Easy Air Fryer Reese’s Puffs Donuts

Air Fryer Reese’s Puffs Donuts are soft, cocoa-rich baked donuts studded with crushed Reese’s Puffs cereal and finished with a quick vanilla glaze. They cook in about ten minutes in the air fryer, so there’s no pot of hot oil, no thermometer, and no waiting for anything to come up to temperature.

If you grew up eating this cereal straight from the box, this is that flavor in donut form: chocolate and peanut butter, a little crunch on top, and a glaze that sets firm enough to stack. Kids will ask for them at breakfast. They’re just as good as an after-school snack.

Why You’ll Love These Donuts

• Endlessly adaptable. Swap the cereal and you have an entirely different donut — I do exactly that with my Air Fryer Fruity Pebbles Donuts.
• No frying. No oil to heat, filter, or dispose of, and no splatter to clean up.
• About 40 minutes start to finish, including cooling and glazing.
• Pantry ingredients. Flour, cocoa, sugar, and a box of cereal.
• They hold their shape. Baking in a donut pan gives you a clean ring instead of a lumpy fried blob.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• All-purpose flour: Don’t pack it; spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, or the donuts turn dense.
• Reese’s Puffs cereal, finely crushed: This goes into the dry ingredients and is where most of the flavor comes from.
• Reese’s Puffs cereal: Folded in at the end for texture. It softens slightly during cooking, which is what you want.
• Cocoa powder: Unsweetened natural cocoa. Dutch-process works but the color will be darker and the rise slightly flatter.
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder: Check the date, old baking powder is the number one reason baked donuts come out flat.
• Kosher salt
• Butter: Let it cool for a minute so it doesn’t scramble the egg.
• Large egg
• Buttermilk: The acidity reacts with the baking powder and keeps the crumb tender. No buttermilk? See the substitution in the FAQ below.
• Pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• Confectioners’ sugar
• Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Mini Reese’s cups, chopped, for topping
• Extra cereal and chocolate sauce, optional

How to Make Air Fryer Reese’s Puffs Donuts

Step 1: Spray your donut pan generously with nonstick spray and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, finely crushed cereal, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until no streaks of cocoa remain.

Step 2: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk.

Step 3: Whisk the wet ingredients together in the center first, then gradually pull the dry ingredients in from the sides. Stop as soon as everything is moistened. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy — that’s correct. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you tough donuts. Fold in the whole cereal with a rubber spatula, using as few strokes as possible.

Step 4: Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it evenly into the donut cavities, filling each about three-quarters full. Set the pan into the air fryer basket. Cook at 320°F for 9 to 10 minutes, until a donut springs back when you press it lightly in the center. Turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. Repeat with any remaining batter.

How to Make the Glaze

Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the glaze is smooth and uniform — this happens fast, usually under two minutes.

Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, dip the top of each one into the glaze, lift it straight out, and set it back on the wire rack. Top immediately with extra cereal, chopped Reese’s cups, and a chocolate drizzle while the glaze is still wet.

Pro Tips for the Best Air Fryer Donuts

• Double-dipping? Let the first layer set completely before the second, or the two will slide off together.
• Cut a one-inch opening in your piping bag and skip the tip. This batter is too thick for a narrow tip. A zip-top bag with the corner snipped works, though a real piping bag gives you more control.
• Don’t overfill the cavities. Fill past three-quarters and the batter closes the center hole. That’s not a disaster — it creates a little bowl that holds more toppings — but you lose the classic donut shape. To fix it after cooking, press a one-inch round cookie cutter through the center.
• Keep the glaze warm. Residual heat from the burner usually keeps it liquid after you turn it off. If it starts to set, warm it briefly on low and stir in a splash more milk.
• Set your wire rack over a baking sheet or parchment. Glaze drips. A lot.
• Hover, don’t press. When dipping, submerge the donut deep enough to coat the top but don’t push it against the bottom of the pan — that’s how you get a smeared, uneven coat.

Variations to Try

• Peanut butter glaze. Whisk two tablespoons of creamy peanut butter into the warm glaze for a stronger PB hit.
• Different cereal. Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Cap’n Crunch all work with the same base — just drop the cocoa powder if you’re using a non-chocolate cereal.
• Donut holes instead. If you’d rather have a poppable version, make my Air Fryer Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Donut Holes.
• Skip the glaze. Roll the warm donuts in cinnamon sugar instead, the way I do with my Air Fryer Churro Donuts.
• Chocolate hazelnut. Swap the vanilla glaze for the topping on my Air Fryer Nutella Donuts.

How to Store Air Fryer Donuts

At room temperature

These are best the day they’re made. Once fully cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Refrigerating them dries out the crumb, so don’t.

In the freezer

Freeze unglazed donuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze fresh. Glazed donuts don’t freeze well — the glaze weeps as it thaws.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I crush the Reese’s Puffs cereal?

The fastest way is a food processor — add about one cup of whole cereal and pulse until fine. No food processor? Seal the cereal in a zip-top bag and roll over it with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.

Can I make these without a donut pan?

Not in this form. The batter is too loose to hold a ring shape on its own. Without a pan, use it as a muffin batter instead, or make Air Fryer Glazed Biscuit Donuts, which are shaped from refrigerated biscuit dough and need no pan at all.

What can I substitute for buttermilk?

Add one and a half teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a half-cup measure, top it off with regular milk, and let it sit for five minutes. Plain yogurt thinned with a little milk also works.

Why did my donuts come out dry?

Two usual causes: overmixing the batter, or cooking too long. Start checking at nine minutes. The donut should spring back when pressed but still look slightly moist on the surface.

Do I need to preheat the air fryer?

Preheating for three minutes gives a more even rise, but it isn’t essential. If you skip it, add a minute to the cook time.

Can I make the batter ahead?

No. The baking powder starts working the moment it hits the buttermilk. Mix and cook right away. You can measure out the dry ingredients a day ahead and store them covered.

More Air Fryer Donuts to Make Next

Donuts are one of the things the air fryer genuinely does better than the oven, and I’ve worked through most of the classics over the years. If you want a plain base to build on, start with my Air Fryer Baked Vanilla Donuts. For something closer to a bakery case, my Air Fryer Copycat Krispy Kreme Donuts get the glaze right. And when apples are in season, Air Fryer Apple Fritters are the one my family requests most.

You’ll find everything I’ve made in one place on my donuts recipe page, and hundreds more ideas under air fryer recipes.