Apple Fritters Recipe (with Video!)

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.

5 from 3 votes

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Apple Fritters

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apple dessert, apple fritter, apple recipe, baking, fall baking

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 15 apple fritters

Calories 465 kcal

Author Samantha Merritt

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

1. Combine your apples and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and toss until apples are coated with cinnamon. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Slowly, while whisking, pour melted butter into wet ingredients and whisk until well-combined (mixture may look slightly curdled).
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. While oil is heating, prepare your glaze by whisking together sugar, apple cider (or substitute) and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Apple fritters are best enjoyed warm the same day they are made for best quality.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

*For me this was about 2 apples. I recommend using an apple you enjoy eating; I used Gala apples that are neither too sweet nor too tart (I didn't enjoy Granny Smith apples in this recipe)

**I like to use apple cider because it imparts a subtle, apple-y flavor into the glaze, but if you don't already have any on hand water or milk will work well. If your glaze is still too thick after combining your ingredients, add additional liquid 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time until correct consistency is reached. If you don't feel like making a glaze, these could instead be dusted with powdered sugar or rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Nutrition Facts

Apple Fritters

Amount Per Serving (1 fritter)

Calories 465 Calories from Fat 279

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 31g 48%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Polyunsaturated Fat 9g

Monounsaturated Fat 17g

Cholesterol 30mg 10%

Sodium 199mg 8%

Potassium 83mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 51g 17%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 38g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 3%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 4%

Iron 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.