Apple Fritters Recipe + Video
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Apple Fritters – an easy and delicious yeast doughnut with chunks of apples, ground cinnamon, and a sweet glaze.
*This post is brought to you by Rhodes Bake-N-Serv. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Dessert Now Dinner Later possible.
While I was in college as a culinary arts student, I interned at a local grocery store bakery. One of my jobs was to frost the doughnuts in the early mornings before the store opened.
The apple fritters were probably my least favorite doughnut at the time. They used all of the scraps from the other cut-out doughnuts, and just put them in a mixer with some apple pie filling and cinnamon. I always looked at apple fritters as the “leftovers” doughnut, but they were popular nonetheless and my husband loves them!
Apple Fritters Recipe
This apple fritters recipe uses Rhodes’ pre-made frozen dough (thawed), because yeast dough that I don’t have to make from scratch is always a win! Add apple pie filling and cinnamon for an easy homemade doughnut.
These apple fritters are a lot like monkey bread that is fried together. You want chunks of dough, chunks of fruit, and extra cinnamon for flavor. Knead it all up together by hand or mixer. (I love my Bosch Universal Plus Mixer!)
(Tip: Scoop the apples out of the pie filling with as little sauce as possible. It can get messy! Use extra flour as needed.)
Divide the dough into roughly 3-ounce pieces. Place on a floured sheet pan and flatten with your hand. Let the dough rest/rise for 1 hour. Heat oil to about 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scoop dough with a floured spatula (turner) and gently flip the apple fritter over into the hot oil. Cook roughly 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any excess oil.
Mix the glaze in a 13×9-inch dish. Glaze doughnuts while still slightly warm. Place a doughnut into the glaze, and turn it over. Spoon glaze over the apple fritter as needed to cover the whole surface. Place the doughnut back onto the cooling rack and allow glaze to set.
My family sure enjoyed these fall inspired apple fritters, and they’re so easy to make at home!
Apple Fritters Recipe
Apple Fritters - an easy and delicious yeast doughnut with chunks of apples, ground cinnamon, and a sweet glaze.
Ingredients
Doughnuts:
- 24 Rhodes white dinner rolls*, thawed
- 21 oz can (extra fruit) apple pie filling
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (+/-) all-purpose flour
- oil (canola/vegetable), for frying
Glaze:
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup milk, water, or apple juice
- 1 1/2 tsp maple extract, optional
Instructions
- Thaw *rolls on a lightly greased sheet tray covered with sprayed plastic wrap for approximately 2-3 hours (or in the refrigerator overnight), until thawed, but hardly risen.
- Cut each roll into 6 pieces. Scoop apples out of the canned pie filling, and cut into chunks. (Try not to get too much of the sauce because things will get sticky.)
- Combine the cut up rolls, apples, and cinnamon. Knead everything together by hand or with a stand mixer adding flour as needed, until it clumps together. (Will look like monkey bread.)
- Pat dough into a flat disc on a floured surface. Cut dough into 16 pieces (approximately 3oz each). Dust two large sheet trays with flour. Place 8 doughnuts on each tray, shape each doughnut into a ball and flatten slightly with hand. Cover fritters with sprayed plastic wrap and let rest/rise for one hour.
- Heat oil in a large pot to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently scoop up the dough with a floured spatula (turner) and carefully flip the apple fritter over into the hot oil. (May cook several at a time, but don't overcrowd the doughnuts.) Cook roughly 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any excess oil.
- Mix the glaze ingredients in a 13x9-inch dish. Glaze doughnuts while still slightly warm. Place a doughnut into the glaze, and turn it over. Spoon glaze over the apple fritter as needed to cover the whole surface. Place the doughnut back onto the cooling rack and allow glaze to set. Store any leftover doughnuts in an airtight container.
Notes
*If you like lots of apples to dough, use 18 rolls instead of 24.
*To use FRESH APPLES, make the caramelized apples from this recipe for Apple Fritter Monkey Bread.
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Welcome!
Hi, I’m Amber! I am a culinary graduate and dessert lover! This is where I share my favorite sweet and savory recipes alongside my knowledge and skills as a culinary graduate. I hope you find something you like!
34 Comments on “Apple Fritters Recipe + Video”
Can you make these in am airfryer?
I haven’t tried it myself, but they can be baked at 350˚F for 15-20 minutes. They will be harder to dip in glaze, because they will be fluffier and not have that crisp exterior that frying gives them. You may want to pour glaze over them on a wire rack with a pan below to catch the glaze instead. If you still want to try the air fryer, I would do 350˚F. Spray the pan and sides of the Air Fryer basket with cooking spray. Then spray the donuts themselves. Make sure the donuts have room to expand. Bake 7 minutes, flip them over and bake 7+ minutes more. I worry about the donuts sticking badly to the basket, but if you try it, please report back!
can these be made in an air fryer?
I’ve never tried it, but they can be baked in the oven at 350˚F for about 15-20 minutes.
Love, love love this recipe! Family devoured them ALL! I do have one hack that I used in making this recipe – instead of flouring a cookie sheet and trying to transfer the delicate pastries to the fryer, just line your sheet with parchment paper, place your fritters on the paper and cut between the fritters so that each fritter sits on it’s own square of parchment. You can then pick up the paper, transfer to the fryer by placing the square – donut side down in the oil. The donut will release easily and the paper removed with tongs. No more deflated fritters! This works for any fried pastry.
Thanks for sharing! Glad you’re enjoying these fritters!
I made a mistake by using the roads bread dough not thinking of the dough buns,will it make a difference?.
12 Rhodes Rolls equal 1 loaf of Rhodes Bread, so it should be just fine. Enjoy!
I’m really looking forward to making the apple fritters. Thanks for sharing your experience and art of cooking!!
Can these fritters be baked?
Yes! They should be baked at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and baked through. They will be harder to glaze, as they won’t be crisp and sturdy like they are when fried. You may have to pour the glaze over the top instead of dipping them (or gently brush the glaze on top with a pastry brush). To pour the glaze, place the donuts on a wire cooling wrack that has been placed inside of a baking sheet. This way when you pour the glaze, the excess will run off the fritters and into the pan underneath. Make sure and do this while they are still warm so the glaze is nice and thin.
Question: how long are these good for i want to make them for my family’s Christmas breakfast and want to know if it would be safe to make them the night before. TIA
Making them the night before would be totally fine. I’d say they last 3-5 days.
I don’t have Rhodes brand stuff.
What kind of dinner rolls are they! Like the Kong’s Hawaiian?
It’s pre-made frozen dough, so it’s not baked yet. Double check their store locator here: https://rhodesbakenserv.com/store-locator/
If you can’t find them, I would maybe try cutting this dough recipe in half: https://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/olive-garden-breadsticks-recipe/