Air Fryer Apple Fritters

Why this recipe works?

Like my air fryer chocolate chip cookies recipe, I use egg yolk for these fritters, which makes them super tender and adds richness, when combined with sour cream.
The fritters are placed in a preheated air fryer at a higher temperature initially and then cooked at a slightly lower temperature. This method ensures that the leavening process begins promptly, resulting in a fluffy texture.

Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

• Apples - Like in my apple mug cake or all apple recipes, I like to use varieties like Honey crisp, Gala, Fuji, or Golden Delicious. You want to choose a fruit that is crisp, sweet, and tart.
• All purpose flour - Provides the necessary gluten framework to hold the apple chunks.
• Sugar - Brown sugar is best suited for any apple recipe, like the apple waffles.
• Leavening - I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda, to help develop an airy texture like in apple muffins recipe.
• Egg - Egg yolk adds richness, flavor and tenderness.
• Milk and sour cream - Makes it richer and tastier.

Glaze variations

• Use maple syrup instead of water.
• Add a tablespoon of melted butter or brown butter to the air fryer apple fritters glaze.
• Use ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg instead of vanilla extract.
• Try ground cardamom instead of cinnamon.

1.Whisk flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

2. Whisk egg yolk, milk, sour cream and melted butter together.

3 & 4. Mix wet ingredients along with flour mixture.

5. Peel, core, and chop an apple into ¼-inch cubes. Stir into the batter.

6. Grease the air fryer basket and then preheat for 4 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees, while you prepare the batter. Drop about ¼ cup measure fritters, and then flatten them slightly, using the back of a spoon. Cook for about 10 minutes at 340 degrees.

Pro tip: The air fryer apple fritters undergo a two-step "frying" process, starting with preheating the appliance at 350° for 5 minutes and then cooking them at 340°. As with all air fryer desserts, this preheating step functions much like an oven, ensuring the appliance reaches the ideal temperature to kick start the "frying process" as soon as the fritters are placed inside.

Storage and reheating

These air fryer apple fritters are best warm! Their taste and texture are best when fresh. My favorite part of this recipe is that it just makes a small batch of 6 fritters, so you will not end up with any leftovers.

However, if you are doubling the batch for later use then check out these instructions for freezing and reheating.

To freeze - The air fryer apple fritters need to be frozen without any glaze. If you are planning to freeze, then cool the cooked fritters, skip the glaze, and then place them in a zip lock bag and freeze for up to a month. Reheat in the air fryer at 350 degrees, until heated through. Glaze and serve.

To reheat glazed fritters - Place 1 to 3 glazed air fryer apple fritters, in a preheated 350°F air fryer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Helpful tips

• Don’t over-mix – As with all baking recipes, over-mixing the batter tends to make a tougher baked product.
• Use yogurt – Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
• Air Fryer used – This recipe was tested in Instant Pot 6qt Vortex Air Fryer; cooking time may vary for other brands.
• Fritter size - About ¼ cup measure was perfect for making six medium size fritters in the air fryer basket.
• Grease the air fryer basket well with non-stick cooking spray. This ensures that fritters do not stick.
• Be gentle when removing hot fritters from the air fryer basket.