These easy air fryer apple fritters with brown butter glaze are healthier than an old fashioned fritter, yet still a delicious and tasty air fryer dessert.
It’s still summer and well into the 80’s, but as we approach September, I can’t help but dream of all the delicious apple and pumpkin fall recipes…
IT’S ALMOST APPLE SEASON PEOPLE!!!
Can you tell I’m a little bit excited???
These air fryer apple fritters are the perfect recipe to kick off Fall.
Made with fresh apples and an easy batter, the fritters are baked in the air fryer until the edges are crispy and golden, then drizzled with a brown butter glaze while still warm.
Hello Fall :).
Apple fritters are like a mix between a doughnut and cake. They’re cake like on the inside, but crispy and golden on the outside.
The dough doesn’t need to rise so they’re easy and quick :).
The apple fritter recipe is adapted from SmallTownWoman . Hers are the original fried version so if you want to try them the good old fashioned way, you can follow her recipe.
I must stress that because these are made in the air fryer and not actually fried, the texture is different than a regular apple fritter.
While they still have those crispy golden edges, the inside is light and cake-y.
I suggest using firm apples like Granny Smith or Honey Crisp apples for these apple fritters. You don’t want any thing too soft like a red delicious or Macintosh.
Air Fryer apple fritter ingredients:
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- milk
- vanilla
- lemon juice
- eggs
- apples
- oil (for brushing/spraying)
Best apples for apple fritters:
- granny smith
- honeycrisp
- gala
- pinklady
- braeburn
How to make apple fritters in the air fryer?
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 F (just set it to manual 400 F for 3-4 minutes until the basket inside is nice and hot).
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While air fryer is preheating, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine.
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Make a well in the center and add your wet ingredients (milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice). Stir just until combined then fold in your diced apples.
- Carefully line the basket of your air fryer with a piece of parchment paper (I like to cut it to fit) or use these handy air fryer basket liners (affiliate link) and brush or spray lightly with oil.
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Drop about ¼ cup of the batter onto your lined air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may only be able to fit 2 fritters at a time. (You don’t want to overcrowd or they won’t get crispy.)
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Lightly dab the tops of the fritters with oil (or spray with an oil sprayer!) and set your air fryer to 400 F for 4-5 minutes or until fritters are deep golden brown. Flip fritters over and repeat on the other side.
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Place on cooling rack and drizzle with brown butter glaze while still warm. (I place a piece of parchment underneath the cooling rack to catch the drippings).
*I also recommend getting an oil sprayer (affiliate link) instead of dabbing the oil with your brush. The sprayer gives you a more even and lighter coat of oil, helping to create that golden crisp :).
These homemade, no fry apple fritters are an easy air fryer dessert recipe. They take minutes to make and have way less calories than the traditional fried version.
If you don’t have an air fryer yet, I've recommended my favorite in the recipe card below.
It has a digital display for easy use, and it comes in 3 different sizes, however I highly recommend the 5.8 or 7 QT so you can fit a lot more instead of having to cook in batches.
I always love to hear your feedback so be sure to give this recipe a star rating in the comments below if you tried it!
For other easy air fryer recipes check out:
- Air Fryer Beef Chimichangas
- Air Fryer Lemon Herb Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Goat Cheese & Sweet Potato Bites
For more easy apple dessert recipes try:
Air Fryer Apple fritters with Brown Butter Glaze
These easy air fryer apple fritters with brown butter glaze are healthier than an old fashioned fritter, yet still a delicious and tasty air fryer dessert
Ingredients
Brown Butter Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- ¼ cup Butter, (½ stick)
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- 1 tbsp Milk, if needed
Apple Fritters
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ⅓ cup Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, fresh
- 2 Eggs
- 2 large Apples (such as Honey Crisp or Green Apples), peeled, cored and diced small
- Canola or Vegetable Oil, for brushing/spraying
Instructions
Brown Butter Glaze
- Place butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Continuing melting the butter until it starts to foam and turn brown. Once browned, remove from heat to cool slightly. You should smell a nutty aroma and see brown specks in the butter.
- Add powdered sugar to a small bowl. Add browned butter, milk and vanilla whisking until smooth. (If mixture is too thin for your liking, simply add more powdered sugar.) Set aside.
Apple Fritters
- Preheat air fryer to 400 F (set temperature and let the inside basket get nice and hot for 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in medium bowl.
- Make a well in the center and add milk, vanilla, lemon juice and eggs. Stir until evenly combined, then fold in the apples.
- Carefully line the basket of your preheated air fryer with a piece of parchment paper or air fryer basket liners (link below). I like to cut the parchment to fit the bottom so there's no overlapping over the edges. Brush lightly with oil or spray lightly with an oil sprayer (link below).
- Drop about ¼ cup of the batter onto your lined air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may only be able to fit 2 fritters at a time. (You don’t want to overcrowd or they won’t get crispy.)
- Lightly dab the tops of the fritters with oil using a pastry brush or oil sprayer. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees for 4-5 minutes or until fritters are a deep golden brown. Flip fritters over and repeat.
- Place apple fritters on cooling rack and drizzle with brown butter glaze while still warm. (I place a piece of parchment underneath the cooling rack to catch the drippings).
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
*Apple Fritter Recipe adapted from SmallTownWoman.
*These apple fritters are a bit more cake like inside than regular fried fritters since they are not actually being fried.
*If your glaze is too thin for your liking, simply add more powdered sugar or use less milk.
*Apple fritters are best eaten immediately but you can store the cooled, glazed leftovers in an airtight container room temperature for up to 2 days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 fritterAmount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 4.13gSaturated Fat: 2.36gUnsaturated Fat: 1.39gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 29.95gFiber: 1.2gSugar: 13.84gProtein: 3.12g
Jim White
I made these, and increase the cinnamon to 2 tsp, and the sugar I doubled.
Angie
This was very satisfying for my craving for a donut shop apple fritter. I had two with a lot less guilt. The calories are reasonable. I haven’t been eating any fried food, so these apple fritters saved the day. They turned out as you described, and the flavors spoke apple fritter to me.
Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Thanks Angie! So happy you liked them 🙂
Trudy B
I love, love apple fritters. Can’t wait to try this!!!
Pam
These came out so good. Browning the butter for the glaze makes such a difference. Yum!
Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Thank you Pam! Glad to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
Rosemary Goebel
Would this recipe work in an air fryer with shelves, or is the dough too runny?
Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Hi Rosemary, you could try lining the air fryer shelf with a small silicone baking mat. This would help the batter stay in place and not seep down to the bottom. Thanks!
Missy F
Maybe try some silicone cup cake liners? I’m thinking this could actually work! Flip 1/2 way through inside the liners