Have you ever made fried apple fritters before? Don’t be intimidated because this recipe is so simple to make at home, and like my popular donut holes, it require absolutely no yeast or rising!
Apple fritters are somewhat sweet, tender, and fluffy, and are absolutely packed with flavor. Dip them in a 3 ingredient apple cider glaze or roll them in cinnamon/sugar and enjoy!
Recipe includes a simple step-by-step video (at the bottom of the recipe) to walk you through the process of making your own apple fritters.
It’s finally, officially, Fall so I hope you’re prepared for lots of apple and pumpkin recipes (and if not, what do you want to see!? Send me an e-mail or leave me a comment and let me know!). We’re kicking off the season with one of my favorite Fall treats: Apple Fritters.
These apple fritters are made yeast-free with a batter that’s essentially a thicker version of my buttermilk pancake batter. The best part of this is that there are no long, impatient bouts waiting for the dough to rise before you can fry your apple fritters, just mix up the batter, heat up the oil, and go!
Just… go with caution, because hot oil is no joke. Be careful about gently lowering your batter into the oil without creating a splash. I have a burn on my hand because I became a little… overzealous… with my own frying.
What Kind of Apples Should I Use to Make Apple Fritters?
For apple fritters, I recommend using an apple that you enjoy eating. For most people, this is not a Granny Smith — though this is a classic baking apple that’s great for my apple turnovers, I found it to be too tart for apple fritters.
My recommendation is to use an apple that’s not too sweet nor too tart, and I like to use Gala, Fuji, or the ever-popular HoneyCrisp when making apple fritters. They’re also great with Golden Delicious (my apple of choice when making apple butter).
Whichever apple you choose, I recommend tossing the pieces with a bit of cinnamon. A little goes a long way in adding great fall flavor into each bite of your apple fritters.
Can I Store Apple Fritters?
Unfortunately, these apple fritters do not keep very well into the next day. For best taste, I recommend enjoying shortly after making and dipping them, like just as soon as the glaze has set and you can devour them without burning your mouth 😉
Tips for Frying Apple Fritters
- Not all frying oils are created equal. I recommend using vegetable, canola, or peanut oil when frying apple fritters.
- You will need a thermometer to make sure your oil is at the correct temperature. When fitting it to the side of your pan, make sure that the tip of the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan — it should be resting about mid-way through the oil, otherwise you could get an inaccurate reading.
- I recommend frying apple fritters in batches of just 2-3 fritters. Adding the batter will cause the oil temperature to drop, and adding more than 2-3 fritters can make it drop so low that it will take a long time to fry and your apple fritters may be under-baked on the inside. Make sure that your oil temperature comes back to the right temperature range between batches.
- Do a test batch first to get a good idea of when your apple fritters are finished frying. At the correct temperature, they should be fried until golden brown and this should be about 60-75 seconds on each side. However, if your oil is too hot they will fry much faster and could be golden brown on the outside and still raw and gooey on the inside. After frying your test batch, let the fritters sit for about 2-3 minutes (to completely finish cooking) and then cut one in half and take a peek to make sure that the center is fully cooked.
Enjoy!
How to Make Apple Fritters
My video for these Apple Fritters is at the bottom of the recipe! If you enjoy watching my cooking videos, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.
Apple Fritters
Ingredients
- Vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 1 1/2 cups apples* peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4" pieces (215g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
- 2 cups all purpose flour 250g
- 1/3 cup sugar 66g
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 cup milk 235ml
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled several minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar 250g
- 1-2 Tablespoons apple cider, water, or milk**
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine your apples and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and toss until apples are coated with cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- Crack your eggs in a separate bowl and use a whisk to beat until pale yellow and frothy (about 15 seconds). Add milk and vanilla extract and whisk together.
- Slowly, while whisking, pour melted butter into wet ingredients and whisk until well-combined (mixture may look slightly curdled).
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and use a spatula to fold ingredients together until about halfway combined. Add cinnamon coated apple pieces and continue to fold into batter until all ingredients are just combined.
- Set the batter aside and fill a Dutch oven or large saucepan 2-3" deep with oil for frying. Fix a candy thermometer to the edge (make sure it is in the oil but not touching the bottom of the pan) and set your heat to medium-low. Oil will need to reach 360-365F (175-185C) before you can continue.
- While oil is heating, prepare your glaze by whisking together sugar, apple cider (or substitute) and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
- Once oil has reached temperature, use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop (this is my preferred method) to scoop about 3 Tablespoons of batter and *carefully* drop into the oil. Repeat with 2 more scoops of batter and fry each for 60-75 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.
- Use tongs to remove apple fritters to a paper-towel lined plate and allow to cool several minutes before dipping in glaze and transferring to a cooling rack to allow glaze to set. Be sure to allow the oil to return to the correct temperature before frying more fritters.
- Apple fritters are best enjoyed warm the same day they are made for best quality.
AJ says
Mine were way too crispy outside and not done inside. Cooked them at 360, sadly I threw them all away as I couldn’t find a way to cook them through without over cooking the outside. Any tips? If I left them longer the outside is way overdone and really saturated with oil.
Sam says
It definitely 100% sounds like your oven thermometer is incorrect and your oil was actually too hot. What you are describing is exactly what would happen if that was the case. I would calibrate your thermometer or at the very least lower your oil temperature according to what your thermometer suggests.
Belinda New says
Could the size have played into it?
Sam says
While it could, it’s more likely the oil temperature here. The fritters would have to be significantly larger to cause an issue like this. 🙂
Andrea says
This was such a good recipe! Very easy and so delicious!!
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed, Andrea! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Johanna says
Your recipe was the first one I tried (this past April) in making homemade apple fritters; they’re my husband’s favorite treat so I decided to give it a try. They’re amazing, truly. Even sans icing. I keep thinking about trying another recipe… But why bother?! Don’t mess with perfection. I have been giving them away when I make them so we don’t eat them all, any everyone raves. Just made them again (for maybe the 5th time) and halved the recipe, subbing out almond coconut milk for whole milk and they’re just as delicious as ever. Thanks for this little taste of autumn!
Sam says
I am so glad you have enjoyed them so much, Johanna! That is so kind of you to bake them for everyone else too! 🙂
Parv Gupta says
One of the best ever apple fritters recipe i have ever tried. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us.
Liza says
These are amazing. I make this same recipe every fall and whenever my husband is really craving it. What a winner. He’s super picky! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. :*
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Liza! 🙂
Jo says
My husband said these are the best apple fritters he’s ever had – nd the man loves apple fritters. Easy and delicious, THANKS!
Sam says
I am so glad he enjoyed them so much, Jo! 🙂
Amber says
I made these this afternoon, and first of all they are delicious! But I have an issue with the consistency after they’re done. I had the temp right where you said to have it, but the fritters are runny inside. What would you suggest I change for the next time? And… any ideas on how to cook the inside a bit more at this point so we can enjoy the rest of the batch?
Sam says
Hi Amber! It sounds like they may just need a bit more time to cook. Leave them in the oil a bit longer and they should be fine 🙂
Mike says
I found cooking them at a continue heat of 340 gives the inside more time to cook before crust is to brown. Love the recipe though.
Beth Said says
Can you use Apple juice instead of cider?
Sam says
That should be fine 🙂