Apple Fritters Recipe

This Southern style glazed Apple Fritters Recipe is the only one you’ll ever need. The light and fluffy batter is filled with diced Granny Smith apples and apple pie spice making it the perfect fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside apple treat.

Easy Apple Fritters Recipe

One of our favorite family road trips is to an apple orchard which has a restaurant, Christmas shop, bakery and and ice cream shop attached to it. It’s always interesting to see the staff hard at work making cider, apple pies, sweet breads and of course, apple fitters. It’s simply a must that we indulge in one or more while there as it’s the highlight of our apple orchard experience. Our love for apple orchard goodies inspired this recipe that we make at home to re-live those moments. How to make Glazed Apple Fritters: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

• Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt.
• Wet Ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, butter, vanilla and eggs until fully combined.
• Combine – Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mixing by hand until fully moistened.
• Apples – Fold in cubed apples. Set aside.
• Fry –  In a deep pot heat oil to 350-360°F. Drop fritter batter into the oil about 1/4 cup at a time. Fry for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden and cooked through, turning as needed for even browning. Have nearby a pan lined with paper towels. Remove cooked fritters with a slotted spoon to pan. Try to maintain oil temperature throughout.
• Glaze – In a medium size bowl, heat butter with milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir then repeat until butter has melted. Remove from microwave add vanilla and powdered sugar stirring until smooth. Dip fritters in glaze, moving to a cooling rack to dry. (May thin glaze further with 1 Tbsp warm milk at a time, if needed. Likewise, you can make glaze thicker by adding more powdered sugar)
• Once all fritters are dipped, drizzle tops with any leftover glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Storage – You can store Apple Fritters in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

How to Make the Best Apple Fritters Recipe

• Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Apple Fritters: All purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, apple pie spice or ground cinnamon, buttermilk, melted butter, large eggs, vanilla extract, chopped Granny Smith apples and vegetable oil for frying.
• For the Apple Fritters Glaze you’ll need: Powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract and whole milk.
• Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, apple peeler and corer, sharp knife and cutting board, Dutch oven fitted with a fry thermometer for frying or a deep fryer.
• I  prefer Granny Smith apples for this apple fritters recipe as the tartness balances the sweetness of the glaze. That said, you could use a different variety, if that’s what you have available.
• When chopping the apples think about 1/2 inch cubes or smaller. The apples don’t have to be finely chopped, but huge chunks won’t work here.
• If you don’t have apple pie spice you could adapt using ground cinnamon plus a dash of ground nutmeg and cardamom, instead.
• These are free form fritters and each apple fritter takes on its own shape. When dropping the batter into the oil, let the batter sort of stretch as it falls into the oil to spread out a bit. This is one of the few recipes that I don’t use an ice cream scoop for.
• Monitor and maintain the oil temperature throughout frying for the best end result. If the oil gets too hot the fritters will over brown and burn. Likewise, if the temperature of the oil drops too low the batter will absorb more oil making them greasy.
• The sweet powdered sugar glaze easily doubles so feel free to over make if you’d like to dunk the fritters twice.
• Can you freeze Apple Fritters? Yes, you can. Cool them completely and allow the glaze to set. Place into an airtight freezer safe container and store frozen for up to 2 months. You can also wait to glaze the fritters after thawing and reheating just before serving.
• Store leftover apple fritters in an air tight container at room temperature for 2 days.

More Southern Style Apple Desserts to Make

There’s no shortage of ways to use apples in savory and sweet ways year-round. More recipes featuring apples that you may also like to try:

• Southern Fried Apples can be served as a side dish or spooned over pancakes, pound cake or ice cream.
• Stuffed Crust Skillet Apple Pie has a surprise hidden inside.
• Braised Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apples is a one dish meal.
• Cider Glazed Apple Dumplings remind me of an apple orchard we love to visit that sells a similar dessert at their dessert bar.
• Cinnamon Spice Apple Butter is made using your trusted slow cooker and it makes the house smell amazing, too.
• Homemade Caramel Dipped Apples are a fall favorite.
• Caramel Apple Ice Cream from Eating on a Dime

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Apple Peeler Corer
• Mixing Bowls
• Dutch Oven
• Fry Thermometer