Homemade Apple Fritters are fried donuts filled with freshly chopped apples and then dunked in a sweet apple-cinnamon glaze.

Homemade Apple Fritters

Apple fritters are one of my favorite pastries. In a donut shop, I will admire all the donuts and eclairs, and everything else, but it is the apple fritter that will finally be the one I walk out with. So, of course I had to nail down being able to do them at home.

We have a couple of apple trees out back that burst with apples at the peak of the season, and I’m pretty ashamed to say that most years the majority of them go to waste.

This year, I’m going to go and pick the rest of the tree and make something amazing for my family this weekend. Join me! This recipe is simple, delicious, and worth every second of effort.

Try our Blueberry Muffins too!

Apple Fritters Shopping List

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Oil
Flour
White Sugar
Brown Sugar
Baking Powder
Apple Pie Spice
Salt
Eggs
Milk
Butter
Apples
Powdered Sugar

More great BREAKFAST RECIPES here!

How To Make Apple Fritters At Home

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Preheat your oil
The ideal temp is between 360°-375°F. Use an instant read thermometer to measure. Our favorite is below.
Mix it up
Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients. Gently mix them together and then fold in the apples.
Fry
Gently add 1/4 cup of batter at a time to the oil and fry until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Glaze
Mix together the glaze ingredients. Dunk the cooled fritters in. Double dunk if you are feeling sassy.
Enjoy
These are best eaten within a day or two!

Traeger Banana Bread goes great with these fritters!

Tips For Perfect Apple Fritters

There are a few things to keep in mind if you want good consistent fritters coming out of the hot oil.

Make sure your oil is 360-375°. Use a proper thermometer to get the temp right. Keep checking the temp to make sure your oil isn’t cooling too much as you add in the fritters. If you don’t then you risk them coming out greasy. Too hot and the outside cooks but the inside is still raw dough.
Make sure the apple bits are well distributed through the batter. You don’t want some fritters coming out with too much or too little fruit inside.
When you dunk the cooked fritter in the glaze, make sure it has cooled enough. Otherwise your glaze just becomes too liquid and won’t stick on thickly enough. We did two coats on most of them and it was perfect.
Start with nice cold eggs. The colder the eggs the slower the gluten develops, so you get a better texture.
Don’t over-mix the batter. Again, you don’t want to overdevelop the gluten in the flour, or else you get a less fluffy texture.

Fisher Fair Scone Waffles are another favorite treat of ours!

More Desserts Recipes

Many people don’t think they can do pastries or make desserts, but once you see how simple making dough for fritters is, hopefully, you won’t have that issue anymore. If you do need some more recipes to try, then I have a few suggestions.

If you want to check out a bunch of recipes from some of my favorites, then here is my dessert idea roundup.

Yield: 12 servings

Apple Fritters

Name: Apple Fritters
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Oil to fill a pan 2 1/2 - 3 inches high; 2 cups flour; 1/2 cup white sugar; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 teaspoons apple pie spice; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 2 large eggs; 3/4 cup whole milk; 1/4 cup melted butter; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 2 large apples (peeled, cored, and diced); 4 cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons Apple Cinnamon Blend *Optional; 1/4 cup milk

Homemade Apple Fritters are a Sunday morning's best friend. These homemade fried donuts are easy to whip together, and taste amazing.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Oil to fill a pan 2 1/2 - 3 inches high
2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large apples (peeled, cored, and diced)

Glaze

4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Apple Cinnamon Blend *Optional
1/4 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat your oil to 360-375°.
Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla.
Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients, just until the lumps are gone. Don't overmix!
Fold in the diced apples.
Carefully spoon 1/4 cup dollops of batter into the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove with a heat-proof slotted spoon to a wire rack to cool slightly.
Combine the powdered sugar, apple cinnamon blend (if you are using it), and the milk and whisk until smooth.
Dip the fritters into the glaze, and set back on the rack. Double dip, if you like a bit more glaze after the first layer dries for 4-5 minutes.

Apple Fritters