Baked Apple Fritters (4-Ingredient Dough, Oil-Free)

These Baked Apple Fritters are simple, egg-free, oil-free, and dairy-free oven-baked apple desserts made with a 4-ingredient dough in just 30 minutes.

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Apples are one of the best ingredients (with pumpkin!) that makes fall such a great season for using my oven. I love the smell of apples baking with cinnamon, like for my Apple Bites, Baked Apple Donuts, or Apple Oatmeal Bars.

These baked apple fritters are absolutely amazing, with a soft dough filled with sweet, smooth, juicy apple chunks. It’s the perfect Autumn dessert!

Ingredients and Substitutions

These apple fritters are really easy to make with 4 base ingredients for the dough and a couple of ingredients for the icing.

• Self-Rising Flour – Provides the structure and fluffiness of the fritters. It’s a mix of all-purpose flour and baking powder. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can replace it with all-purpose flour and add 4 teaspoons of baking powder. For gluten-free options, you might try a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains a leavening agent (I haven’t tried, but it’s probably fine), though the texture might be different.
• Sugar – Adds sweetness and contributes to browning during baking. You can substitute it with any granulated sweetener, such as coconut sugar or a sugar-free alternative like erythritol, though these might affect the final texture slightly. Coconut sugar will add a caramel-like flavor.
• Cinnamon Applesauce – Provides moisture and acts as a binder in place of eggs. It also brings in apple and cinnamon flavors. If you only have plain applesauce, add cinnamon for flavor. You can probably swap this for any fruit-based purees like pear or pumpkin, but you may need to adjust spices to complement those flavors.
• Green Apple Cubes – Adds texture and tangy flavor, while also providing natural sweetness. Green apples, like Granny Smith, are used for their firm texture and balance of sweetness and tartness. For a sweeter fritter, you can use red apples like Fuji or Gala, but these release more juice, potentially softening the fritters.
• Icing Sugar – Used for the glaze, adding sweetness and a glossy finish to the fritters. If you’re avoiding refined sugars, powdered coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener could be used, though the color and flavor may differ.
• Almond Milk – Provides moisture for the glaze while keeping it dairy-free. You can substitute it with any plant-based milk, such as oat, soy, or coconut milk. Coconut milk would add a richer flavor and creamier consistency.

How to Make Baked Apple Fritters

This recipe is quite easy to make with the recipe card further down, but I’ve also included pictures below to help!

Combine the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Stir it until the dough is sticky and doesn’t have any flour lumps.

Add small apple chunks to the dough and incorporate them.

Use a cookie scoop to measure even portions.

Drop the balls of apple fritter dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake the apple fritters at  420 °F (210 °C) in a broiler oven for 18-21 minutes.

Expert Tips

While this recipe is almost impossible to fail, I’ve added below a few more tips that didn’t fit in the recipe card!

• Don’t Overmix the Dough – Overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, leading to tough fritters. Stir just until combined for the best texture.
• Chill the Dough – If you have time, refrigerating the dough for about 20-30 minutes before baking can help the fritters hold their shape better and enhance the crispy exterior.
• Use a Cookie Scoop for Even Sizes – To make sure all fritters are the same size, which helps them bake evenly, use a cookie or ice cream scoop to portion out the dough.
• Brush the Glaze Twice – For an extra crisp, sweet coating, brush the fritters with glaze before broiling and once again after cooling to add more sweetness and a glossy finish.
• Choose Tart Apples for Balance – If you’re using different apple varieties, mixing tart apples (like Granny Smith) with sweet apples (like Honeycrisp) can create a balance of flavors and textures.
• Watch the Broiler Closely – Broiling gives the fritters a crispy finish, but they can burn quickly. Stand by the oven and check every 30 seconds.
• Add a Dash of Lemon Juice – For a brighter flavor, toss the apple cubes in a bit of lemon juice before adding them to the batter. It also helps prevent browning of the apples.

More Apple Dessert Recipes

Apple Bites

Baked Apple Donuts

Vegan Apple Oatmeal Bars

Applesauce Brownies

Baked Apple Fritters

These Baked Apple Fritters are simple, egg-free, and dairy-free oven-baked apple desserts made with a 4-ingredient dough in just 30 minutes.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 27 fritters

Calories: 85.5 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 2 cups Self-Rising Flour - (note 1)
• ▢ ½ cup Sugar - (note 2)
• ▢ 1 ½ cup Cinnamon Applesauce - if plain, add 2 tsp. cinnamon (note 3)
• ▢ 2 cups Green Apple Cubes - peeled, cored, diced in small cubes. About 3 green apples (note 4)

Optional

• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Cinnamon

Glazing

• ▢ 1 ½ cups Icing Sugar
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons Almond Milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or baking paper that are safe for use with an oven broiler. You can also use the baking sheet directly, but it gets hard to clean. Oil the paper generously with cooking oil. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add self-rising flour, cinnamon (if your applesauce is not cinnamon-flavored), and sugar. Whisk to combine.
• Fold in applesauce and stir until it forms a thick, moist batter. Don't over-mix.
• Fold in chopped apples and stir to incorporate evenly.
• Drop heaping tablespoons of batter on the baking sheet, leaving a thumb space between each fritter. I made 27 small fritters. Don't make big fritters; for the best texture, keep them small.
• Place it in the center rack of the oven, one baking sheet at a time, keeping the second one on the kitchen countertop while the first one bakes. Bake the fritters for 18-21 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the oven to broiler 420 °F (210 °C)—no more, as baking paper can't handle broiler over 425 °F!
• Meanwhile, make the glazing, stir icing sugar, vanilla extract, and almond milk.
• For crispy baked apple fritters, brush a little bit of the glazing on top of each warm fritter and broil on the top rack of the oven for 2-3 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so they don't burn.
• When golden brown, remove from the oven. Let them cool for 10 minutes on a rack, then dip them in the glaze and return them to the rack to let the excess glazing drip down.

Notes

Note 1: Two cups of self-rising flour are equivalent to two cups of all-purpose flour + four teaspoons of baking powder. I didn’t try all-purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe. You can’t use almond or oat flour.

Note 2: Any granulated sweetener works, but other options melt less, and the outer edges of the dough are less crispy after broiling. This includes sugar-free crystal sweeteners or refined sugar-free sweeteners like coconut sugar.

Note 3: If using plain applesauce, add two teaspoons of cinnamon to the dough for flavor.

Note 4: Any apple works, but green apples release less juice, stay crunchy after baking, and have a better balance of sweet and sour flavor in the fritter.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1fritter | Calories: 85.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1.2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 2.2mg | Potassium: 30.5mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 12.5g | Vitamin A: 9.6IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 5.4mg | Iron: 0.1mg | Magnesium: 3.3mg | Phosphorus: 10.8mg | Zinc: 0.1mg