Easy air fryer apple fritters are a delicious apple dessert for fall! This air fryer dessert is so simple to make during apple season. They are healthier than the traditional recipe, but just as delicious! Enjoy them with a cup of coffee!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Gluten-free and bursting with apple cinnamon flavor.
- A fun mix of an apple donut and apple pie.
- Classic apple flavors that are great for fall and apple season!
- A fun apple dessert recipe and a delicious sweet treat.
- Easy recipe to make.
- The perfect dessert recipe to use up extra apples.
- Simple and basic ingredients - just like our funfetti donuts!
- No mixer is required.
- A healthy alternative to deep frying - no vegetable oil.
- Want more easy apple desserts for fall? Try this cake mix apple cobbler, healthy apple nachos, or healthy apple crisp.
Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
Dry Ingredients
Gluten-free baking flour like King Arthur flour gluten-free all-purpose flour blend provides the binding for these air fryer apple fritters.
Use oat flour as a substitute. If using oat flour, you may need to add milk or almond milk to thin the batter.
Brown sugar adds a bit of sweetness to the dough.
Baking powder helps to create the structure of the fritter and allows the donut-like cake to rise.
Salt gives flavor and helps to balance the sweet flavors.
Pumpkin spice adds a warm and cozy flavor. Use cinnamon as a substitute.
What are the best apples for fritters?
Fresh apples like Honeycrisp apples work well for this recipe. Alternatives would be Pink Lady, Jonagold, or Braeburn apples.
I prefer sweet apples over more tart Granny Smith apples, but you can use either. It will depend on your preferred balance of sweetness versus tartness.
Wet Ingredients
Lemon juice helps to balance out the sweetness of the apples, along with preventing them from browning.
Melted butter adds a little bit of richness and coats the apples, helping to keep them intact.
Eggs provide structure and binding to keep the apple fritters together. Use aquafaba for an eggless recipe.
Vanilla extract provides a warm and cozy flavor.
Optional Glaze Ingredients
Powdered sugar is the base of this sweet glaze, providing a creamy topping.
Almond milk or regular milk turns the glaze liquid. Adding less milk makes the glaze thicker while adding more milk makes the glaze thinner.
Use any kind of milk to make the glaze. Skim milk and whole milk all work.
Taste and Texture
Air fryer apple fritters taste like a mix between an apple donut and apple pie. The texture is chunky because of the apple pieces.
Apple chunks are the most forward texture in this recipe. The batter is to keep them together.
A soft donut-like cake binds together the tender apples. The fritters' texture should be similar to a soft cakey cookie with apple chunks.
How to Make Apple Fritters in the Air Fryer
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1
Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Peel, clean, and chop the apples. In a medium bowl, gently stir them with the lemon juice and melted butter.
Step 3
In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
Step 4
In a large bowl, add two eggs and gently beat them. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Step 5
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Gently mix until just moistened. Gently fold in the apples until just mixed.
Step 6
Spray the air fryer basket with coconut oil spray. Do not use cooking spray as it will damage the basket.
Use a spoon to measure out heaping spoonfuls of apple fritters and place them into the basket in a single layer. Spray the tops with coconut oil spray.
Step 7
Air fry for 4 minutes. Use a spatula to gently flip them and spray the other side with coconut oil spray. Air fry for an additional 4 minutes.
Allow the air fryer apple fritters to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before glazing.
Step 8
If making the glaze, combine ½ cup almond milk with ½ to 1 tablespoon powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Place a piece of parchment paper under the cooling rack. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the fritters.
How to Store Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Before storing, allow the fritters to cool completely on a cooling rack.
For the best flavor and texture, store apple fritters in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze the cooled air fryer apple fritters in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Eat leftovers cold from the fridge or reheat apple fritters in the air fryer at 370F for 2-3 minutes.
Other Expert Tips
If the dough seems too stiff, add a teaspoon of milk (more if needed) to make the batter more workable.
Spray the tops with coconut oil spray to help achieve a deep golden brown on the outside.
Test one of the apple fritters in the air fryer before making the entire batch. This will help to gauge how long they need to be air-fried and if the temperature is correct according to your air fryer model.
If your air fryer has shelves rather than a basket, you will need to use a silicone mat to ensure that the fritters do not seep through the shelves.
For easy cleanup, use a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper to line the air fryer basket.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer sweet apples like Honeycrisp apples. You can use a more tart apple, like a Granny Smith apple.
Either of these fresh apples works, it will just depend on your preference.
Either they are not cooked fully or there is too much liquid. Be sure to follow the recipe card as written.
