Air Fryer Apple Fritters
on Mar 12, 2020, Updated Dec 27, 2023
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These air fryer apple fritters are laced with apples, cinnamon spice, and everything nice. The recipe is from scratch but very easy to make. You don’t need yeast because these fritters come together like a quick bread or muffin recipe.
You can make these with sweet or tart apples to suit your taste, then top them with a tangy apple cider glaze to bring out more apple flavor. You’re going to love how fast and easy it is to make this air fryer apple fritter dessert!
Table of Contents
Can you fry fritters in the air fryer?
Of course, you can! Didn’t the photo above prove it to you already!? You get bonus points for this dessert since you don’t have to fry in a big vat of grease. Skip the extra calories and the mess by making apple fritters in the air fryer.
What is an apple fritter?
An apple fritter is a type of pastry dough, like a donut, that is mixed with chopped apples then deep-fried in hot oil. Once they are finished cooking, they are then glazed with sweet, sugary icing. They are basically a type of apple donut and my favorite!
You can make apple fritters with yeast dough or with an easy, quick leavened dough. I’m giving you a recipe for the latter so you don’t have to wait for the yeast to rise. If you can whip up brownies or banana bread then you can make these fritters.
Just because apple fritters have fruit in them doesn’t make them healthy. But we are making a slightly healthier version of these fried apple donuts by using the air fryer.
Not only does the air fryer give these fritters a healthier spin, but you also don’t have to turn on your oven or waist a gallon of oil. Baking from scratch has never been easier. Just like these air fryer chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, the air fryer will deliver some amazing desserts.
What goes in air fryer apple fritters?
- Apples. Two large apples are all you need.
- Flour. Use all-purpose flour, not self-rising flour.
- Sugar. Regular old fashioned granulated sugar.
- Baking powder. This is the leavener that helps the dough rise quickly.
- Salt. Regular table salt.
- Spices. This recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Apple cider. You can use apple juice as well.
- Eggs. The eggs help with moisture, structure, and texture.
- Butter. The butter helps give them a tender texture and great flavor.
- Vanilla. Just a splash of vanilla makes a big difference with the flavor.
When the fritters are finished cooking in the air fryer, they get coated in an apple cider glaze that gives them an extra boost of apple flavor.
Helpful tools
- An air fryer
- Parchment paper or reusable air fryer mats to prevent the apple fritters from sticking to the air fryer basket.
- An ice cream scooper to scoop the fritter batter.
Best apples for apple fritters:
You can use your favorite eating apple in this recipe. We used Granny Smith apples because we love the tart flavor, but you can use a sweeter apple if you like. Try out some Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples if you want more sweet and less tart.
The important thing is to make sure they are crisp and fresh. The apples will seep out some moisture into the dough and can make your fritters soggy. We took a tip from Cooks Country to prevent soggy fritters. Just dry the chopped apples in a kitchen towel before you add them to the dough.
How long will apple fritters keep?
Like any baked good, these fritters will dry out in just a few days. If you keep them in an airtight container they can last for 5 to 7 days. The longer you store them, the dryer they will get. If you pop them in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, it will soften them up a bit. You could also stick them back in the air fryer for about 30 seconds before eating them.
SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
If you are new to air fryers, or maybe a bit uncertain about what you can use it for, check out our post to see how to use an air fryer and learn all the tips and tricks.
If you want to add some extra flavor to your air fryer apple fritters then I have a delicious suggestion. Cook up some air fryer bacon then chop it up and fold it into the batter along with the apples. BACON goes with everything! Even dessert.
These no-bake pumpkin cheesecake parfaits make a delicious single-portion dessert.
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Did you make this recipe? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Skip the mess of deep fat frying and make apple fritters in the air fryer. These fritters are made with a fast leavened batter that does not use yeast. Mix the batter and bake them right away. The apple cider glaze gives these apple fritters so much apple flavor.
NOTE: Do not confuse apple cider with apple cider vinegar. We used apple cider which is unfiltered apple juice.
Ingredients
- 2 large apples
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Apple Cider Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
NOTE: Do not confuse apple cider with apple cider vinegar. We used apple cider which is unfiltered apple juice.
- Peel and core the apples. Chop into 1/4 inch pieces. Spread the apple pieces out on a kitchen towel and pat the moisture off.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a bowl. Stir the apples into the flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk the apple cider, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. Place a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat down into the bottom of the air fryer basket.
