These Applesauce Fritters are warmly spiced, fried until deeply golden, and dipped in a simple vanilla glaze; they're everything a good fritter should be, crisp at the edges and tender in the middle.
If you love using up applesauce and pantry staples in cozy fall bakes, you'll also want my New York-Style Applesauce Crumb Cake and apple butter banana bread next; and if it's that glazed, fried-dough situation you're after, my apple pie cinnamon rolls hit a similar note.
Quick Look: Applesauce Fritters
Ready In: about 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15–20 minutes
Serves: 10–12 fritters
Calories: ~194 per fritter
Main Ingredients: applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla glaze
Dietary: Vegetarian
Why You'll Love It: Warmly spiced applesauce fritters, fried until golden and dipped in a simple vanilla glaze.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- A genuinely great use for applesauce. No waste, no guessing; just straight applesauce stirred into a thick, spiced batter, similar to how I use it in my New York-Style Applesauce Crumb Cake.
- Crisp outside, tender inside. A short rest lets the batter hydrate before frying, so you get a deeply golden crust with a soft, cake-like center; not greasy, not doughy.
- That classic glazed-fritter finish. Dipping the warm fritters into vanilla glaze and letting it set gives you the same bakery-style shell you'd get from a donut shop, no special equipment required.
- A cozy addition to a fall breakfast spread. These are wonderful alongside a pot of coffee and something like my pumpkin cream cheese cinnamon rolls or fluffy sourdough discard pancakes for a bigger brunch.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Applesauce Fritters
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Applesauce Fritters
- Expert Tips
- What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Applesauce Fritters FAQs
- Applesauce Fritters Troubleshooting Guide
- Storage
- Other Apple-Flavored Recipes to Consider
- Easy Applesauce Fritters
Ingredients You'll Need
- Unsweetened applesauce: the base of the batter, adding moisture and a gentle apple flavor without extra added sugar.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: the same warm spice combination I lean on in my easy apple pie crumb bars.
- All-purpose flour: whisk it well with the leaveners and spices so everything is evenly distributed before the wet ingredients go in.
- Eggs and whole milk: bind the batter and thin the applesauce just enough to keep the fritters scoopable, not pourable.
- Neutral oil, for frying: a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and a reliable thermometer make all the difference here; steady heat is everything.
- Powdered sugar and vanilla extract: whisked into a simple glaze that sets up glossy on the warm fritters.
- Maple extract (optional): just a touch in the glaze adds a cozy, bakery-style depth without tasting overtly of maple.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- No maple extract: Leave it out entirely; the glaze is delicious with vanilla alone.
- Applesauce swap: Unsweetened apple butter works in a pinch and will give the fritters an even deeper apple flavor, similar to the flavor boost in my apple butter snickerdoodle cookies.
- Chunkier fritters: Fold in ½ cup of finely diced fresh apple for pockets of real fruit throughout, the same way I like fruit distributed in my cheesecake-stuffed apple butter muffins.
- Cinnamon sugar finish: Skip the glaze and toss the warm fritters in cinnamon sugar instead, for a simpler, less sweet finish.
- Dairy-free: Swap the whole milk in both the batter and glaze for a high-fat oat milk; the texture holds up well.
How to Make Applesauce Fritters
Note: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.
Step 1: Heat the oil and mix the batter. Add about 2 inches of neutral oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat to 340°F (175°C); set a wire rack over a sheet pan nearby. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the applesauce, eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth, then pour into the dry ingredients and fold just until combined. The batter should be thick and scoopable, not pourable like pancake batter. Let it sit for about 5 minutes while the oil finishes heating.
Step 2: Fry the fritters. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of batter per fritter and carefully drop it into the hot oil, using a second spoon to help push the batter off if needed; gently flatten tall scoops so the centers cook evenly. Fry 2–3 fritters at a time for 2–3 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown and cooked through, keeping the oil between 340°F and 350°F throughout. The internal temperature should read 190–200°F when fully cooked.
Step 3: Cool and glaze. Transfer the fritters to the wire rack and let them cool for 5–10 minutes. Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, maple extract, and salt for the glaze, adding more milk a teaspoon at a time until it's thin enough to coat the fritters but thick enough to set. Dip the warm fritters into the glaze, flipping to coat both sides for that classic glazed finish, then return them to the rack until the glaze sets.
Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for getting consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your recipes turn out exactly as intended every time.
Expert Tips
- Keep a thermometer in the oil. Steady heat between 340°F and 350°F is the difference between a fritter that's cooked through and one that's dark outside and raw in the middle.
- Don't skip the batter rest. Five minutes gives the flour time to hydrate, which helps the fritters hold their shape and cook more evenly once they hit the oil.
