cottage cheese donut holes (air fryer)

A hand holding a cottage cheese donut hole with a sugar coating.

5 from 1 vote

cottage cheese donut holes (air fryer)

These cottage cheese donut holes are fluffy, golden, and rolled in cinnamon sugar straight out of the air fryer. About 8g of protein per donut from the blended cottage cheese - no powder, no frying, no donut pan required. They take 6-8 minutes in the air fryer and taste like something from a bakery case that you'd feel fine eating three of.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cottage cheese

Servings:

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Mika Kinney

Ingredients

dough

¾ cup cottage cheese any fat level
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1-2 tablespoons if needed
1 large egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
olive oil spray for hands and air fryer

cinnamon sugar coating

⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Blend the ¾ cup cottage cheese just briefly so most of the curds are gone - you do not want them overly blended or the dough will not hold together.
Add the blended cottage cheese to a mixing bowl with the 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. Stir to combine.
Add the 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix until a sticky dough forms. If the dough won't hold a ball shape, add flour one tablespoon at a time.
Preheat the air fryer to 350F (if yours is the style that needs to be preheated) and spray the basket with oil or place a liner in it to prevent the doughnut holes from sticking.
Lightly grease your hands with olive oil spray. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place on the air fryer tray or basket, leaving space between each. Spray the tops lightly with olive oil.
Air fry at 350F for 8-12 minutes until golden and cooked through. Check at 6 minutes - a toothpick should come out clean. You may need to shake the basket or rotate them to get them cooked evenly on each side.
Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar mixture by combining ⅓ cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a wide bowl.
While still warm, spritz with additional olive oil spray and then roll each donut hole in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Then enjoy!

Video

Notes

Storage: Best eaten the day of. Store in an open container or loosely covered (the cinnamon sugar gets wet when in an airtight container) at room temperature for up to 2 days, or fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 325F for 2 minutes to refresh and maybe roll in some more cinnamon sugar.

Freeze: Freeze before the cinnamon sugar coating for best results. Reheat from frozen at 350F for 4-5 minutes, then roll in cinnamon sugar while warm.

Nutrition