- Use an ice cream scooper to scoop 3 to 4 dollops of fritter dough into the air fryer.
- Spray the tops of the fritters with oil. Cook for 6 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 4 minutes.
Glaze:
- Whisk the powdered sugar, apple cider, and spices together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the apple fritters. Let sit for 10 minutes until the glaze sets.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 221Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 288mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 2gSugar: 29gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is a guideline only, is calculated automatically by third party software, and absolute accuracy is not guaranteed.
has anyone tried these with gluten free flour or almond or coconut flour?
Hi Deborah, I have not tried it myself but it should work. They will definitely have a more dense and crumbly texture. Replace the all-purpose flour 1:1 with almond flour. You can add xantham gum as a binder and to give it structure and elasticity. 1/4 teaspoon of xantham gum per cup of almond flour should do the trick! Let me know if you test it out!
Not bad, used the juice instead of cider. Tried without parchment paper first batch as I missed that step but it worked good just a little harder to flip. The glaze was quite yummy as well. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Trace, thank you for the comment! Juice also works well in this recipe. I am happy you enjoyed the fritters!
Hi I need these today according to about need directions pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out. The only disappointment is that you can only cook for at a time and it takes about 10 minutes for each batch. I do see where several people had confused apple cider with apple cider vinegar, made mine with apple cider and they actually turned out light Airy fluffy and flavorful I hope you give it a try
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the fritters. It is unfortunate that the air fryer can only bake in small batches. You can make these in advance and warm them up in the air fryer for about 3 minutes.
Hi! What a great recipe. It is very similar to apple muffins I make.. this didn’t work out for me though. I made two fritters and they stuck together. The bottoms were completely wet and when I tried to flip them, they stuck to the parchment and made a big gooey mess. I gave up after the first batch (my air fryer is little) and tossed the batter into my muffin tin in the oven. I’ll dip them in the glaze. Maybe I need to add more flour? I used extra large eggs. I did everything else the exact way the recipe called 🙁 I’m sure the muffins will be great though.
Danielle, thank you for the comment. Please let me know how they turned out in the muffin tin! If they were too sticky, then you can try to add some more flour. But I am happy you were able to adapt the recipe and turn them into muffins!
Delicious! Great with coffee or evening snack.The fritters were soft and airy inside with a slight crunch on the outside.I too didn’t have apple cider or juice. I did have apple cider vinegar which I cut with orange juice. I used only the orange juice in the glaze. I will be making again, possibly with the apple cider… or not😀.
Roberta, good idea to adapt and use orange juice for the glaze. I am happy you cut the apple cider vinegar, otherwise, it might not taste right 😉 Thank you for the comment!
Made these this morning and they tasted great but were really flat. Not sure what I did wrong. Ended up skipping the air fryer and using muffin tin in the oven.
Mary, thank you for the comment! The baking powder should help the apple fritters to rise. You can test to see if your baking powder is still good by adding a teaspoon of it to a cup of hot water. If it bubbles, it is still good. Expired baking powder could be one possible culprit.
Seems like no one has apple cider laying around. I didn’t either, so I stirred some of last summer’s strawberry jam into water to thin it and used that. Probably wasn’t as tart, but the end result turned out delicious. Also, instead of drizzling icing over the fritters I used powdered sugar and spices and coated the warm fritters in a bag of it, more like powdered sugar donuts than iced.
All in all I’m glad I found this recipe, thanks!
Hey Tim! I think you hit the nail on the head, it definitely isn’t something I keep in my house often. Great idea to supplement the apple cider with jam and water. I am happy you enjoyed it!
I made the apple fritter for a breakfast treat to eat with my coffee this morning. I never thought using that much apple cider vinegar would taste so good. Thanks for this recipe!
Geraldine, thank you for the comment. I am happy they turned out well. The recipe actually calls for apple cider, not apple cider vinegar. You aren’t the only one who has done that! I will need to make that more clear in the recipe because, for some, the apple cider vinegar may be too strong.
Great recipe. Didn’t have Apple cider/juice, so used 7-Up. Delicious!
Great idea! 7-Up sounds delicious! Thanks for the comment
I made these last night, I didn’t have apple juice or cider, I used about a half a cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup milk they took longer to cook but yummy. The glaze stayed on them well just made with milk.
Crissy, that sounds like a great substitute. Happy to hear they turned out well! Thank you for the great comment!