Old fashioned, quick and easy apple fritters recipe with vanilla glaze, homemade with simple ingredients in 30 minutes. Loaded with apples and cinnamon. No yeast required! No resting time or rising time necessary!
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Let me first say that this is not a recipe for baked apple fritters. That is entirely different, and although I have made them before, this shallow fried version is so much better and comforting. However, this recipe has been in the family for generations. I have no idea who first came up with it but it's a "must- make" for breakfast during the Fall season when there is a surplus of apples.
Another reason I enjoy this recipe is because there is also no yeast. That means there is no waiting time for the dough to rise. You just mix the ingredients and then you fry. And let's face it, homemade donuts always taste so much better and fresher than store-bought ones, so you should also try my Easy Pumpkin Donuts (With Cake Mix) and Homemade Jelly Doughnuts (Sufagniyot).
Jump to:
Key ingredients
- Eggs- Make sure they are large at room temperature.
- Brown sugar- Adds in a sweet, molasses taste.
- Vanilla extract- Brings in a warm flavor and aroma.
- Milk- Use at least 2%, though I prefer whole.
- Flour- All-purpose works best.
- Baking powder- Not to be substituted for baking soda.
- Cinnamon powder- Pairs well with the apples.
- Apples- Be sure they are peeled, cored, and diced.
- Lemon juice- Helps preserve apples and adds flavor.
- Vegetable oil- Used for frying.
- Vanilla Glaze- Made with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Coating- Mix together cinnamon powder and granulated sugar for this.
Variations
- Glaze alternatives/ substitute- Instead of glaze, you can also coat these fritters in cinnamon sugar or a dusting of powdered sugar. You can also serve them alongside a bowl of Homemade Caramel Sauce or this Dulce De Leche or this Easy Chocolate Fondue or Homemade Whipped Cream for dipping. You can also drizzle melted chocolate or Easy Chocolate Ganache over them. Get creative and have fun with the toppings!
- Coat with different spices- Such as Pumpkin spice, nutmeg, or a little
- Top with sprinkles- My kids love anything with a little extra color and sugar. You can also match colors to holiday and birthday themes.
- Add nuts- Crushed walnuts, pecans, or almonds would be delicious in the batter or spread on top.
- Sprinkle on some coconut- Use unsweetened coconut flakes scattered on top.
How to make apple fritters?
- Make batter- Mix together eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, apples, lemon juice.
- Fry- Drop small portions of the batter in hot oil and fry until golden brown.
- Let them cool- Place them on a cookie tray, lined with paper towels.
- Coat in glaze- A simple vanilla glaze is the classic choice.
- Enjoy! Serve as soon as the glaze sets and dig in. They taste best when served fresh and leftovers don't keep that well.
Tips and Techniques
- How many apples to use? I usually use 2 cups apples but if you want them more chunky and packed, use 3 cups.
- Frying temperature is key! The correct oil temperature of 375 degrees F ensures that the fritters don't over-brown or burn. If the oil is too hot, the outside of fritters may look cooked but the inside would be raw and not cooked through. Use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is correct! Make sure that the tip of the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan, which can lead to an inaccurate reading. It should be resting about mid-way in the oil.
- Don't overcrowd the pan- Make sure you are frying in batches to ensure that the fritters have space to cook evenly.
- The batter is odd- It's chunky and has a weird consistency but don't thin it out or try to thicken it. Trust me... it works very well!
- You must use baking powder- And not baking soda. Although both ingredients help the dough get puffy, baking powder gives the best results in this recipe.
- Glaze consistency- It should be thick enough that it coats the fritters without dripping off completely.
- Fritters must be cool before they are glazed- If they are hot, the glaze will melt and make a sticky mess.
- Don't over-mix batter- Because that will make the donuts very tough. Mix until just combined, even if there are lumps.
Recipe FAQs
It is a unique donut whose batter has chunks of apples in it and it's loaded with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. The batter is deep-fried in until golden brown and then coated in vanilla glaze. It's very popular for Fall and Thanksgiving as a breakfast or brunch item.
No, they should be kept at room temperature and quite frankly, they taste the best as soon as the glaze sets, when they are still slightly warm. I don't recommend storing them in the fridge or freezing them for later because the texture doesn't stay the same and they don't taste as fresh any more.
Any kind of apple can be used. You can also use a variety of apples. Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp are all great options. Make sure they are peeled, cored and diced small. If you cut them too big, the apples won't become tender after frying.
Storage
- Room temperature- These can be left out 2-3 hours, but taste best when warm.
- Refrigerate- Leftovers are not ideal for this recipe.
- Freeze- Not recommended.
- Make ahead- Always make these fresh.
More Apple Desserts
- Easy Apple Crumble Pie
- Easy Homemade Apple Pie Recipe
- Apple Pie Cake (With Pie Filling)
- Easy Apple Turnover (With Puff Pastry)
- Easy Apple Cake (With Cake Mix)
Recipe
Apple Fritters (Fried Apple Donuts)
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Ingredients
- 2 Eggs Large
- 2 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Milk 2% or Whole
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- 2-3 cups Apples Peeled, Cored, Diced small
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
- Vegetable oil Or corn oil or canola oil, For frying
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon Milk 2% or Whole
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, milk and mix until smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and mix until just combined. Keep aside.
- In another bowl, mix together apples and lemon juice.
- Add these lemon apples into the flour mixture and mix everything together with a large wooden spoon or spatula.
- Heat oil until temperature reaches 375 degrees F. This is very important. Read my tips above to understand the reasoning.
- Then, scoop out large spoonfuls of this batter and gently slide them into the hot oil.
- Cook until one side is golden brown. Then, flip it over and cook the other side until golden brown too.
- Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on a cookie tray, lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil and allow them to cool down.
- While excess oil is being absorbed, prepare glaze by mixing together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract until mixture is thick and smooth.
- Also, prepare the cinnamon sugar by mixing together granulated sugar and cinnamon powder.
- Dunk each fritter in the glaze to completely coat it. Place fritters on wire rack to air dry and set OR if you are planning on coating the donuts in cinnamon sugar, they need to be coated white they are still hot or else the sugar won't stick to them.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Enjoy them fresh because leftovers cannot be stored for later, since they don't taste fresh any more.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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