These apple fritters are light, crisp, and packed with juicy apple bits in every bite. The spiced batter fries up golden in just minutes, and a simple cider glaze ties it all together with a hint of sweetness. You don’t need any fancy tools, just a Dutch oven, a candy thermometer, and a bit of patience as you fry each batch. They’re a little indulgent, a lot delicious, and perfect for serving with a cup of your favorite hot beverage.
Ingredients Needed
Fritters
- Granny Smith apples
- all-purpose flour – remember to lightly spoon into a measuring cup and level with a knife. Flour easily compacts. Scooping flour straight from the bag can pack in too much, making baked goods dry or dense. Lightly spooning it into the cup and leveling with a knife gives you an accurate measurement for soft, tender results every time.
- sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- apple cider – the non-alcoholic, murky, dark apple juice that you can find in produce departments and roadside stands; if you can’t find the stuff in the gallon jugs, go for something like Simply Apple
- large eggs
- butter
- peanut oil – or other oil suitable for cooking at high temperatures
Glaze
- powdered sugar
- apple cider
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
How to Make Apple Fritters
- Peel, core, and chop apples into 1/4″ pieces, then spread the prepared apples in a single layer on paper towels, patting them dry.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Whisk cider, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl.
- Stir the apples into the flour mixture, and add in wet ingredients just until incorporated.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven until it reaches 350°F.
- Carefully drop 1/3 cup of batter into the oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry and adjust burner as necessary, keeping the oil between 325-350°F.
- Cook 2 – 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Carefully remove from the hot oil and allow to drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
- Whisk together glaze ingredients. When the fritters have cooled for 5 minutes, dip the top half of each fritter into the glaze and return to the cooling rack.
- Let set for 10 minutes.
Storage & Other Tips
- Storage
- Room‑temperature storage (best):
Store cooled fritters in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. - Refrigeration (okay for longer):
Keep fritters in the fridge for up to 4–5 days, but take them out to come to room temperature before serving to restore texture. - Freezing (works well):
Wrap individual fritters tightly after completely cooled, freeze for up to 2 months, and reheat straight from frozen.
- Room‑temperature storage (best):
- Reheating
- Oven: Reheat at 350°F for 5–10 minutes (oven) or ~300°F for 10 minutes (toaster/convection oven) to restore crispiness.
- Skillet method: Warm gently in a dry skillet over medium-high heat (~1 minute per side) to refresh the crunch.
- Air fryer: Reheat frozen fritters in the air fryer at 375°F for about 5 minutes or until heated through and crisp outside.
- Make-ahead: Fry your fritters and let them cool completely before freezing or storing—don’t glaze until just before serving to keep them crisp.
- Dropping the batter: if the batter is sticking to the inside of your measuring cup while frying, try greasing the inside of your cup with some spray oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crisp, tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp hold their shape and balance the sweetness perfectly. Softer apples can turn mushy when fried.
These are definitely best fried for that classic crispy outside and soft inside. Baking won’t give you the same texture, but if you’re determined, try a donut muffin recipe instead!
If it’s runny, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it thickens slightly. If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk to loosen it up. You want it thick enough to coat the apples but still scoopable.
Make sure your oil is hot enough—around 350°F. Too cool and the fritters soak up oil; too hot and they’ll burn on the outside before cooking through.
They’re best fresh, but you can fry them earlier in the day and warm them up in the oven right before serving. Hold off on the glaze until you’re ready to eat!
If the fritters are too hot when you glaze them, the icing will melt. Let them cool for a few minutes first so the glaze sticks beautifully.
Apple Fritters
Equipment
Ingredients
Fritters
- 12 ounces Granny Smith apples about 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼" pieces
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife or 260g
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup apple cider the dark, murky stuff sold in gallon jugs in the fall, not the alcoholic beverage or the light, clear apple juice that is sometimes called cider. If you can't find fresh cider, Simply Apple is a good substitute and available year-round.
- 2 eggs, large lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 cups peanut oil or other oil suitable for cooking at high temperatures
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar 8 ounces
- ¼ cup apple cider
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Fritters
- To make the fritters, spread the prepared apples in a single layer on paper towels and pat dry.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Whisk the cider, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Stir the apples into the flour mixture and stir in the wet ingredients until incorporated.
- Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees (use a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer to check.)
- Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup to carefully drop batter into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan (I can't make more than 3 at a time). Fry, adjusting the burner as necessary, to keep the oil between 325-350 degrees.
- Cook about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Carefully remove from the hot oil and allow to drain on the wire rack.
Glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When the fritters have cooled for 5 minutes, dip the top half of each fritter into the glaze and return to the cooling rack. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes.
Questions & Reviews
Is it 2 cups plus 10 ounces of all purpose flour?? Or just 2 cups? I’m confused.
2 cups! (which weighs about 10 ounces)
This was delicious and many neighbors agreed!!
These are a tad tricky/sticky to get into the pan (I do grease my measuring cup to measure them out, but I worry about trying to flatten them a little as they go in so they’re not just balls), BUT–they are AMAZING!! I have always loved apple fritters and these are typical homemade vs. store bought–so fresh, crisp on the outside but soft on the inside, eaten warm with the glaze just on them–OH MY!! My oldest son is SO happy when I make them, they’re one of his faves. Thanks!!
Every fall I come back for this recipe. Some day I’ll actually add it to my collection so I don’t have to print it every year. These are SO good! Definitely a favorite at our house.
Oh holy night, these are AMAZING! Thank you, Kate!
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I just made these and followed the recipe exactly… DELICIOUS! I used a large cast iron pan and, even though I didn’t have a thermometer, I obviously chose the right temperature because every single one came out beautifully. I love the contrast between the slightly crispy outside and the softer inside, as well as the sweetness and tartness of the apple chunks. Thank you for posting this recipe and providing clear instructions that even I (a novice in the kitchen) was able to follow with a successful result!
I’ve been wanting to make these since the day you posted the recipe, and I finally had a chance this morning. They did not disappoint! I love apple fritters also, and these were so much better than any I’ve ever purchased. I had a little trouble getting the oil temp right (even though I was using a thermometer), but I just kept making adjustments and it all worked out fine. I used Haralson apples and cider from a local orchard. I used about a tablespoon less of the cider and added in the same amount of King Arthur’s boiled apple cider to up the apple flavor even more. Delicious!
I’ve been wanting to make these since the day you posted the recipe, and I finally had a chance this morning. They did not disappoint! I love apple fritters also, and these were so much better than any I’ve ever purchased. I had a little trouble getting my oil temp just right (even though I was using a thermometer), but I just kept making adjustments and everything turned out fine. I used Haralson apples and apple cider from a local orchard. I used about a tablespoon less of the cider and added in that much of King Arthur’s boiled apple cider to up the apple flavor even more. Delicious!