Buñuelos de viento means something like “fritters of the wind”, and the name fits: the little balls of choux pastry puff up in the heat and turn hollow and light as air. In Spain they are traditionally deep-fried and eaten especially around All Saints’ Day on 1 November. Spanish buñuelos in the air fryer turn out just as airy, and you avoid the pot of hot oil altogether.
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The dough is the same one you know from choux buns: water, butter, flour and eggs. Once the balls have been baked golden at 180 °C, they are brushed with melted butter and rolled in sugar while they are still hot. Serve them warm with a cup of thick, hot chocolate for dipping.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love Spanish buñuelos in the air fryer
The best thing about buñuelos is the contrast: a thin, crisp shell on the outside and almost nothing but air inside. It is the steam from the dough that puffs the balls up, so there is no need for baking powder or yeast. The flavour is mild and buttery with a hint of lemon zest, and the sugar gives a nice crunch. Buñuelos are a sweet pastry and should not be confused with French gougères, which are baked from the same kind of dough, but with cheese.
The difference between the air fryer and deep-frying
When deep-fried, buñuelos cook in oil and soak up a good deal of the fat. In the air fryer they are baked by hot air, and the result is more like a small choux bun: drier, lighter and with a thin, crisp shell. The fat only comes in at the end, when the hot balls are brushed with a thin layer of melted butter. It adds flavour and makes the sugar stick.
My kitchen test of Spanish buñuelos
I tested the recipe in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below the basket. That is an advantage here, because buñuelos must neither be shaken nor turned during cooking. At 180 °C each batch got 14 minutes with the basket closed, and the balls came out golden brown, light and hollow. The dough makes about 20 small buñuelos, and with 3-4 cm between the mounds it took two batches.
Allow about 55 minutes in total: 27 minutes of preparation and 28 minutes in the air fryer, spread over the two batches. The most important thing I learned is that the dough must be glossy and firm enough that a peak holds its shape. Otherwise the balls spread out in the basket.
Keep the basket closed for all 14 minutes. Buñuelos rise only on the steam in the dough, and if the heat escapes too early, they collapse.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is a dough that is too wet. If it is not cooked dry in the saucepan, the mounds spread out and do not puff up. So stir the dough over the heat until it comes away from the sides and leaves a thin film on the bottom, and stir in the last egg a little at a time if the eggs are large. The second mistake is looking too early: if you open the basket before the shell has set, the balls collapse. Wait until the 14 minutes are up, and it is better to give them 1-2 minutes more if they are still pale or soft. The third mistake is placing the mounds too close together. They grow a lot, so keep 3-4 cm between them, and it is better to bake an extra batch if your air fryer is smaller than 5-6 litres.
How to serve Spanish buñuelos
Buñuelos taste best warm, straight after they have been rolled in sugar, with the afternoon coffee or as the finish to a tapas night. Here are my suggestions for serving and variations:
- Thick, hot chocolate for dipping – you will find the method in the recipe notes
- Cinnamon sugar: mix 1 tsp ground cinnamon into the sugar before you roll them
- Orange zest in the dough instead of lemon zest
- Vanilla custard or whipped cream filled through a small hole in the bottom once the balls have cooled
Storage and reheating
Buñuelos are best on the same day, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. Reheat them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 2-3 minutes until they are crisp again. If you want to bake for the freezer, freeze them without butter and sugar. They will then keep for up to 2 months and can be warmed straight from frozen at 160 °C for 4-5 minutes before they are brushed and rolled in sugar.
Spanish buñuelos in the air fryer show that choux pastry is not difficult, as long as the dough is cooked dry and the basket is left closed. Bake a batch for All Saints’ Day or on a grey Sunday afternoon, and put hot chocolate on the table.
FAQ
Buñuelos de viento are small Spanish balls of choux pastry that are traditionally deep-fried and rolled in sugar. They puff up and turn hollow inside, and in Spain they are eaten especially around All Saints’ Day on 1 November.
