Warm Apple Fritter Rings are one of my favorite treats during apple season. These are so easy to make at home and they are ready to eat in just 30 minutes. The fritter is perfectly crunchy on the outside and sweet inside. Can you guess the secret ingredient that gives them a perfectly fluffy and crisp coating?
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We love apple recipes from classic Apple Pie to flaky Apple Turnovers, so if you are also a fan of apple desserts, this Apple Fritter Ring Recipe is a must-try! My kids love homemade apple fritter rings so there are never any leftovers. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make apple fritter rings at home.
What are Apple Fritter Rings?
Apple fritters are essentially apple donuts; apples dipped in a simple batter and deep-fried in oil. Imagine Glazed Donuts stuffed with an apple ring. We love to fry them as Apple Fritter Rings because they look like apple fritter donuts – super cute, easier to eat, and they are less likely to fall apart in the oil.
Of course, if you prefer, you can chop up apples into small pieces and spoon mounds of apple fritter batter into the oil to make clusters of apple fritters. Either way, this recipe is such a treat!
Apple Fritter Rings Video Tutorial
Our Apple fritter ring recipe is so easy and quick to make. See how Natasha creates these delicious treats at home.
Ingredients for Apple Fritter Rings
You’ll need just a few pantry staples to make these delicious apple fritter rings, and the recipe is flexible enough to use what you have on hand.
- Apples – select crisp, sweet-tart apples such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, or Honeycrisp apples. Fuji or Gala would work as well. We use Granny Smith Apples in this tutorial.
- Lemon juice – squeezed over the apples to prevent browning
- Flour – all-purpose flour works great
- Sugar – lightly sweetens the batter
- Baking powder – makes the batter rise
- Salt – balances the sweetness of the fritters
- Milk – any fat content; from 1% to whole milk
- Butter – creates a tender dough
- Egg – use 1 egg yolk then fold in 2 beaten egg whites to make the batter extra fluffy–This is our secret ingredient to get the fluffy, crispy breading.
- Oil – any high-heat frying oil such as canola, vegetable oil, or peanut oil.
You need this Apple Peeler!
If you love apple recipes, we highly recommend using an apple peeler because it will save you a ton of time and effort. It peels, cores, and slices your apples into perfect 1/4″-thick rings, so there is no waste. We love this tool for Apple Pie and Apple Crisp, and it makes Apple Sauce super fast to prepare.
How to Make the Apple Fritter Batter
This apple fritter batter makes for the most fluffy and crunchy breading. It’s so easy to whip the egg white, but it makes all the difference.
- Whisk dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet ingredients – in a second bowl, whisk milk, 1 yolk, and melted butter.
- Combine – add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and then whisk together until smooth.
- Beat egg whites – beat 2 whites until stiff peaks form, but the mixture is not overly dry.
- Fold egg whites into the batter using a spatula just until combined.
How to Make Apple Fritter Rings
This recipe is so quick to make, so we use our large Dutch oven, but you can also use a deep fryer with the same temperature settings and timings.
- Pour 2-3 inches of oil into a pot over medium/high heat until it reaches 375˚ F.
- Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4″ thick rings (use an apple peeler to save time). Transfer to a mixing bowl and toss with 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.
- Dip apple rings into the batter, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Fry about 5 fritters at a time for 2 minutes per side until browned, flipping once.
- Remove fritters from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined tray. Roll in cinnamon sugar or dust in powdered sugar to serve.
Pro Tip:
Be sure to keep the oil above 350˚ F while frying so the fritters don’t absorb too much oil. A clip-on pot thermometer helps with maintaining the proper oil temperature and this one can be used for the oven, grill, and pretty much any project. You can also check periodically with an instant-read thermometer.
How to know when my Apple Fritters are done cooking?
Fry for about 2 minutes per side. The apple fritters should be a deep golden brown to ensure a crisp exterior. If they are browning too quickly, reduce the heat, and vice versa.
Can I use an air fryer to make apple fritter rings?
Because the batter is very wet, it doesn’t lend itself well to be air-fried. Apple fritters do reheat and re-crisp really well in an air fryer.
Variations for Apple Fritter Rings
Serve apple fritter rings warm with your favorite toppings or coatings.
- Cinnamon sugar – combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Roll apple fritters in the mixture to coat both sides.
- Powdered sugar – dust warm apple fritters with powdered sugar just before serving.
- Glazed – drizzle with the lemon glaze that we used on our Blueberry Muffins. You can also use the maple glaze from our Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls.
Make-Ahead
Apple fritter rings are best enjoyed right away, but they store well on the counter for 2 days in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
- To Refrigerate: store refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- To Reheat: warm in the air fryer or toaster oven
This apple fritter ring recipe makes melt-in-your-mouth, crispy, fluffy, gooey delicious treats in just 30 minutes. The recipe is easy to make and makes plenty to share, so why not make this a new tradition to create beautiful food memories with your loved ones?
And there is no sweeter scene to me than my daughter enjoying a freshly made apple fritter ring. 😊
More Fall Desserts and Treats
If you enjoy Fall baking, we have you covered. Here are our best pumpkin, apple, and more recipes that highlight the best of Autumn.
- Pumpkin Pie
- Baked Apples
- Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Dutch Apple Pie
Apple Fritter Rings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup milk, 1% or whole milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (unsalted or salted)
- 2 egg whites
- 4 medium apples⅛, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4” rings
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice, juice of 1 medium lemon
- 2 to 3 inches Canola oil , or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a second large bowl, whisk together milk, egg yolk, and melted butter. Gradually add the flour mixture to your wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium/high heat to 375˚F on a thermometer.
