Homemade Apple Fritters are a fried donut filled with apple pie filling, cinnamon, and drizzled with a simple glaze.
Apple Fritters Recipe
Homemade Apple Fritters are slightly different in the South than the ones traditionally made in New England. These glazed apple fritters are made with a donut dough and homemade apple pie filling.
Soft and fluffy deep-fried donuts stuffed with fresh apple filling. These old-fashioned apple fritters are perfect for fall and winter!
You can make them the night before and plop in the fridge. For more great apple recipes be sure and try Apple Crisp, Apple Hand Pies, Homemade Pie Crust, Apple Pie Recipe, and Caramel Apples.
How to make Apple Pie Filling:
Homemade Apple Pie Filling is super simple to make. I use a combination of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples. I’ve found this is a great combination. Granny Smith apples stay firm, while the Honey Crisp apples break down a bit.
You can also make this apple pie filling and pipe it into the back of the apple fritters after they are fried. Put the apple pie filing into a disposable pastry bag with a large pastry tip and pipe the pie filling into the back of the apple fritters.
This same pie filling is used in my Apple Hand Pies.
How to make Apple Fritters:
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the warm milk, sugar, and eggs.
Step 2: Add the dough hook attachment, and stir in the flour and salt. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Cut the butter into small pieces and incorporate into the dough. Scrape the bowl a few times. Beat the dough until it becomes smooth, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 3: Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-6 minutes, making a smooth dough. This dough is going to be sticky when you turn it out. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out with a rolling pin. Making it into a rectangle shape, about 1/2-3/4-inch thick.
Assembling the apple fritters: Spread the apple filling evenly over the dough. Sprinkle generously with all-purpose flour. This will help absorb some of the moisture from the filling. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon.
Roll up, starting at the long end, like you would cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough on a diagonal, then back the other way. You want to end up with pieces about the size of a quarter. Gently push the pieces back into small patties (about 3-4 inches in diameter). You’ll want to sprinkle the pieces with flour as you go. This will be a sticky mess. But well worth the time, effort and mess involved.
Place the apple fritter patties on lined half sheet pans.
For the technique of how to assemble them, you’ve got to watch this video. This will help guide you on how to make them. (I don’t flatten them quite as much as this gentleman does) But you’ll get the idea. After the fritters are fried, you can squeeze in more apple pie filling using a pastry bag with wide tip.
The dough is quite sticky– don’t add more flour because otherwise you might make them tough. You want the dough to be light and airy. Hence why you let the dough rise twice, even before you assemble them into fritter.
Can you make Apple Fritters ahead of time:
Yes, this recipe takes some time. Make them the day before and place on a parchment lined half sheet pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, then fry them fresh in the morning. (Go straight from the fridge to the fryer!)
For more great fall recipes be sure and try Apple Cider Donuts, Pumpkin Donuts, Homemade Apple Pie, and Pumpkin Waffles.
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Apple Fritters
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Fritter Dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk warm
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Apple Pie Filling
- 6 large apples peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Apple Fritter Glaze
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3-5 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
Apple Fritter Dough
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the warm milk, sugar, and eggs.
- Add the dough hook attachment, and stir in the flour and salt. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Cut the butter into small pieces and incorporate into the dough. Scrape the bowl a few times. Beat the dough until it becomes smooth, about 5-7 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-6 minutes, making a smooth dough. This dough is going to be sticky when you turn it out.
- After kneading, shape into a round ball and place back into the greased mixing bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and drape with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes. Turn back into the greased bowl (spray with cooking spray again if needed) and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Apple Pie Filling
- While the dough is rising, make your apple filling. Place the butter and lemon juice in a 10-12-inch cast iron pan over medium heat. Place the chopped apple pieces and the brown sugar into the pan.
- Cook the apples over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly soft. Dissolve the cornstarch in very warm water and pour over the apple mixture. Let bubble and thicken. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon so it does not burn.
- Remove from the heat once it's thickened and add the cinnamon and nutmeg. The apple mixture will thicken as it cools. Let cool completely.
Assembling Apple Fritters
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out with a rolling pin. Making it into a rectangle shape, about 1/2-3/4-inch thick. Spread the apple filling evenly over the dough. Sprinkle generously with all-purpose flour. (about 1/2 cup or so). This will help absorb some of the moisture from the filling. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon.
