Gluten-Free Apple Fritters Recipe (2024)

  • Apple
  • Gluten-free Desserts
  • Frying
  • Desserts
  • Doughnuts

By

Elizabeth Barbone

Gluten-Free Apple Fritters Recipe (1)

Elizabeth Barbone

Elizabeth Barbone develops delicious and creative recipes for the food allergic and gluten-free communities through her site Gluten-Free Baking. Author of three cookbooks: Easy Gluten-Free Baking (2009), How to Cook Gluten-Free (2012), and The World's Easiest Paleo Baking (2016).

Updated May 07, 2020

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Gluten-Free Apple Fritters Recipe (2)

Apple fritters should not be jelly doughnuts in which the jam is merely replaced with an apple filling. No, an apple fritter is a nubby affair with crisp bits of chopped apples scattered throughout and just the slightest hint of confectioner's glaze. Gluten-free fritters can be tough to make, but as it turns out, size matters. Our small fritters come out with the ideal ratio of crisp fried exterior to apple-packed crumb.

Why this recipe works:

  • Apples are lightly cooked before being added to the dough. This cooks them just enough so that when the doughnuts are quick-fried, they aren't too crunchy or too soft.
  • Leavened with yeast, the fritter dough is chewy, something you don't always get in gluten-free baked goods.
  • A small amount of dough is dropped into the hot oil. This ensures that the fritters cook all the way through and aren't raw in the center, a problem with larger fritters.

Notes: Chebe mix, which contains modified manioc starch, adds important elasticity to this recipe. It can be ordered online

How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Fritters

Recipe Details

Gluten-Free Apple Fritters Recipe

ActiveAbout 2 hrs

Total0 mins

Serves24 servings

Ingredients

  • For the Dough
  • 1 (7.5 ounce) box Chebe original cheese bread mix (see note)
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) white rice flour
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) sweet rice flour
  • 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water, warm
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup milk, warm
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Oil or nonstick cooking spray for greasing the bowl
  • For the Apples
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 3 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and diced (about 3 1/2 cups total) (Granny Smith work best)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
  • For Frying
  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • For the Glaze
  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 4 tablespoons half-and-half
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. For the Dough: In large bowl, whisk together Chebe mix, white rice flour, sweet rice flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt. Set aside.

  2. In small bowl, whisk together warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar until sugar dissolves. Add yeast. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Set aside until doubled in size, about five minutes. (If yeast doesn’t bubble and double in size, it means the yeast is dead. Discard it and start with a new packet of yeast.)

  3. Add warm milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract to the yeast mixturere. Pour milk-yeast mixture over the whisked dry ingredients. Stir, using a wooden spoon, until a stiff dough ball forms. Generously flour your countertop and turn sticky dough out onto counter. Dust dough with white rice flour and knead dough until smooth, about one minute. Lightly oil a medium bowl. Place dough in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to double in size, about 2 hours.

  4. For the Apples: In large cast iron or stainless steel skillet, combine butter and dark brown sugar. Melt butter and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add apples and stir to combine. Cook until apples darken slightly and just begin to soften. In a small bowl, whisk together cider and cornstarch. Pour cider over the apples. Stir. Bring to a boil and cook until thick, about 3 minutes. Transfer apples to a bowl and allow to cool.

  5. When dough doubles in size, punch down or stir with a rice floured wooden spoon. Stir in cooled apple mixture. Cover and allow to rise until dough almost doubles in size, about 1 hour.

  6. To Fry: Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Heat oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or wok to 350°F. Adjust flame during cooking to maintain temperature. Using two spoons, carefully drop balls of dough about 2 tablespoons each into the oil. Cook until edges turn golden brown. Turn and repeat. Using a wire skimmer, remove fritters from hot oil. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is fried.

  7. Prepare the glaze: whisk together confectioner’s sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a wire rack over the baking sheet. One by one, dip the fritters into the glaze. Shake excess glaze off and place fritters on wire rack.

  8. Fritters are best served the day they are made but may be held overnight. Store leftover fritters on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

Special equipment

12-inch cast iron skillet

This Recipe Appears In

  • How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Fritters
Gluten-Free Apple Fritters Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my homemade apple fritters soggy? ›

Why are my apple fritters soggy? This is most likely the result of oil temperature. If your oil is too cool, your fritters will take a long time to fry and will end up greasy.

Why are my fritters not crispy? ›

The most common causes for soggy fritters are too much batter (basic flour and egg batter like used in pancakes will never cook up crispy), and whatever you're frittering leeches too much water when cooking.

How can I thicken my fritter batter? ›

Add flour to your wet batter! Large veggies have a high water content (which we know equals soggy fritters). But don't stress! Adding flour to a wetter batter will give you the thick consistency you want.

How do you make fritters less soggy? ›

Batter consistency is key to good fritters. If too runny, add a touch of extra flour (otherwise fritters soggy inside). If way too thick, add a touch of water.

Does baking soda make fritters crispy? ›

Is baking soda or powder best for frying? A pinch of baking soda can help produce crispy fried foods. It reacts with the acid in the batter to create carbon dioxide bubbles. These lead to an airy batter and a crisper, fluffier result.

Why are apple fritters unhealthy? ›

Apple fritters are among the unhealthiest doughnuts. Just because a doughnut has fruit it it doesn't mean it is a good choice. Apple fritters are deep fried in fat. A medium sized apple fritter contains approximately 17 grams of fat (almost half the fat from saturated fat) and 450 calories.

What is the secret to making fritters? ›

Add flour to your wet batter! Most veggies have a high water content (which we know equals soggy fritters). But don't stress! Adding flour to a wetter batter will give you the thick consistency need to make the perfect batter.

What makes batter more crispy? ›

Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the products less greasy.

How do you keep fritters crispy? ›

If you're not serving fried food immediately, you'll need to keep it warm to prevent it from getting cold and losing crispiness. One way to do this is to place the fried food on a wire rack in the oven at a low temperature, around 200°F to 250°F.

Why are my fritters doughy? ›

If the fritters feel raw and doughy on the inside there could be two possible reasons. One is that the oil is just too hot, causing the outside to brown too quickly. You may find that you need to reduce the heat under the pan during cooking.

What makes a fritter a fritter? ›

Plain fritters are deep-fried cakes of chou paste or a yeast dough. In another type, bits of meat, seafood, vegetables, or fruit are coated with batter and deep-fried. Small cakes of chopped food in batter, such as corn fritters in the southern United States, are also called fritters. beignet.

What can I use to bind fritters instead of egg? ›

Some common egg substitutes include:
  1. Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
  2. Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
  3. Fruit puree. ...
  4. Avocado. ...
  5. Gelatin. ...
  6. Xanthan gum. ...
  7. Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
  8. Margarine.
Mar 30, 2021

Should you rest fritter batter? ›

Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour, which results in a less desirable fritter texture. Place the batter in the fridge to rest before cooking. This will make for a nicer texture once fried.

Can you keep fritter batter overnight? ›

You can make the batter up to 1 day ahead of time and store in the fridge. I've used this trick when I'm a bit short on time and know that I'll be needing to rush dinner the following night.

How do you fix mushy apple crisp? ›

Your day-old mush will turn back into the warm and crunchy crisp once more if you reheat in the oven at 350°. And for the love of autumn, please do not forget the ice cream. Or the whipped cream. Or the mascarpone…

Why are my fritters soft? ›

When frying, work in batches and avoid sticking the fritters too close together in the pan. If they are too close, they'll create steam which will make them too soft. Use hot oil! Don't add the fritters to the pan until the oil is nice and hot.

References

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