Warm Apple Fritters are a treat during apple season and they are ready in just 30 minutes. The batter has a secret ingredient the produces a fluffy coating that’s crisp on the outside and soft inside. Imagine Glazed Donuts stuffed with an apple ring.
My kids love homemade apple fritters and there are never any leftovers. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make apple fritter rings at home.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
We love apple recipes from classic Apple Pie to flaky Apple Turnovers. If you are a fan of apple desserts, this Apple Fritter Recipe is a must-try!
Apple Fritters Video Tutorial
If you liked this video for Apple Fritters, please subscribe to our Youtube Channel (P.S. Click the BELL icon so you can be the first to know when we post a new video). Thanks for subscribing!
What are Apple Fritters?
Apple fritters are essentially apple donuts; apples dipped in a simple batter and deep-fried in oil. 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. We love to fry them as Apple Fritter Rings because they look like donuts – super cute, easier to eat, and they are less likely to fall apart in the oil.
Ingredients for Apple Fritters
- Apples – select crisp, sweet-tart apples such as golden delicious, Granny Smith, honey crisp.
- 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
- Oil – any high heat frying oil such as canola, vegetable oil, or peanut oil.
The Best Apple Peeler
If you love apple recipes, we highly recommend using an apple peeler. It will save you a ton of time and effort. It peels, cores, and slices your apples into perfect 1/4″-thick rings and there is no waste. We love this tool for Apple Pie, Apple Crisp, and it makes Apple Sauce super fast to prepare.
How to Make the Batter
- 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 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
- 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 bowl and toss with 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice.
- Dip apple rings into 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 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.
Common Questions
You can use an inexpensive clip-on thermometer or get a versatile thermometer like Thermoworks brand which can be used for the oven, grill, and pretty much any project.
Fry for about 2 minutes per side. The fritters should be a deep golden brown to ensure a crisp exterior. If they are browning too quickly, reduce the heat and vice versa.
Yes, you can definitely use a deep fryer with the same temperature settings and timings.
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.
How to Serve Apple Fritters
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 mixture to coat both sides.
- Powdered sugar – dust warm fritters with powdered sugar just before serving.
- Glazed – drizzle with the lemon glaze that we used on our Blueberry Muffins.
Apple fritters are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Make this a new tradition to create beautiful food memories with your loved ones.
More Fall Desserts
If you enjoy Fall baking, we have you covered. Here are our best pumpkin, apple, and more recipes that highlight the best of Autumn.
Apple Fritters 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 apples, 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 into 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 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
Note on Nutrition Information: nutrition label is for 1 fritter and is an estimate only as it is difficult to get an exact amount of oil absorbed. Nutrition is calculated before any toppings or coatings are added.
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.