- Peel core and slice apples into 1/4”-thick rings and place into a shallow dish. Squeeze lemon juice over apple slices and use your hands to gently toss apple rings to coat with lemon juice (this will prevent browning).
- In a medium bowl, beat 2 egg whites with an electric hand mixer, egg beaters, or a whisk until stiff peaks form, but the whites are not dry. If you over-beat, it will be difficult to blend. Use a spatula to gently fold whites into the batter until fully incorporated.
- Remove apple slices one at a time from the lemon juice, allowing any excess juice to drip back into the bowl then dip both sides of the apple in batter to fully coat, allowing excess batter to drip back into the bowl.
- Fry in hot oil batches in a single layer (5 or 6 at a time to avoid crowding), frying for about 2 minutes per side or until browned, flipping once. Keep oil above 350˚F while frying.
- Remove with a strainer and transfer fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. To serve, dust with powdered sugar or dip both sides in cinnamon sugar.*
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I’m a type2 diabetic and was looking for a healthy ish treat and found your recipeand just let me tell you how the heck do you stop at 1 lol. In all seriousness these are delish even more so with a homemade caramel sauce drizzled on top.
Hi Donna! Right! They are delish. Thank you so much for sharing.
I think I cut my apples a little too thick because the donuts are a little deflated and a little floppy but not soggy. They taste amazing and my family loves them. Will definitely be making them again.
I’m so glad you all still loved them, Erin! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Fried the apples in oil at 360 degrees for about 3mins per side. They came out soggy because the apples still had tons of liquid in them. Tried crisping them up in the air fryer and they were still soggy. Would not recommend wasting apples especially like me who picked them fresh.
Hi Bob, sorry to hear that – there are a fews reasons why that might happen – one is if your apples are overripe and mushy to begin with and also if you cut them too thick and lastly, make sure the oil is heated properly before frying the apple rings. Adding too many apples at a time can drop the temperature and cause the fritters to soak up oil and seem soggy. I hope that helps
Hi Natasha, I was wondering if I could use coconut oil? I’ve made some of your other recipes, and they turned out delicious. Can’t wait to try these. Thanks
Hi Phyllis. Coconut oil has a smoke point of 350–400°F so it’s not the best option but if you have refined coconut oil it generally has a higher smoke point and makes it better for frying.
Would peanut oil work to fry the apple fritter rings?
I have not tested using peanut oil but I think that’s fine due to its high smoking point.
These were delicious! I printed your recipe d ill ip not your cookbook that my husband gave me for Christmas. I have celiac so I altered it to be gluten free. I used GF 1-to-1 flour and increased the whole milk a bit. GF made an extra sticky batter; so after trying to fry slices with the batter falling off, I chopped up the apples (1/2 inch chunks) and dropped by heaping tablespoon. Yum! My “wheat loving” husband said they were great!
Hi Melinda! Thank you for sharing that with us. I’m glad they were still enjoyed.
Just melt in your mouth delicious!!!! my family ate it up instantly!:) def recommend
That is the best when the family loves what we parents make. That’s so great!
These sound delicious! Do you know if they can be cooked in an air fryer?
Hi Robbin, I address that in the recipe. See the section under “Common Questions -“Can I use an air fryer?”
Just made a batch of these with my daughter and they came out excellent. I added a pinch of nutmeg, ginger, and a tablespoon of cinnamon in with the dry. 🤌🏻
That sounds amazing! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
Hi- love all your recipes! Can you make the apple fritters gluten free and dairy free? Can I substitute gluten free flour and soy or almond milk for this recipe?
Hi Cynthia! I have not tested that to advise but please let us know if you experiment with it.
After being disappointed by the claims of “best apple fritters” at all the fall fairs, I decided to try Natasha’s recipe. I can honestly say that I have finally found the one. It’s so nice to have an apple in every single bite, instead of biting into an “apple-flavored” fritter. Natasha, your recipes never disappoint!
That’s wonderful, Elizabeth! This pie has so many great reviews and we love it too! It’s really the best we’ve tried. Thank you for the feedback!
Looks great! Do you think this could made with the apples cut up and all mixed into the dough, then dollops of the dough and apples put into the hot oil to fry?
Hi Judy, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Can they be eaten at room temp…with the cinnamon/sugar on them? If I reheat will the sugar he ok – and how long to reheat? Never made these and excited and nervous!!! Thank you!
Hi Theresa! These are best fresh, but yes, you can eat these at room temperature. They also reheat great in the air fryer, you can reheat them until they re-crisp.
I want to make these but not good for my stomach for fried foods–do you have a recipe where I can bake them instead? If so what temp and how long?
Hi Norma. I would recommend mybaked donut recipe.
But these are yeast donuts. Do you have a recipe for the apple donuts that you can bake?
Hi Josie! I have a recipe for baked donuts HERE, but they are not apple and also contain yeast.
I followed the recipe to a T and they came out of the oil looking just like in the video. As they cooled down, they deflated like a tire with a slow leak. Oil temp. was 375F+-. Any suggestions? They tasted great BTW.
Hi Jim, did you make sure to add the baking powder and make sure your baking powder is not expired?
Yep, added the baking powder. Expiration may be the culprit. There was no date on the container, and I didn’t note it when purchased.The new container has been dated. 🙂
Natasha, can I use baking soda instead of baking powder? what will happen if I use baking soda?
Hi Inna! No, I recommend following the recipe as written.