They typically collapse because the basket was opened before the shell had set, or because they were given too little time. Keep the basket closed for 14 minutes at 180 °C, and give them 1-2 minutes more if they are still pale or soft.
Yes, the dough is placed directly on the baking paper. Cut it slightly smaller than the bottom of the basket, and only put it in once the air fryer is preheated and the dough goes on straight away. Loose baking paper can get sucked up against the heating element.
Recipe
Spanish buñuelos in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring cup
- 1 Fine grater
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 2 Spoon - Teaspoons for shaping the dough
- 2 Parchment paper (for air fryer) - Cut slightly smaller than the bottom of the basket
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Brush
- 1 Deep plate
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Put 125 ml water, 50 g butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1 pinch salt in a saucepan. Heat over a medium heat until the butter has melted and the liquid has just come to the boil.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and tip in 75 g plain flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together into a smooth ball.
- Put the saucepan back on the heat and stir the dough over a medium heat for 2 minutes, until it comes away from the sides and leaves a thin film on the bottom. The dough needs to be cooked dry, otherwise it will spread out in the basket and will not puff up.
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl, spread it out a little and leave it to cool for 5 minutes so the eggs do not set when they are stirred in.
- Beat 2 pcs eggs into the dough one at a time, mixing vigorously after each egg until the dough is smooth again. Finally, stir in 1 tsp lemon zest. The dough is ready when it is glossy and firm enough that a peak holds its shape.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C fan.
- Pull out the hot basket and lay a piece of baking paper in the bottom. Using two teaspoons, spoon half of the dough directly onto the paper in about 10 walnut-sized mounds, leaving 3-4 cm between them. Smooth any peaks with a wet finger.
- Bake the buñuelos at 180 °C for 14 minutes. Do not open the basket during baking, and do not shake or turn them. If the heat escapes before the shell has set, they will collapse.
- Melt 25 g butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in the rinsed saucepan while the buñuelos bake. Tip 50 g sugar onto a deep plate.
- Check them when the 14 minutes are up: they should be golden brown, feel light and be firm when you press them lightly. If they are still pale or soft, bake them for 1-2 minutes more at 180 °C.
Brushing and sugar coating
- Lift the baking paper with the finished buñuelos out of the basket and brush them all over with a thin layer of the melted butter while they are still warm.
- Roll them straight away in the sugar so it sticks to the butter.
- Lay a fresh piece of baking paper in the basket and bake the rest of the dough in the same way at 180 °C for 14 minutes. Brush these with butter too and roll them in sugar while they are warm.
Serving
- Serve the buñuelos warm with a cup of hot chocolate for dipping.
Our notes for the recipe
Cook the dough until completely dry before the eggs are stirred in: it should come away from the saucepan and leave a thin film on the bottom. If the eggs are large, stir in the last bit a little at a time, because the dough must not become so soft that the mounds spread out. Cut the baking paper slightly smaller than the bottom of the basket so the hot air can get past along the edge, and only put it in once the air fryer is preheated and the dough goes in straight away. Loose baking paper can get sucked up against the heating element. Keep the basket closed:
Buñuelos rise only on the steam in the dough. If you open the basket before the shell has set, they collapse and do not turn hollow. So wait to look until the 14 minutes are up, and give them 1-2 minutes more rather than too little: they should be dry and light. Variation:
Mix 1 tsp ground cinnamon into the sugar, or use orange zest instead of lemon zest in the dough. For a party, the cooled buñuelos can be filled with vanilla custard or whipped cream through a small hole in the bottom. Serving:
In Spain, buñuelos de viento are eaten especially around All Saints’ Day on 1 November, often with a cup of thick hot chocolate that the sweet balls are dipped into. You get the Spanish consistency by melting 100 g dark chocolate in 4 dl hot milk, thickening with 2 tsp cornflour mixed with a little cold milk and letting it simmer for a few minutes until the chocolate is thick. Portion size:
The recipe makes about 20 small buñuelos, that is 5 per portion, and they are baked in two batches in an air fryer of 5-6 litres. If your air fryer is smaller, bake them in three batches instead of placing them closer together.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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