Apple Fritters
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Chewy, crunchy, apple-filled and delightful, these homemade apple fritters are fantastic for breakfast, after-school, or any time you want to serve your family a special treat.
Just in time for the farmer's market apple picking trip, turn your extra apples into a breakfast your family will talk about for months to come - freshly made apple fritters.
If you're looking for more fried recipes, I do have these delicious banana fritters that taste like a mix of donut and banana bread and my favorite fried recipe - these cake donuts!
Ingredients for Apple Fritters
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
- Light Brown Sugar. Dark brown sugar works just as well.
- Ground Nutmeg. If you aren't a fan of nutmeg, you can skip this spice.
- Sweetened Applesauce. This increases the apple flavor and improves the texture of the dough at the same time.
- Whole Milk. Whole milk contains more fat and improves the texture of the dough.
- Apples. You can use any type of apple that works well for baking. Granny Smith, MacIntosh, and Honey Crisp are all excellent choices.
- Vegetable Oil. Use a neutral oil for frying up the fritters. Do not use olive oil.
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Substitutions and Variations
- You can substitute the nutmeg in the fritters with apple pie spice.
- In the glaze, you can use water, apple cider, or apple jucie to make the glaze if you prefer.
- Try using pears or peaches instead of apples! These types of fruit should also work and give you a different flavor.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to Make Apple Fritters
First, preheat your oil to 350ºF.
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Step 3: Mix until completely combined.
Step 4: Peel, core and dice your apples. This is a good thing to have a helper do while you are mixing the other ingredients if you have extra hands in the kitchen or kids needing something to do.
Step 5: Fold the apples into the batter using a spatula.
Step 6: Next, scoop ⅓ cup portions of the batter into the hot oil. Flatten each with the back of a metal measuring cup. Allow them to fry on the first side for about three minutes, then flip and let the second side fry for about three minutes. Move the fritters to a cooling rack. Make sure you have paper towels under your cooling rack to catch the dripping grease and later, the dripping glaze. It prevents a huge mess!
Step 7: Mix the glaze ingredients. Add enough milk that the glaze is runny and doesn't break the fritters as you dip them.
Step 8: Dip each apple fritter into the glaze.
Step 9: Place it back on the cooling rack to drip and dry. Enjoy warm with a glass of milk or come back later for cooled fritters, if you prefer.
Tips for the Best Results
Use a thermometer to make sure your oil is the correct temperature and your fritters do not burn. Once the oil reaches 350º-375ºF reduce the heat to prevent the oil from getting too hot.
While glaze is traditional, you can also toss slightly cooled fritters in a bag of powdered sugar for sugar-coated fritters and skip the glaze. A mixture of cinnamon and sugar also works using this method.
Serve hot apple fritters with a scoop of ice cream and it becomes an upscale dessert instantly! From breakfast to dessert in one scoop! You can also drizzle the whole thing with caramel sauce or warmed apple pie filling if you want to add a new level of decadence.
A spider strainer works really well to lift the apple fritters out of the hot oil safely.
A Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot helps the oil hold its temperature.
For a thicker icing layer, dip the fritters a second time after the first layer has set up.
How to Store/Freeze
You can store these fried apple fritters in an airtight container or sealed plastic storage bag at room temperature for 4 or 5 days.
You can freeze these fritters too! Simply place them in a freezer-quality bag or airtight container in the freezer, where they will keep for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight or in the microwave for about thirty seconds or so.
Recipe FAQ's
I wouldn't recommend trying to bake these apple fritters instead of frying them. The dough is thick but will thin out in the oven as it bakes instead of becoming puffy.
You can however warm them up in the oven to reheat them. I would preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and heat them just until warm, maybe 5 to 8 minutes. That's just a guess, so keep a close eye on them.
If your fritters came out soggy, your oil likely got too cool at some point while your fritters were frying up. This can happen if you add too many fritters in at one time.
A few seconds (maybe ten or so) in your microwave will make the apple fritter perfectly warm and ready for ice cream.
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Apple Fritters
Ingredients
Fritters
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup sweetened applesauce
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large apples peeled, cored, and diced
- vegetable oil for frying
Icing
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Fritters
- In a heavy bottom saucepan or skillet, add 1 ½ inches of vegetable oil. Place over medium heat ad allow it to come up to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until incorporated.
- Add the applesauce, milk, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Whisk until a smooth batter forms.
- Fold in the diced apples until evenly distributed in the batter.
- Once the oil between 350 degrees F and 375 degrees F reduce the heat to medium low to maintain the temperature.
- Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop the batter and add it to the hot oil. Be sure not to get splattered.
- Gently flatten the fritter batter against the the bottom of the saucepan/skillet and let cook for 1 to 3 minutes on one side, flip and cook another 1 to 3 minutes on the other side until they are a golden brown color.
- Using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, remove the fritters from the oil and allow to cool on a paper towel lined cooling rack.
Icing
- In a medium bowl, add in the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk until the icing is smooth.
- Dip the fritters in the icing, place on a cooling rack to let the icing set. For a thicker icing layer, dip the fritters a second time after the first layer has set up. Place on a cooling rack to allow the excess drip off.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
I don’t have a thermometer so I put a thin layer of melted coconut oil on bottom of cookie sheet and popped in oven to heat to 350. Then I dropped the spoonfuls into the oil and “baked” these. I also flipped half but afterwards see that it isn’t needed, unless you require Christ brown on both sides. Mine look more like a fritter cookie!
I made a second batch...
This recipe was posted on tumblr and even though I'm not much of a cook or a baker or anything, I thought I'd try it out because I figured-- "looks easy enough, and it's fried in oil so it's perfect for Hanukkah!" I had some family over for the holiday today so I made some with the help of my brother and my cousin. They were a huge hit, and I'll definitely be making them again. Maybe they'll become as much of a Hanukkah staple as my mom's latkes! Thank you so much for posting this wonderful recipe; very delicious and fun to make.
I think I am almost drooling. And I am not just saying that, I feel myself starting to salivate just reading about this post and the recipe.
I'm going to make some this weekend. I pinned this, and liked this, and want to marry this recipe.
Thank you, Kate! By all means, marry away! lol Let me know how it turns out for you!
This looks so good. Like you, I like my edges nice and crispy! that's the best part!
Thank you! Crispy edges rock. <3 😀
I am a sucker for apple fritters. I've never tried making my own before and can't wait to try 🙂
You have to give them a try! They're tasty! 😀