These Air Fryer Chocolate Donuts are amazingly soft and fluffy and packed full of rich chocolate flavor! Made from scratch and just as good as deep-fried!
For another yummy donut recipe be sure to try my Brioche Donuts with Vanilla Cream or Reese’s Stuffed Puff Pastry Donuts!
These Air Fryer Chocolate Doughnuts will surely be well-loved by your family after just one batch! The kids will have a blast with helping from start to finish beginning with cutting out the donuts and ending with choosing their favorite toppings!
We love to cover our donuts in fun sprinkles, chopped nuts, Oreo crumbs, or even crushed candies! By the time we glaze and sprinkle on the toppings, it’s really like eating a chocolate cake donut!
5 Reasons Why I Love This Recipe!
- Air Fryer! Cooking these donuts in the air fryer gives them a perfectly fluffy inside while also lightly crisping up the outside! Personally, I think they’re way better than baked donuts and healthier than fried ones!
- Homemade! Donuts made from scratch are always worth the time since they always come out delicious!
- Chocolatey! This recipe lets you control how chocolatey you prefer your donut by which toppings you choose!
- Variations! Mix up the way you enjoy these donuts by just switching up the toppings! You can also scroll down to the bottom to see some other variations worth trying!
- Yeast! The yeast in these homemade donuts really gives them the light, airy perfection that you’ll love!
Ingredient Notes
For this Chocolate Donut recipe you will need:
- Whole Milk – The milk in this recipe is warmed to 100-110 degrees F to activate the yeast. Be sure to keep the milk temperature under 115 degrees F or it may kill the yeast and not allow the dough to rise.
- Granulated Sugar – Carbon dioxide is formed when the granulated sugar combines with the yeast. This is what causes the dough to rise!
- Active Dry Yeast – Used as the leavening agent to produce a risen, airy doughnut!
- Salted Butter – A necessary fat that helps the doughnuts to expand when they’re cooked in the hot oil.
- Egg – Ensures a light and puffy doughnut!
- Pure Vanilla Extract – This will enhance the chocolatey flavor of these air fryer doughnuts!
- All-Purpose Flour – Helps the yeast maintain the form with its higher gluten level.
- Cocoa Powder – This gives these doughnuts their chocolate flavor!
While the donuts are cooling it’s time to whip up the chocolate glaze using powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and heavy cream. All that’s left is the toppings you may want to cover your donuts with!
This is a small batch donut recipe, only making 6 donuts. If you’d like to make more, simply double the recipe EXCEPT for the yeast. The amount of yeast in this recipe is good for up to 4 cups of flour and a double batch of this dough would only have 3 cups.
If you’re looking for a quicker donut recipe that you can still air fry try my Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts that are just 4-ingredients!
How To Make Air Fryer Chocolate Donuts
Doughnuts
- Prepare the yeast by adding the milk, sugar, and yeast to a bowl. Then allow it to sit until it becomes foamy.
- Add the melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the yeast mixture and whisk together. Or use a Danish Dough Hook, as pictured.
- Mix in the flour and cocoa powder using a rubber spatula. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and gently knead it until it becomes soft and tacky.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Then set it in a warm place to rise until it has almost doubled in size.
- Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a biscuit cutter to cut out the donuts. Place them on a baking sheet in a warm place to rise again.
- Cook the donuts in the ungreased air fryer basket until they are soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Make donuts holes with the centers and cook for just 3 to 4 minutes in the air fryer! Toss them in granulated sugar fora delicious finish!
Chocolate Icing
- Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. Then slowly add in the heavy cream and whisk to desired consistency.
- Dip the top of the cooled donuts into the icing and then cover them in your choice of toppings!
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Proofing Tips!
Proofing is an important step that allows the yeast to release the carbon dioxide, this causes the dough to stretch and hold in air bubbles! As a result, this gives you perfectly risen, airy donuts! Here are a few easy ways to proof your dough!
- Place the lightly oiled bowl with the dough in a warm spot and cover it with a damp dishcloth.
- Cover a heating pad set to low with a towel and then place the dough bowl on top of it.
- Set your crockpot filled halfway with water to low heat and turn the lid upside down. Then put a dishtowel on top of the lid and place the bowl on it.
- Use your oven by heating it up for 5 minutes, shutting it off, and then putting the bowl of dough in.
- Fill a baking dish with boiling water and then put it on the oven rack below the bowl of dough.
- If your oven has a “proof” setting you can simply just use that!
This recipe works great with a slow proof! After transferring the dough to a bowl, simply place the bowl in the fridge overnight and then finish the process in the morning.
What Other Toppings Can I use For These Donuts Instead Of Icing?
- You can sprinkle powdered sugar over them!
- Dip the donuts in melted butter and then coat them in cinnamon-sugar!
- For a richer donut skip the icing and cover them in Chocolate Ganache!
Why Do My Doughnuts Have A Strong Yeast Flavor?
This happens when the dough rises too much too fast. If you have a really warm area, check the dough after 30 minutes. Or try the slow-proof method mentioned above or in the recipe card notes.
How Can I Make These Donuts Sweeter?
To make the donuts themselves sweeter add in 3/4 cup of granulated sugar instead of 1/2 cup.
How Do I Store Any Leftover Air Fryer Donuts?
You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Make up a batch of these Air Fryer Chocolate Donuts Sunday night to start your Monday off right! Check out more of my Breakfast recipes that are also perfect for a make-ahead breakfast to make mornings easier!
- Easy Cinnamon Rolls (No Yeast!) – Made without yeast which means they’re ready in just under an hour!
