Apple Fritter Recipe

It’s a shame this Apple Fritter Recipe is just now coming to surface on the blog and it’s an even bigger shame these delicious pockets of fried goodness are only recently coming back into my life in general.

My Mom would often make these donut-like apple fritters when I was a child just as the cooler months would roll around. I can vividly remember watching her dollop the sweet apple-speckled batter gently into the hot oil mesmerized as it turned from a finger-licking dough into golden brown crispy bites of heaven. 

Eating them sprinkled with copious amounts of powdered sugar almost instantly out of the hot oil is a must to fully enjoy what this apple fritter recipe has to offer. 

Unlike an apple fritter you will find at a classic donut shop, these guys are round balls of slightly sweet dough similar to beignets. The outsides of each apple fritter are golden brown and crisp and dolloping the dough into the hot oil results in random crunchy ridges and drips along the edges.

The batter uses staple pantry ingredients and doesn’t require any yeast making them ultra easy to cook at home.

While deep-frying isn’t my favorite method of cooking, our apple fritter recipe does require it, and trust me, it’s worth it. The good news is you don’t need a whole vat of oil or a deep fryer. Simply fill a large deep skillet with enough oil to cover the apple fritters by about three quarters and use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Ingredients in our Apple Fritter Recipe

Flour. I never said our apple fritters were light. Be sure to use all-purpose flour.

Baking powder. This is going to help the apple fritters puff up nicely.

Egg. One large egg is all you’ll need. If you remember, set it out an hour or so before you make the apple fritters. This will help everything mix nicely. If you forget, no biggie.

Sugar. While these apple fritters are sweet, they aren’t cloyingly so. Just a little bit of sugar will do just fine.

Butter. Melted butter is essential to achieving a luxurious soft fritter. Use unsalted.

Orange juice. I don’t know why but this addition just works. It’s what my Mom’s recipe lists and I don’t question it.

Vanilla. I like a heavy hand of vanilla here. Make sure you use PURE vanilla extract and not the imitation stuff.

Apples. I prefer a tart apple like a Granny Smith, but honey crisp or any other flavorful apple will do. I’d avoid Macintosh or golden delicious.

Milk. I imagine any milk will work but I like to use whole milk for richness.

Let’s make our Apple Fritter Recipe

Heat the oil. While you prep and make the batter, heat the oil so it’s ready to go.

Mix the dry ingredients. Add flour, salt and baking powder to a bowl. Whisk until combined.

Beat the egg and sugar. Like a lot of recipes we start off by creaming the sugar with the egg. Beat thoroughly until the egg is pale yellow.  

Add the butter and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon to beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Add half of the milk to the batter. Mix until combined. Add in half of the flour mixture. Again, mix until combined. Stir in remaining milk. Lastly, stir in remaining flour.

Can I make apple fritters in advance?

Unfortunately apple fritters are best right out of the fryer. You could however, make the batter a few hours in advance and fry them later.

Does it matter what kind of apples I use?

Not really. We prefer Granny Smith or Honey Crisp but if you have a vat of apples from apple picking by all means, use what you’ve got!