Generally, these air fryer apple fritters take 4 minutes per side, however, that may vary depending on the model of air fryer you are using.
Either the apple fritter hasn't been cooked long enough, or the temperature is too high.
Temperature will vary based on the air fryer model you are using. If the outside of the apple fritter is golden brown, yet the middle is raw, the temperature is too high.
I highly suggest testing one air fryer apple fritter before frying the entire batch.
If the outsides are not golden brown, the apple fritters need to be air-fried longer.
Other Healthy Apple Recipes for Dessert!
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Easy Air Fryer Apple Fritters (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- coconut oil spray
- cookie cooling rack
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups gluten-free flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large apples
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ regular lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.
- Peel, clean, and chop 3 apples. Mix them with juice of ½ lemon and the butter. Set aside.3 large apples, ½ regular lemon, 2 tablespoon butter
- Mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice.1.5 cups gluten-free flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2.5 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- In a separate bowl, gently beat eggs. Stir in vanilla, then gently fold in apples. Mix in dry ingredients until just mixed and thin with milk if the batter is too thick.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Use a spoon to spoon out heaping spoonfuls of apple fritters onto the preheated air fryer basket. Spray the tops with coconut oil spray.
- Air fry for 3-4 minutes per side and then allow to cool for a few minutes before glazing.
Optional Glaze
- Place a piece of parchment paper under the baking rack. Glaze is 1 tablespoon almond milk per ½ cup powdered sugar. Mix together and drizzle over the fritters.
Notes
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STACY TARTENAAR says
Can you use regular flour?
Lyndsey Piccolino says
sure - all purpose flour works too.
Stefanie says
Made this recipe for the first time tonight and loved the sweet robust flavor. I modified it by using cinnamon instead — and a lot of cinnamon. I also had to cook mine longer. I did about 8 minutes on each side — which made it golden and crispy on the edges which complimented the tender apple chunks. Really glad I tried this. Thanks for sharing.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Hi Stefanie, Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you liked the apple fritters.
Lily says
Thanks for providing this recipe. I made it and figured I would share some of my thoughts.
I did add a bit of milk to my batter because it seemed quite thick, but the results of that was that my fritters spread out quite a bit more than I may have wanted it in the air fryer. I should have probably left it as it is and tried a tester before adding the milk.
The batch size of the recipe for me ended up being a pain, because with a relatively small air fryer I needed to do quite a few batches to use it all up. I tried using the included rack to do more at once, but found that that impacted the cook and evenness of cooking. Next time I would halve or even cut into a third the recipe.
Finally I found the recipe for the glaze was quite watery and didn’t produce a glaze that really looked like the one in the photo. I went ahead and used it but I’m guessing that more sugar to liquid is needed to create a thicker glaze that looks like the one pictured.
Overall the result I achieved was not all that reminiscent of a donut shop apple fritter, but pretty satisfying overall. Again, I appreciate the recipe.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Thanks for your review Lily! My glaze is on the thinner side and I glazed a few times.
Heather B says
That is one of the weirdest recipes I’ve made. Way too much baking powder. And as for the butter…melted? No liquid in recipe at all. Super dry and crumbly. And I’m sorry did u try that ratio of milk and icing sugar to make a glaze. That’s no glaze
Lyndsey Piccolino says
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you!
Pam E. says
Heather B., In the directions by the pictures the ratio of milk to powdered sugar is inverted. It should read 1T milk to half C of powdered sugar. Also I have air fryer parchment paper that I put on fryer racks while baking. This keeps softer items on the rack and reduces dripping which makes clean up easier. If you use your air fryer often I think you will like them; I searched and purchased them on Amazon. I only use them for soft or drippy items. Yes instructions say to melt the butter & mix with lemon juice to coat apples. I’ve not made these yet but it is on my to-do list.
Connie M Tewksbury says
Would oat flour be okay to use, my husband is diabetic and I try to use only oat flour, thank you!
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Hi Connie! I haven't tried using oat flour with these but you likely could. Generally oat flour is a pretty close swap to all purpose. Sometimes I notice oat flour soaking up moisture a bit more than AP so maybe just keep an eye on that when you are making them to make sure they aren't too dry. Good luck!
Jan says
I wasn’t sure what I needed the parchment paper for??
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Use it under the cooling rack to capture excess glaze. I will add it to the recipe card for more clarity. Thanks!
Pam E. says
Jan, I have air fryer parchment paper that I use on the fryer racks only while cooking soft or drippy items. I searched and purchased them on Amazon. I think you will really like them if you use your air fryer often as cleanup is much easier.