Half the Sugar Baker
These apple fritters are one of my favorite fall snacks! They are perfectly spiced, come together in one bowl, and taste so delicious. Best of all, they are made in the airfryer, which means a lot less clean up. There’s no need to fill up a pot with splattering oil! The maple glaze on top makes them even better.
What are apple fritters?
Apple fritters are sort of like donuts, but with a lot of apples in them. They are usually deep fried, so they’re super crispy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside. The batter is mixed with diced fresh apples, which make them perfect for fall!
These apple fritters are made with an airfryer, which is so much easier and a lot less clean up! Since they’re made in the airfryer, these fritters are less crispy and more cake-like than traditional deep fried fritters. For me, the trade off is worth it because I hate deep frying at home. If you do want to try deep frying these, go ahead! You can use this same recipe for amazing traditional apple fritters.
What apples should I use for these apple fritters?
Apples are the star of this recipe! I recommend using classic baking apples like Braeburn, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith. These apples are nice and firm, so they won’t go mushy in the oven. Also, this batter isn’t very sweet, so I recommend using sweeter apples, not super tart ones. I love making these with honeycrisps! If you don’t have any of these apples, just use what you have! The fritters will come out delicious anyways.
How to make apple fritters?
I love these apple fritters because they are so easy to make. Everything comes together in one bowl in less than 10 minutes! Simply whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and then add the wet ingredients. Stir everything together, add the diced apples, and you’re ready to air fry! When making the batter, try not to overmix because this can develop too much gluten and lead to dense fritters. It’s ok if there are a few small lumps in the batter!
When air frying, I recommend using a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking and to make clean up even easier. You can spray the tops of the fritters with oil before air frying to help them crisp up, but this is completely optional. Air fry the fritters for 7-8 minutes at 400º F. They should be golden brown when they’re done cooking.
The last step is to make the maple glaze. I like to mix the maple syrup and powdered sugar into a smooth paste before adding the milk because it seems to prevent lumps from forming. Make sure to add the milk slowly as the glaze can get too thin very easily!
Tips for making these Airfryer Apple Fritters:
These apple fritters don’t have a lot of sugar in the batter so the maple glaze on top is important for sweetening them as well as adding extra flavor. If you don’t want to make the maple glaze, I recommend adding 2 extra tablespoons of sugar to the batter.
This batter calls for 1/4 cup applesauce but if you don’t have it, you can substitute 1/4 cup greek yogurt or just plain milk.
I like to line the bottom of my airfryer with parchment paper for easy clean up and to make sure the fritters don’t stick, but if you don’t have parchment paper, you can line the basket with aluminum foil and grease with oil.
Before you airfry these apple fritters, make sure that you preheat the airfryer for 3-5 minutes, just to get the basket hot.
When ready to airfry, make sure that you press the fritter dough into a 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. If you make them too thick, the inside might be under baked when you take them out.
Variations of these Airfryer Apple Fritters:
If you don’t want to glaze these apple fritters, try brushing them with melted butter after they’re done cooking and then rolling them in cinnamon sugar! This adds a super delicious crunch to the outside, and I love the cinnamon flavor! They remind me of apple cider donuts!
You can also try making these apple fritters with other fruits like peaches or berries! Instead of apples, substitute 2 1/2 cups of fresh fruit.
If you liked these Airfryer Apple Fritters, you might also like…
Airfryer Apple Fritters with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup applesauce see the notes for substitutions
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large apples peeled and diced into small pieces
- oil spray optional
For the maple glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1-2 teaspoons of milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then add the 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, and applesauce, and stir until just combined. Then stir in the vanilla extract and oil. Add the diced apples and fold until incorporated.
- Preheat the airfryer for 3-5 minutes at 400ºF. Once preheated, line with parchment paper and add large spoons of batter. Flatten the lumps of batter to 3/4 inch thick with a spoon or spatula. Make sure not to overcrowd the airfryer, you may have to cook multiple batches. Optionally, spray the top with a little bit of oil for crispier fritters. Bake for 7 minutes at 400ºF. Once done, transfer the fritters to a wire rack to cool slightly.
- While the fritters are cooking, prepare the maple glaze: In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Stir until it forms a thick glaze. Then add the milk one teaspoon at a time until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. Once the fritters have slightly cooled, drizzle on the glaze and enjoy warm.
