These apple fritters are as delicious as they are easy! No yeast and no deep frying! Just mix, stir and pan fry like your would do with pancakes! They are a snap to make!
Serve these delicious fritters with homemade Chai Tea Latte!
I love to spoil my kids a little bit now that they are staying home and making special breakfast is one of the ways to do it. Our favourite breakfast ideas usually include these European Style Cinnamon Buns, Russian Sweet Cheese Fritters ‘Syrniki” or Lemon Blueberry Muffins. And I am about to add another treat to our regular rotation.
Homemade Apple Fritters
They sound fiddly to make at home but it’s not entirely true. I have found a way to avoid the fuss! My apple fritters are made without yeast and are NOT deep fried.
Yet they come out thick and fluffy. Crispy on the outside, soft and spongy on the inside, studded with apple chunks!
How to make them at home
The fritter batter is not too different from a regular pancake. To avoid yeast I am using my favourite magic ingredient. My secret weapon. Kefir. Google it if you are not sure what it is. But here is some info just to give you an idea.
Kefir a dairy drink similar to yogurt. It contains gut healthy bacteria and is beneficial to our digestion. It is also a great cooking ingredient! Kefir is widely available in most supermarkets.
As a naturally fermented product it replaces the yeast and gives these fritters an incredible rise. The rest of the ingredients is standard for pancakes, waffles and fritters.
Flour, eggs, a touch of sugar and baking soda. The list is very short, which makes this recipe so easy! You can also add a small amount of cinnamon to the batter or leave it out.
You can replace kefir with buttermilk if not available near you.
What apples to use
I am not very fussy on the type of apples if I am honest. Use what you have at home but definitely peel them before adding to the batter. I dice mine but you can also grate them on a vegetable grater.
Shredded apples will incorporate easier into the batter and will taste cooked while chunks will remain uncooked. It’s up to you what you choose but I personally like a bite of fresh apple in my fritter!
Julia’s Cooking Tips for Apple Fritters
- There are two ways to cook apple fritters. You can deep fry them, which will give you the more traditional look of rounded fritters.
- Or you can shallow fry them as I did. This way you use much less oil but the shape will be flat like the ones you see in pictures.
- Make sure the fritters are not too big, otherwise they will take too long to cook all the way through and might burn on the outside.
- If you choose to pan fry your fritters, make sure the heat is set to medium and allow the pan and the oil to get quite hot before dropping the batter onto it.
- If your pan is too hot, the fritters will turn golden quickly and will look done but will remain raw inside. (Pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds if that happens to you.)Nobody needs to know!!
How to serve apple fritters
I like to drizzle mine with a sugar glaze before serving. Simply mix icing sugar with a small amount of juice. You can use apple, lemon or lime juice here. Then scoop the runny glaze with a teaspoon and drizzle from a height all over.
These apple fritters are best when served hot. If you end up with leftovers, pop them in a microwave for 30 seconds to reheat before eating!
Favourite breakfast treat recipes:
- Russian Crepes Blini
- Blueberry and Limoncello Blintzes
- Wholesome and Delicious Oatmeal Pancakes
- Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 apples medium, peeled and cut into ¼ inch dice
- 500ml/2 cups kefir or buttermilk
- 1 egg large
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 350g/ 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
For the sugar glaze
- 100g/1/2 cup icing sugar
- 2 tsp lemon or lime juice or apple juice
Instructions
- Peel the apples, core them and cut into ¼ inch dice. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the kefir, one egg, sugar. In another bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Stir in the diced apples and let it sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- Add the oil to a non-stick frying pan to cover the bottom up to ¼ inch/1 cm deep and heat it over medium heat. Test if the oil is ready by sprinkling a tiny amount of flour. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough for frying.
- Stir the batter to ensure an even distribution of the apples throughout. Scoop a small amount with either a spoon or an ice cream scoop and drop a fritter no larger than 2 inches in diameter into the hot oil. Let it cook until golden brown then flip and cook on the other side. The fritters will puff up as soon as they are flipped. Each batch takes 4.5-5 minutes to cook on medium heat. Continue until the batter is gone. You may need to add more oil throughout the process.
- In a small bowl combine the icing sugar and lemon juice, stir with a spoon until you have a smooth glaze. Drizzle the glaze with a teaspoon all over the apple fritters before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute kefir with buttermilk.
