Using no oil, these Glazed Pumpkin Air Fryer Donut Holes are crispy on the outside with a soft texture on the inside. These donuts are made without yeast, and have lovely warming flavors that are perfect for the fall and winter months.
This is a sponsored post brought to you by GoWISE USA. All opinions are my own, based on my experience with the product. Thank you for supporting my sponsors, who help make Cooking On The Weekends possible.
I mostly use the air fryer for my family’s favorite air fried chicken and for bacon on the weekends, and now I'm using it for desserts too.
While you can essentially cook anything in the GoWISE Air Fryer Oven, I wanted to share a recipe that’s typically made by deep frying in a lot of oil. Donuts, for example.
Using the air fryer, my donut recipe is made with NO oil at all, and it's still super delicious. The donuts are slightly crispy on the outside with a soft interior.
This recipe packs a ton of seasonal warm flavors into one small bite. And they're a no-yeast donut, making the prep time super quick.
I love them with my morning coffee! Who wouldn't? 😉
A Couple Ingredient Notes
- pumpkin - I almost always use canned pumpkin purée for baking, though you can certainly use fresh pumpkin purée. Canned will of course save time, and it's made from supremely ripe, in-season pumpkin, so it's a great choice.
- the spices - Pumpkin donut holes are made with ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. However, you can switch out all three for pumpkin pie spice, if you'd like.
How to Make Air Fryer Donut Holes
- Cover the air fryer trays with parchment paper. Then add flour, granulated and brown sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to evenly blend everything together.
- Add cold pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and use your hands to mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and slightly bubbly, about 1 minute. Then combine the dry flour mixture with the wet ingredients.
Recipe Tip: Only mix until it’s combined, as over mixing could result in a tough texture.
- Use a large spoon or small cookie scoop to gather about 2 tablespoons of dough, roll it into a ball between your hands, and place it on one of the parchment-lined trays. Continue this until all of the dough is formed. You should have about 20 donuts, 10 on each tray, with at least an inch or so between them.
- Place the trays/racks into the air fryer, sliding them into two of the three rack levels, so the donuts on the bottom have a couple of inches between them and the tray above them. (Sometimes the bottom rack will need an additional 2 minutes.)
Recipe Tip: Be sure that the parchment paper doesn’t have room to be blown around — air is circulating at a high speed in the air fryer. Be sure to have a donut in each corner. (I suggest this for cookies too.)
- Set the air fryer to “Bake” at 350°F, for 10 minutes. Press the "on/off" button to start. The donuts should have a nice golden color on their surface when they're done.
- Remove the trays from the air fryer and place the donuts on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Use a pot holder! Just because this is a tiny oven, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get hot.
- To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, spices and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper, and place a wire rack on top. Once the donuts have cooled to room temperature, dip them, one by one, into the glaze, flipping them over so the entire donut is covered. Let them drip a bit into the bowl and then place them on the rack. They are ready once the glaze has hardened, about 20 minutes.
Recipe Tip: If you'd like the donut shape to be more round, place each ball of dough into a mini, paper muffin/truffle cup before placing them on the trays.
What is an air fryer and how does it work?
- Air fryers are like ovens, though with a much smaller area where food is held. They have a fan that circulates air at a very high speed — higher even than in a convection oven.
- Foods cook more quickly and efficiently in an air fryer because of the combination of the rapid air, and targeted heat.
- There is no preheating required!
The GoWISE Air Fryer Oven — the newest evolution of Rapid-Air Technology. You can not only "fry" in it, you can also bake, roast, dehydrate, and rotisserie — all in a fraction of the time it would take in a regular oven.
The GoWISE USA Air Fryer Oven
The air fryer is all about a faster, healthier way to cook.
- This air fryer oven has enough space to prepare family-sized meals, and is one of the largest on the market. That said, it’s still compact enough to fit easily on a countertop.
- With 9 accessories, you can make everything from a rotisserie chicken and kebabs, to cookies and cakes, to French fries and dehydrated fruit.
- With 15 presets, the GoWISE Air Fryer Oven is incredibly easy to use.
- With a non-stick drip pan that’s inserted into the bottom of the oven, cleanup is super easy, whether it’s crumbs or grease.
- And after you make these delicious donut holes, you can check out fryer’s included cookbook of 50 recipes for more deliciousness.
Other Sweet Pumpkin Recipes
I hope you love the donuts!
Pumpkin Air Fryer Donut Holes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
- ½ cup low-fat milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup pumpkin purée
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup low-fat milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Cover the two mesh trays for the GoWISe Air Fryer Oven with parchment paper.
