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!
Next, be sure to try our Easy Homemade Peach Fritters!
Here's a super quickie for you all! These Easy Homemade Apple Fritters were a spur of the "I really want some fritters," moment kind of delicious creation and they were sooo tasty I had to share! Not only are they ready in just about 30 minutes, but they're an apple fritter where you're not searching for the apples! Plus, that glaze? They're the perfect sweet breakfast treat! Perfect for fall and fresh picked apples!
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 Powder, and Sugar- You can use all-purpose or 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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
- Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Easy Homemade Peach Fritters
- Maple Walnut Baked Apples
- 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!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
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 but drizzly.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled fritters and let dry.
Jess
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!
Tracy
Yum!! Perfect for fresh from the tree apples!
Dee Mittie
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!
Aaron
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?
Tracy
Hi Aaron! 2 large apples are about equal to the 3-4 cups 🙂
Edna
Delicious and easy to make.
Vicky Bradford
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
Myrna
Going to try soon. My husband likes the one we have been getting at Walmart but I think these will be much better
Tracy
Enjoy, Myrna!
Sheila
If I don’t have baking powder on hand, can I replace the all purpose flour, salt and baking powder with Self rising flour?
Tracy
Hi Sheila! Hmmm I haven't tried it yet, but I think that you can!
Barb Eslick
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.
Tracy
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! 😉
Tammy Brockman
Was thinking of adding chopped walnuts. I'd assume half to a cup. Would that be to much?
Tracy
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!!
Marie
Deliciously easy to make! I made them smaller for my grandchildren, tastes great!!!!
Cassie
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.
rory
they where soooo good i mad them for my little sister and my parents and they loved them
Tracy
So glad you enjoyed them!
Huda
Hi! Can we bake these or is frying the only way?
Tracy
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.
Deanna Miller
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.
Tracy
Hi Deanna, Thank you for letting me know about the self rising flour!
Michelle
Can you use courtland apples?
Tracy
Definitely!