter: While in most cases I only recommend using a block butter for baking, in this case a tub variety is fine as well (but not one of the low-fat ones!). I used Flora Original.

Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don’t omit it.

Cinnamon: For coating the doughnuts in once they are cooked.

How To Make Vegan Air Fryer Doughnuts:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

To make the tangzhong, place the flour in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk.

Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency.

Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the cold milk on top.

Add sugar, salt and flour and finally the yeast. Stir until it forms a rough dough then set the stand mixer to a medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and stretchy.

Add the softened vegan butter and knead for about another 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm spot to rise for 1-2 hours.

Knead the risen dough very briefly to knock out any air bubbles then roll out on a floured surface to about 2 cm thick.

Use an approx 7 cm/2.75 inch round pastry cutter to cut out as many circles of dough as you can, then use a 2.5 cm/1 in one to cut a hole out of the centre of each.

Spin each doughnut around your finger to widen the hole a little then place them well spaced apart on a lined baking sheet.

Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm or baking parchment and set aside to rise for about 30-45 minutes until puffy.

Lightly grease the frying basket/ plate of an air fryer with some oil. Carefully transfer the doughnuts into the basket (2-4 doughnuts at a time, depending on the size of your frying basket) and fry at 180C for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the basket and repeat with the remaining doughnuts.

Dunk the cooked doughnuts in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar, serve asap.

Can I Knead The Dough By Hand?:

This is a soft, sticky dough so it is easiest made in a stand mixer. You absolutely can knead it by hand if you don't have one, just be prepared to get a bit messy.

When kneading, you shouldn't flour the surface as you will end up incorporating too much flour and making the dough too dry. Instead, if the dough is sticking too much, you can lightly oil the worksurface and your hands to help, or just be prepared to get a bit sticky!

A bench scraper is incredibly handy when kneading dough by hand to unstick the dough from the surface.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Make sure that your yeast isn't out of date! Old yeast can lead to dough that doesn’t rise.

Do not skip the second rise, it is necessary for light, fluffy doughnuts.

If you aren't sure if the doughnuts are cooked through, the best way to check is with a probe thermometer. I cook mine until they reach at least 90°C in the middle. Alternatively, a skewer inserted into the middle should meet little resistance and come out clean.

While this recipe makes amazing ring doughnuts, it doesn't work great for filled doughnuts as they tend to turn out a bit hollow.

Instead of the cinnamon sugar you can make glazed doughnuts using the glaze from my vegan glazed doughnuts recipe.

Can I Fry Them?

Yes, fry them a couple at a time in a deep fat fryer or large pan of oil heated to 180C/350F for about a minute per side until deep golden.

Can I Make Them In Advance?

No, these vegan air fryer doughnuts really need to be eaten on the day they are made, the fresher the better.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container overnight; warm through in the microwave or air fryer to serve. They won't be as soft but will still be tasty.

Can I Make Them Gluten-Free?:

No, I’m afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you.

It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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