Orange Curd Air Fryer Baked Vegan Donuts (One Hour!)
These Orange Curd Air Fryer Baked Vegan Donuts are fluffy, golden brown and filled with homemade vegan orange curd and they are healthier. These donuts are air-fried till crispy outside and tender inside with an option to bake them too.
If you already love my one-hour yeasted dough recipes then you are in for a treat! I have been testing and re-testing these air-fried and baked donuts for a long time now and can finally share them with you. They are fluffy, golden and brown and even better than shop-bought but essential they are:
- Not fried in oil
- Air fried or baked (healthier)
- Ready in 40 minutes (ish)
Why will I love these?
This are seriously amazing, they are:
- Golden brown and coated in sugar
- Light, fluffy and tender inside
- Slightly firmer and doughy outside
- Filled with homemade Vegan Orange Curd (no butter or nuts)
- Quick and easy to make in 40 to 60 minutes
- Require no long proofing times
- Easy to make in the air fryer or oven
- Great for friends, family and little ones
- Naturally vegan, nut-free and healthier
If you already love these mini donuts then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss this recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The ingredients for these donuts are based on my favourite one-hour yeasted dough and you can see the essentials and my favourite brands below the recipe card.
For the dough we need:
- Plant-based milk: you can use any dairy-free milk here like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from the carton).
- Vegan butter: just a little to create the buttery texture and flavour.
- Olive oil: you can use a light or extra virgin olive oil depending on your flavour preferences. This replaces the need for more butter as I prefer to use a good quality olive oil where I can.
- Caster sugar: this helps the yeast to rise. You can also use golden caster or coconut sugar, too.
- Fast action yeast: this gets to work quickly so that our donuts are puffy and fluffy.
- Plain flour: this is essential for the deliciously light texture. These do not work with gluten-free flour (sorry!) but feel free to swap half for bread flour, too, as this works well with other yeasted buns and rolls.
- Salt: for flavour and for the yeast to rise.
As for the sugar coating and filling:
- Maple syrup and olive oil: mix these together to brush over the just baked donuts instead of melted butter. The flavour is just as rich and “buttery” without the butter. You can use other syrups like agave or vegan honey, too.
- Caster sugar: or other sugar like coconut, light brown or a sugar-free alternative. This is for the crunchy sugary coating.
- Vegan Orange Curd: I use my favourite homemade recipe for filling these donuts but you can also try my homemade lemon curd or a shop-bought curd (make sure it’s vegan).
Are then gluten-free and nut-free?
These are sadly not gluten-free but I have other buns and rolls which can be made gluten-free, please have a look here at my Strawberry No-Yeast Swirl Buns and more. These donuts are happily nut-free, just heck all the labels.
How do I make these?
These donuts are ready in a few steps and about 30 minutes of your day.
- Melt the milk, butter and oil: for the dough and make sure it’s lukewarm. You may need to let it cool down so as not to kill off the yeast.
- Whisk in the sugar and add the yeast: and leave for 5 minutes. You will smell the yeast as it activates.
- Mix the flour and salt and pour in the yeast mix: and stir to a shaggy dough.
- Tip out onto a floured surface and lightly knead for 1 minute: to a smooth ball of dough.
- Place in a clean bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 20 minutes: to use.
- Punch the dough down and lightly roll out: cut out small donut circles using a cutter.
- Place the donuts onto a lined tray (for the oven or air fryer) and brush or spray with oil: bake or air fry in batches till golden, turning round halfway through.
- Mix the maple syrup and olive oil for the glaze: and put the sugar in a shallow dish.
- While warm toss the donuts in the oil and then the sugar: to fully coat.
- Allow the donuts to cool: before filling.
- Make a small hole with a chopstick: going right into the middle of the donut.
- Place the Vegan Orange Curd in a piping bag and pip the filling into the donuts: till it starts to ooze out. Repeat to fill them all.
- Sit back and enjoy: with tea, coffee or ice-cold vegan milk.
What’s better: to air fry or bake?