- Make batter. Add the flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to evenly blend everything together. Add the cold pieces of butter and use your hands to mix it into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and slightly bubbly, about 1 minute. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it and mix everything together with a large spoon. Only mix until it’s combined. (Over mixing could result in a tough texture.)
- Shape batter. Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to gather about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll it into a ball between your hands, and place it on one of the parchment-lined mesh trays. Continue this until all of the dough is formed. You should have about 20 donuts, 10 on each tray, with at least an inch or so between them.
- Air fry. Place the two trays into the GoWISe Air Fryer Oven, sliding them into two of the three rack levels, so the donuts on the bottom have a couple of inches between them and the tray above them. Set the air fryer to “Bake” at 350°F, for 10 minutes. Press the "on/off" button to start. The donuts should have a nice golden color on their surface when they're done.
- Remove the trays from the air fryer and place the donuts on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes.
For the glaze
- The best time to make the glaze is while the donuts are in the air fryer. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, spices and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
To glaze the donuts
- Cover a sheet pan with parchment and place a cooling rack on top. Once the donuts have cooled to room temperature, dip them, one by one, into the glaze, flipping them over so the entire donut is covered. Let them drip a bit into the bowl and then place them on the cooling rack. Any excess glaze will drip onto the parchment below. They are ready once the glaze has hardened, about 20 minutes.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Christina Conte
So interesting! I've never tried an air fryer, but how cool is it to make doughnuts without any frying!? These look so good, Valentina! The GOWISE Airfryer looks like a good one! Thanks for the info and the recipe! 🙂
valentina
Thanks so much, Christina. Yes, so cool to skip the oil! And I couldn't stop eating them. 🙂
Dana
These came out lovely! I've never used an air fryer but it looks so simple and the doughnuts look moist.
valentina
SO simple. I was surprised at how easy it was. 🙂 Thanks!
Lisa Bynum
Oh my gosh, I think I could pop every single one of these in my mouth right now!
valentina
It is hard to have just one. Or two. Or three! 😉
Sara
What a great addition to any kitchen. I want this air fryer for Christmas! And I could go for a few of these donuts too!
valentina
Thanks so much Sara. I'll tell Santa. 😉
kelly anthony
These pumpkin spice glazed doughnuts look like a perfect way to start a fall morning. Love the idea of the air fryer making it a healthier option.
valentina
Yes, a healthier option indeed. Though not quite a "health food" 😉 Ha!
Taylor Kiser
Love that these pumpkin spiced glazed donut holes are made in the air fryer!! What a delicious morning breakfast treat!
valentina
Yes! With coffee. 🙂
David @ Spiced
I've been intrigued with air fryers for at least a year now. I've almost bought one on several occasions, but I haven't jumped in yet. But I think this recipe changes things! I love donut holes, and I love pumpkin spice. The fact that you can air fry donut holes is awesome...and really dangerous b/c I might eat the entire batch. Haha! Excellent post, Valentina!
valentina
That was the case with me -- I ate WAY too many! 😉 Thanks for checking it out. The air fryer is fun!
Deb|EastofEdenCooking
I've been thinking about getting an air-fryer too. Those fabulous pumpkin spice donuts are pushing me in the right direction!
valentina
They are pretty cool machines! I'm loving it. 🙂
sippitysup
I wonder if these would work in a convection oven... GREG
valentina
I think it would work! Though cooking time would likely be a bit longer. 🙂
David
The air fryer is pretty cool. I think I need a bigger kitchen!
Love the spicing of your doughnuts - I can alsmot smell them from here! xo
valentina
I wish you could smell them! I need a bigger kitchen too -- and not just for the air fryer! 😉
Ron
Pumpkin Spice Glazed Donut Holes for some reason make me think of Starbucks. Yum.
Air fryers are just becoming popular here and I've been wandering about their value in the kitchen, so your informative post hit me just at the right time. Unfortunately, after a Google search we don't seem to have the GoWise over here. But, might try it with a different maker.
valentina
Thanks, Ron. I'm all about traditional cooking equipment, but I do find it fun to try appliances like this. It's pretty cool!
Kendra
These look amazing! I love that they are air-fried, so much healthier than deep frying donut holes! Pumpkin is one of my favorite fall flavors, I'm going to have to try these! Thank you for the recipe!
valentina
I hope you do Kenddra.I could not stop eating them! Thanks. 🙂
Jen
Hi! is there a substitute for golden brown sugar? can i use the same amount of light brown sugar or something else? Thanks!
valentina
Yes, absolutely. Golden is actually light brown sugar. I hope you love these and thanks for writing in. 🙂 ~Valentina