Warm, fried, glazed, cinnamon-spiced sourdough donuts with perfectly cooked diced apples on the inside – these sourdough apple fritters are perfect for the fall season.
Why This Recipe Works
The batter in this recipe is basically a thick sourdough pancake batter that you spike with cinnamon a bit of sugar. Then, once the batter is made, you gently fold peeled and diced apples into the batter. Then, when you fry up the fritters and dip them into a simple powdered sugar glaze, the result is some supremely addicting sourdough apple fritters. Warning: you’ll want to eat two or three in one sitting.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Batter Ingredients
- Apples: I used green Granny Smith apples for this recipe since they’re often recommended for apple pies, but almost any type of apple will work for this recipe since most of the technique is in the fritter batter and not the apple itself.
- All-Purpose Flour: A lower protein all-purpose flour (like King Arthur brand All-Purpose Flour) will make wonderfully tender fritters.
- Whole Milk: For richness and flavor, I prefer to use whole milk for this recipe, but any other milk or non-dairy milk should work fine.
- Sourdough Starter or Discard: You’ll need a 100% hydration sourdough starter for this recipe (fed with equal parts water and flour).
- Butter, Melted: You’ll need to use two tablespoons of melted butter for this batter. See optional substitutions below.
- White Sugar: This recipe calls for a small amount of white sugar. Plain or raw cane sugar will work.
- Salt: I used Kosher salt for this recipe, but sea salt or plain table salt will also work well. It’s best to weigh the salt with a scale for accuracy.
- Cinnamon, Ground: Cinnamon is the main flavorful spice in these fritters and it complements the apples beautifully.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder causes the sourdough apple fritters to rise as they are fried in the oil. You’ll just need baking powder for this recipe, not baking soda.
- Egg: You’ll need one medium egg for this recipe, or about 50 grams of egg.
- Vegetable Oil: I used plain “vegetable oil” for frying these fritters, but canola oil, refined coconut oil, or any other high-smoke-point oil should work fine.
Powdered Sugar Glaze Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar: Plain powdered sugar or confectioners sugar makes a beautifully smooth glaze for these fritters.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk or almost any other type of milk will work fine for this glaze.
Note: See recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Milk: You can use any plain non-dairy milk instead of whole milk in this recipe, either for the batter or for the glaze. Something with a neutral flavor is preferred, like soy-, rice-, almond-, or oat milk.
- Butter: You can use an equal amount of vegetable oil or melted coconut oil in place of the butter in the fritter batter.
- Vegetable Oil: To fry the sourdough apple fritters in something other than vegetable oil, you can use another neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point (like canola oil, sunflower oil, or safflower oil). You could also use refined coconut oil or beef tallow for frying.
Ingredient Amounts
Fritter Batter
- Whole Milk – 118 grams (1/2 cup)
- Sourdough Starter or Discard – 100 grams
- Egg – 50 grams (1 Medium Egg)
- White Sugar – 12 grams (1 Tbsp)
- Butter, Melted – 26 grams (2 Tbsp)
- Vanilla – 4 grams (1 tsp)
- All-Purpose Flour – 145 grams (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
- Baking Powder – 9 grams (2 tsp)
- Cinnamon, Ground – 2 grams (1 tsp)
- Salt – 3 grams (1/2 tsp)
- Apples, Peeled and Diced – 2 Medium Apples
Powdered Sugar Glaze
- Powdered Sugar – 100 grams (1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp)
- Whole Milk – 30 grams (2 Tbsp)
How to Make Sourdough Apple Fritters
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preparing the Apples
Remove the cores, and then peel and finely dice 2 medium apples. Cover and set the diced apples aside until you finish making the batter.
Making the Batter
To a mixing bowl add the whole milk, sourdough starter (or discard), egg, white sugar, melted butter, and the vanilla extract. Stir all of the wet ingredients until the starter breaks up and the ingredients become thin. Then, add the all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and the baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients together to combine, and then mix the batter completely to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients together.
Folding in the Apples
Once you have a smooth batter (being careful not to over mix) fold the finely diced apples into the batter with a spatula. The apples should be evenly distributed throughout the fritter batter. Cover and set the batter aside while you heat the oil for frying.
