I love a crunchy apple fritter. It’s SO much easier to make than a donut since there’s no yeast, no rising, no waiting. Just mix it up, fry, and enjoy! My fritters have a touch of lemon inside and in the glaze to wake the flavors up but you can also roll in cinnamon sugar if that’s your jam.
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Apples: Use your favorite eating apples for this recipe I like Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith, but my favorite is HoneyCrisp.
Vegetable oil: You can use whichever oil/fat you prefer to deep fry with.
Confectioners’ Sugar: This is for the glaze. If you like rolling the fritters in cinnamon sugar then it is not needed.
How to make Apple Fritters
1. Add the oil to a Dutch oven fitted with a thermometer and set over medium-high heat. Peel 3 large apples and cut the flesh from core. Cut into half inch pieces and toss in lemon juice. Keep an eye on the oil while prepping the batter. It should be around 350F when you start frying.
2. In a large bowl add the dry ingredients including sugar then whisk to combine and set aside.
3. Mix the eggs, vanilla, and milk well in a medium bowl.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and use a spatula to fold together until almost combined. Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine.
5. Dump the apples in and mix until apples are covered.
6. Use an ice cream scooper, or a large spoon to scoop up the apple-laden batter and transfer to the hot oil. I like to fry about six at a time. Keep an eye on the oil temperature and the color of the fritters.
7. Mix the glaze up while your fritters fry or make the glaze first and have it at the ready. If the glaze is made ahead of time just cover it because it might dry out and form a skin. I have lemon juice in my glaze because I think apples and lemons are a match made in heaven but you can use all water for less zing.
8. Spoon the glaze over the fritters or dip them in for maximum sweetness. You can wait for the glaze to set or enjoy as soon as they’re cool enough to touch.
Pro Tips for This Recipe
- You really want to stuff the batter with lots of apples. The bowl should look like apples held together with a bit of runny batter. If there’s too much dough then you end up with a muffin-like ball which is still tasty but has less of the crunchy nooks and tendrils that make a fritter so delicious.
- The darker the fritters the crisper the they’ll be. Less time frying means the steam from inside the fritters will seep out and soften them.
- If you like nutmeg then go for freshly grated. I use my microplane to grate it and the taste is so much more vibrant.
- Let your fritters rest on a wire rack after a minute on the paper. This will help keep them crisp.
- You can ALSO roll the still warm fritters in cinnamon sugar instead of making the glaze. I enjoy both but the glaze seems to be a crowd favorite. Just mix 1/2 cup of sugar with a tablespoon of cinnamon; roll the fritters around and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
How do you get them really crisp?
The most crisp apple fritters will be fried longer and get a DARK brown color. They might be less photogenic but they are definitely my favorite. Letting your fritters sit out will allow steam from the interior to seep out and soften the crisp skin so if you like a lighter golden color it’s best to enjoy immediately.
What apples are best for apple fritters?
I like to use Gala, Fuji, and HoneyCrisp apples but this recipe is really flexible so if you like a tart apple go ahead and use Granny Smith or whatever else you enjoy.
Can you make them ahead of time?
These fritters are best enjoyed when still warm. If you REALLY fry them to a dark brown color then they will keep their crisp shell for longer but I would still recommend eating them the same day. Fritters that are fried to a lighter golden brown will become softer on the outside more quickly and not be as crisp.
Can you bake them?
Yes but baked fritters won’t crisp up and the super-forgiving recipe becomes less so when hot oil isn’t involved. You might as well just whip up a batch of my caramel apple cupcakes!
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this apple fritter recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Apple Fritters
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 180g
- 3 tbsp sugar 36g
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 2/3 cup milk 180mL
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla 10mL
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 apples about 460g
- 3 tbsp lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
For the Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar 200g
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1 tbsp water plus more if needed
Instructions
- Add about a quart of vegetable oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven. Place over medium high heat with a thermometer attached to the side. The oil needs to be heated to about 350F so keep an eye on the thermometer while you prepare the batter and adjust temperature if needed.
- Peel the apples and cut flesh from core. Chop into roughly half inch pieces. Transfer to a bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them, toss and set aside.
