Old-Fashioned Apple Fritters Recipe
This is just like your favourite old-fashioned Apple Fritters recipe, with one big difference: it’s vegan! Tender apples, a sticky glaze, and dough that’s crisp on the outside and pillowy soft in the middle make these the BEST fall treat.
There’s nothing like homemade Classic Vegan Donuts—nothing! It’s a recipe I make as a special treat for my family, but with apples in season, I decided to try my hand at making a vegan apple fritters recipe. And now we have a new fall tradition! These fritters are loaded with tender apples, they’re full of cozy cinnamon, and they’re crispy on the outside. A vanilla glaze is the perfect finishing touch to make them totally divine.
Why It’s Worth Making Apple Fritters at Home
Fresh donuts are the best donuts, and this apple fritter recipe is no exception!
- Apple fritters, made vegan. Most apple fritters are not vegan, but this recipe uses plant-based milk, vegan butter, and applesauce as a vegan egg replacement.
- Plenty of fresh apples. The apples are juicy and get tender when fried, and there’s lots of them in every bite!
- The perfect texture. When you fry dough, it gets golden and crisp on the outside, but the inside is tender, soft, and so pillowy. As donuts (and apple fritters!) sit in the bakery case, they lose that irresistible texture, so making them fresh is the best move.
Notes on Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this apple fritters recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the Fritters:
- Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples – Peel, core, and dice these.
- All-purpose flour – Measure this by weight if you can; if not, lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup to make sure you don’t use too much.
- Baking powder
- Light brown sugar – Dark brown sugar would also work; it has more of a molasses flavour.
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon – You could swap in apple pie spice if you’d like!
- Almond milk – Make sure it’s unsweetened and unflavoured.
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Melted vegan butter – I like to use my homemade Vegan Butter.
- Vegetable oil – Or another high smoke point oil for frying the fritters.
For the Glaze
- Powdered sugar – Here’s how to make Homemade Powdered Sugar.
- Almond milk
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla bean paste would also work if you have it on hand.
How to Make Apple Fritters
Get excited for apple fritters! Here’s a step-by-step look at the process for making this apple fritters recipe.
- Dry the apples. Pat the apples dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Make the batter. Stir in the almond milk, applesauce, and melted vegan butter just until combined. Fold in the apples.
- Heat the oil. Pour an inch of vegetable oil into a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Heat over medium or medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F.
- Fry the fritters. Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter into the hot oil for each fritter and flatten them slightly with the spoon. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, or until golden brown on the outside.
- Drain. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fritters and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
- Glaze the fritters. While fritters are still slightly warm, dip them in the glaze or drizzle the glaze over the top. Set on a wire rack until the glaze solidifies.
Tips for the Best Vegan Apple Fritters
- Adjust the flour amount if needed. The batter should be thick but scoopable, but sometimes the amount of flour needed for this consistency will change depending on the humidity in your kitchen. If you need to, mix in an additional tablespoon of flour.
- Test the oil if you don’t have a thermometer. I highly recommend a thermometer when deep frying, but if you don’t have one, you can stick the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If bubbles immediately and steadily form around it, the oil’s ready to use. If the bubbles are rapid and not steady, lower the temperature a bit. No bubbles? Keep warming the oil.
- Work in batches. If you add all the batter all at once, it will drop the temperature of the oil and make your apple fritters greasy. Your fritters are also likely to stick together! Don’t overcrowd the pan and you’ll be rewarded with crisp, light fritters.
Serving Suggestions
I love enjoying this apple fritters recipe with a cup of coffee or a homemade vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte if I’m feeling fancy. This Hot Spiced Apple Cider would also be perfect, as would a Dirty Chai Latte.
How to Store Leftovers
- Room temperature: Apple fritters are definitely best eaten fresh, as soon as the glaze has set. But if you have leftovers, you can keep them at room temperature for up to a day in an airtight container.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, you can refrigerate the fritters for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: You can freeze these apple fritters in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
More Vegan Apple Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this apple fritters recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Apple Fritters
Ingredients
For the Fritters:
- 2 medium Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and diced – about 2 cups / 200g
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 170g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3.5g
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, 50g
- ¼ teaspoon salt, 2.5g
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3g
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, 120mL
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce, 80g
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter, 13g
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar, 120g
- 2 tablespoons almond milk, 30mL
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2.5mL
Instructions
- Peel, core, and dice the apples into small bite-sized pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Stir in the almond milk, applesauce, and melted vegan butter. Mix until just combined—do not overmix. The batter should be thick but scoopable, add 1 tablespoon flour if it’s too runny. Fold in the diced apples.
- Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep skillet or Dutch oven to reach about 1 inch (2.5 cm) depth. Heat over medium to medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F (175°C).
- Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, flattening slightly with the spoon. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crisp. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Remove fritters with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla until smooth. While fritters are still slightly warm, dip them in the glaze or drizzle it over the top. Place on a wire rack to let excess glaze drip off.
- Enjoy warm with coffee or tea.
Notes
- Room temperature: Apple fritters are definitely best eaten fresh, as soon as the glaze has set. But if you have leftovers, you can keep them at room temperature for up to a day in an airtight container.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, you can refrigerate the fritters for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: You can freeze these apple fritters in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
- Nutritional information does not include the oil used for frying, as the amount varies and most of it is not absorbed.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
