These Easy Homemade Apple Fritters are packed full of fresh apples, easy to make with simple ingredients, and can be ready in just 30 minutes! They're destined to be a new family favorite!
Here's a super quickie for you all! These Easy Homemade Apple Fritters were are spur of the "I really want some fritters," moment, kind of delicious creation and they were sooo tasty I had to share!
Inspired by a recipe from I Am Baker, over time (and many many delicious fritters later), have adapted it to an apple fritter recipe that we absolutely love.
Recipe Video
Ingredients Needed
- Apples - Honeycrisp are a favorite (mainly because they are just an overall favorite apple) but Granny Smith is also great in this recipe. An apple that's more crisp and tart will work best.
- Lemon Juice - This helps to keep the apples from browning after they've been diced, but also helps highlight the acidity.
- Flour, Baking Soda, and Sugar- You can use all purpose or a gluten free flour or nut flour. We have not made these with whole wheat flour.
- Eggs, Milk, Butter - We usually use 2% milk but you can absolutely use whatever you have. Almond milk works great, too!
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg - Just a pinch of nutmeg adds a great flavor. But you could also use a touch of apple pie spice!
- Ground Ginger - Totally optional but a fun touch! I love the flavor ground ginger brings to sweet treats, I always use it in our homemade granolas.
- Vanilla Extract - Have you made your own, yet?
Then for the glaze, you'll need some confectioner's sugar, too!
Easy to Make
- 1. Step 1: Dice apples, mix dry ingredients and wet in separate bowls.
- 2. Mix into a batter.
- 3. Fry!
Tips for Making Apple Fritters
- Apples: Be sure to dice those apples small. Especially since we pack 'em into these fritters. These are truly apple fritters with a serious emphasis on apples, because in my opinion, there's nothing worse than getting an apple fritter and searching for the apple.
- Frying: Make sure that your oil is hot enough. If you don't have an instant-read thermometer (although if you don't have one, trust me you won't regret buying one) but you can also do the wooden spoon test. See recipe notes.
Oil Temp: You want to bring your oil up to temp, but then make sure that the temp stays there. So once your oil has reached 375 degrees, turn your burner down just a little to ensure that it doesn't get too hot. If your oil is too hot, you'll burn your fritters. But also, if your oil gets too cool, the inside of the fritters won't fully cook. That's where an instant-read thermometer comes in handy!
Fritter Size: We love a slightly larger fritter, which is more of an overflowing 1/4 cup or small 1/3 cup of batter size. If you're not sure if they're done yet, use a sharp knife and insert it into the center of the fritter. If it pulls clean, you're good. But if it doesn't that means it's still doughy and needs to cook longer.
Toppings!: One of the most fun parts! While we love this glaze, we also love a cinnamon and sugar blend, but also to add a fun maple touch, you could coat them with our Maple Sugar Glaze!
Brunch plans? Secured with these Easy Homemade Apple Fritters! Or try one of these other sweet brunch treats!
- Strawberries and Cream Scones
- Sourdough Walnut Cinnamon Rolls
- Butterscotch Snickerdoodle Bread
- Glazed Chocolate Munchkins (Donut Holes)
- German Apple Pancake
- Banana Maple Munchkins
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Easy Homemade Apple Fritters
Ingredients
APPLE FRITTER
- 3-4 cups apples, diced about 2-3 apples, peeled and diced into bite-size pieces (honeycrisp or granny smith)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch nutmeg or apple pie spice!
- pinch ground ginger (optional)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon melted butter cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil for frying
GLAZE
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-5 teaspoons milk or water
Instructions
- Dice your apples, place in a bowl and add lemon juice. This will prevent the apples from browning.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk, vanilla, and cooled melted butter (don't add it hot, you'll cook your eggs!) Whisk together with a fork until it is all combined.
- In another medium sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ground ginger.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well until a loose dough is formed. Fold in the apples.
- Fill a frying pan or sauce pan with about 3-4 cups of oil or so that you have about 3-4 inches of oil in your pan. Heat oil over medium heat until the oil reaches 375°F with a candy thermometer or an instant read thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, use the wooden spoon test (see notes).
- Use a measuring cup to drop batter into oil, 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup. Fry until the outside is golden brown. Flip and fry other side until golden brown, for a total of about 4-5 minutes. You'll know they're done if you insert a small knife into the center and it comes clean. If not, fry a little longer so that the center is fully cooked. This time will depend on the size of your fritter.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined cooling rack and let cool. Repeat with all the batter.
GLAZE
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of milk (or water). Add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have the consistency you want. Think thick by drizzly.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled fritters and let dry.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted From I Am Baker.
Going to make these right now! I'd like to ask that you please include Pasture produced Lard as a far healthier/better althernative to "vegetable" oil. Thanks!
