Just three ingredients are needed for these delicious Air Fryer Cinnamon Roll Donuts! They're so good, you'll make them over and over again!
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When I was little, I remember my mom making super easy cinnamon donuts from a tube of biscuit dough. They were such a yummy breakfast treat, but I recall my mom disliked working with the hot oil. (I can concur - I really don't enjoy frying anything!)
So one day when I saw a refrigerated tube of cinnamon rolls, I wondered if they'd be any good in the air fryer! Well after the first time I made these, I knew that "good" would be quite the understatement!! And since we're not deep frying these babies, they're a healthier alternative to classic donut and will still satisfy that sweet tooth!
Why I love this donut recipe
- No donut molds needed
- Simple ingredients that are easy to find
- No worrying about hot oil and the perfect oil temperature
- Don't have to work with active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
- Cooking time is super short
- Very few dirty dishes
- The vanilla glaze is included in the tube of rolls
Ingredients
- Cinnamon Rolls - Starting with refrigerated cinnamon roll dough gives great cinnamon flavor and keeps it super simple! I use a tube of 8 small cinnamon rolls.
- White Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
How to Make Easy Cinnamon Roll Donuts
Open a tube of refrigerated cinnamon rolls and lay them out on a cutting board. Set the icing aside as we'll use that later.
Use a small circle cookie cutter (or even a shot glass) to cut a donut hole out of the center of the roll.
Place a few of the donuts (and donut holes) into the air fryer. I recommend keeping about 1 inch between donuts so they have room to grow.
Air fry at 350F for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Please note that there are big variations between air fryers, so pay close attention to the first batch and see how long it takes.
Once the donuts are cooked, give them a little spritz of vegetable oil cooking spray (or brush with melted butter) and then dunk them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar; place on a wire rack.
Drizzle the frosting over the top of each donut and enjoy! I find that the best way to do this is using a ziploc baggies and cutting the tip off a corner for a makeshift piping bag.
I recommend serving these Cinnamon Roll Donuts right away so they're warm out of the air fryer! Grab a hot cup of coffee and a donut and your day will be off to a great start!
You can also bake these in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them on a greased sheet pan for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Proceed as the recipe instructs. You can also opt to place these in a greased donut pan and bake if you want a more even shape.
These are truly best warm right out of the air fryer. However, if you do have leftovers, first let them cool to room temperature. Then, place them in an airtight container or a ziploc bag.
Though I could make a full meal out of these donuts, I probably should balance them out a bit, ha! They're a great addition to my hearty Sheet Pan Breakfast Bowls and also go well with a frozen fruit cup or Blueberry Avocado Smoothie!
Variations of these Delicious Donuts
Pumpkin Spice Donuts - Use pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and use a cream cheese icing on top
Iced Donuts - Skip the cinnamon sugar coating and instead dunk these in a powdered sugar icing for glazed donut cinnamon buns
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Other Donut Recipes To Try
Strawberry Filled Biscuit Donuts
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Air Fryer Cinnamon Roll Donuts
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 12.4 ounce tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
- Open the tube of cinnamon rolls and place them on a cutting board; set aside the icing packet.
- Use a small round cookie cutter (or shot glass) to cut out the center of the donut.
- Place a few donuts and donut holes into the air fryer leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you'll need to do this in couple batches.
- Cook them in the air fryer at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or until they're golden brown.
- Give them a quick spritz of cooking spray and then immediately dunk them into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place the donut on a wire cooling rack and repeat with remaining donuts.
- Scoop the icing into a small resealable bag and cut off the tip of one of the corners (this will be your makeshift piping bag).
- Squeeze the icing on top of the donuts and enjoy warm!
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