Apple fritters are one of a kind delicious dish that you can opt for. They might sound healthy but only if you can cook them with less oil.
Now, how is that possible? By Air Frying them. Yes, you read that right! Air frying consumes less oil, this way you can try to eat healthily.
These apple fritters in the air fryer are flavored with apples, cinnamon spice, and everything nice. The recipe is made from scratch but is very simple to prepare. These fritters don’t require yeast because they come together like a quick bread or muffin recipe.
You can make these with sweet or tart apples, depending on your preference, and then top them with a tangy apple cider glaze to bring out more apple flavor. You’ll love how quick and simple it is to make this air fryer apple fritter dessert!
Not only does the air fryer make these fritters healthier, but it also eliminates the need to turn on your oven or waste a gallon of oil. It’s never been easier to bake from scratch.
What Are Apple Fritters?
An apple fritter is a donut-like pastry dough filled with chopped apples and deep-fried in hot oil. They are then glazed with sweet, sugary icing after they have finished cooking.
Apple fritters can be made with yeast dough or a quick-leavened dough. So you don’t have to wait for the yeast to rise, I’m providing a recipe for the latter. You can easily make these fritters if you can make brownies or banana bread.
Just because apple fritters contain fruit does not make them healthy. However, by using an air fryer, we can make a slightly healthier version of these fried apple donuts.
Can You Fry Apple Fritters In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can easily fry apple fritters in an air fryer. This way you’ll be consuming less oil than usual and your apple fritters will turn out crispier.
An air fryer is a countertop appliance that functions similarly to a small convection oven. Instead of using a lot of oil or fat, it uses wind from an internal fan and heat to thoroughly cook your chicken wings or crisp up your apple fritters.
The fan and heat are both located above whatever is being cooked in the fryer, and the food is in a slotted basket. That super-heated air circulates every side of your steak or asparagus, cooking it thoroughly and quickly, as if by magic.
Which Apples Are The Best For Apple Fritters?
In this recipe, you can use your favorite eating apple. I used Granny Smith apples because I like how tart they are, but you can use a sweeter apple if you prefer. If you want something sweeter and less tart, try Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples.
The most important thing is that they are crisp and fresh. The apples will release moisture into the dough, making your fritters soggy. To avoid soggy fritters, simply pat the chopped apples dry with a kitchen towel before adding them to the dough.
How To Make Apple Fritters In An Air Fryer?
Making apple fritters in an air fryer is pretty easy, all you have to do is gather the following ingredients to get going:
Ingredients:
- Apple
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Oil
- Eggs
- Baking Powder
- Salt
Directions:
Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then set it to manual 400 degrees for 3–4 minutes until the basket inside is hot and ready to cook your fritters.
While the air fryer is heating up, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl for your batter.
Make a well in the center and fill it with your wet ingredients: milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Stir until just combined, then fold in the diced apples, or however, you like them.
Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or use these handy air fryer basket liners, and brush or spray lightly with oil. This step can be optional if your air fryer doesn’t recommend using parchment paper.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be limited to only two fritters at a time. However, if you overcrowd them, they won’t crisp up.
Dab the tops of the fritters lightly with oil or spray with an oil sprayer, and heat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-5 minutes, or until the fritters are a deep golden brown. Repeat with the other side of the fritters.
Nutrition Facts Of Apple Fritters
While some of you might consider apple fritters healthy, let me tell you how it’s not that healthy. Let’s take a round in the table below to see what nutrition you get from consuming one apple fritter.
| Content | Value |
| Calories | 500 |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Sodium | 560 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 68 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Sugar | 26 g |
Tips On Making Fluffier Apple Fritters
- Instead of melted butter, add cold butter to the batter with a cheese grater this will keep them fluffier.
- You can also chill the batter for 15 minutes before air frying.
- If you can’t refrigerate them for 15 minutes, place them on a cookie sheet and refrigerate them while the air fryer heats up. Because the batter will be in smaller scoops, it will cool faster.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer basket or skillet, cook 1 or 2 apple fritters at a time. You should give them plenty of room so they can cook evenly.
- If the dough is extremely moist, line the air fryer basket with parchment paper and spray with a thin layer of cooking oil before adding the batter.
- To prevent the dough from becoming soggy, dry the chopped apples with a towel before adding them to the batter.
- To prevent tough fritters, avoid over-mixing the batter and transfer the batter to the air fryer or skillet with an ice cream scoop.
- Allow fritters to cool on a wire rack to avoid becoming soggy.
- Temperatures in air fryers can vary depending on the brand and model. I recommend starting with a shorter cook time, checking for doneness, and then increasing the time as needed.
Variations You Can Try
There are some variations you can go with if you feel like ditching the apple flavor for once:
- You can prepare an apple cider glaze instead of traditional icing by combining powdered sugar and cream. The addition of an apple cider glaze will add apple flavor to these fritters.
- The second variation that you can go for is changing the fruit. You can make a fritter with almost any type of fruit. So don’t wait up; go for peaches, pears, strawberries, blueberries, and other fruits. The options are limitless.
- Another thing you can try is different glaze options, including brown butter glaze, brown sugar glaze, or honey glaze.
How To Make Glaze For Fritters?
A glaze coats traditional apple fritters. If desired, roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture or dust them with powdered sugar. Alternatively, combine them all.
To make the glaze, combine a small amount of water with the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Stir it with a spoon and add more water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I adore this two-ingredient glaze.
You can either dip the apple fritters in the glaze and then place them back on the wire rack, or you can drizzle the glaze over the tops of them with a spoon. You can’t go wrong with either approach.
Will Apple Fritters Dry Out?
These fritters, like any baked good, will dry out in a matter of days.
They can be stored in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days. The longer you keep them in your refrigerator, the drier they will turn out after a few days.
Microwaving them for 10 to 15 seconds will soften them slightly. You could also reheat them in the air fryer for about 30 seconds before serving.
Here’s how you can make perfect air-fried apple fritters:
Do I Really Need To Cook These In Parchment Paper Rounds?
The quick answer is no, but even if you use a nonstick basket, a batter like this can easily stick to the air fryer basket.
To minimize sticking and batter creeping down into the air fryer holes, use a basic ring of parchment paper to avoid cleanup and sticking.
You may simply use regular parchment paper and cut it into shapes with holes within, but I thought that the parchment paper rounds are well worth the $7-10 expenditure.
Storage
The following methods can be used to store apple fritters:
- For up to 3 days in an airtight plastic container
- Refrigerate for up to a week, covered.
- Up to 3 months in the freezer
- You may even chill the batter for up to 2 days before air frying it!
Summary
- An apple fritter is a donut-like pastry dough filled with chopped apples and deep-fried in hot oil.
- They can be glazed with cinnamon and honey glaze.
- You can use Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp apples.
- If you don’t want soggy apples, you can pat dry your apples in a towel before air frying them.
- Fritters then do go dry in a matter of days.
- You can reheat them in the air fryer for 30 seconds.
- They can be stored in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days. The longer you keep them in your refrigerator, the drier they will turn out after days.
- If you want to try a different variation of fritters you can change the fruit inside or glaze them with butter sauce or many more.