I love both and it depends on the size of your air fryer, if it is quite small, you will have to work in a lot of batches where as you can fit more in the oven. I find the oven-baked ones cooking more evenly and had a better overall colour but they take a few minutes longer.
How long will they last?
Once made, keep these in a sealed container for 1-2 days although they are best eaten fresh.
What else can I make?
If you are looking for more buns and donuts, how about my:
- Strawberry Orange Fluffy Vegan Rolls
- One Hour Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Strawberries and Cream Donut Sandwiches
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread Donuts
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites (No-Yeast)
Orange Curd Air Fryer Baked Vegan Donuts (One hour)
These Orange Curd Air Fryer Baked Vegan Donuts are fluffy, golden brown and filled with homemade vegan orange curd and they are healthier. These donuts are air-fried till crispy outside and tender inside with an option to bake them too.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 240ml plant-based milk
- 2 tbsp (30g) vegan butter, cubed
- 2 tbsp (30ml) light olive oil, plus extra
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp (7g, one sachet) fast action yeast
- 350g plain flour, plus extra
- A pinch of salt
For the Sugar Coating and Filling:
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp light or extra virgin olive oil
- 80-100g caster sugar
- 12 tsp vegan orange curd
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: add the milk, butter and olive oil to a measuring jug and warm in the microwave or in a saucepan on the hob until just melted. Check the temperature is lukewarm (you may need to allot the mix to cool down) and then whisk in the sugar. Now pour over the yeast and allow to bloom for 5 minutes, you’ll be able to smell it.
- Make the dough: in a large mixing bowl, stir the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast-milk mix. Start to stir with a spoon and bring to a shaggy dough. Tip out onto a light floured work surface and lightly knead for 1-2 minutes, to reach a smooth, supple dough and shape like a ball. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough inside. Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm for 20 minutes, until increased in volume.
- Meanwhile, preheat the air fryer to 180ºC or the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line baking trays with parchment paper.
- Shape the donuts: punch down the risen dough and tip onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll out the dough to about 2-3cm (1-inch) thick. Use a small cookie cutter (about 4cm, or 11/2 inches) to cut out the donuts. Cut out as many as you can and use an offset spatula to arrange on the baking trays. Re-roll the leftover dough to make more donuts. Spray or lightly brush all the donuts with olive oil.
- To air fry the donuts: place one tray at a time in the air fryer for 5 minutes, then flip the donuts over and cook the underside for another 4-5 minutes, until golden all over. Repeat to air fry all the donuts. Lightly cover the raw donuts while you cook the others.
- Or, to bake the donuts: place the baking tray(s) in the oven for 14-16 minutes, turning the trays around halfway through (no need to flip the donuts over). Repeat to cook all the donuts, covering those that aren’t in the oven.
- Make the glaze: whisk together the maple syrup and oil in one bowl and place the sugar in a second, shallow bowl.
- To coat the donuts: while still warm, coat each donut in the syrup-oil mix, allow the excess to drip off and then roll in the sugar. Place on a plate and repeat to coat all the donuts. You can now eat them warm, without filling.
- To fill the donuts: allow them to cool so the filling doesn’t ooze out. Once cool, use a chopstick to make a small hole, ¾ into the donut (be careful not to go straight through). Place the orange curd in a piping bag with a small nozzle and squeeze the curd into the donut holes. Repeat to fill all the donuts.
- To eat and store: eat straight away and best eaten on the same day. Keep leftovers in a sealed container for 1-2 days.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of these Orange Curd Air Fryer Baked Vegan Donuts so please leave a comment below and a star review above. If you do make these, I’d lobe to see so please rag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With airy fryer donuts of love x
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My first time making donuts was today, so they did not come out perfect! But they tasted so good. The ones in the air fryer were definitely better than the oven, the oven ones remind me more of a bagel? But both were delicious!
I am so happy you enjoyed them, and yes the texture is much better in the air fryer, isn’t it, but both are yummy! Thank you for the comment