- Roll up, starting at the long end, like you would cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough on a diagonal, then back the other way. You want to end up with pieces about the size of a quarter. Gently push the pieces back into small patties (about 3-4 inches in diameter). You’ll want to sprinkle the pieces with flour as you go. This will be a sticky mess. But well worth the time, effort and mess involved.
- Place the apple fritter patties on lined half sheet pans. (you should get about 3 rows of 3 on each sheet pan) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.
- While they are in the fridge, whisk together your icing. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. You want it to be fairly thin.
Frying Apple Fritters
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F. Use a digital thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oil.
- Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side. Flip carefully. Once fried, place them on a sheet pan lined with plenty of paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil.
- Let cool slightly before dipping only the tops in the icing. Let drip dry on a cooling rack, placed on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Once the icing is set, enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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These look unreal! My husband loves apple fritters so I’m going to have to make these happen!
I’m not sure that I’ve ever eaten an apple fritter! But they look delicious and sweet- I want a bite!
Who needs to go to Tim Hortons when you can make these unreal apple fritters in your own home! These look absolutely delicious and I’m going to have to try these out on my family.
Oh-oh! Now that I’ve seen your recipe, I can’t unsee it! I want to make these for New Years day!! I love apple fritters and these look perfect!!
My sister loves apple fritters and luckily for me, and her!, she is currently visiting me for the holidays so I am going to make this recipe ASAP.
I love apple fritters and any kind of apple dessert! These are a labor of love and meant to be shared! I need to take these to my office for the crew. Thanks for sharing.
Your apple fritters look better than the bakery’s! I will have to try it with a gluten free flour. I bet they will be just as delicious. Those brownies look yummy, too!
Yes! King Arthur Flour makes a great gluten free flour that you can try! (With all of my recipes!)
These looks totally addictive…and I know I would have a hard time eating only one. I love using Cortland apples for my recipes….but ALL are delicious.
oh this Apple Fritters looks so delicious… wish I had some right now!
The fritters wouldn’t last long at our house. I would enjoy some right now. Adding the homemade apple filling makes them super special. I’ll have to make some for our grandsons.
These apple fritters look so delicious! What a nice end to a festive meal!
Your apple fritters look like our beignets aux pommes which my mum used to make. In fact from the recipe ingredients list it looks like just the way she would make it. 🙂 You got me craving these babies now!!
These are my favorite donut, I never thought to make them myself. They look amazing. I’m with you, skipping Black Friday was practically the first grown-up thing I did:) Happy New Year!
Oooooh my goodness, these looks so incredibly rich and decadent! What a great treat for fall and winter.
These look fantastic! What a fun weekend project this would be – and a delicious one, to boot!
Looks so rich in flavors and delicious. Adding this to my list of must tries.
Not sure I understand the cutting portion and patty portion……..want to try very much!
Hello Michele,
You need to cut into small pieces and press back together. Watch the video to see how to do it!
Can these Apple Fritters be cooked in a Air Fryer?
Hi William,
I would think that would be fine. I don’t use an air fryer. But I would say just try it out!
Although it took some time to make, these turned out so good!!! Love all of the yummy apple bits! The link to the video really helped. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!
While they do take some time and effort, glad to hear you enjoyed them! Thanks for writing!
Is there any point in the dough or donut making process that you could pop it in the fridge and finish it up in the morning? I wonder if after you have chopped up the pieces and made them into the patties, you could pop in the fridge to fry up in the morning?
Of course!!!
I make them into the fritters and plop them on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. You can fry right out of the fridge!
Thank you!! Have you ever measured how many cups of chopped apples it ends up being? The sides of apples vary so much that I am just trying to get a better feel for the amount. Thank you!
Hi Lexy,
I have not measured by the cup for chopped apples. But, usually you can estimate about 3/4 to 1 cup per apple. You want enough so you taste the apples- but not too much, as it will only push out as you roll the fritters up… Let me know if you have any questions!
Can I freeze the fritter patties for frying at a later date?
Hi Laina,
While I have never done this myself. I would think you can certainly freeze uncooked fritters and fry them up fresh later.