Air Fryer Apple Fritters: If you like apples, you’ll LOVE this sweet treat. This easy dessert or breakfast treat, uses fresh apples and can be on the table in under 30 minutes!
This is by far one of our favorite air fryer recipes we have on the blog, along with our air fryer cinnamon rolls. This also ranks right up there with our apple pie nachos.
Originally published in November 2021 and recipe was re-tested and updated in May 2023.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Although pumpkins steal a lot of the spotlight in the fall, this time of year is also apple season!
With an abundance of fresh apples around, now is the perfect time to test out these great apple fritters. This easy recipe uses simple ingredients you most likely have on hand and comes together in under 30 minutes!
They’re delicious as a breakfast idea or even as a fun snack recipe to use up any extra apples!
Jump to:
Ingredients
These easy air fryer apple fritters use simple ingredients you probably have in your house already.
Substitutions
- You can substitute the brown sugar for extra white sugar of the same measurements.
- Feel free to leave the nutmeg out of the recipe if desired.
- Substituting the whole milk with heavy cream for a thicker texture is an option.
- You can substitute the gala apples with any flavor or sweet apple you’d like.
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk, lemon juice, and eggs until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (careful not to overmix unless you want tough, dense fritters).
- Fold the apples into the batter.
Pro Tip: Make sure you line the basket with parchment paper or an air fryer liner. Most air fryer baskets have holes in them. If you do not line the basket, the batter will seep through the holes and make a mess.
- Line the basket of an air fryer with parchment paper and scoop dollops of the fritter batter onto the parchment paper using a ¼ cup measure.
- Air fry the apple fritters at 400 degrees F for 7 minutes. Flip the fritters and fry for an additional 4 minutes.
- While the fritters are frying, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, whole milk, and cinnamon. (If you prefer a thicker glaze, you can add more powdered sugar.)
- As soon as the fritters come out of the air fryer, spoon the glaze over them.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Storage
Leftovers: To store these air fryer apple fritters, allow these air fryer fritters to cool to room temperature before sealing them in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezing: You can make these air fryer fritters ahead of time and freeze them. Allow the fritters to cool to room temperature before sealing them in an airtight container and storing them in the freezer. You can keep them there for up to 3 months.
To Thaw: If you choose to freeze these air fryer apple fritters, allow them to thaw on the countertop or in your refrigerator before serving.
Reheat: If you want to enjoy your apple fritters warm, place them in the microwave in 10-second intervals until they reach the desired temperature. You can also arrange them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Expert Tips and FAQs
The most likely answer to this question is that you have made your dough scoops too large. If you make your dough scoops larger than the ¼ cup recommended in the recipe, you will risk having a soggy center or a soggy bottom on your apple fritter.
(Don’t make them too small though- if you don’t add enough batter, you will risk burning the tops of your apple fritters!)
The best way to reheat your apple fritters is in the oven or air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 400°, heat your apple fritters for 2 minutes, and voila!
Expert Tip: Never microwave an air fryer apple fritter to warm it up. It will turn out soggy and chewy every time. It’s well worth it to take the extra few minutes and warm them up in the air fryer!
This could be a common case of dropping too much batter into the air fryer. ¼ cup of batter is the perfect amount to get a nice golden-brown crisp on the top of the fritter, and a soft chewy center.
I prefer peeling the apples for this recipe but you do not have to. It really is a matter of personal preference. Some people enjoy the texture of the skins. Others do not.
Make sure to use whole milk when making the glaze! You can also add more powdered sugar in tablespoon increments until the glaze thickens if preferred.
Related Recipes
Love apple fritters as much as we do? Then you’ll also want to check out these old fashioned apple fritters too!
If you love apples, then you’ll also love this Snicker apple salad and this caramel apple dump cake!
Recipe
Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
Fritter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose white flour
- 3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1½ Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 large eggs cold
- 2 gala apples diced
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk, lemon juice, and eggs until smooth.
- Mix together. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (careful not to overmix unless you want tough, dense fritters).
- Add apples. Fold the apples into the batter.
- Prep. Line the basket of an air fryer with parchment paper and scoop dollops of the fritter batter onto the parchment paper using a ¼ cup measure.
- Air Fry. Air fry the apple fritters at 400 degrees F for 7 minutes. Flip the fritters and fry for an additional 4 minutes.
- Make Glaze. While the fritters are frying, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, whole milk, and cinnamon.
- Glaze Fritters. As soon as the fritters come out of the air fryer, spoon the glaze over them.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Danielle says
Flavor is nice and apples cooked up lovely. I adjusted my air fryer time and temp because the first batch was way too dark brown. Also, the texture/appearance is very different from photos. My air fryer is similar to the one you show in your photos. Glaze was very runny. I followed the recipe exactly as written, but I noticed that in the “Glaze ingredients” section you have written “1/2 tsp cinnamon – melted”. What do you mean by “melted”? Perhaps a typo, or maybe there was supposed to be melted butter in the glaze but it was left out of the ingredient list. Mystery.
Jessica says
Hi Danielle! Thank you for sharing! Oh yes, the word “melted” was in there on accident, so I went and double-checked the recipe ingredients and amounts, with my original recipe document and it matches so I’m not sure why it didn’t turn out as expected. Did you use whole milk for the glaze? That can make a big difference!
Jana E says
Our “glaze” was also not so much a glaze. Somehow your picture looks a bit thicker. Did you reduce your glaze? Are the ingredients of the glaze correct? The image above shows lemon juice vs milk. Regardless, seems like maybe too much milk.
These would be better with an actual glaze.
Jessica says
Hi Jana. The lemon juice goes in to the apple fritter, not the glaze. So the ingredient image above, shows the ingredients for the fritters and the glaze. The glaze is a powdered sugar and milk mixture with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. So it could be that the powdered sugar was measured a bit differently than ours? So I’m not sure what could have gone different here.
Jodi says
Is the “glaze” supposed to be liquid instead of a glaze? There is way too much milk for a true glaze.
Jessica says
Hi Jodi! Did yours turn out like the photos? It’s not a pure white icing-like glaze, if that helps!
Diane says
Our family has always loved apple fritters, so when I saw this recipe I wanted to try it. They turned out perfect and we all loved them! Quick, easy and tasty. 😋
Jessica says
Oh that’s amazing to hear that you loved these apple fritters Diane, thank you so much!