These vegan apple fritters are made with an authentic Italian recipe that has been passed around for generations. Of course, we tweaked it a bit to avoid eggs, and make it vegan.

Our Italian apple fritters are light, soft, moist, crisp, and full of apple and cinnamon flavour. Try them dipped in our vegan custard for a sweet treat that is out of this world!

vegan apple fritters
vegan apple fritters

Check out our best Italian recipe collection!

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Apples: get the biggest and sweetest apples you can find.
  • Flour: we tried different flours but the best result is with plain all-purpose flour.
  • Sugar: regular white sugar.
  • Plant milk: any will work. We use soy.
  • Sparkling water: you can use plain water too, but cold sparkling water helps make the fritters lighter and crispier.
  • Baking powder: to make them slightly puffy.
  • Aromas: cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon zest are perfect!
  • Salt: to bind all flavours together.
  • Vegan custard: in Italy it is customary to dip apple fritters in custard. You can follow our vegan custard recipe to do that. It’s very easy.

Equipment

You’ll need a tool to remove the core of the apple. You can either use an apple corer / seed remover, or a small round pastry cutter.

Tips

  • Add sparkling water: it makes the batter lighter and the fritters will be more airy when you fry them.
  • Sift the dry ingredients: since we don’t mix our batter much, it’s best to sift the dry ingredients to break off big lumps.
vegan apple fritters and vegan custard
vegan apple fritters and vegan custard
  • Don’t over-mix the batter: over-mixing will activate the gluten in the flour, resulting in heavier, gummier fritters. The best way to mix the batter is to do it with a fork, or with some chopsticks for just a minute.
  • Put in the fridge to rest: we do this not only because resting allows the ingredients in the batter to come together, but also because we want our batter cold, so that the thermic shock with the hot oil will make our fritters extra light and they won’t absorb a lot of oil.
  • Dust the apple slices in flour: we do this before frying them so that the flour creates a protective layer that will absorb the moisture released by the apples. This way our fritters will be less soggy.
  • Bring the oil to the right temperature: that is around 160C or 320F. If the temperature of the oil is too low, the fritters will be soggy.
  • Dip them in vegan custard: because Italian apple fritters should be eaten this way.
vegan apple fritters dipped in vegan custard
vegan apple fritters dipped in vegan custard

Frequently asked questions

Why are my apple fritters soggy?

Apple fritters are very moist due to the moisture in the apples. To make them less soggy follow our tips above. That is, don’t over-mix the batter, cool down the batter, have the oil at the right temperature, dust the in flour before frying.

Who created the Apple Fritter?

Apple fritters have been around Italy since Roman times, and still today they are very very popular, especially in the north of Italy where apples are abundant.

What are Apple Fritters made of?

Apple fritters are made of sliced apples and a light batter.

Can I bake apple fritters?

No, just don’t do it. Make apple pancakes instead. Fritters just don’t turn out well in the oven. We tried several times and we cannot recommend it.

apple fritter covered in custard
apple fritter covered in custard


Storage

Apple fritters don’t store well. So it’s best if you make them and eat the on the same day.

Variations

Our fav variation of apple fritters is to dip them in our homemade vegan custard that is also super easy to make.

Apple fritter dipped in vegan custard

As toppings we love swapping the powdered sugar for regular sugar mixed with cinnamon. Dip them in the cinnamon-sugar while they are still hot and you’ll love them.

Similar recipes

If you (too) are a lover of vegan pastry, check out our other plant-based sweets:

For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.

Vegan apple fritters

Vegan Apple Fritters

By: Nico Pallotta
5 from 3 votes
These vegan apple fritters are made with an authentic Italian recipe that has been passed around for generations. Of course, we tweaked it a bit to avoid eggs, and make it vegan. Our Italian apple fritters are light, soft, moist, crisp, and full of apple and cinnamon flavour. Try them dipped in our vegan custard for a sweet treat that is out of this world!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 16 fritters
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 3 big apples

Dry ingredients

  • 150 grams all-purpose flour + 2 tbsp for coating the apples
  • 8 grams baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt

Wet ingredients

  • 125 ml sparkling water
  • 80 grams plant milk cold
  • 20 grams sugar
  • vanilla aroma + lemon zest optional

Topping

  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar or cinnamon + sugar
  • 300 g vegan custard to dip them in

For frying

  • 1.5 liter frying oil

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, add the wet ingredients (sparkling water, plant milk, sugar, and aromas) and mix them well until the sugar is dissolved.
    Step 1: mix wet ingredients
  • Sift the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt) and add them to the bowl with the liquids.
    Step 2: add dry ingredients
  • With a fork, mix everything together without over-mixing. Then let rest the batter in the refrigerator while you prepare the apples.
    Step 3: mixing ingredients
  • Peel the apples, cut them in slices 0.7mm thick (0.25 inches), remove the core.
    step 4: cutting the apples
  • Cover the apple slices with flour on both sides. Set aside.
    Step 5_dusting apple slices with flour
  • Bring the frying oil to frying temperature. That is 160C or 320F. Then take the batter out of the refrigerator and dip the apple slices in it, a few at a time.
    step 6_battering the apples
  • Fry the battered apples in the oil for about 2 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Turn them around once.
    step 7: frying the apples
  • Take out of the oil, let drip excess oil, then place on a tray lined with kitchen paper.
    step 8: putting apples on a tray
  • Sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in cinnamon sugar and enjoy.
    step 9: covering with powdered sugar

Serving suggestion

  • The best way to eat these apple fritters is to dip them in our vegan custard. Link in ingredients list.

Notes

MEASUREMENTS
We recommend using the metric system for this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Potassium: 104mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 38IU, Vitamin B6: 1mg, Vitamin C: 2mg, Vitamin E: 1mg, Vitamin K: 2µg, Calcium: 33mg, Folate: 20µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 1mg, Magnesium: 4mg, Zinc: 1mg
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Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

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