- Flatten tall scoops gently. A very tall dollop of batter can brown on the outside before the center is done; press it down slightly with the back of your spoon before it goes into the oil.
- Fry in small batches. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature fast, which leads to greasy, unevenly cooked fritters; 2–3 at a time keeps the heat steady.
- Glaze while still warm. The glaze sets glossy and thin when it hits a warm fritter, the same finish I love on my banana cinnamon rolls; a fully cooled fritter will still taste great, but the glaze won't cling quite as well.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
Fritters can go wrong in a few predictable ways: greasy, dense, or scorched outside while raw in the middle. This recipe solves all three with a thick, well-rested batter and a close eye on oil temperature, so what you get is a fritter that's genuinely crisp on the outside and tender all the way through, closer in spirit to my the best sourdough French toast than to a heavy, greasy donut shop version.
Applesauce is doing more work here than it gets credit for. It keeps the crumb moist without adding excess sugar, and it lets the warm cinnamon and nutmeg come through clearly instead of competing with a heavily sweetened base. Finished with a quick vanilla glaze, these taste like a bakery treat, even though they come together with pantry staples and about 45 minutes, start to finish.
Applesauce Fritters FAQs
Unsweetened applesauce is best; sweetened versions will make the batter, and the finished fritter, noticeably sweeter than intended.
This recipe is written specifically for frying, which is what gives the fritters their crisp exterior; baking will produce a softer, cake-like result closer to a muffin.
Frying too many fritters at once cools the oil quickly. Stick to 2–3 at a time and give the oil a minute to come back up to temperature between batches.
It's best mixed and fried the same day, since the baking powder is most active shortly after mixing. If you need a head start, measure out the dry and wet ingredients separately the night before.
Absolutely, a dusting of powdered sugar or a roll in cinnamon sugar both work well if you'd rather skip the glaze entirely.
Applesauce Fritters Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fritters are raw in the middle | Oil too hot, or scoops too tall | Keep the oil at 340–350°F and flatten tall scoops before frying |
| Fritters are greasy | Oil temperature too low, or pot overcrowded | Fry in small batches of 2–3, and check the oil temperature between rounds |
| Batter is too thin to scoop | Applesauce was watery, or too much milk was added | Use unsweetened applesauce, and add milk gradually if the batter needs thinning |
| Glaze is too thin and slides off | Too much milk added at once | Whisk in milk a teaspoon at a time until the glaze coats a spoon and holds its shape |
| Fritters brown too fast on the outside | Oil above 350°F | Lower the heat slightly and use a thermometer to keep the oil steady |
Storage
- Room temperature: Store glazed fritters loosely covered at room temperature for up to 1 day; the glaze softens as it sits.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze unglazed fritters in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months; glaze after reheating.
- Reheating: Warm in a 300°F oven or toaster oven for a few minutes to bring back some of the original crispness; a microwave works in a pinch but will soften the exterior.
Other Apple-Flavored Recipes to Consider
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Easy Applesauce Fritters
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Deep-fry or candy thermometer
- Wire rack and sheet pan
- Two mixing bowls
- Whisk
Ingredients
Applesauce Fritters
- 250 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 50 g granulated sugar ¼ cup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 180 g unsweetened applesauce ¾ cup
- 2 large eggs
- 60 g whole milk ¼ cup
- 30 g unsalted butter melted (2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Neutral oil for frying
Vanilla Glaze
- 180 g powdered sugar 1½ cups
- 30-45 g whole milk 2–3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract optional
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Add about 2 inches of neutral oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Heat to 340°F (175°C). Place a wire rack over a sheet pan nearby.Neutral oil
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.250 g all-purpose flour, 50 g granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon fine salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk the applesauce, eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.180 g unsweetened applesauce, 2 large eggs, 60 g whole milk, 30 g unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just until combined. The batter should be quite thick and scoopable, not pourable like pancake batter. Let it sit for about 5 minutes while the oil finishes heating.
- Scoop approximately 3 tablespoons of batter per fritter and carefully drop it into the hot oil, using a second spoon to help push the batter off if necessary. Gently flatten particularly tall scoops so the centers cook evenly.
- Fry 2–3 fritters at a time for approximately 2–3 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown and cooked through. Keep the oil around 340–350°F throughout frying; do not go above 350°F or they will brown too quickly. The internal temperature should read 190–200°F when fully baked.
- Transfer the fritters to the wire rack and allow them to cool for about 5–10 minutes.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, maple extract, and salt for the glaze. Add additional milk a teaspoon at a time until you have a glaze that's thin enough to coat the fritters but thick enough to set.180 g powdered sugar, 30-45 g whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon maple extract, Pinch salt
- Dip the warm fritters into the glaze, flipping to coat both sides if you want that classic glazed-fritter finish, then return them to the rack until the glaze sets.
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