Air fryer Apple Fritters {Easy & No Yeast}
One apple. No yeast. No deep fryer. Maximum apple flavour!
These Air Fryer Apple Fritters are crisp around the edges, soft and apple-packed inside, and finished with a sweet-tart apple butter glaze. They’re made without yeast or deep frying and use just one apple, so you can have warm homemade fritters without the mess of a pot of oil.
Why This Recipe Works
- A thick batter holds its shape in the air fryer. Your fritter batter should be thick enough to scoop rather than pour, which keeps the fritters from spreading across the parchment.
- Small apple pieces cook through quickly. Cutting the apple into pieces smaller than about 1 cm gives you apple in every bite without leaving large, firm chunks in the centre.
- Cooking spray helps mimic a fried exterior. A light coating on both sides encourages browning and gives the fritters crisper edges without deep frying.
- Flipping cooks both sides evenly. Turning the fritters halfway through helps prevent a pale or doughy bottom.
- Apple butter gives the glaze more apple flavour. Instead of a plain powdered-sugar glaze, a spoonful of apple butter reinforces the apple flavour in the fritters.
Commonly Used Apples for Apple Fritters
- Honeycrisp
- Crimson Crisp
- Granny Smith
- Gala
- Pink Lady
- Braeburn
- Or other crisp and firm apple variety!
Everything You Need for Air Fryer Apple Fritters
Apple Fritter Dough
- Apples – chopped crisp and tart apple varieties hold up best in these fritters.
- Flour, sugar – common pantry staples you probably already have at home.
- Egg + milk – to bind and soften the batter.
- Baking powder – for a light, fluffy lift.
- Cinnamon – the flavour of autumn in every bite!
- Vanilla – to add richness and round out the beautiful flavours.
- Lemon juice – to add to your milk mixture to create an easy, faux “butter milk”
- Salt – to balance the sweetness!
Apple Fritter Glaze
- Butter – melted butter to add shine and rich flavour!
- Icing Sugar – to create the glaze consistency.
- Apple Butter – for another layer of apple flavour!
- Lemon juice – to thin the glaze.
Substitution Tips:
- Swap dairy milk for oat or almond milk.
- Try adding a dash of nutmeg or a spoonful of chopped pecans.
- A touch of vanilla or almond extract adds extra warmth and depth.
- Not feeling the apple butter glaze? Dip your fritters in my Apple Cider Caramel.
Mindful Moments
- Watch the thick batter loosen as you fold in the chopped apples.
- Listen to the gentle hum of the air fryer cooking the fritters.
- Stop to smell the cinnamon aromas filling the air.
- Listen for the quiet crackle as the fritters turn golden.
- Feel the warmth of freshly baked apple fritters in your hands.
Why Apple Butter Makes Such a Good Fritter Glaze
Apple butter is concentrated, spiced apple purée, so even a small amount gives the glaze a deeper apple flavour than powdered sugar and milk alone. Lemon juice balances the sweetness and helps thin the glaze, while melted butter adds richness.
How Thick Should Apple Fritter Glaze Be?
The glaze should be loose enough to spread over the warm fritters but thick enough to cling rather than immediately running off. If it’s too thick, add lemon juice a few drops at a time. If it’s too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar.
Storage + Make-Ahead Tips
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: Warm in the air fryer for 2–3 minutes at 350°F to crisp them up again.
- Freezer: Freeze after cooling and glazing and allow to defrost at room temperature.
- Avoid stacking fritters until the apple glaze has hardened!
- Note: While these fritters can be saved overnight, they are best enjoyed warm and freshly baked!
Air Fryer Apple Fritter Troubleshooting
Can I use any type of apple?
Absolutely! I recommend choosing a firm, crisp apple like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. I used my favourite sweet, tart, and firm apple – the Crimson Crisp variety, and it was perfect! Note: using apples that are too soft can make the batter watery.
Why Are My Air Fryer Apple Fritters Soggy?
The most common causes are too much moisture, overcrowding, or not enough airflow. Choose a firm apple and pat particularly juicy diced apples dry before folding them into the batter. Leave space between each fritter so hot air can circulate around them, and avoid stacking them while they are still warm. Spray both sides lightly with cooking oil and flip the fritters halfway through cooking.
Why Are My Apple Fritters Raw or Doughy in the Middle?
Air fryers can vary substantially in power and basket shape, so cooking time should be treated as a guide rather than an absolute rule. Other air-fryer recipe publishers specifically warn that model-to-model differences can change cooking time.
If the outside is browned but the centre still looks wet, reduce the temperature slightly and cook for another minute or two. Making the fritters too large can also leave the centre underdone, so stick to roughly 2–3 tablespoons of batter per fritter as directed in your recipe.
Why Didn’t My Apple Fritters Get Crispy?
Air-fried fritters will not have exactly the same deep-fried crust as traditional apple fritters, but they should develop golden, crisp edges.
For the best browning:
- Preheat the air fryer.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket.
- Spray the parchment and fritter tops lightly with oil.
- Flip halfway through and spray again.
- Continue cooking until the edges are visibly browned.
Do I need to preheat the air fryer?
For best results, I recommend heating the air fryer for 2-4 minutes (without the parchment paper!) just prior to baking. A warm air fryer ensures even browning and crisp fritter edges.
Can I make them gluten-free?
Yes! Simply use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and add an extra tablespoon of milk, if needed.
