7 Best Store-Bought Desserts To Try In The Air Fryer

In recent years, air fryers have become a popular staple in many home kitchens. Often touted as a healthy alternative to deep frying, this countertop appliance relies on the circulation of hot air rather than hot oil to do all the work. By placing your food on a basket suspended inside the fryer, the outcome is essentially the same as deep frying — food that's perfectly golden brown on all sides. This makes air frying especially great for warming up store-bought desserts.

From Twinkies to brownies, everyone's got a favorite. But which grocery aisle cakes, pastries, and sweet treats take best to air frying? We spoke with Clare Andrews, the Air Fryer Angel and author of "The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook: One Basket Meals," who shared all her best air frying hacks and tips. We were especially excited to learn which sweet treats get crispier, gooier, and even tastier after a stint in the air fryer, how to prepare them, and even a bit of cleanup advice for afterward. These desserts might come packaged, but even a quick zap can make them seem homemade.

We already know you can successfully make brownies in the air fryer, working either from scratch or using a boxed mix. But if you want to skip all the extra steps, you can get a freshly baked effect using a store-bought tray of Original Two-bite Brownies. Simply pop as many as you can comfortably fit without over-crowding into the basket and air fry for three to five minutes.

The end result, according to Clare Andrews, should be the perfect brownie, with a crispy exterior and a soft, moist interior. This is because the texture and density of pre-made brownies lend themselves particularly well to air frying. "[They] tend to have a structure that holds up well to the quick, intense heat of the air fryer," she says.

Brownies are known for being a fairly easy treat to make from scratch, but the air fryer manages to make the process even easier. As Andrew points out, it's quick, easy, and economical. "The air fryer provides an excellent option ... especially when you don't want to heat up the entire oven," she says. "It's also a great choice when you're craving fresh-baked goods but don't have the time or energy for traditional oven baking."

For maximum ease, consider using foil in the air fryer basket to help prevent sticking and make your cleanup easier. Just be mindful, notes Andrews, to avoid letting the foil touch the heating element or fan. "Weighing the foil down with the food helps with this," she says.

Even if you're not the biggest fan of the classic, cream-filled Hostess Chocolate Cup Cakes, you might find you love them after air frying. When making most cakes in the air fryer, Clare Andrews says she finds the process only enhances the flavor. "The 360-degree heat from the air fryer brings out a richness in the cakes that you don't quite get when using other cooking methods," she says, noting that the texture also improves, thanks to its slightly crisp edges.

After tossing your Hostess Cup Cakes into the air fryer, Andrews says you might also notice an added intensity to the sweetness and overall taste. "It's a simple trick, but it sure does take a premade snack cake to the next level," she says. You can again use foil to help ease clean-up, but Andrews suggests oven-proof dishes as another great option when using the air fryer. 

Ceramic and glass baking dishes are designed to handle the intense heat of the air fryer without warping or cracking, making either pick an ideal option for heating up a small batch of Hostess Cup Cakes. "These dishes can also help distribute heat more evenly around your dessert, ensuring that it cooks uniformly, with a beautiful exterior and a perfectly cooked interior," she says.

If you love a breakfast muffin, then Clare Andrews has good news. Pre-made, store-bought muffins can most definitely be enhanced with air frying. Although any kind of muffin is worth trying, picking one with a crumble addition might have the best results, because as Andrews points out, muffins and crumbles each do particularly well in the air fryer. This makes Little Bites Crumb Cake Muffins a fabulous choice.

Much like brownies, Andrews notes that the structure of pre-made muffins holds up especially well to the intense heat of the air fryer. By popping these into the basket for just a few minutes, you'll get a delicious and quick treat for breakfast, with a perfectly completed crumble on a top and a moist, flavorful interior. 

As with other options, you can again use a baking dish or tin foil in the basket, but Andrews says silicone molds are also worth considering when dealing with any sort of store-bought muffin. "The flexibility of silicone allows for easy removal of your baked goods once they're done, without worrying about sticking," she says.

The debate over yeast versus cake donuts is ongoing, but there's one thing everyone can agree on: There's nothing like a freshly baked donut. Unfortunately, they're not the easiest treat to whip up at home — unless you decide to toss a few pre-made donuts in the air fryer, like Entenmann's Crumb Topped Donuts.

Within a few minutes, you'll end up with a warm, freshly baked donut that requires practically no effort at all. Although any donut will do — and you don't have to pick an option with a crumble top — it's worth remembering what Clare Andrews tells us: Crumbles, in particular, are always a safe bet for the air fryer. This comes down to how well the little morsels respond to air frying, especially when paired with the chewy softness of the rest of the donut.

