Apple Fritters are easy to make at home in 30 minutes or less with NO yeast! These crunchy, sweet donuts are vegan but no one would guess it. Full of fresh apples!
Apple fritters are my favorite donut in the whole world. The soft, fluffy, apple filled filled center and the crunchy outside is simply irresistible!
They also happen to be one of the easiest donuts to make at home. Donuts of all kinds are actually incredibly easy to make without dairy or eggs.
There are a few things you will need to safely make fried apple fritters at home:
- Food thermometer – This is a very inexpensive kitchen tool that you really need if you want to fry anything. The oil needs to be hot enough, but not too hot, so a thermometer is essential.
- A large pot or skillet for frying. I like a deep pot when frying instead of a shallow skillet.
Ingredients you need
- All purpose flour – I haven’t tried them with another flour. A gluten free mix might work, if you try it let me know in the comments.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Unsweetened applesauce – A perfect egg replacer in donut recipes, and so easy!
- Soy milk – You can use another plant milk, like almond or cashew.
- Apples – Use a crisp apple, like granny smith or honey crisp. Honey crisp is my favorite apple to use here!
- Oil for frying – Make sure to use a high smoke point oil for frying, like peanut, vegetable or canola oil.
- Powdered sugar – For making the glaze.
- Vanilla
How to make apple fritters
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Now add the applesauce and soy milk to the bowl and mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Add the diced apples and fold them in. I like a LOT of apples!
- Heat 2-3 inches of oil (to 375℉) in a deep pot or skillet. Scoop about 1/3 cup of the fritter dough and place in the hot oil, spreading it out a bit. They will puff up as they cook.
TIP: You can also place 1/3 cup of the dough on a floured surface, and using floured hands, press it down to flatten before using a spatula to carefully transfer it to the hot oil.
Cook 2-3 fritters at a time for 2-3 minutes on one side (maybe less, so watch carefully) until golden brown, then flip using tongs and cook for 1-2 more minutes until both sides are brown, but not burnt.
Transfer cooked donuts to a cooling rack with a pan or parchment paper under it, to catch the oil drippings.
Make the simple glaze in a small-medium bowl by whisking the powdered sugar, soy milk and vanilla together until smooth. Dip each fritter into the glaze, then place back on the rack to drip and harden.
How long do fritters last?
In my house, they are usually gone within an hour! They are best soon after you make them, and while you could eat one the next day, it won’t be nearly as good and crispy. So enjoy these the same day if possible.
Can I bake them?
I tested a few in the oven instead of frying, and while it “worked”, it was quite disappointing. They don’t get crispy, so it’s more of a soft, apple filled cake.
Not my favorite, but if you go this route, bake at 350℉ for about 30 minutes, until cooked all the way through in the middle, and spray them with oil before baking.
More apple recipes to love
Apple Fritters
Ingredients
Fritters
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 2 large apples (granny smith, honey crisp or other crisp variety)
- vegetable oil, for frying*
Simple glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir to combine.
- Now add the applesauce and soy milk to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the diced apples.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy skillet or pot to about 375 degrees (you do need a thermometer). Scoop 1/3 cup of the apple fritter batter and place in the hot oil, spreading it down to flatten quite a bit. You can also first flatten them on a floured surface, then transfer carefully to the pot for frying.
- Cook on one side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then flip with tongs and cook another 1-2 minutes until browned.
- Place the cooked fritters on a cooling rack with a pan or parchment paper underneath to catch any oil drippings, as well as to catch glaze later.
- Continue with all the batter until you have used it all, then turn off the heat.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small-medium sized bowl until smooth, then dunk each fritter into it. Place back on rack to harden and drip. Wait a few minutes if possible for the glaze to harden before enjoying.
Notes
- Use a high smoke point oil for frying - Peanut, vegetable or canola oil are good choices.
- Gluten free - I haven't tested them, but I think a quality gluten free mix would work quite well.
- Can you bake them? You can, technically, but they will taste MUCH different. They don't get very crispy, at all. Bake on a sheet at 350℉ for about 30 minutes, until done in the middle and I would spray them with oil before baking.
- Apple fritters taste best when eaten within a few hours of frying. They will get soft after a while.
I’m just a bit confused on the portion size. In your instructions you say to fry 1/3 of the batter, but in the nutrition info you measure as 1 of 12. What do you suggest on size?
I say to scoop 1/3 CUP of the batter to fry, not 1/3 of the entire batter. Hope that helps clarify!
Thank you for the recipe! Can I use stevia instead of powdered sugar for the glaze?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure, but it might work okay. Hope you enjoy them!
Could I use unsweetened (or vanilla) almond milk instead of soy milk?
Sure!
Could I make the batter ahead of time, put it in the fridge and fry them later on in the week?
I probably would not make the batter more than a day ahead of time. I haven’t tested it, but I don’t think it will keep for very long before you fry them.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I teach FCS in a High School. We received a bushel of apples as a donation and I needed to teach how to safely deep fry on the stovetop, so I was looking for a way to use the apples in an apple fritter. These are AMAZING. 78 High Schoolers managed the recipe and they all loved them–3 kids were absent, so I had their mise en place all ready to go, I took it home and served them to my husband and neighbors, everyone raved. Because I had also received a donation of milk, we used cow’s milk. It worked fine.
I love this story, Jennifer! Sounds like such fun, and a wonderful way to use all those apples! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review and very fun feedback! Hello to all of your high school chefs from Nora Cooks! Wishing you all happy cooking!
These were amazing! I did use gluten free flour (a homemade blend) and it turned out absolutely delicious. I can’t have gluten, dairy, eggs and many other foods so I’ve really been missing apple fritters which used to be my favorite donut to get. These taste just how I remember them! Thank you so much!
Hi Stacy! I am thrilled you get to enjoy one of your favorite donuts again! Yahoo! Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback! I hope you enjoy your journey through my other recipes! Wishing you happy cooking!