How It All Comes Together
Apple Fritter Dough
In a medium-sized bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine all dry ingredients.
In a small cup, add milk and 1 tsp of lemon juice. Mix to combine and let stand for ~3 minutes (note: this creates a “butter milk”). Add vanilla and egg. Use a fork to break the egg and mix all of the wet ingredients together.
To the centre of your medium bowl filled with dry ingredients, add your wet ingredient mixture. Use a spatula to mix together all ingredients. This is your batter. It will be thick.
Add your chopped/diced apples to your batter and continue to fold ingredients until all of the apple has been mixed with batter.
Apple Fritter Glaze
In a small bowl, add icing sugar, butter, apple butter, and 2 tsp of lemon juice. Mix. If still too thick to spread, continue to add drops of lemon juice to thin out the glaze. The final glaze should be fairly loose and spreadable.
Air Frying
Preheat your air fryer to 400 F for 2-4 minutes.
Once your Air Fryer has preheated, remove the air fryer basket and carefully drop in an air fryer sized parchment liner into the basket. Use a cooking spray (note: I used avocado spray but any light cooking spray will work) to lightly spray the parchment liner.
Add a scoop of batter (2-3 tbsp in size) into the baking tray. (note: depending on the size of your air fryer, you will be able to make room for 2-3 fritters).
Spray the tops of each fritter with cooking spray.
Air Fry at 400F for about ~4.5 minutes. Pause air fryer, flip the apple fritters over, spray once more with oil, and fry for another ~4.5 minutes.
You will know that the fritters are done when the edges have started to turn brown and the apple fritters have puffed up and are crackling.
Carefully remove apple fritters from the air fryer and place on a cooling rack. Repeat air frying process with the next batch of apple fritters.
Glazing
Place a parchment paper below a cooling rack (note: this is for your glazed Apple Fritters as glaze may drip down onto this).
Add a spoonful of glaze to each apple fritter and spread it flat until it has covered the surface of the fritter. Continue until all baked fritters are glazed.
Once glaze has solidified, your Air Fryer Apple Fritters are ready to enjoy!
Also check out:
Baked Apple Roses
One Bowl Apple Cake
Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip
Air Fryer Apple Fritters {Easy & No Yeast}
Ingredients
Cinnamon Dough
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Milk m.f. 2% or higher
- 1 tsp Fresh lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg large, room temperature
- 1 Medium Apple (crisp, sweet, hard) washed, and diced into small cubes (<1cm pieces)
Apple Butter Glaze
- 1 tbsp Melted Butter
- 1/2 cup Icing Sugar
- 1 tsp Apple Butter
- Lemon Juice from 1/2 a lemon to be added first as 2 tsp addition, then in drops until batter becomes a loose paste
Instructions
Apple Fritter Dough
- In a medium-sized bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine all dry ingredients.
- In a small cup, add milk and 1 tsp of lemon juice. Mix to combine and let stand for ~3 minutes (note: this creates a "butter milk"). Add vanilla and egg. Use a fork to break your egg and mix all of the wet ingredients together.
- To the centre of your medium bowl filled with dry ingredients, add your wet ingredient mixture. Use a spatula to mix together all ingredients. This is your batter. It will be thick.
- Add your chopped/diced apples to your batter and continue to fold ingredients until all of the apple has been evenly mixed in.
Apple Fritter Glaze
- In a small bowl, add your icing sugar, butter, apple butter, and 2 tsp of lemon juice. Mix. If still too thick to spread, continue to add drops of lemon juice to thin out the glaze. The final glaze should be fairly loose and spreadable.
Air Frying
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 F for 2-4 minutes.
- Once your Air Fryer has preheated, remove the air fryer basket and carefully drop in an air fryer sized parchment liner into the basket. Use a cooking spray (note: I used avocado spray but any light cooking spray will work) to lightly spray the parchment liner.
- Add a scoop of batter (2-3 tbsp in size) into the baking tray. (note: depending on the size of your air fryer, you will be able to make room for 2-3 fritters).
- Spray the tops of each fritter with cooking spray.
- Air Fry at 400F for about ~4.5 minutes. Pause air fryer, flip the apple fritters over, spray once more with oil, and fry for another ~4.5 minutes.
- You will know that the fritters are done when the edges have started to turn brown and the apple fritters have puffed up and are crackling.
- Carefully remove from the air fryer and place on to a cooling rack. Repeat air frying process with the next batch of apple fritters.
Glazing
- Place a parchment paper below a cooling rack (note: this is for your glazed apple fritters as glaze may drip down onto this).
- Add a spoonful of glaze to each apple fritter and spread it flat until it has covered the surface of the fritter. Continue until all baked fritters are glazed.
- Once glaze has solidified, your Air Fryer Apple Fritters are ready to enjoy!
Notes
- Unsure what kind of apple to use? I recommend using a crisp and firm apple such as a Granny Smith, Gala, or Honey Crisp.
- Why are my apple fritters soggy? Too much moisture in the fritter dough can cause this. This is often a result of apples that are too soft and wet. If this is the case, simply pat diced apples dry with a paper towel before mixing in.
- Can I make them gluten-free? Yes! Simply use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and add an extra tablespoon of milk, if needed.
- This is an easy, family-friendly recipe! Parental supervision is required for the air frying step (Please be careful with hot oil!)