- In a large bowl add the flour sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking powder. Whisk together and set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the eggs, vanilla, and milk. Whisk together well and pour into the dry mixture. Us a spatula to fold the wet into the dry until ALMOST combined.
- Add the cubed apples and mix together so all the apples are coated.
- Pour in the melted butter and mix in.
- Use an ice cream scoop to transfer batched of batter into the oil. I suggest frying about 6 fritters at a time.
- Once the fritters are golden brown on the bottom us a turn them over with thongs or a spider skimmer and fry until golden brown on other side.
- Transfer fritters to a plate lined with a few layers of paper towels and continue frying until better is all used up.
For the Glaze
- Sift the sugar into a medium bowl then add the lemon juice and water. Whisk together until completely incorporated and add more water if needed. You want a thin consistency for the fritters.
- Either dip the fritters in the glaze and allow to set on a wire rack or use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over them.
Video
Notes
- You really want to stuff the batter with lots of apples. The bowl should look like apples held together with a bit of runny batter. If there's too much dough you ent up with a muffin-like ball which is still tasty but has less of the crunchy nooks and tendrils that make a fritter so delicious.
- The darker the fritters the crisper the they'll be. less time frying means the steam from inside the fritters will seep out and soften them.
- If you like nutmeg then go for freshly grated. I use my microplane to grate it and the taste is so much more vibrant.
- Let your fritters rest on a wire rack after a minute on the paper. This will help keep them crisp.
These were delicious and very easy to make.
One of my favourite donuts in the donut shop… these are super delicious, and super easy to make! Will definitely be making again. Also enjoyed watching the video before making, was a great help.
1 added 1 whole egg and 3 whites (not whipped) they were super fluffy!!!! I absolutely adore this recipe! These were my favorite donut growing up but all the local places have stopped adding real apples! Problem solved! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! My family loves it 🙂
I made these a couple of weeks ago, and my husband and kids are HUGE fans. Baking has always been one of my favorite things to do, but unfortunately no one ever showed me how to and I’ve been teaching myself from watching you and a few others. You truly are an inspiration to me. I hope to one day have my own bakery or at least have my own youtube channel 🙂 Thank you so much!!!!
I was looking for something to do with the remaining apples from our apple adventure with the grand kids. I wanted a recipe made with the common ingredients in the pantry and something that a 4 and 6 year could help measure and mix. I came across the youtube video and decided to try the fritters. This recipe is PERFECT! My little helpers were very excited and could hardly stay away from the stove as the fritters fried. The lemon glaze added just the right amount of tartness to the fritters. I am delighted I stumbled across your Youtube channel.
Hi Pamela! Thanks so much for the kind words, I’m very happy you liked the recipe and yay for cooking with the grandkids!!
? Bravo! I saw the YouTube video for this recipe a few times. Me and the fiancé decided to try it out. It was so simple to follow the instructions, which for a stay at home mom is a big deal. ? I tasted it without the glaze, definitely needed something. I was worried the glaze would make it so sweet that it would be unbearable – ?♂️ no, no it didn’t. It was SPECTACULAR!! It was “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!” type of feeling. I experienced a similar reaction to some of favorite characters on Food wars (If you don’t know it, check it out it’s an Anime) I, my fiancé, my neighbor, my little one, and my taste buds thank you for the amazing deliciousness that is this recipe. Everyone should only be making it this way. You are truly amazing. We are huge fans of your videos but now we are mega fans. Keep doing your thing!
I’m grinning ear to ear from that comment and am SO happy the recipes was enjoyed. I ate a TON of these when I was recipe testing and have fond memories of it! Happy Baking!
Hello, we have milk allergies do you think almond or coconut milk would substitute well? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try them!!
I love coconut milk and it should work well!!
Thanks!!
Delicious! So quick and easy to make, and my husband said they were so good it was “shocking”. Now I want to try some other kinds… Please post more donut-y recipes! Thank you!
Super easy and super delicious fall dessert!!! The recipe doesn’t say where to add the vanilla extract into the fritter batter though, so I just added it to the milk and eggs before whisking.
Thanks and good catch! Editing now. 🙂
I love all of your recipes but I do not see a print version available.
Hello, I requested this on IG but something told me this might be on your vlog. So glad I found it! This is my favorite pastry.
Love your work you are inspiring. God Bless.
-G. Brown