Amish apple fritters are made with fresh apples, cinnamon, and a simple homemade batter. The fritters are deep-fried until golden and crisp around the edges, then covered with a sweet vanilla glaze.
This apple fritters recipe is easy to prepare with basic ingredients. They're especially good while still warm, with a cup of coffee for breakfast or as a sweet afternoon treat.
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Why You'll Love These Apple Fritters
- Loaded with apples: Packed with finely chopped or shredded fresh apples.
- Sweet vanilla glaze: A simple glaze adds a sweet finishing touch.
- No yeast: The baking-powder batter comes together without yeast or rising time.
- Breakfast or dessert: Enjoy them with coffee or serve them warm with ice cream.
Ingredients
- Apples: Tart apples or a mixture of apples work well. Chop them very finely or shred them so they cook properly inside the fritters.
- Eggs: Help bind the batter and give the fritters structure.
- Milk: Whole milk works best, but 2% also works.
- Lemon juice: Adds a little acidity and keeps the apples from browning.
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the batter.
- Baking powder: Helps the fritters puff up as they fry. (I recommend aluminum-free baking powder.)
- Sugar: Adds a little sweetness to the batter.
- Cinnamon: Adds warm flavor that pairs well with the apples.
- Salt: Enhances the other flavors.
- Oil: I typically use canola or peanut oil for deep-frying.
For the Glaze:
- Powdered sugar: Makes a smooth, sweet glaze.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavor.
- Milk: Thins the glaze to the right consistency.
How to Make Amish Apple Fritters
- Prepare the apples: Peel and chop the apples into very small pieces, or grate them.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Beat the eggs, then stir in the milk and lemon juice.
- Combine the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. If the batter seems too thick, add a splash more milk.
- Add the apples: Gently stir in the chopped or grated apples. Do not overmix.
Deep-Frying The Fritters
- Heat the oil: Fill a pot with enough oil to cover the fritters. I tend to use a smaller, deeper pot because it doesn't take as much oil. Only a couple of fritters fit at a time, but frying too many at once can drop the oil temperature too much.
- Check the temperature: Heat the oil to 350°F before adding the batter. I always use a kitchen thermometer, and I strongly recommend using one for best results.
- Add the batter: Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. Try to spread the batter a bit so you don't end up with a fat ball.
- Keep the oil temperature steady: If the oil is not hot enough, the fritters can get soggy from absorbing too much oil. If it is too hot, they can burn on the outside while the inside is still doughy. Adjust the burner as needed to keep the temperature around 350°F.
- Fry the fritters: Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and cooked through.
- Drain and cool: Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon or strainer skimmer, and place them on a wire rack to cool. I place paper towels under the rack to catch excess oil and glaze, which makes cleanup easier.
Tip: Be very careful while frying. The oil is super hot!
Glaze
The glaze only takes a few ingredients and comes together quickly.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
- Dip the fritters: Dunk the cooled apple fritters into the glaze, then place them on a wire rack to let the excess glaze drip off and the glaze set.
- Or brush with glaze: If you don't want to dip them, place the fritters on a wire rack and spoon or brush the glaze over the top.
Tip: Glazing the fritters can get a little messy, so place parchment paper or paper towels underneath the rack to catch the drips.
How to Store Apple Fritters
- At room temperature: Store apple fritters loosely covered for up to 2 days. Brown paper bags work well if you want to keep the outside from getting too moist. You can also store them in an airtight container, but they will be softer and more moist.
- In the refrigerator: Refrigerate the fritters for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Let the fritters cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then warm them in a 375°F oven for about 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common causes are oil that is too hot or fritters that are too thick. Keep the oil around 350°F and spread the batter slightly when you drop it into the oil. Finely chopping or grating the apples also helps the fritters cook through properly.
Make sure the oil is around 350°F before adding the batter, and fry only a few fritters at a time. If the oil temperature drops too much, the fritters can absorb more oil and become greasy.
Yes. You can dust the fritters with powdered sugar or, while they are still warm, toss them in cinnamon sugar. For the cinnamon sugar, mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with about 1 cup of sugar.
Apple Fritters for Breakfast or Dessert
I love a morning cup of coffee with a little something sweet on the side. These old-fashioned Amish apple fritters are one of my favorite breakfast pastries, along with Amish donuts and a good old cinnamon streusel coffee cake. Amish Wet-Bottom Shoofly Pie and Shoofly Cake are more breakfast favorites.
