Golden apple rings, kissed with cinnamon sugar, crisp on the outside and tender within. A fairground-in-October treat with all the cozy magic of fall, ready in under an hour!
It’s official: fall is apple fritter season 🍂🍎
There’s just something about standing over a cast iron pan, the smell of cinnamon sugar wafting through the house, and pulling out golden apple rings that feels like the coziest thing you could possibly be doing with your Saturday afternoon!
It smells like a fairground in October, and it tastes like warm apple pie in handheld format. Full disclosure? Frying stresses me out a little – but every fall, I decide these fritters are worth it. My kids inhale them as fast as I can fry them, and honestly… same!
✨ What makes these so good
Honestly, it shouldn’t be possible for a handful of such simple ingredients to turn into something this delicious. Few things are perfect, but this recipe truly is storybook magic come to life.
- Crisp apples (room temperature – not fridge-cold!)
- Flour, egg, milk, baking powder, salt (for the simple batter – all-purpose flour works best. I prefer whole milk.)
- Sugar, and cinnamon (for the sparkly fall magic!)
- A splash of maple for flavor (honey works in a pinch.)
- Oil for frying (I use a cast iron pan, not a fryer – and it still works perfectly.)
Printable recipe
Cinnamon Sugar Apple Fritters
Ingredients
For frying
- 2 cups vegetable oil
For the cinnamon sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the fritters
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 medium apples (peeled, cored and cut into ½ inch thick rings)
Instructions
- Prep for frying: Pour 2–3 inches of vegetable oil into a deep cast iron skillet or heavy pot. Slowly heat over medium until it reaches 350–375°F. Line a plate with paper towels. Mix the cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl.2 cups vegetable oil, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Make batter: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, maple syrup, egg, and oil. Whisk until smooth and thick.1 ½ cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon oil
- Prep apples: Peel, core, and slice 4 medium apples into ½-inch rings. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.If you struggle with batter grip, you can lightly dust the apple slices with cornstarch.
- Fry: Working one at a time, dip each apple ring into the batter and gently lower into the hot oil. Fry 1–2 minutes per side until golden and puffy.
- Finish: Drain briefly on paper towels, then immediately toss in cinnamon sugar. Set aside on a plate. Continue until all apple rings are fried.
🍂 The fritter tricks you need to know
- Dry your apples: Pat the rings with paper towels before dipping so the batter sticks.
- Cornstarch is magic: A light dusting on the apple rings before battering = way better grip.
- Work one at a time: Coat in batter right before frying — don’t set them down on a plate or it’ll slide off.
- Keep your oil happy: Aim for 350–375°F. If you don’t own a thermometer, test with a drop of batter — it should float and brown quickly.
- Coat while hot: Toss each fritter in cinnamon sugar as soon as you can handle it for maximum sparkle + stick.
🧺 Serving & storing
These fritters are best fresh — hot, crispy, and sugar-dusted. If you need to hold them, keep them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a low oven (200°F). But truthfully? They’ll be gone before you even think about storage.
More fall treats to try
I first shared this recipe in 2014. Updated with better text in 2019, and once again with new text and photos in September 2025. The recipe has always remained the same.
Cynthia Phillips says
I think you meant tongs? There are no metal tongues.
Nora says
Cynthia, you are definitely correct. This is one of my oldest posts waiting for a refresh. 2014 me still had a lot of culinary terms to learn 😉 Hopefully I’ll get to re-writing the post sometime this year!
MB says
These are soooo yummy!
Your recipe is spot on!!
Thank you for sharing!!
❣️❣️❣️
Jackie says
There is a farmers market called Saint Jacobs in Ontario Canada, husband and I would go there on a Saturday morning and have to line up for there apple fritters. We now live in British Columbia, so one day was looking on Pinterest and found your recipe. OMG!!!
Made these apple fritters today and they taste just like the ones we had to line up for,
husband can not stop eating them, these will be a Saturday treat from now on.
Ange says
Absolutely delicious…they came out light and fluffy in the middle and crunchy on the outside. Made them for the whole family who thought they were “mmmmm”!
Mary Stinich says
I do similar to this , but in batter I use beer instead of milk. I also peel and I slice apples mite before and put brown sugar cinnamon nutmeg and little clove. Soak overnight. Now dip and fry yummy.
Wilma says
I made these in less than 40 minutes and they were great. I have been trying new recipes while CVIDing and this is my favourite so far.
