Apple Fritters are a quick homemade treat perfect for breakfast or dessert! Warm cinnamon and vanilla dough with tart apple chunks fried right inside to golden brown perfection and drizzled with a sweet glaze will get you ready for Fall!
Apple Fritters
We LOVE apple fritters in this house! They are possibly my favorite fall treat ever. Yes, of course you can buy apple fritters at a bakery, but there’s nothing like homemade fritters and they’re actually really easy! There’s nothing like biting into one of these babies when they are still just pillowy soft, warm, and sweet! Dunked in a powdered sugar glaze or drizzled over top, talk about melt in your mouth goodness!
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. That definitely translates to Baked Apples and warm Apple Bread too right?
How do I keep my apple fritters from becoming soggy?
There are a couple key things I do to avoid soggy fritters. First, make sure the oil is HOT before attempting to fry. Depending on your stove it may take a little longer to get the oil hot enough but if you drop a bit of batter in and it sizzles and begins to turn golden right away then it is ready. Second, only do the fritters in batches. Do not overload the pot to ensure each fritter actually fries to a nice crisp. These are the main problems you’ll run into when coming out with soggy fritters: oil isn’t hot enough and you’re cooking too many at once. It’s also helpful to have a wire rack or baking sheet with 2 layers of paper towels at the ready to absorb the excess oil and cool quick enough to enjoy asap!
How To Make Apple Fritters
For the Fritters:
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, white and brown sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until combined.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the beaten eggs with the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- Combine. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter! Gently fold in the chopped apples.
- Heat. Using a large pot or a dutch oven, heat a few inches of oil over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. It should reach about 350°F (you can add a drop of batter to the oil, if it sizzles it’s ready) for optimal frying.
- Fry. Drop the batter by ¼ cup per fritter into the oil. Only cook 2 – 3 at a time depending on how big your pot is. Cook each fritter for about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the cooked fritters to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve. Allow the fritters to cool just enough to handle. Drizzle the glaze over them or dunk them right in and enjoy!
For the Glaze:
- Whisk. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until fully combined and at your desired thickness.
- Drizzle. Use the glaze as a drizzle over the apple fritters or dunk them individually in the glaze upon serving.
Storing Apple Fritters
Apple fritters are the absolute best when freshly fried. However, you can store the leftovers once they’ve cooled in an airtight container. If you keep them on the counter, they’ll stay fresh for about 2 days, or up to a week when stored in the refrigerator.
Ingredients Notes for Apple Fritters
For the Fritters:
- Flour – Be sure to sift your flour to avoid clumps.
- Sugar – You’ll need BOTH brown sugar and white granulated sugar for the fritters.
- Baking Powder – Make sure it’s not expired or it won’t be potent enough to work.
- Milk – I’ve found that whole milk typically works best when baking, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted can be used so long as it is melted completely before mixing.
- Vanilla – I always prefer using pure vanilla extract (not imitation) when possible.
- Apples – I like to use honeycrisp or granny smith for this recipe. A tart apple balances the sweetness of the dough. Peel and dice into small chunks.
- Oil – Vegetable or canola oil is best for frying. Don’t worry about super precise measuring, as long as the oil is about 1 ½ – 2 inches deep you’re golden (literally)!
For the Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar – This will be the base of your glaze. The powdered element will keep your glaze nice and smooth.
- Milk – You can use more or less milk depending on how thick or thin you want your glaze.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Apple Fritters
Ingredients
FOR THE FRITTERS:
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg OPTIONAL
- 2 Large Eggs Beaten
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 3 Tablespoons Butter Melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith Apples Peeled and Diced
- Vegetable or Canola Oil for frying
FOR THE GLAZE:
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Pinch Salt
- Pinch Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
APPLE FRITTERS:
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the beaten egg with the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined, do not over mix. Then, fold in the chopped apples.
- Heat a few inches (about 2-3 Cups) of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until about 350 degrees.
- Drop the batter by 1/4 Cup per fritter into the oil, cooking only two fritters at a time. Cook each fritter for about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the cooked fritters to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining batter.
- Allow the fritters to cool for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Then, dunk in the glaze or drizzle over as desired.
GLAZE:
- Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Nicole
I am Marie Ballard. You have so many delicious recipes here. I do lots of baking for the holidays and found a few recipes I am going to try Banana bread and apple fritters are the best of all. I will let you know how things went when I do the baking for Thanks Giving and Christmas.
Thanks, Marie! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Can this recipe be cut in half?
I’ve read this four times if I made this as directed I would get fritters with brown diced apples on the side? I’m going to assume you add the diced apples to the combined mixture and fry as directed ?.
Hi! I’ve had someone else email me and say they aren’t seeing this also. I’m not sure what the issue could be, because I definitely see it! STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined, do not over mix. Then, fold in the chopped apples.
Hello, and thank you for all of the wonderful work you have put into this blog. It really shows and is exemplary. It helps many families, like mine, by making things just a little bit better, with reliable and delicious recipes (we love your instant pot spaghetti!). Regarding the question of a commenter above about when to add the apples——my guess is that both commenters were replying on merely having viewed your preamble to the recipe, “what are apple fritters made of,” where the inclusion of the apples is, in fact, in the picture associated to Step 3, but not written there. As you have mentioned, if one does a simple check and follows the recipe card (I always read both!), then they will notice that you have certainly mentioned this in your Step 3 there, which would have eliminated their question. LOL, as a professor, there is a shared understanding of hoping everyone reads all of the material! Just thought this clarification might be of assistance. Have a wonderful day, and thank you for making such a lovely corner on the web.
Wonderful!!!