Frying the Sourdough Apple Fritters
Add 2-3 inches of vegetable oil to a frying pan (there should be enough oil in the pan that the fritters won’t touch the bottom of the pan when frying). Set the pan over medium-high heat and heat the oil until it reaches 350-375°F (177°C-190°C).
When the oil has reached the correct temperature, drop dollops of batter into the hot oil using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, only adding 3-4 fritters at one time. Fry the sourdough apple fritters for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side, and then flip them over with a slotted spoon. Fry the fritters for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the other side. Remove the fully cooked fritters from the oil and transfer them to a cooling rack set over a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. This will allow any excess oil to drain from the fritters as they cool. Continue cooking all of the fritters, which should be around 8 in total, and let the fritters cool for 5-10 minutes while you make the glaze.
Preparing the Glaze
While the apple fritters are cooling on the cooling rack, prepare a simple powdered sugar glaze. Add the powdered sugar and whole milk to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. The milk should turn the powdered sugar into a smooth and glossy sugary icing.
Glazing the Fritters
Dunk the top and sides of each sourdough apple fritter into the powdered sugar glaze and then return the fritters to the cooling rack. Let the fritters rest on the cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes until the glaze has solidified.
Serve the fritters while they are still slightly warm. They will also keep well at room temperature, but are best eaten within the first 24 hours.
Sourdough Apple Fritters
Warm, fried, glazed, cinnamon-spiced sourdough donuts with perfectly cooked diced apples on the inside - these sourdough apple fritters are perfect for the fall season.
Ingredients
Fritter Batter
- Whole Milk – 118 grams (1/2 cup)
- Sourdough Starter or Discard – 100 grams
- Egg – 50 grams (1 Medium Egg)
- White Sugar – 12 grams (1 Tbsp)
- Butter, Melted – 26 grams (2 Tbsp)
- Vanilla – 4 grams (1 tsp)
- All-Purpose Flour – 145 grams (3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
- Baking Powder – 9 grams (2 tsp)
- Cinnamon, Ground – 2 grams (1 tsp)
- Salt – 3 grams (1/2 tsp)
- Apples, Peeled and Diced - 2 Medium Apples
Powdered Sugar Glaze
- Powdered Sugar – 100 grams (1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp)
- Whole Milk – 30 grams (2 Tbsp)
Instructions
Preparing the Apples
Remove the cores, and then peel and finely dice 2 medium apples. Cover and set the diced apples aside until you finish making the batter.
Making the Batter
To a mixing bowl add the whole milk, sourdough starter (or discard), egg, white sugar, melted butter, and the vanilla extract. Stir all of the wet ingredients until the starter breaks up and the ingredients become thin. Then, add the all-purpose flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and the baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients together to combine, and then mix the batter completely to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients together.
Folding in the Apples
Once you have a smooth batter (being careful not to over mix) fold the finely diced apples into the batter with a spatula. The apples should be evenly distributed throughout the fritter batter. Cover and set the batter aside while you heat the oil for frying.
Frying the Sourdough Apple Fritters
Add 2-3 inches of vegetable oil to a frying pan (there should be enough oil in the pan that the fritters won’t touch the bottom of the pan when frying). Set the pan over medium-high heat and heat the oil until it reaches 350-375°F (177°C-190°C).
When the oil has reached the correct temperature, drop dollops of batter into the hot oil using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, only adding 3-4 fritters at one time. Fry the sourdough apple fritters for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side, and then flip them over with a slotted spoon. Fry the fritters for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the other side. Remove the fully cooked fritters from the oil and transfer them to a cooling rack set over a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. This will allow any excess oil to drain from the fritters as they cool. Continue cooking all of the fritters, which should be around 8 in total, and let the fritters cool for 5-10 minutes while you make the glaze.
Preparing the Glaze
While the apple fritters are cooling on the cooling rack, prepare a simple powdered sugar glaze. Add the powdered sugar and whole milk to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. The milk should turn the powdered sugar into a smooth and glossy sugary icing.
Glazing the Fritters
Dunk the top and sides of each sourdough apple fritter into the powdered sugar glaze and then return the fritters to the cooling rack. Let the fritters rest on the cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes until the glaze has solidified.
Serve the fritters while they are still slightly warm. They will also keep well at room temperature, but are best eaten within the first 24 hours.