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Munchkins are those irresistible little glazed donut holes from Dunkin, and this homemade air fryer version means you can have a warm batch any morning without leaving the house. I made these on a lazy Sunday, and Maddie and Lizzie lined up to dunk each one in the vanilla glaze themselves, giggling the whole time. If you love easy homemade treats, you will want our banana cream cheese muffins too.
These vanilla munchkins are light, fluffy, and coated in a simple two ingredient glaze, ready in about 20 minutes thanks to the air fryer.
Munchkins Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 6 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 16 minutes (plus chilling)
- 🍽️ Serving: 30 munchkins
- ⚡ Calories: 110kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, vanilla, and glazed
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our crescent roll cinnamon rolls
Quick Answer
Cream butter and sugar, then beat in Greek yogurt, vanilla, and eggs. Mix in the dry ingredients to form a dough and chill it for 1 hour. Roll the dough to 1/2 inch, cut rounds, and shape into balls. Air fry at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes, flipping halfway, then dip the warm munchkins in a simple powdered sugar and cream glaze and let them set.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Greek yogurt keeps them tender. Yogurt adds moisture and a slight tang, giving the munchkins a soft, cake like crumb.
- Chilling makes the dough workable. An hour in the fridge firms up the dough so it is easy to roll, cut, and shape into balls.
- The air fryer is fast and mess free. No vat of hot oil needed; the air fryer cooks the donut holes in just 6 minutes with a light, even finish.
- A simple glaze sets to a shine. Just powdered sugar and heavy cream make a glaze that hardens into that classic glossy donut coating.
- They taste like the real thing. Sweet, vanilla forward, and bite sized, they are a spot on copycat of the Dunkin original.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a homemade copycat of the classic Dunkin munchkins, made fresh in your own kitchen.
- The air fryer skips the deep frying, so they are quicker and less messy to make.
- They are perfectly poppable and fun to make with kids, like our meltaway lemon cookies.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry ingredients make these copycat donut holes. Here is what each one does:
- Butter and sugar: Creamed together for a tender, sweet base. Use softened butter for easy mixing.
- Greek yogurt: Vanilla Greek yogurt adds moisture and tang for a soft, cake like crumb.
- Flour, baking powder, and salt: The dry ingredients that give the munchkins structure and lift.
- Vanilla: Flavors both the dough and the glaze for that classic vanilla donut taste.
- Powdered sugar and heavy cream: Whisked into a simple glaze that sets to a glossy finish.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Have fun customizing these munchkins to your taste.
- Chocolate glaze: Swap in cocoa powder or melted chocolate for a chocolate glazed version.
- Cinnamon sugar: Roll the warm munchkins in cinnamon sugar instead of glazing.
- Add sprinkles: Top the wet glaze with sprinkles for a fun, colorful finish.
- Bake them: No air fryer? Bake at 350 degrees F until lightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make them ahead: Chill the dough overnight to fry up fresh in the morning.
How to Make Munchkins
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light.
- Add the Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and the eggs, and whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.
- Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet, then knead into a smooth dough and chill 1 hour.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut 1 inch rounds, cut each round in half, and roll each half into a ball between your palms.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F, then arrange the balls 1/2 inch apart and air fry 6 minutes, flipping halfway. Work in batches.
- While the munchkins cook, whisk the powdered sugar and heavy cream into a smooth glaze.
- Let the munchkins cool 5 minutes, then dip each in the glaze and set on a wire rack to drip and harden.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Chill the dough. Do not skip the hour in the fridge; cold dough is much easier to roll and shape.
- Keep them uniform. Roll the balls about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Do not overcrowd. Leave space between the munchkins in the basket and cook in batches.
- Flip halfway. Turning the munchkins ensures they brown evenly on all sides.
- Glaze while warm. Dip the munchkins while still warm so the glaze coats smoothly, then let it set on a rack.
- Double dip. For a thicker coating, let the first layer set and dip again.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These munchkins are best served fresh and warm, when the glaze is just set and the centers are soft. Pile them on a platter for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
They are perfect with coffee or a tall glass of milk, and they make a fun addition to a weekend brunch spread alongside our banana cream cheese muffins or an yogurt fruit smoothie.
They are also great for parties and holidays. Set out bowls of different glazes and toppings and let everyone decorate their own, or box them up as a homemade treat. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for longer.
Munchkins FAQs
Munchkins are the bite sized donut holes made famous by Dunkin. These homemade munchkins are light, fluffy vanilla donut holes coated in a simple powdered sugar glaze, made in the air fryer.
Yes, the air fryer is perfect for munchkins. It cooks the donut holes in about 6 minutes with no deep frying, giving them a light texture and even finish.
Chilling the dough for at least an hour firms it up so it is easy to roll out, cut, and shape into balls. Warm dough is sticky and hard to work with.
Yes. Bake them at 350 degrees F on a lined baking sheet until lightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes, then glaze as directed.
Keep glazed munchkins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze the unglazed donut holes and glaze them after thawing.
Absolutely. Swap the vanilla glaze for chocolate, roll the warm munchkins in cinnamon sugar, or add sprinkles to the glaze for fun, colorful variations.
Want more easy treats? Try our crescent roll cinnamon rolls next.
Feeling ambitious? Our deep fried snickers are the legendary fair dessert to fry next.
Homemade Munchkins Recipe (Air Fryer Dunkin Donut Holes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup vanilla greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract divided
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.4 tablespoons butter, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add greek yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, and eggs. Whisk until well combined.2 large eggs, 1 cup vanilla greek yogurt, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use your hands to knead the dough until smooth and pliable.
- Place dough into the fridge for 1 hour prior to cooking. (or overnight to prepare the next morning)
- Lightly flour a cutting board or flat work surface. Roll dough out with a rolling pin to ½” thickness.
- Use a 1” biscuit cutter to cut circles into the dough.
- Roll remaining dough scraps into a ball, flatten to ½” thick, and repeat.
- Cut each dough round in half, then roll each half into a ball between your palms.
- Preheat the air fryer at 350* for 5 minutes. Spray air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Arrange donuts in the air fryer at least ½” apart, multiple batches may be necessary. Cook for 6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- While the donuts cook, prepare the glaze. Add confectioners sugar to a small bowl. Whisk in heavy whipping cream until smooth.1 cup powdered sugar, 7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Remove donuts from the air fryer and let cool for 5 minutes.
- One at a time, Submerge the donuts into the glaze. Place on a wire rack to allow excess glaze to drip off and the glaze to set.
Video
Notes
- This makes a large amount so it’s best to fry in batches.
- You can cut this in half or double it depending on how many people you want to serve.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- You can glaze these with whatever you like, we like a simple powdered sugar glaze.
- You can flavor these with any of your favorite donut flavors.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Sour cream would work as well
Hey there,
I would love to make these and I will as soon as my question is answered.
What can I substitute for the vanilla Greek yogurt? And the recipe still work out okay?
These sound delicious! any flavor. can these be baked in oven if you don’t have an air fryer? if so, for how long and at what temperature? Thanks, so much for sharing. appreciate all of your work and recipes.
I didn’t have a biscuit cutter I just made random circles with my hands! I dipped some in cinnamon sugar and some in sprinkles before sir frying and some glazed. I thought this was quick and yummy ! Waiting to see what my 2 year old son thinks tomorrow morning! Thank you for the recipe
It was just bread never formed into a muchkin
I was confused by how big to cut the circles for the donut holes. How big of a biscuit cutter do you use? You can find cutters as small as one inch in diameter online, but that would make a munchkin about the size of a marble. The recipe says a one-inch biscuit cutter….??
Thank you.