These bakery-style apple fritters have crisp golden edges, soft yeast dough and sweet cinnamon apples, all finished with a simple vanilla glaze. They’re the perfect fall treat!
They’re fried like homemade donuts with a sweet apple filling similar to apple turnovers.
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Key Takeaways: Apple Fritters Recipe
- Yeast-raised dough. Unlike many quick apple fritters made with baking powder, these use yeast for a soft, airy, bakery-style texture.
- Sweet cinnamon apples. Chopped apples are folded into the dough so you get plenty of apple flavor throughout.
- Fried and glazed. They’re fried until golden with crisp edges, then finished with a simple vanilla glaze.
- Bakery-worthy at home. Skip the trip to the bakery or apple orchard and make warm, freshly glazed apple fritters right in your own kitchen.
Why I Love This Recipe
When apple season comes around, I’m always looking for another excuse to make apple desserts. Baked apples and apple cobbler are favorites, but these fritters are such a fun change when I’m craving something warm and freshly fried.
They take a little longer than frying funnel cake because they’re made with a yeast dough like beignets, but that first bite of a warm, glazed fritter is totally worth it.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Warm milk: The milk needs to be warm so that it activates the yeast. If it’s too hot it will destroy it, but if it’s too cold it won’t do anything. About 90°F is perfect.
- Active dry yeast: Make sure it’s fresh, otherwise discard it and get some new. If you’re unsure test a bit to see if it foams. This is what gets the dough nice and fluffy.
- Large eggs: Helps to bind the dough so it doesn’t fall apart as it cooks.
- Melted butter: Use unsalted butter and allow it to cool first before adding it to the dough. You don’t want it so hot that it starts to curdle the milk or cook the eggs!
- Sugar: Yeast feeds on sugar but we also need the sugar for its sweetness.
- Salt: Brings out the flavor in the dough to enhance the taste.
- All-purpose flour: You’ll need some for the dough and some for rolling to help prevent sticking. When used in the dough it’s super important to measure it correctly so your donuts are nice and light!
- Apple filling: Salted butter, chopped Granny Smith apples and cinnamon sugar.
- Oil for frying: Use vegetable oil or canola oil as both can withstand high heat and are neutral in flavor.
- The glaze: Powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
How to Make Apple Fritters
Step 1: Stir the warm milk and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Add the eggs, melted butter, sugar and salt, then gradually mix in the flour until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Step 2: Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Step 3: While the dough rises, cook the butter, apples, sugar and cinnamon over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the apples are tender and the liquid has reduced. Cool completely
Step 4: Roll the dough into a 12×16-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Spread the cooled apple filling over 2/3 of the dough with a slotted spoon, then sprinkle lightly with flour.
Step 5: Fold the unfilled third over the center, then fold the remaining third over the top. Press gently, then use a sharp knife or dough scraper to cut the dough into 1/2-inch pieces.
Step 6: Gently press the chopped dough and apples back together, then divide into 10 fritters. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them rest while you heat at least 3 inches of oil to 375°F.
Step 7: Fry 2 or 3 fritters at a time for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and allow the oil to return to 375°F before frying the next batch.
Step 8: Whisk together the glaze, then dip the slightly cooled fritters into it. Return them to the wire rack to set and serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Watch the oil temperature. Use a candy thermometer to keep the oil around 375°F. Fry in small batches and let the oil come back to temperature before adding more fritters.
- Dice the apples small. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly throughout the dough, so you get apples in every bite and the fritters hold together better. If a few apples pieces fall out when frying, that is completely fine.
- Cool the filling completely. Let the cooked apples cool before adding them to the yeast dough so the warmth doesn’t soften the dough and make it harder to shape.
- Don’t worry about a perfect shape. Apple fritters are meant to look rustic. Press the chopped dough and apples together just enough to hold, then let all those uneven edges get crisp and golden as they fry.
Apple Fritters FAQs
They can be made with either. Quick apple fritters are often made with a baking powder batter, while bakery-style fritters are made with yeast dough. This recipe uses yeast for a soft, airy center with crisp golden edges.
Yes, but they won’t have the same crisp exterior and classic texture as fried apple fritters. If you prefer to bake them, bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
The oil was likely not hot enough. If the temperature is too low, the fritters take longer to cook and absorb more oil. Keep the oil around 375°F and allow it to come back to temperature between batches.
Apple fritters are best eaten the same day they’re made. Once completely cooled, store leftovers in a brown paper bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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A few other favorites include apple cake, apple crepes and apple pie cupcakes!
More Apple Recipes
Apple Fritters Recipe
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Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ¼ cups milk , warm (about 90°F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
- 2 large eggs
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour , divided, plus more for rolling
Filling
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 2 Granny Smith apples , peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Frying
- vegetable or canola oil , plus more if needed
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk , plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough
- Activate yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together 1 1/4 cups warm milk and 2 1/14 teaspoons yeast. Let sit 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Enriched dough ingredients. Beat 2 large eggs, 8 Tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt into the yeast mixture on medium-high speed until combined.
- Finish yeasted donut dough. With the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add 2 cups flour until nearly combined. Mix in the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour 4 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still wet and sticky, add 2 Tablespoons flour at a time. Transfer to greased bowl and cover. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Apple Filling
- Combine apple filling. While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a medium saucepan, stir together 1 Tablespoon butter, 2 cups diced apples, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Rolling
- Roll out dough. On a floured work surface, turn out the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12×16-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.
- Add apple filling. With the rectangle placed horizontally in front of you, picture it divided into three parts from left to right. Using a slotted spoon, spread apple filling evenly over 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving 1/3 without filling. Sprinkle a little flour over the apple filling.
- Fold dough. Fold the 1/3 plain dough over the 1/3 filling in the center. Fold the remaining 1/3 with filling over the top to create a long rectangle facing away from you. Press down gently.
- Cut into fritter donut shapes. Using a sharp knife or a dough/bench scraper, cut the log into 1/2-inch squares, keeping the dough together and the filling inside. Sprinkle a little flour over the top and press the dough pieces together to form a log. Cut into 10 pieces and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to rise while the oil is heating.
Frying
- Heat oil. Place 2 cooling racks over baking sheets near where you will be frying. In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, add enough oil to fill at least 3 inches of the bottom of the pot. Heat over medium-low heat until temperature reads 375℉ on a candy thermometer.
- Fry fritters. Carefully add 2 to 3 fritters to the oil and fry 1 minute, or until golden brown. Flip and fry 1 minute more, or until golden and cooked through. Using tongs, transfer to the cooling racks to cool slightly. Wait until the heat reaches 375℉ before adding the next batch of fritters. Repeat with remaining dough.
Glaze
- Whisk glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and about the thickness of heavy whipping cream.
- Dip fritters. Dip each fritter into the glaze and return to cooling rack to set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
