Soft vanilla bread, a creamy Nutella centre, and a dusting of icing sugar, these Air Fryer Nutella Buns are a delicious little treat for breakfast or afternoon tea!

I enjoy making bread at home, and this recipe is another way to put your air fryer to work. The buns bake in a small batch, developing golden brown tops while staying soft and fluffy inside.

For these buns, you can either pipe the Nutella in after baking or to spoon it in. Both method works depending on the aesthetics you’re going for, and you can also adjust the amount of Nutella to your liking!

Why You’ll Love these Air Fryer Nutella Buns

  • Soft vanilla bread: A lightly sweetened dough that paris beautifully with the chocolate hazelnut filling
  • A manageable small batch: This recipe makes six buns, perfect for sharing
  • An easy filling method: Pipe the Nutella into the baked buns using a piping bag or a sturdy food-safe ziploc bag. You can also spoon it at the centre before airfrying or baking!
  • Aesthetically pleasing: Golden brown exteriors with a dusting of icing sugar!

Tips for Success

  1. Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test
    After incorporating the butter, continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Gently stretch a small piece, it should form a thin, mostly translucent membrane without tearing immediately.If the dough keeps springing back despite quite a bit of knieading (very rarely happens), cover and rest it for 5 minutes before testing again.
  2. Give the buns enough time to proof
    After shaping, the buns should become noticeably puffy and fel light. When gently pressed with a lightly floured finger, the indentation should spring back slowly.Proofing time vary with room temperature, so use the appearance and the feel of the dough as your guide.
  3. Watch the tops closely
    Air fryers can brown bread very quickly! Start checking these buns early. However, golden tops alone do not mean the centres are ready. If the buns brown before they are cooked through, reduce the temperature and continue baking in short intervals.

Without further ado, the recipe. And yes, this can be baked using an oven too!

Air Fryer Nutella Buns Recipe (Soft Vanilla Bread)
by Javier Tan October-14-2026

Make soft air fryer Nutella buns with vanilla dough, creamy chocolate hazelnut filling and a dusting of icing sugar!

Ingredients (Soft Vanilla Bread)

  • Approx 1 and 1/2 Cups + 2 Tbsps or 200g Bread Flour
  • 2 Tbsp or 25g Granulated White Sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 Tsp or 5g of Instant Yeast
  • 1/2 Tsp or 3g of Fine salt
  • 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp + 1 Tsp or 95g of Milk
  • 1 Egg, approx 60g when weighed with shell
  • 1 Tsp or 5ml Vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 and 1/4 Tsp or 20g Unsalted Butter, softened

Ingredients (For Filling and Topping)

  • Approx 1/3 Cup or 150g Nutella (feel free to use more!)
  • Oil, for brushing
  • Icing sugar, for a light dusting, optional

Instructions

  1. Prepare the dough: Combine the bread flour, sugar, instant yeast and salt. Then, add in the milk, egg and vanilla and mix and knead until a rough dough forms.
  2. Continue kneading for 5 – 7 minuts until it passes the windowpane test, whereby when you grab a small pinch of dough, it can stretch without breaking with visible structure (refer to video).
  3. Knead in the butter. Add the softened butter and continue kneading for up to 5 more minutes until smooth.
  4. Cover and proof for an hour or until doubled in size.
  5. Next, press gently to release the excess air and divide the dough into 8 portions of 55g each (or 6 bigger balls of around 65g each). Pinch the edge towards the centre, turn the seam underneath and round into smooth balls. Place on 8cm square parchment paper. If you prefer not to pipe, you can place the nutella the centre before rolling up.
  6. Cover and proof again for 35 minutes, or until light and puffy.
  7. Brush lightly with oil and air fry using bake mode, 160C, 6 – 8 minutes.
  8. Rest for 2 mins before removing the parchment.
  9. Then, cool for another 10 minutes. Create a small opening through the side of each doughnut and pipe in approximately 25g of Nutella.
  10. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and enjoy!

Details

  • Prep time: 30 mins, excluding proofing
  • Proofing time: Approx 1h 35 mins to 2 hours
  • Cook time: 6 – 8 minutes per batch
  • Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
  • Yield: 6 or 8 Nutella Filled Buns

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Serve fresh at room temperature (up to 3 days) or refrigerated up to 5 days. If refrigerated, do microwave or air fry it for a short blast before serving.
  3. Please do not copy and paste the recipe without my permission, but feel free to link back here!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan