Air Fryer Maple Bar Donuts (Canned Biscuits, 15 Minutes)

Air Fryer Maple Bar Donuts are oblong, bakery-style donuts made from a can of refrigerated biscuits and finished with a thick, glossy maple glaze. You stretch each biscuit into a bar, air fry it for about 5 minutes, and dip the top in a 5-ingredient maple glaze. From can to plate takes about 15 minutes, with no yeast, no rising time and no pot of hot oil.

If you grew up stopping at a donut shop for maple bars, this is the shortcut version you can make on a Saturday morning before the coffee finishes brewing.

What Is a Maple Bar?

A maple bar is a long, rectangular donut topped with maple icing. It is a donut-shop staple on the West Coast, where you will often see it next to the long johns in the case. The dough is the same soft, raised dough as a glazed donut; the difference is the bar shape and the maple frosting on top.

Most maple bar recipes start with a yeast dough that needs to rise twice. This version uses refrigerated biscuits instead, so the dough is ready the second you open the can. If you want a from-scratch maple donut with a cake-style crumb, try my Air Fryer Maple Frosted Donuts, which bake in a donut pan.

Why This Recipe Works

• Real bar shape. Stretching each biscuit into an oblong gives you the classic maple bar look instead of a ring donut.
• Butter before air frying. A quick brush of melted butter is what makes canned biscuits taste like a donut instead of a biscuit.
• Double maple flavor. The glaze uses both maple syrup and maple extract, so the maple taste comes through even after the glaze sets.
• Fast. About 5 minutes of hands-on work and 5 to 6 minutes in the air fryer per batch.
• No deep fryer. No hot oil to heat, strain or throw away.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Maple Bars

• Refrigerated biscuits: Use the large Grands-size biscuits (8 per can). Buttermilk biscuits give a softer, more bread-like bar. Flaky layers give a lighter texture but can separate when you stretch them.
• Melted butter: Brushed on before cooking for a richer, donut-like crust.
• Powdered sugar: The base of the glaze. Sift it if it is lumpy.
• Maple syrup: Use pure maple syrup for the best flavor. Pancake syrup works but tastes sweeter and less like maple.
• Maple extract: This is what makes the glaze taste like a donut-shop maple bar. Look for it near the vanilla extract.
• Milk: Thins the glaze to a dipping consistency.
• Salt: Just a pinch to balance the sweetness.

You will find exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Maple Bar Donuts in the Air Fryer

Step 1: Shape the bars. Separate the biscuits. Hold each one at both ends and gently stretch it into an oblong about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide. Press it flat with your palm so it is an even thickness from end to end.

Step 2: Preheat and butter. Preheat your air fryer to 360°F for 3 minutes. Lightly brush both sides of each bar with melted butter.

Step 3: Air fry. Place the bars in the basket in a single layer with space between them. Most baskets fit 3 or 4 at a time. Air fry at 360°F for 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown and puffed. Start checking at 4 minutes, since stretched bars are thinner than whole biscuits.

Step 4: Make the maple glaze. While the first batch cooks, whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup, maple extract, milk and salt until smooth. It should be thick but still slowly fall off the whisk. Add milk a teaspoon at a time to thin it, or more powdered sugar to thicken it.

Step 5: Dip and set. Let the bars cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Dip the top of each bar into the glaze, let the extra drip off, and set it on a wire rack. The glaze firms up in about 10 minutes.

Tips for the Best Maple Bar Donuts

• Use oil spray, not standard nonstick spray. If the bars stick, use an olive or avocado oil spray. Sprays with soy lecithin can damage nonstick air fryer baskets over time.
• Don’t crowd the basket. Bars that touch steam instead of browning and come out pale.
• Let them cool briefly before glazing. If the bars are too hot, the glaze melts and runs off. If they are cold, it won’t settle into a smooth layer.
• Dip twice for a thicker coat. Let the first layer set for 5 minutes, then dip again for that thick donut-shop finish.
• Taste the butter trick. The butter brush is the same technique I use in my Cinnamon Sugar Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts. It makes a bigger difference than you would expect.

Want Maple Donut Holes Too?

There is no cut-out center with this bar shape, so nothing goes to waste. If you would rather make bite-size treats with part of the can, cut a few biscuits into quarters, roll them into balls and follow my Air Fryer Churro Donut Holes method, then dip them in the maple glaze instead of cinnamon sugar.

Maple Bar Variations

• Maple bacon bars: Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the wet glaze. My Air Fryer Twisted Bacon has a maple-glazed version that chops up perfectly for this.
• Maple pecan: Press chopped toasted pecans into the glaze before it sets.
• Brown butter maple: Brown the butter for brushing, then whisk 1 tablespoon of it into the glaze for a nutty, toffee-like flavor.
• Chocolate bars: Swap the maple glaze for the chocolate glaze from my Air Fryer Chocolate Glazed Donuts.
• Classic glazed: For round donuts with a simple vanilla glaze, see my Air Fryer Glazed Biscuit Donuts.

How to Store and Reheat Maple Bars

• Room temperature: Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Stacking them smears the glaze.
• Freezer: Freeze unglazed bars on a baking sheet, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw, reheat, then glaze.
• Reheating: Warm glazed bars in the air fryer at 300°F for 1 to 2 minutes. A lower temperature keeps the glaze from melting. My guide on how to reheat donuts in the air fryer covers filled and frosted donuts too.

Air Fryer Maple Bar Donuts FAQs

Can I use any brand of refrigerated biscuits? Yes. Pillsbury Grands and store-brand large biscuits both work. Avoid the small regular-size biscuits, which are too thin to stretch into bars.

Can I make maple bars without maple extract? You can, but the maple flavor will be much milder. Use 3 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of 2 and cut the milk back by 1 tablespoon so the glaze isn’t too thin.

Why are my maple bars doughy in the middle? They are too thick or the air fryer was crowded. Press the bars to an even thickness and cook fewer at a time. If they brown before the middle cooks, lower the temperature to 340°F and add a minute.

Can I make these in an air fryer oven? Yes. Use the middle rack and cook 4 bars at a time. Air fryer ovens can run cooler, so you may need an extra minute.

Can I make the glaze ahead of time? Yes. Refrigerate it in a covered container for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature and whisk before dipping.

Are maple bars the same as long johns? They are the same bar-shaped donut. A long john can have chocolate, vanilla or maple icing; a maple bar always has maple.

Made These?

If you make these air fryer maple bar donuts, leave a star rating and a comment below. It helps other readers, and I read every one. Share a photo in our Air Fryer Recipes Facebook group or tag @forktospoon on Instagram.