Tired of making the same old breakfast? Try these easy apple fritters! All you need are fresh apples and a few pantry staples for a sweet breakfast you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes.
2largeapples(about 1 pound/450g), peeled cored, and diced (Granny Smith apples, Honeycrisp apples)
For the Glaze:
2cupspowdered sugar(240g)
3 to 4tablespoonswhole milk
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
For the Fritters:
Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with vegetable oil 1½ inches deep. Place over medium high heat with a candy or deep fry thermometer attached to the side. Heat the oil to 350°F. Adjust temperature if needed.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and set a wire rack on top of the towels.
While the oil is heating, make the batter. In a large bowl whisk together the flour sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Pour into the dry mixture. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together until just a few streaks of flour remain.
Add the apples and mix together so all the apples are coated and the flour is incorporated.
Once the oil is to temperature, scoop by the batter by about ¼ cup per fritter into the hot oil. I suggest frying about 4 to 6 fritters at a time.
Fry until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue frying until golden brown on the other side, about 2 more minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer fritters to the wire rack and continue frying until better is all used up.
For the Glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. You want a thin glaze, so add more milk if needed. Either dip the fritters in the glaze and allow to set on a wire rack or use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the hot fritters. Let the fritter sit for 10 minutes to allow the glaze to set before serving.
Video
Notes
Dice the apples so they are fairly small. Having smaller pieces of apple will ensure they soften nicely when fried.
Use different spices. Cinnamon is the obvious choice, but I also love the combination of apples and nutmeg! (For an explosion of flavor, use a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg rather than the pre-ground kind.) Ground ginger, cardamom, or a spice blend like apple or pumpkin pie spice are all great additions.
Use a candy thermometer or deep fry thermometer. They’re inexpensive tools that tell you exactly how hot the oil is, instead of you having to guess. Keep the oil temperature at 350°F. The oil will cool down a bit when you add the batter, so you will need to increase the heat of the stovetop to bring it back up to temperature. Don't hesitate to continue adjusting your heat as you fry to maintain as close to 350°F as possible.
Try to have the fritters a similar size. Use a measuring cup or scoop so each one is ¼ cup. They’ll cook at an equal pace and be roughly the same size. I like using a large springloaded scoop or ice cream scoop that's about 2 ounces.
For a little extra zing, add lemon juice. Toss the diced apples with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice before adding to the batter. Lemon juice adds just a little something extra, while also waking up the apples a bit. You can also use lemon juice instead of milk in the glaze! I find lemon juice balances the sweetness wonderfully.
Skip the glaze. If you’re looking for more crunch, swap the glaze for cinnamon sugar. Simply mix 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Let the fritters drain on the wire rack for a minute or so, then toss in the cinnamon sugar.