There’s nothing like the smell of apples and cinnamon drifting through your kitchen. These Air Fryer Apple Fritters are golden and crisp outside, tender and sweet inside, and ready in just 30 minutes. A fairground classic made lighter, quicker, and cozier for your home.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Crispy edges without deep frying
Ready in about half an hour
Uses simple pantry staples plus fresh apples
Perfect any time of year, but magical in apple season
Kid approved, coffee approved, dessert approved
The Best Apples for Fritters
The apple you choose makes all the difference. Granny Smith brings a tart bite, Honeycrisp gives juicy sweetness, and Pink Lady balances both beautifully. Chop them into small, even cubes about ¼ inch so every bite is packed with tender apple goodness. Avoid soft apples like Red Delicious since they turn mushy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the fritters
1½ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅓ cup milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons melted butter unsalted
2 medium apples peeled and diced about 2¾ cups
For the glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted butter
Step by Step Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice
- Combine and fold in apples: Pour wet into dry, add melted butter, and stir until no dry streaks remain. Gently fold in apple pieces
- Prep the air fryer: Preheat to 375°F. Line basket with parchment and spray lightly
- Cook fritters: Scoop ¼ cup batter mounds into the basket, leaving space between each. Air fry 8 minutes, flip, then cook 3 more minutes until golden brown
- Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter until smooth. Dip warm fritters in glaze and let excess drip off on a rack
- Serve: Enjoy immediately while warm, gooey, and irresistible
Tips for Success
Batter should be thick like muffin batter. If too thin, add a spoonful of flour
Don’t crowd the air fryer, give each fritter room to crisp
Pat apples dry with paper towels before adding to batter
Re spray your air fryer basket between batches for best results
What to Serve With Apple Fritters
Pair your fritters with a cozy slice of Apple Crumb Cake with Cinnamon for the ultimate fall dessert spread
If you love apple packed treats you’ve got to try this Brown Butter Apple dessert next
For a fun party twist serve these fritters alongside our Easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
Storage and Reheating
Fresh: Best eaten warm on the day you make them
Room Temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days
Freeze: Freeze unglazed fritters up to 3 months. Glaze fresh before serving
Reheat: Pop in the air fryer for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp up, or microwave for a quick warm up
FAQ
Can I make these ahead of time
Yes You can freeze unglazed fritters and glaze them fresh when ready to serve for best texture
Can I make them gluten free
Absolutely Use a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious
Can I use other fruits
Yep Try diced pears peaches or even blueberries for a fun twist
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Air Fryer Apple Fritters (Crispy, Sweet & Cozy Treat!)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 fritters 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
There’s nothing like the smell of apples and cinnamon drifting through your kitchen. These Air Fryer Apple Fritters are golden and crisp outside, tender and sweet inside, and ready in just 30 minutes. A fairground classic made lighter, quicker, and cozier for your home.
Ingredients
- For the fritters:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
- 2 medium apples, peeled and diced (about 2¾ cups)
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Pour wet into dry, add melted butter, and stir until no dry streaks remain. Gently fold in apple pieces.
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F. Line basket with parchment and spray lightly.
- Scoop ¼ cup batter mounds into the basket, leaving space between each. Air fry for 8 minutes, flip, then cook 3 more minutes until golden brown.
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter until smooth. Dip warm fritters in glaze and let excess drip off on a rack.
- Enjoy immediately while warm, gooey, and irresistible.
Notes
The batter should be thick like muffin batter. If it feels too runny, add a spoonful of flour. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer so the fritters crisp up properly. Dry the apples with a paper towel before mixing in. Spray your basket between batches for the best golden crunch!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fritter
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg