How to Make Apple Fritter Donuts?

Have you ever had an apple fritter donut? If you have, you know how delicious these deep-fried donuts willed with fresh apples are. And if you haven’t, it’s time to fix that and make yourself some using the easy recipe we share in this article.

We have also included some history and facts about apple fritter donuts together with some nutritional facts and links to some additional recipe videos. Just one thing: when you make your own apple fritter donuts, make sure to get your share because they will not last long!

What is a fritter?

Fritters can be savory or sweet. They are essentially anything that has been coated in dough and then deep-fried. The filling in the fritter can be a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, or any other ingredients that take the chef’s fancy. However, apple fritters are probably the most popular type there is.

The story behind apple fritter donuts

The roots of fritters of all sorts date back thousands of years. When the people living 8000years BC invented new pottery that made heating oil possible, it opened the doors to lots of different new culinary developments.

Historical evidence shows that ancient Romans ate fritters, and they introduced the recipe to Europe as they conquered much of it. The precursor of fritters and doughnuts was a scriblita, a food made by frying dough in hot fat. A rendition of scriblita was served with sugar sprinkled on top.

The origins of the apple fritter donut can be traced back to medieval England. The oldest known, recorded recipe for apple fritter donuts is from 1390. It was published in a collection of English recipes from the 14th century.

The recipe instructs the baker to cube the apples, and dip them in ale, egg batter, and flour before deep-frying until golden brown. Another old recipe titled Hasty apple fritters, from the 1760s, tells the reader to send the fritters to the table with beaten cinnamon and sugar.

Two interesting facts about apple fritter donuts

1. People living during medieval times considered apple fritters to be dangerous to consume and difficult to digest. However, they still ate them. Usually, fritters were served hot as part of the last course of a meal.
2. Some people have mistakenly said that the apple fritter donut was invented by Canadian ice hockey player Tim Horton. He founded the restaurant chain Tim Hortons together with Jim Charade in 1964 in Hamilton, Canada. While the restaurants serve apple fritter donuts, he certainly did not invent them.

Ingredients

If you have always wanted to try making apple fritter donuts at home, but haven’t because you thought they would be too difficult, we have good news for you. Apple fritters are very easy, and they don’t take that long either.

This recipe from Souffle Bombay only takes ten minutes to prepare and ten minutes to cook. Isn’t that incredible? In just twenty minutes, you will have delicious homemade apple fritter donuts.

There is also no need to be worried about the deep frying either. You don’t need any special equipment as you can simply dip the fritters in the hot oil in a pan. Here are the ingredients to serve eight.

1 1/2 cups of peeled apples

1/3 cup of milk

1/4 cup of sugar

1 cup of flour

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon to make a sugar and cinnamon mixture

Oil for frying the fritters

Step-by-step instructions on how to make apple fritter donuts

1. Start by combining the flour with the sugar and add the teaspoons of salt and baking powder.
2. Whisk to combine the milk and egg in a small bowl.
3. When the milk and egg mixture is ready, add it to the dry ingredients and mix it all together.
4. Add the chunks of apple into the sugar and cinnamon mix, and turn the apples around to give them a good coating.
5. Dump the apple filling into the batter and stir to ensure the apples are fully coated in the batter.
6. Heat the oil to 270 degrees and use a thermometer to check it is hot enough.
7. Fry the batter-coated apples in the oil for about 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown.
8. Once the fritters are cooked, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, which allows some of the oil to drain. Set them aside on a cooling rack while you prefer the glaze if you are using one. Place paper towels under the rack to catch excess oil. Allow them to cool before sprinkling with powdered sugar or adding a glaze.

How to make the glaze

For the glaze, you will need 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, a few drops of vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir the mixture until smooth and then drizzle over the fritters.

Nutritional information

The calorie and fat content of apple fritter donuts vary depending on the recipe used. However, on average, an apple fritter will have about 300 calories and 12 grams of fat, which is 18% of the recommended daily value.

To burn off the calories, you would need to walk for 81 minutes at 3 miles per hour, run for 29 minutes at 6 miles per hour, or cycle for 42 minutes at 10 miles per hour. For more nutritional information, visit Nutrionix.

What other recipes do we recommend?

As tastes vary and while some will love the fritters cooked with batter, others might prefer apple fritters cooked with dough, or perhaps a vegan version. Here we have included links to alternative recipes with YouTube videos.

For an apple fritter recipe with dough rather than batter, try this recipe from As sweet as it gets.

If you prefer to bake rather than fry your apple fritters, try this recipe from Meraki Cooking school.

If you would like to try a healthier version of the apple fritter donuts, then How to Cook Smarter has a recipe you might like to try. They contain fewer calories but are still full of flavor.

Conclusion

We hope to have encouraged you to try making apple fritter donuts at home. They really simple to make and taste even better when you have made them yourself.

We have shared with you some of our favorite recipes for this traditional sweet treat. We hope to have answered any questions you might have had about apple fritters. However, should there be anything else you would like to ask, you can use the comments section for your questions.

FAQ

Is an apple fritter a donut?

While apple fritters might not be like traditional cake or yeasted donuts, they certainly are part of the donut family. Why? Because the apples in the fritters are coated in donut dough before being deep-fried or cooked in an oven such as a dutch oven.

Is it better to use cooked or raw apples?

This is simply a matter of taste. It is not necessary to cook the apples and older, traditional recipes all tend to use raw apples. Some prefer to cook them first, so they will be softer. Cooking them can also help them to stay better in the fritter.

What are the best apples to use for apple fritters?

Lauren from Lauren’s Latest suggests using Granny Smith apples because they are tart, hold their shape and have a great texture when cooked. She suggests using them in other apple recipes, such as apple pies and apple cakes, too.

What makes a donut a fritter?

The difference is the way they get filled. In a fritter, the fillings are coated with the batter or dough before they are fried. In a donut, the batter or dough is cooked on its own and any fillings will be piped into them once they are cooked.

Do I need a deep fryer to make apple fritter donuts?

You do not need a deep fryer to make apple fritters. You can cook them just as well in a pot or a skillet.

Do I need to use yeast to make apple fritter donuts?

While there are recipes that use yeast, there are just as many that do not. Yeast is more commonly used in recipes that use dough rather than batter. It is also more common in baked fritter recipes.

What oil is best for cooking apple fritter donuts?

You want to choose an oil that has a very mild flavor such as canola oil or vegetable oil. Oils with a strong flavor can leave an oily taste in your mouth.