As with any store-bought treat, Andrews says to be mindful of how many donuts you place in the basket at once. "Avoid overcrowding the basket to make sure you get an even cook," says Andrew. Because donuts are a bit larger than some of the other potential options you can air-fry, this is especially important to remember.

It's also crucial to line your air fryer basket when heating up anything with a glaze or a crumble, either using foil or a baking tray. This can help catch any crumbs, as well as any glaze run-off as the donut heats up, making your clean-up as easy as possible, too.

As far as store bought snacks go, you can't get more iconic than the Hostess Twinkie. Whether you love them or hate them, they're an American icon — and deep-fried Twinkies carry their own lore. Now a popular snack at summer fairs and carnivals, fried Twinkies are a warm, crispy alternative to the spongy convenience store staple.

Naturally, if carnivals can deep-fry a Twinkie, then it stands to reason that you can air fry Twinkies in the comfort of your own home. Simply toss into the basket of your air fryer and heat them until they turn a satisfying golden brown. As you wait, if you're not sure they're ready, Clare Andrews says it's ok to take a peek. "Unlike convection ovens, which lose so much heat when opened, with an air fryer, it gets back up to temperature in seconds," she says.

Heartier desserts, like brownies and crumbles, might be easier to air-fry due to their textures and consistencies, but Twinkies are a bit more delicate. If you're worried about over-frying your Twinkie, Andrews again suggests using an ovenproof dish or silicone mold to help better buffer the heat.  "[This will] create a more gradual cook," she explains.

Once ready, the air fryer Twinkie will have a crispy exterior and gooey interior. To truly enhance the experience, consider brushing the finished product with powdered sugar or cinnamon, or pairing with whipped cream, Nutella, or chocolate sauce.

Pie lovers, rejoice! You don't have to fiddle with pastry and filing for a homemade experience. You can simply put any handheld pie into the air fryer, such as Hostess Cherry Fruit Pies. The end result is a perfectly sized treat with a golden, flaky crust and a warm, gooey filling.

Because of the handheld size, this is a great option if you want the effect of a pie, but don't necessarily want or need something that serves six to eight people. Instead, just place a few of the palm-sized pies into your air fryer basket, being careful not to overcrowd. This is another time where using foil is probably your best bet, in case any of the gooey filling leaks out during the process. Foil will also help control the cook time, buffer the heat, and make clean-up a breeze.

You can do this with a standard slice of leftover pie, as well, because pie crust does well in the air fryer in any form. But if you opt for a pre-made handheld version, you can just as easily serve it the same as you would a classic pie slice — as-is or a la mode, with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

If an easy dessert that tastes homemade is your ultimate end-goal, then Clare Andrews says you can't go wrong with baking frozen treats in the air fryer. This especially applies to any and all things made with puffed pastry dough, including store-bought biscuit dough, cinnamon swirls, and croissants. "These doughs are already pre-portioned and easy to work with, making them perfect for air frying without any fuss," Andrews says.

Describing the end result as warm and flaky, Andrews says you can cook all of the above in minutes. "The rapid air circulation makes for even cooking, enhancing the flavor and texture of these baked goods for a super tasty experience," she explains.

It's worth considering though, that if you start from frozen, this treats could take just a bit longer than other store bought treats in the air fryer. Still, the process will be decidedly faster than starting from scratch (and with an outcome that's still delicious).

As easy as it is to enhance your store bought treats in the air fryer, there are some important precautions and considerations to keep in mind in terms of maintaining your appliance. You should only attempt to clean your air fryer once it's unplugged and completely cooled, for one. But Clare Andrews gave us a few other words of wisdom to remember.

"Use a soft cloth or sponge with warm water and washing up liquid to clean each part," she says. Furthermore, unlike with other appliances, you don't want to use any utensils that can scratch the non-stick coating — Andrews says this includes steel wool, metal scrubbers, and abrasive sponges. Of course, if you use tin foil in the air fryer or other baking trays and molds, then the appliance itself should be fairly easy and straightforward to clean. Take note, though, that not all pieces of the air fryer can be popped in the dishwasher, so it's best to soak and hand-wash anything particularly stubborn.

You can also use a damp cloth or sponge to wipe down the exterior surface — including, says Andrews, the housing and control panel. However you tackle it, it's important to clean your air fryer immediately after use to avoid too much build-up. With proper maintenance and regular cleaning, you'll ensure your air fryer will be ready and able to heat up the perfect and easiest desserts for years to come.