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. For another delicious breakfast recipe, try my easy cinnamon rolls!
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 apple 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 apple 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 apple 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 fritters 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.
