These applesauce fritters start with a heavily spiced homemade applesauce that gets folded into a molasses laden batter, then fried into crunchy golden-fritters. A toss in ginger-spiced cinnamon sugar offers the perfect festive finish.
Going to the Bethlehem Fair–a local country fair / agricultural exhibition–is a fall tradition for us, and among the foods we always look forward to indulging in: fresh applesauce fritters, fried to order and drowned in cinnamon-sugar 🤩
We missed the fair this year so between that and the advent of apple season here in New England, I decided to try making my own.
Where many applesauce fritters recipes call for a combo of fresh apples and store-bought applesauce, the idea of buying a jar of applesauce from the grocery store right now felt like personal offense against all of the bounteous apple trees in my area this time of year.
So I decided to grab a few fresh apples from The Garlic Farm (don’t let their name fool you, they grow it all!) and make a batch of quick homemade applesauce that I could keep as chunky as I like before folding it right into my fritter batter.
I season mine with tons of fall spices: cinnamon (but of course!), allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and full-bodied molasses. The festive, spicy flavors perfectly compliment the tangy-sweetness of the fresh apples and the nutty warmth of the fritter itself, resulting in a crisp-yet-tender, hearty-yet-ethereal bite that is cozy to the core.
ingredients for applesauce fritters
ingredient notes & swaps
- Let’s talk about apples! I like a combo of sweet and tart apples for making these applesauce fritters. I also want the finished fritters to have detectable hunks of apple in them, so I try to choose varieties that retain their texture during cooking. I chose one Cosmic Crisp apple, (partly for its name! 💫🌙✨), but mainly for its firm texture and tangy-sweetness. My other choice was a Gala apple, for its creamier texture and floral sweetness. Other good crisp n’ tangy apple varieties would be Braeburn or Granny Smith apples while other soft n’ sweet varieties would be Fuji or Snapdragon. For more apple info and tasting notes, I love checking out Eat Like No One Else’s Apple Reviews!
- The amount of granulated sugar you use in your applesauce could be more or less depending on how sweet your apples are. If you choose 2 very sweet varieties I would add a bit less; if you use 2 very sour apples, add a bit more.
- Use unsulphured light or dark molasses here. Do not use blackstrap molasses as its flavor will be too strong.
- Oat milk is my go-to liquid for a lot of baked goods because we always have it on hand, but you can use regular dairy milk if you have that or any other unsweetened, unflavored plant milk (not coconut milk!)
- When it comes to choosing a neutral oil for frying, any lightly flavored oil with a high smoke point will do the job. Options like sunflower, canola, vegetable, and light olive oil are good.
applesauce fritters
These applesauce fritters start with a heavily spiced homemade applesauce that gets folded into a molasses laden batter, then fried into crunchy golden-fritters. A toss in ginger-spiced cinnamon sugar offers the perfect festive finish.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: about 16 fritters 1x
Ingredients
For the Applesauce:
- 2 fresh apples – enough to yield about 2 cups diced
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (yield from about 1/2 lemon)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
For the Spiced Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
For the Fritters:
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 6 tablespoons oat milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Neutral oil, as needed for frying (I used around 1 cup)
Instructions
- Peel, core, and dice the apples into roughly ½ inch-sized chunks. Don’t worry about being perfect here, a few bits of skin remaining on the apples is fine and any unevenly cut chunks will cook down. Combine the diced apples in a pot with the remaining applesauce ingredients: lemon juice, water, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Place the pot over medium heat and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring often until softened, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and spread the apple mixture thinly on a plate or baking sheet. Transfer to the fridge and let it cool for about 10 minutes. If you happen to give it a taste (as you should) keep in mind it will be more strongly flavored and heavily spiced than applesauce you’d want to eat on its own, as it will be the main source of flavor for our fritter batter.
- While you wait for the applesauce to cool, make the spiced cinnamon sugar coating by whisking the granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients for the fritters: molasses, egg, oat milk, and cooled melted butter.
- Stir the cooked and cooled applesauce into the wet mixture.
- Now add the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir until the batter comes together. It will be thick!
- Heat the neutral oil in a skillet to about 350℉. Use two large soup spoons or tablespoons to scoop and drop mounds of fritter batter into the hot oil. Use the spoons to spread each mound out a bit, focusing more on creating an even thickness as opposed to perfect shape. If the batter stretches and creates holes in the middle of each fritter, no worries! They will still fry up perfectly and add to the rustic feel of these applesauce fritters.
- Cook the fritters for 1-2 minutes per side, then flip and continue cooking until golden. I find that cooking these is a little bit like cooking pancakes, the first couple are always a little wonky.
- Remove the cooked fritters to a wire rack, let them drain briefly, then toss them in the spiced cinnamon sugar coating you prepared earlier. Place them on a wire rack to finish cooling or a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Keep frying and coating fritters until you have used up all the batter. Enjoy ASAP!
Notes
- When measuring molasses, I like to lightly coat the measuring cup with oil first. This helps the molasses to slide out easily when you go to add it to your batter mixture.
- Keeping a consistent oil temperature is key when frying! My free-spirited soul always wants to just trust my gut, toss a fritter into the pool, and see how it goes. But my analytical brain knows that it really makes a difference to monitor the temperature of the oil using an instant read or infrared thermometer (got one as a gift years ago–love it!) before and during cooking.
- Along those lines, keep in mind that the oil temperature will drop dramatically whenever you add a new batch of applesauce fritter batter. In a #6 cast iron skillet, I found that 3 fritters at a time is the right number, but this could be more or less depending on the size of your pan and how large your fritters are. You may need to increase the heat briefly when adding new batter, then drop it again after a few seconds to keep that 350℉ temp consistent.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: desserts
- Method: fried
- Cuisine: american
FAQs
Why Are My Apple Fritters Soggy?
The most common reason for soggy fritters is the absorption of oil. This could happen if the oil temperature is too low when you add the batter, or if the pan gets crowded with too many fritters at once, causing the batter to soak up the oil as opposed to crisp in it. See the procedure notes on the recipe card for maintaining consistent oil temperature which will produce crisp and fluffy fritters!
How Should I Store Applesauce Fritters?
Just like any fritters you get at the fair or carnival, these homemade applesauce fritters are best enjoyed the same day you make them. If you have leftovers, pack them into an airtight container or zip-top bag with layers of parchment paper in between and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them for longer, toss them in the fridge.
When you’re ready to heat them, arrange them on a baking sheet and heat in a low oven until warm. The cinnamon-sugar coating will melt off during storage so save any extra you have after making them the first day and use it to re-coat them.
Can Apple Fritters Be Baked Instead of Fried?
For this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend making baked applesauce fritters instead of fried. I haven’t given it a try, but I think the batter is too thick to turn out well with baking. If you bake your fritters and they turn out, let me know your method in the comments, I’d love to hear!
Love autumnal treats and sweets like these applesauce fritters? Try my gooey Pumpkin Spice Blondies or a batch of fluffy Spiced Chai Cake with Maple Buttercream.
dig in!
Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
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