Instead of fresh apples could i use canned pie filling apples ??? I have a can left over that i was gonna make a pie with.
Hmm, I haven't tried it with that so I can't answer for sure, but I think it may work if you just use the apples and not the rest of the mixture.
Hey Tracy,
Thank you very much for this wonderful fritters recipe. Turned out great, little one loved it a lot. definitely going to make it again. 🙂
Delicious I made them last week and making them again
So glad you enjoyed them, Angella!
Family loved these. Fluffy and delicious. Made a triple batch and had friends and family come pick some up for breakfast to go.
Love this recipe. Quick, easy, fluffy
Just made these. So easy. Scrumptious. Family loved them. Only additional comment is don’t glaze if ur not going to eat them right away! Family looooved them!
Great point! Thanks so much for sharing and glad you enjoyed it!
I was just about to make these but I am gluten free... so I was wondering if i5 would still work if I used gluten free flour?
Absolutely!!
Big disappointment! Others had issues with batter being too runny, but mine turned out so thick I had to had milk...twice....still doughy...we won’t be making this again...
Bev,
It is a shame that you had issues with this recipe. I almost did not give it a try because of what you wrote. BUT, I did and they turned out delicious! I did use a 1/4 cup of batter to add to my oil and they turned out fluffy and crisp. I hope you will give this another try!
Jennifer, you're so sweet!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Just made these delicious Fritters...First time so so so GOOD. THANK YOU!!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed them!
My hubby has celiac so we are gluten free. I used 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour and 1/4 teaspoon zantham gum in stead of regular flour. All other ingredients and instructions the same and they came out AMAZING!!!
Hi there this recipe is so good. Do you know any ways to get the batter less runny. Maybe to hold form a little better?? I know it would change the recipe but wasn’t sure if you’ve ever tried anything. I’m trying to do them in an actual deep fryer and they’re falling apart on the screens.
Hi! Hmmm I haven’t tried it with an air fryer yet but the ways to get a thicker batter would be to add more flour. Try maybe a 1/2 cup more, that should thicken it up! Let me know how that works!
Hi Tracy
Can I use 1% or 2% milk Instead of whole milk
Vita
Hi Vita! 2% for sure. I haven't tested this with 1% yet but I think it would affect the richness of the fritter.
I used apple juice so I'ma quite sure another milk will not change it. Apple juice is great for our non-dairy family.
Great to know, Kelli! Thanks for sharing!
You can’t do these in a deep fryer they need to be able to sit on the bottom of a pan so that they don’t fall apart
I would try to add more flour! 😊
Made it with fresh apples from our apple tree and it came out delicious. They were so easy to make I’ll do it again!
Yum!! Perfect for fresh from the tree apples!
Just finished making these, I ended up with more than 4 cups of diced apples, so I added another half of the recipe mixture to the batter. They came out fluffy and delicious! I also added a pinch of apple pie spice to my sugar glaze which tastes amazing!! I used a small scoop that I use to make chocolate chip cookies and they turned out relatively the same size for each but retained that rustic look to a fritter. This recipe is a cinch to make, they're fluffy and delicious so this recipe is definitely a keeper for our family!
when it says 3-4 cups apples, diced two large apples, does that mean both of those or diced two large apples are equal to 3-4 cups apples?
Hi Aaron! 2 large apples are about equal to the 3-4 cups 🙂
Delicious and easy to make.
The fritters had a really good flavor. Next time I will cook at, 359, at 375, they burn before they are in the skillet 30 seconds. We did enjoy their fla vor
Going to try soon. My husband likes the one we have been getting at Walmart but I think these will be much better
Enjoy, Myrna!
If I don’t have baking powder on hand, can I replace the all purpose flour, salt and baking powder with Self rising flour?
Hi Sheila! Hmmm I haven't tried it yet, but I think that you can!
Delicious and easy. Wondering how to store them. I put in Tupperware and they got soggy. They were completely cooled and still tasted good but liked them best before I put them in the Tupperware.
Hi Barb! So glad you enjoyed them! These are tough to store because they are really the best fresh made and eaten within 24 hrs. If storing, I would just lightly cover with a paper towel on the counter. We usually don't have any left to store, anyway! 😉
Was thinking of adding chopped walnuts. I'd assume half to a cup. Would that be to much?
Hi Tammy! Hmm... I haven't made these with nuts yet, but I'd try maybe a little less at first- 1/3 or 1/4 cup to start. But let me know how they turn out!!
Deliciously easy to make! I made them smaller for my grandchildren, tastes great!!!!
