Air Fryer Star Donuts
Air Fryer Star Donuts are easy to make from canned biscuits and perfect for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, or any other celebration. You can have fun and delicious donuts in 25 minutes using your air fryer!
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Make these Air Fryer Star Doughnuts that include festive red and blue icing and red, white, and blue sprinkles. Made from canned biscuits, this is an easy and inexpensive way to celebrate the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or any celebration. Air fried donuts are also healthier than regular donuts so you can indulge without as much guilt.
If you are looking for more fun red, white, and blue treats, check out my Blueberry Puff Pastry Stars and my Rice Krispie Treat Stars!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed To Make Air Fryer Star Donuts
For these donuts, you only need a handful of ingredients including a can of refrigerated biscuits, confectioners powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and sprinkles. Below are some suggestions for equipment and ingredients you can find online. I use an attachment air fryer for my Instant Pot, but the air fryer below is another great option if you don’t have an air fryer yet!
How to Make Air Fryer Donuts
- Place the biscuits on a non-stick surface like a silicone mat, wax paper, or cutting board. Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, you may need to gently stretch out the biscuits to fit the star shape.
- Cut out a star on each of the biscuit rounds. You can make small donut holes with the excess biscuit so there is no waste 😀.
- Preheat your air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 350°F. Once preheated, spray the basket with non-stick spray. Place 4 stars (or however many fit in your air fryer) in the basket and spray the top of them with the non-stick spray as well.
- Cook for 3 minutes, flip, spray the other side, and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the donuts from the air fryer and allow them to cool. Repeat with the remaining stars.
- To make the icing, Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to each small mixing bowl. Whisk in 1 tbsp milk and ½ tsp vanilla in each bowl until smooth. Add a few drops of each food coloring in the separate bowls and combine until you get the desired colors. Once the donuts have cooled, dip the donuts into the icing and put sprinkles on top.
cut out the stars in the biscuit 
place in the basket and spray
with non-stick spray
flip, spray and cook on the other side
Which Air Fryer I Use
There are so many different types of air fryers out there now, and each one is slightly different. There are countertop air fryers, air fryer ovens, and air fryer attachments to name a few. I have the Mealthy CrispLid attachment for my Instant Pot and I love it! It fits right on top of my Instant Pot and has a glass lid so I can see what’s happening to my food while air frying. It is a little smaller than some other air fryers out there, but it’s the perfect size to make these donuts!
Air Fryer Tips for Donuts
- Dipping the top of the donuts in the icing at a 90º angle gets a nice coating all over the top. You may find that you want to dip the donut 2-3 times to get a thick layer of icing. Just make sure you put on the sprinkles right away so they dry in the icing.
- Preheating the air fryer can make a difference. Preheating will help with even cooking and less wait time in the beginning. If you don’t preheat, the first batch will cook differently than the next, etc.
- I put a piece of foil at the bottom of my pot under the basket to catch any oil or food that falls, it makes clean up so much easier!
- Non-stick spray is your friend! You always want to spray the basket and food before air frying (unless otherwise noted) so that nothing sticks to the basket and the outside of your food gets nice and crispy.
- Tongs are also very useful since the air fryer gets HOT! The Mealthy Crisp Lid came with a small pair of tongs which are perfect for pulling out your food. Always be careful and use a utensil because it’s hot in there!
- Remember to always read the instruction manual and follow what your manufacturer recommends.
Other Air Fryer Recipes to Check Out
- Frozen Spring Rolls cooked in the air fryer
- Air Fryer Jalapeño Popper Taquitos
- Pop-Tarts made from scratch and baked in the air fryer
- Air Fryer Chimichangas
- Air Fryer Bruschetta
Air Fryer Star Donuts
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- non-stick spray
- whisk
- 2 small bowls
Ingredients
- 1 can large flaky biscuits
- 1 cup confectioners powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- red food coloring
- blue food coloring
- red, white and, blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Open the can of biscuits and place them on a non-stick surface like a silicone mat, wax paper, or cutting board. Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, you may need to gently stretch out the biscuits to fi the star shape.
- Cut out a star on each of the biscuit rounds. You can make small donut holes with the excess biscuit so there is no waste.
- Preheat your air fryer for a few minutes at 350°F. Once preheated, spray the basket with non-stick spray. Place 4 stars (or however many fit in your basket) in the basket and spray the top of them with the non-stick spray as well. Cook for 3 minutes, flip, spray the other side, and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the donuts from the air fryer and allow them to cool. Repeat with the remaining stars.
- Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to each small mixing bowl. Whisk in 1 tbsp milk and ½ tsp vanilla in each bowl until smooth. Add a few drops of each food coloring in the separate bowls and combine until you get the desired colors. Once the donuts have cooled, dip the donuts into the icing and put sprinkles on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Always read the instruction manual that came with your Air Fryer and follow all safety guidelines.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make These Air Fryer Star Donuts?
If you make these star-shaped donuts, I would love it if you would leave a comment below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you snap a photo.
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I can’t believe I have never tried making donuts in my air fryer! What an awesome idea. It makes for a fun activity for my toddler too! Thanks for sharing.
You guys will have so much fun with these donuts!!
These look great and so easy to make. I know several children who would love to try this recipe. I would love to eat these.
Everyone in my house loves them, kids and adults!
These donuts are so cute! I love that you can make donuts in different shapes in an air fryer. I admit I don’t yet have one, but I’ve been meaning to get one and this recipe has put me that one step closer. I’ll be making these donuts as soon as I get the fryer. Thank you! I love how festive these are!
I hope you get an air fryer soon!! They are so convenient and versatile. You won’t be disappointed and then you can make donuts whenever you want!
The fact that these are from a can of flaky biscuits and looks so stinking cute is just mind blowing and then made in the air fryer you would be a fool not to make these.
It really is crazy when you put it that way, ha!
I love that these are made with a patriotic theme! I so want to make them, I think I’ll tell my family they use an exotic ingredient that’s only available around the 4th of July. LOL
LOL, you are too funny! It’s hard to resist but holidays make the perfect excuse to indulge 😁.
What a great idea! My boys would love these!
They are kiddo-approved! Enjoy!
These air fryer star donuts are so cute! I have to make those right away! Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe!
Thanks, Nora, enjoy!!