Baked apple fritters give you the cinnamon-apple flavor of the doughnut-shop classic without a pot of hot oil. A simple batter of flour, white and brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, milk, eggs and melted butter is loaded with finely diced apples, dropped onto a baking sheet and baked at 350°F until golden. A dusting of powdered sugar finishes them. The recipe makes 8 fritters in 35 minutes.
How to bake apple fritters in the oven: Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla in another, then fold them together just until combined. Fold in the diced apples, drop the batter in 1/4 cup portions onto a lined baking sheet, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Why You’ll Love Them
- No frying: no hot oil to heat, watch or clean up.
- Full of apples: two large apples go into the batter, so every bite has fruit.
- Pantry ingredients: flour, sugar, cinnamon, milk, eggs and butter.
- Quick: 15 minutes to mix and 20 minutes or less in the oven.
Can You Bake Apple Fritters Instead of Frying Them?
Yes, but expect a different texture. Fried fritters have a crisp, craggy shell from the hot oil. Baked fritters are softer, closer to a tender apple cinnamon muffin top or scone, with golden edges and a moist center. They’re lighter, easier to make in a batch, and still have the same warm apple and cinnamon flavor. For a sweet finish like the classic, add a thin glaze once they cool.
Ingredient Notes
Apples: 2 large, peeled, cored and finely diced. Small pieces cook through in the short bake. Firm, tart-sweet apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp hold their shape best.
Flour and leavening: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder for a light, tender crumb.
Sugars: 1/4 cup each of granulated and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a caramel note.
Cinnamon and salt: 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Wet ingredients: 2/3 cup milk, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Powdered sugar: optional, for dusting.
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Ingredients
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
How to Make Baked Apple Fritters
1. Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
4. Combine. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. It’s okay if the batter is slightly lumpy.
5. Add the apples. Fold in the finely diced apples, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
6. Bake. Drop batter onto the prepared baking sheet in 1/4 cup portions, spacing apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
7. Cool and dust. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Tips for Tender Baked Fritters
- Dice the apples small. Big chunks stay crunchy and make the fritters fall apart.
- Don’t overmix. Fold just until the flour disappears. A few lumps keep the fritters tender.
- Use a measuring cup to portion. Even mounds bake evenly.
- Leave space. The batter spreads a little, so give each fritter room on the sheet.
- Bake until golden. The edges should be browned and the tops spring back when pressed.
- Glaze when cool. A glaze on hot fritters melts and runs off.
Add a Glaze
For a doughnut-shop finish, whisk powdered sugar with a splash of milk and a drop of vanilla until it’s thick but pourable, then drizzle it over the cooled fritters and let it set. A pinch of cinnamon in the glaze, or a caramel drizzle, works too.
Variations
- Warm spice: add a pinch of nutmeg or allspice to the batter.
- Nuts: fold in chopped pecans or walnuts with the apples.
- Cinnamon sugar: roll the warm fritters in cinnamon sugar instead of dusting with powdered sugar.
- Pear: use firm diced pears in place of the apples.
- Muffin tin: bake the batter in a greased muffin tin for neat, round fritters, checking them early.
If you’re in the mood for another baked apple treat, Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings come out golden and tender.
Storage
Baked apple fritters are best the day you make them. Keep leftovers covered and rewarm them in a low oven for a few minutes to bring back the soft texture. For longer storage, freeze them unglazed, then thaw and rewarm.
What to Serve With Them
Serve them warm with coffee for breakfast, or with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of 3-ingredient caramel apple dip for dessert.
More apple bakes: Amish apple fritter bread, easy cinnamon apple cake, apple pecan cake with caramel glaze, crescent roll apple dumplings and 3-ingredient apple pie cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can fritters be baked instead of fried?
Yes. They come out softer and more cake-like than fried fritters, with the same apple cinnamon flavor.
How do you bake apple fritters in the oven?
Drop the batter in 1/4 cup portions on a lined sheet and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.
What are 3-ingredient baked apple fritters?
Those are a shortcut made with canned biscuit dough and apple pie filling. This recipe is made from scratch with fresh apples.
What apples are best?
Firm apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Gala hold their shape.
Why are my fritters dense?
The batter was overmixed or the baking powder was old.
Can I make them ahead?
Bake them, cool them and freeze them unglazed. Rewarm before serving.
Can I use an air fryer?
Yes. Line the basket with parchment and cook small batches until golden and cooked through.
Final Notes
Dice the apples small, fold the batter gently and bake until golden. If you try them with a glaze or pecans, tell me in the comments how they turned out.
Baked Apple Fritters
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Ingredients
- 2 large apples peeled, cored, and finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. It’s okay if the batter is slightly lumpy.
- Fold in the finely diced apples, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
- Drop batter onto the prepared baking sheet in 1/4 cup portions, spacing apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
2 comments
Tasty, but looked nothing like the photo. Looked more like a pancake! Followed exact instructions too.
This dough needs to be refrigerated for a time, otherwise call them apple cookies. They taste good.