I made these and heated the oil to 375° and they browned to quickly and left the center undercooked. I love the ease to make and flavor of these. I noticed on other recipes to cook at 340° to 350° so I will try again. I'm going to try putting in the oven at 350° for 10 minutes to save these.
they where soooo good i mad them for my little sister and my parents and they loved them
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! Can we bake these or is frying the only way?
Hi Huda! I haven't tried making it in the oven so I can't speak on that, I think that frying really is the best to get the right fritter texture.
These were amazing I tried with self rising flour and they did not turn out very good so I followed the recipe tried and true. Thank you for sharing yours.
Hi Deanna, Thank you for letting me know about the self rising flour!
Can you use courtland apples?
Definitely!
How many fritters is a serving for 5?
Hi Sheri! This recipe makes about 5-6 fritters, so that's thinking 1 per person 🙂
Can I use regular red apples?
Totally! I prefer something a little crisper, but red delicious would be totally fine 🙂
OMG, this was 1st time baking something from Pinterest and my kids ❤️❤️❤️❤️ every bit of it. This was the perfect recipe because I have about 20 Granny Smith apples and wasn’t sure what to do with them. And did I say the recipe was EASY. My kids didn’t give the apple fritters time to cool off they were eating them so fast lol so it looks like I will be making more tomorrow. ☺️
Lashay that's SO amazing to hear - I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for letting me know and enjoy your batch tomorrow, too! <3
Do you think I can make these with almond milk so they're dairy free?
Hi Deb! I have not tried this with almond milk, but I think it should work. Plus it'll add a lovely almond flavor. Please let me know how it turns out!
This was great to make for my dad he is abscesses with them great recipe
These turned out great! Delicious!
So yummy! I enjoyed these more than store bought!
Definitely make a double or triple batch 😉
Next time I’ll add more cinnamon to the dough, I added some to the glaze this time.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Pretty good for such a simple recipe! Fun to try for the first time. I was missing the chewiness that you get from store bought fritters, and I agree with the commenter below about the dough adding very little flavor. Still my husband ate four of them in 5 mins, and the neighbor kids enjoyed!
Delicious.
So glad you enjoyed them, Jen!
These look amazing. How do you arrange to dough in the hot oil? Do you just add spoonfuls?
Hi Susie! Sorry it’s not more clear in the recipe!) you’ll add 1/4 of batter into the pan/oil. I just used a measuring cup ☺️ ☺️
Can you make the batter a day before you fry them?
You sure can! Enjoy!
What? They're that easy to make? All these years I was intimidated for no reason. I love the idea of making apple fritters from scratch...not only are they awesome to eat while still hot, BUT, I can make them smaller so I don't over indulge. That's HUGE for me.
Oh wow. These are spectacular. I love apples and anything apple-y so much. In fact, when fall hits, I'm all over the apple stuff and completely ignoring pumpkin spice everything. I have family visiting next month and I can't wait to make these for them!
You have me drooling!! The apple fritters sound so good I can almost smell them. This is one recipe the gang here would go nuts over. I'm putting this on my upcoming weekend schedule. I'm going to surprise them.
How can you rate a recipe you haven't even tried?
Gosh, I'd probably get an immediate proposal of marriage if I made these for the fella. These are one of his favorite treats and looking at your photos is absolutely mouthwatering! Saving this one to try for sure!
How do you keep yours crispy? Mine were sooo delicious but got soggy pretty quick
Hi Mariah!
You can try a couple of things - making the fritters a little smaller or cooking them for longer at a lower temp. This can help with keeping them crispy!
I miss the summer as it slips away, but boy apples sure do a good job of making the transition a little easier to stomach. Literally, I suppose. I've never actually made my own fritters but these look so easy and delicious and airy and perfect! I'd love to give them a try with a few different apple types. I'm particularly fond of baking with Red Rome, as they hold their shape so nicely while bridging the gap between sweet and sour. Cheers!
Oh my goodness, this looks so good! My I -laws are always eating store-bought apple fritters (they buy them in the bakery and have them in the kitchen like.. always.) I should blow their minds with some homemade ones!
My partner loves apple fritters so I'll have to try my hand at making these! How well do these hold up in the fridge if I wanted to make a batch over the weekend?
I don't like the cold weather, but I do LOVE apple season. So delicious....and much better than the blah apples in the grocery stores. These look perfect for a nice treat for brunch on the weekend.
Looks good but flavor was not what I expected, the only sweetness came from the glaze.
I added a little extra sugar and cinnamon to the batter and used the helpful hint to add cinnamon to the glaze. They were delicious but, a softer fritter.
I wonder how these will work in a air fryer???
Oooh GREAT question, DD. I don't have an air fryer (yet!) but let me look into it for you and get back to you!
Doesn't work. Batter too thin.
Oh that's too bad, but THANK YOU for letting me know!!