Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Homemade air fryer apple fritters are deliciously crispy, filled with sweet apples, and dripping with melt-in-your-mouth apple cider glaze. These are totally bakery-worthy and so easy to make at home!
How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, cooling rack, mixing bowl
Servings: makes 12 small fritters
Easy Homemade Apple Fritters
Air fryer apple fritters are an addictive finger-licking fall treat. My family totally loves these apple fritters and I’m sure yours will, too. These apple fritters are about to become a seasonal favorite, right up there with my apple-packed cider muffins and homemade apple pancakes
If you love donuts, you’ll be a fan of these fritters, too. A fritter is more free-form than a donut. Fritters usually have a filling that is folded right into the batter, then fried. There are savory fritters (try my vegetable fritters!) and sweet fritters, like this apple fritter recipe.
Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Filled with apple flavor. These fritters are filled with nice-sized chunks of real apples and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s like biting into a pocket full of fall sunshine!
Soft on the inside, crisp on the outside. Air fryer apple fritters aren’t an exact copycat of their doughnut-style cousins. They’re soft inside and crisp on top, like a muffin top smothered in delicious apple cider glaze. They’re super irresistible.
Less greasy. Air fryer fritters are far less greasy than if you were to deep-fry them in oil like old-fashioned bakery apple fritters. My apple fritter recipe has all the richness, flavor, and spice of your favorite old-fashioned bakery fritters, minus the deep-frying. (If you like this idea, be sure to try my baked banana donuts and chocolate donuts, too!)
Easy to make. The batter for these apple fritters is SO easy (it’s basically a quick bread). Using your air fryer means you don’t have to do any deep-frying, so it’s not nearly as messy to make these sweet treats.
Fun fact: The word fritter is taken from the Latin word “frictura” which means “to fry.” I wonder if there’s a word in Latin for “air fry” because that’s what we’re about to do!
Ingredient Notes
- Apples: Any firm apple will work. I like Gala or Honeycrisp apples.
- Apple Cider: The batter also includes cider for even more apple flavor in your fritters. I recommend using a non-fermented cider, or apple juice also works. You’ll also add apple cider to the glaze.
- All-Purpose Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, and Vanilla
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: These warm spices pair perfectly with apples. Apple pie spice blend also works well in this recipe, or you can use only cinnamon if you happen to be out of nutmeg.
- Milk and Eggs: Pretty much any type of milk will work, even non-dairy milk if you prefer.
- Powdered Sugar: The fritters are topped with a smooth glaze made with powdered sugar, apple cider, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Which Apples to Use
The best apples for apple fritters are firm baking apples like the kind you’d use to make apple crisp or apple pie. I usually use Gala apples or Honeycrisp, for their sweetness. Granny Smith apples also work if you prefer a more tart apple.
How To Make Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Prep the air fryer. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the air fryer. The fritter batter is very soft, and the paper keeps the batter from falling through the rack. Lightly spray the parchment with nonstick spray.
Make the fritter batter. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, apple cider, and vanilla. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and gently blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the chopped apple.
Portion out the batter. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the parchment paper. Make sure to leave enough space between them inside the air fryer. Your fritters need the hot air to circulate in order to crisp up. Overcrowding the air fryer will lead to steamed, soggy fritters. You may have to cook them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer. A light spritz of nonstick spray on top of the fritters also helps the them crisp up.
Cook. Air fry the fritters at 400ºF for 6 minutes, flip, and fry for 4 more minutes. While the fritters are baking, make a simple glaze using powdered sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Add the glaze. Dip the fritters into the glaze and let them dry on a wire rack until the glaze hardens a bit.
Easy Variations
- Bake the fritters. Don’t have an air fryer? No problem, you can bake these in the oven, too. The recipe card has baking instructions. (Or try my apple spice cake!)
- Try different fruits. Substitute cut-up peaches, apricots, or plums for the apples, or stir in blueberries or raspberries.
- Make savory fritters. Try vegetable fritters instead of sweet apple fritters. They’re packed with zucchini, sweet bell pepper, carrots, and feta cheese.
Serving Ideas
Air fryer apple fritters are a snack to look forward to or a welcome addition to breakfast or brunch! Serve them with coffee or tea alongside a bowl of yogurt with granola. These cozy apple fritters are also the perfect accompaniment to hot mulled cider or an apple cider mocktail, or just plain ice-cold glass of milk.
You can serve your apple fritters a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce never hurts, either!). Or, go all-in on the apple theme and top your fritters with whipped cream and homemade apple compote.
Store: Like any bakery treat, apple fritters are best eaten the same day you make them. If you have leftovers, store them in a tightly covered container on the counter for up to 2 days and reheat them before serving. If you want to make them ahead, I’d advise storing them without the glaze, and then glazing them after you reheat them.
Reheat: To reheat apple fritters in the air fryer, place the fritters back into the fryer at 400ºF and warm them for a couple of minutes, then enjoy!
Freeze: You can freeze unglazed apple fritters for up to 3 months. Make sure they’re cooled completely, and then store them airtight. Defrost your fritters in the fridge uncovered before reheating in the air fryer; glaze them after reheating.
Make an apple fritter sundae! These are a huge hit during apple season in our house. Crumble leftover apple fritters into a bowl, and then top with your favorite ice cream and caramel sauce for an over-the-top dessert.
More Apple Recipes
Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Ingredients
Fritters:
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup apple cider
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large apple, peeled and cut into ½ -inch cubes (about 2 cups)
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Line the bottom of the air fryer basket with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine milk, apple cider, eggs, and vanilla.⅓ cup milk, ⅓ cup apple cider, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the bowl. Toss dry ingredients together a little before stirring into wet ingredients. Do not overmix the batter. Fold in chopped apples.2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 large apple, peeled and cut into ½ -inch cubes
- Using an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons, drop batter, making 3 or 4 fritters at a time, into air fryer. Spritz with more nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook at 400ºF for 6 minutes, flip, and cook for additional 4 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the fritters cook, make the glaze. In a medium sized bowl, combine glaze ingredients, stirring until smooth.2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup apple cider, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Remove fritters to cooling rack placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Dip the fritters individually in the glaze, using two forks to hold them. Place glazed fritters back on cooling rack to finish cooling and for glaze to set.
Notes
- Yield note: Yield depends on size of fritters. If you want to make larger fritters, they’ll take a bit longer to air fry.
- Baking instructions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Scoop batter onto greased baking sheet (or line with parchment paper) and bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Glaze as directed.
- Make ahead: Unglazed fritters can be made a few days ahead; cool completely and store in a covered container, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat apple fritters in the air fryer at 400ºF for 2 to 3 minutes. Glaze as directed and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
i am making these now, but the batter is way to runny to drop on a cookie sheet. It would run all together. I am adding more flour, quite a bit more. What happened?
Hmm, I’m not sure. It should be more like a muffin batter. Did you measure everything correctly?
I don’t miss the deep fryer for these, the fresh ingredients too, thank you for this healthier version!
So great to hear it! We love these too.
These look amazing! We will definitely be trying these soon.
Thanks for a great recipe :-)
Thanks! I hope you love them!
sounds easy and delicious
They really are!