These Dutch apple fritters are also good any time of day. Enjoy one as an afternoon snack, or serve a warm fritter with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
More Amish Pastry Recipes
If you enjoy old-fashioned homemade pastries, here are a few more recipes to try:
More Amish Apple Recipes
If you have plenty of apples on hand, there are lots of other ways to enjoy them. Here are a few more Amish apple recipes you might like:
This recipe makes the best Amish Apple Fritters! If you try it, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Apple Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 c. finely chopped apples
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ c. milk
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ c. sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- Oil, for frying
Glaze:
- 2 ½ c. powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
- Peel and chop the apples into very small pieces (or shred them).3 c. finely chopped apples
- Beat the eggs, milk, and lemon juice. Mix well.2 eggs, ⅔ c. milk, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir into the wet ingredients.2 c. all-purpose flour, 3 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ c. sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon
- Stir the apples into the batter, but be careful to not overmix.
- Pour several inches of oil into a deep pot and bring it to 350°.Oil, for frying
- Drop the batter by large tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. (If it wants to drop into a round ball, try to spread it out a little.) It's best to fry only a few fritters at a time and not crowd them. Try to consistently keep the oil temperature around 350°.
- Fry the fritters for about 3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Remove them with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack to cool.
- Once cooled, dunk the fritters into the glaze and place them on a wire rack to dry. Or brush the glaze over the top.
- They are the best to eat while fresh. But you can also store them loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days. Refrigerate them for up to a week. Or freeze them in an airtight container for up to a couple of months.
Glaze:
- While the fritters cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a small bowl. The glaze should be on the thinner side. If the glaze is too thin, add extra powdered sugar to thicken it. If it's too thick, add a little extra milk to thin it out.2 ½ c. powdered sugar, 3-4 Tbsp. milk , 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Notes
- I typically use canola or peanut oil for deep-frying.
- Keep the oil around 350°F and fry only a few fritters at a time so the temperature doesn't drop too much.
- Spread the batter slightly as you drop it into the oil. If the fritters are too thick, they may not cook properly in the middle.
- You can reheat the fritters in the microwave or in a 375°F oven for about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Check out my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage
Vickie
Hi Anna, …just wanted to say, tried recipe and was brilliant! These fritters are delicious. After reading Q & A’s, I also tried the Air Fryer in baking them. They came out perfectly done heated at 370 for 10 minutes, turning them over at the 5 minute mark. Toby taste and texture alone, seemed fluffier and outside layer had a nice light crisp crunch to it. For those looking to change up the sugar for both the ingredient in the fritter and the glaze, I switched that up in exact measurements to the recipe with Swerve and no changes to taste, texture or look of fritter, very good!
Anna
Awesome! Thank you for leaving all these tips! Much appreciated!
Ellen
I haven’t made these Apple Fritters yet but I’ve been asked to bake a dessert for a function so this is what I’ve chosen to make! I’ll do a dry run beforehand though! The recipe sounds like there definitely delicious so we’ll see! Thank you for this recipe❣️
Anna
I hope you were impressed. The problem with pastries like this though, they are always best when fresh on the first day.
Anna
They're so yummy!
Robin
Something is off with the milk in this recipe. i added more but mine still came out to stiff, whereas, they looked like ball shaped blobs and did not get done inside. ugh
Anna
I'm really sorry that they didn't turn out for you! I've never had any issues. But I did mention in the post that you need to try and spread the batter a bit so you don't end up with a fat ball.
Did you keep the oil temp low enough? Cooking with too hot oil will result in the fritters browning on the outside before they are done on the inside. Did you finely chop or shred the apples?
Cindy in GA
Loved this recipe! My family lived just outside of Lancaster, PA, for 25 years. We loved driving through the countryside, and the smell of these fritters reminded me so much of the wonderful foods we ate while there. A friend told me she used chopped up pie filling instead of the fresh apples.and lots of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on the batter as she mixed it in..So good! Easy to make. The most difficult part for me was ensuring the oil was hot enough. Thanks for sharing the recipe! My first try and my husband said it is a keeper!
Anna
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed them.