How long to cook donut holes in an air fryer

At-a-glance cooking parameters

Temperature

350 °F

177 °C

Total time

6 min

per single layer

Shake at

3 min

shake once

Internal temp

—

use visual cue

Donut holes air-fry in about 6 minutes at 350 °F (177 °C), shaken once at the halfway mark, until they're puffed, golden, and cooked through. The fastest route is canned biscuit dough — quarter the biscuits, roll into balls, air-fry, then roll the warm holes in cinnamon-sugar — but homemade yeast or cake dough works the same way once shaped. Because they're bite-sized they cook quickly, so the main things to watch are crowding (give them room to puff and brown) and timing (start checking at 5 minutes). Always cook the dough fully before adding sugar or glaze: brush with butter and roll out of the basket so the coating doesn't scorch over a raw centre. Unlike Donuts (full rings, larger and slower), Beignets (square French-Quarter fried dough under powdered sugar), or Monkey Bread (many dough balls baked together in caramel as one pull-apart loaf), donut holes are individual bite-sized rounds. 4 ways to finish them: cinnamon-sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla glaze, and pumpkin-spice.

Per serving

Approximate values for a single portion of donut holes (USDA baseline, cooked, includes light air-fryer oil spray).

Calories

220 kcal

Protein

3 g

Fat

10 g

Carbs

30 g

Donut Holes in popular air fryer brands

Adjusted for how each brand actually heats. Tap a brand name to see every food we calibrate for it.

How to tell it’s done

Done when the holes are puffed and golden brown all over and cooked through — a toothpick comes out clean and the dough springs back when pressed. Shake the basket at the halfway mark so they brown and rise evenly instead of flattening on one side. They cook fast and small, so check them at 5 minutes — the difference between golden and overbaked is a minute or two.

Step-by-step method

1. 1

   Prep

   Bring ingredients close to room temperature. Yes — a light spray on the dough so the outsides turn golden and bakery-like instead of dry and pale. The cinnamon-sugar or glaze goes on after cooking.

2. 2

   Season

   Season with Cinnamon-sugar (the classic): brush the warm holes with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon-sugar out of the basket., Powdered sugar: dust generously once cool, or shake them in a bag of powdered sugar., Vanilla glaze: dip the tops in a simple powdered-sugar-and-milk glaze and let it set., Pumpkin-spice: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove in the sugar for fall..

3. 3

   Load

   Arrange 1 can of biscuit dough (8 biscuits) makes about 16–32 holes; cook in single-layer batches for best convection airflow.

4. 4

   Cook

   Set the air fryer to 350 °F (177 °C) and cook for 6 minutes total, shaking once at 3 minutes.

5. 5

   Check & rest

   Check the visual doneness cue and serve immediately for best texture.

6. 6

   Store

   Best the day they're made. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days; re-crisp at 325 °F (163 °C) for 1–2 minutes. Glazed holes go soft — store those in a single layer.

Watch out for

• !Don't crowd the basket — holes need space to puff and brown; pack them in and they fuse and stay doughy where they touch.
• !Cook the dough through BEFORE sugaring — butter-and-roll (or glaze) out of the basket, never before, or the coating burns and the centre stays raw.
• !They're small and cook fast — start checking at 5 minutes so they don't dry out.
• !Canned biscuit dough is the easy route: quarter each biscuit and roll into balls (or cut centers from ring donuts). Homemade yeast dough needs to proof first.
• !If using a yeast-raised dough, give the shaped balls a short second rise before cooking so they're light, not dense.

FAQ about donut holes in an air fryer

What temperature should I cook donut holes at in an air fryer?

Cook donut holes at 350 °F (177 °C). The convection air at this temperature cooks the food gently — higher temperatures dry it out or scorch the surface.

How long do donut holes take in an air fryer?

Donut holes take 6 minutes total at 350 °F (177 °C). Shake the basket once at 3 minutes so both sides cook evenly.

Do you need to shake donut holes in an air fryer?

Yes — shake the basket once at 3 minutes. Loose pieces (donut holes) settle into the basket and the bottom layer stays pale unless you redistribute them halfway through.

Do you need to preheat the air fryer for donut holes?

Preheating is optional for donut holes — most modern air fryers reach temperature in under 2 minutes and the food's total cook time already accounts for the ramp-up. If you do preheat, reduce the total time by 1–2 minutes and check earlier than usual.