Cathy says
I’ve tried three different apple fritters recipes and one peach fritter. This was by far the best batter of them all. Sweet and tasty. I followed the directions, but next time (there will be a next time) I will try to cur apples a little thinner. I used green apples btw.
Lisa says
This was our first time making apple fritters and I think this recipe is great! My son made the batter (nice and easy) and it stuck well to the apple slices but I was worried it would be heavy for how thick it seemed. However once they were fried the batter was light and fluffy with just a touch of sweetness! We used four small Gala apples and that made about 20 fritters. Almost all were gobbled up pretty quick by my three boys, which is a good testament to how yummy they were.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear, Lisa! My kids always eat them up in no time, too – glad yours enjoyed them as much as mine!
Dale mays says
Delicious. I did have a hard time getting better to apples
Nora Rusev says
Dale, glad you enjoyed. If the batter doesn’t stick well to the apples (can happen depending on how much moisture they release), you could try adding a couple of extra tablespoons of flour to the batter to make it thicker. Or toss the apple slices in cornstarch before dipping in the batter. OR pat the apple slices dry really well before adding to the batter. Hope that helps!
Eleanor says
Love the recipe easy for Me 80 yr old.
Nora says
Eleanor, I’m so happy to hear this. I hope you enjoyed the fritters very much! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, too, I appreciate it.
Kelly says
Can you delete the maple syrup and still have good results?
Nora says
Yes absolutely, Kelly! You’ll lose the hint of maple, but the recipe is still very delicious. I just made them without the syrup last week and they were so good 🙂
Margaret says
my mom used to make these for us kids as a special after school snack every Friday during the fall. Now I just made these and am transported back to my childhood – absolutely delicious! Thanks for making an old gal very happy.
Nora says
What a sweet story to share, Margaret! I’m glad you enjoyed the apple fritters so much!
KathyVega says
Can’t wait to make ,receipt looks easy.
Mama Maggie’s Kitchen says
Oh my! I need this in my life. Must print your recipe. Thanks for sharing
Alex says
Hi! These look so delicious!! I was wondering what kind of apples would work best with this recipe….never made apple fritters before?
Nora says
Hi Alex, I’d say any not overly tart cooking apple should work! You want your apples to be fairly firm so they don’t get mushy and fall apart inside the batter!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
These rings are calling to me!! So easy too…holy delicious!
Nora says
They definitely are! 🙂
dunk says
Thanks so much for the conversion Nora! Can’t wait to make these.
dunk says
Any idea on how to make reduce the serving amount? Like maybe for 1 or 2 apples. I don’t need to serve 40 people. Thanks in advance.
Nora says
You can definitely cut the recipe in half, maybe you have neighbors who would love some apple fritters? It’s a bit harder to cut the recipe even further because of the eggs, but if you really just want to make the recipe for 2 apples you could always try quartering the recipe and using just half of a beaten egg. I can’t 100% vouch for it working though!
The amounts for half the recipe would be:
1 and 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon oil
4-5 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½ inch thick slices
And for 1/4 of the recipe
3/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons oil
2-3 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½ inch thick slices
Let me know how it works out! Hope you’ll like it 🙂
Dana @ 3boysunprocessed says
A baby at a class? Ugh that makes me want to crawl in a corner and never come out! haha Hopefully she sleeps through it all!
Nora says
She’s an angel during class, the constant talking makes her incredibly sleepy 😀
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
These apple fritter rings look delicious!
Nora says
Thank you Jess!!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
I’m laughing so hard at the idea of taking a baby to pick up randos. And good for you for getting your degree amidst all the chaos! Props, girl. Props.
Nora says
Seriously, only a guy could do that 😉 And thank you, it’s not easy but I’m taking it one day at a time 🙂
Chineka @ Savor The Baking says
These look really delicious. Apple fritters are my favorite type of donuts.
Nora says
Thank you Chineka! Mine too – especially once fall comes around 🙂
Memoria says
Whoa! These apple fritters look AMAZING!! I must bookmark and pin this recipe.
Congrats on the new addition!
Nora says
Thank you SO much! 🙂
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice says
That is too funny that you husband saw the appeal of using your daughter as a flirting technique! Men! 🙂 These apple fritter rings look amazing, Nora! I never knew how easy these were to make! Such a perfect fall treat. Pinned!
Nora says
Yes and of course she was helping him by smiling at everybody 😉 Thank you so much Gayle! They really are not hard to make – and so delicious 😀
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
I love apple fritters!! These look delicious!
Nora says
Thank you Liz!