- Blueberry Buttermilk Donut Muffins – These old fashioned muffins are filled with fresh blueberries and a touch of nutmeg!
- Strawberry Scones – A tasty, light breakfast treat that’s laced with fresh juicy strawberries!
- Chocolate Chip Muffins – Crispy, buttery, sweet outside that’s loaded with chocolate chips on the inside!
- Best Pecan Sticky Buns – Simple dough covered with a sticky molasses, butter, sugar, and pecan topping!
Air Fryer Chocolate Donuts
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Air Fryer Chocolate Doughnuts
Ingredients
Doughnuts
- ½ cup whole milk warmed to 100-110°F
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- 3 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Icing
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Sprinkles, nuts, or oreo crumbs optional topping
Instructions
Doughnuts
- Add the milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and yeast to a large bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for fivtennutes, or until the yeast becomes foamy. If it doesn’t foam and smell strongly like yeast, I recommend dumping it out and starting over.
- Add the rest of the sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla and mix until combined. My favorite tool for making doughs is a danish dough whisk, but if you don’t have one, a regular whisk would work at this point as well.
- Next, add the flour and cocoa powder (if using a whisk, switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon). Mix just until combined.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it forms a soft and slightly tacky dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and set it in a warm place to rise until almost doubled in size – about 1 hour.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is about ¼-½” thick, depending on how thick you’d like your doughnuts.
- Use a round cookie cutter (make sure to flour it first) to cut doughnuts out of the dough. I used a 2.5” cookie cutter and the large opening of a piping tip to cut out my doughnuts.
- Place the doughnuts onto a sheet pan and place them in a warm spot to rise for an additional hour.
- Carefully transfer 4 to 6 doughnuts (depending on the size of your air fryer) to the air fryer basket. DO NOT PREHEAT OR GREASE AIR FRYER! Cook at 300°F for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the doughnuts are soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. Transfer the doughnuts to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Icing
- Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl.
- Add the heavy cream slowly (1 tablespoon at a time) and whisk until your desired consistency– I like a pretty thick icing (about the consistency of pudding).
- Dip the cooled doughnuts in the icing and top with sprinkles, nuts, oreos, or even flakey sea salt. Serve immediately.
- Store any leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- This recipe was retested and updated in July 2021 to fix the bitter flavor of the donuts. More sugar and flour were added and the cocoa was reduced.
- Make sure to use unsweetened baking cocoa – not a hot cocoa mix. I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, which gives the donuts and icing a darker color.
- This is a small batch donut recipe, only making 6-8 donuts. If you’d like to make more, simply double the recipe EXCEPT for the yeast. The amount of yeast in this recipe is good for up to 4 cups of flour and a double batch of this dough would only have 3 cups.
- This is a quick and easy icing that tastes nostalgically like Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts – for a richer, more elevated doughnut, I recommend topping with chocolate ganache (equal parts heavy cream and chopped chocolate).
- This is also not an overly sweet doughnut (because the icing is pretty sweet). To add more sweetness to the doughnut itself, use 3/4 cup of granulated sugar instead of 1/2 cup.
- Make sure not to overcook the doughnuts – they’ll dry out and turn hard. The doughnuts should be soft and fluffy on the inside and barely crisp on the outside.
- If you don’t want to use icing, you can also dip with doughnuts in melted butter followed by cinnamon sugar.
- You can also coat them in powdered sugar.
- Proofing is an important step that allows the yeast to release the carbon dioxide, this causes the dough to stretch and hold in air bubbles! As a result, this gives you perfectly risen, airy donuts! Here are a few easy ways to proof your dough!
- Place the lightly oiled bowl with the dough in a warm spot and cover it with a damp dishcloth.
- Cover a heating pad set to low with a towel and then place the dough bowl on top of it.
- Set your crockpot filled halfway with water to low heat and turn the lid upside down. Then put a dishtowel on top of the lid and place the bowl on it.
- Use your oven by heating it up for 5 minutes, shutting it off, and then putting the bowl of dough in.
- Fill a baking dish with boiling water and then put it on the oven rack below the bowl of dough.
- If your oven has a “proof” setting you can simply just use that!
- This recipe works great with a slow proof! After transferring the dough to a bowl, simply place the bowl in the fridge overnight and then finish the process in the morning.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Liz G says
We did not think these were great. They had the texture of bread and very little chocolate taste. The donuts didn’t taste like anything, really, and weren’t sweet at all. Definitely use the tip to add more sugar. The icing was good, though!
Amanda says
I didn’t really like these. They tasted like chocolate bread. I added the 1/2 cup of sugar…. So maybe if I added more?
Jessica M McGeary says
Temperature question – I’m seeing ‘Cook at 300¾°F ‘. Is that supposed to be 375 F?
Rebecca Hubbell says
It’s just 300, not sure what that little 3/4 is doing in there. Thanks for bringing it to my attention – all fixed now.
Andrea says
These were a huge disappointment. My daughter and I just spent the afternoon together making these and they are nothing like we expected. They are extremely bitter. We made them exactly according to the recipe.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Andrea,
Thank you for the feedback. I’m going to retest this recipe to see why it might be so bitter and will update it to make it better.
karen campbell says
horrible – very dominant yeast / bitter taste. Made them twice thinking maybe my the yeast had gone bad. Didn’t help.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Karen, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe. The amount of yeast in the recipe is standard for a baked good with 0-4 cups of flour in it. The strong yeast flavor usually occurs in baking when dough rises too quickly. You can cut back on the yeast but it will take longer to proof, you can also use the slow-proof method using the refrigerator mentioned in the post.