These tempura-fried apples are what would happen if a churro, funnel cake, and apple pie got together and made a baby. Anytime I know I am going to fry something for dinner, I make sure to also pick up a couple of apples and make this DELICIOUS dessert. Serve with your favorite ice cream!

White plate full of fried apple slices covered in cinnamon sugar.

About this recipe

This is the perfect recipe to make with leftover Granny Smith apples. And that is just how this recipe was born. I had some leftover tempura batter and was curious how well apples would fry up. These fried apples tasted delicious, fried up quickly and easily, and an easy apple dessert favorite was born.

If you're already making the batter, consider also making one of these recipes that use the same batter:

2-Ingredient Tempura Batter

This two-ingredient tempura batter uses just flour and ice water. Make sure the water is actually ice water to ensure crispiness. Simply mix 1 cup of ice water with 1 cup of pastry flour or all-purpose flour with a fork or chopsticks (photos 1 & 2). Do not over-mix or the batter will not be airy. As you can see in photo 3 the batter was too thick so I added more ice water (about 1 tablespoon) until it was the consistency of photo 4.

Mixing tempura batter showing the proper consistency.

How do you keep tempura crispy?

There are a few ways to make sure your tempura is crispy:

Use ice water in the batter.
Do not crowd the fry pan.
Use pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour for extra crispiness.

What oil is best for this recipe?

Canola oil or vegetable oil work best for this recipe. They are stable oils with high smoke points and do not add flavor to the recipe.

Cinnamon sugar ratio

The best ratio for cinnamon sugar is 1:4, or 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of sugar.

Mixing cinnamon and sugar in a bowl next to two green apples.

How to Fry Apples

To fry the apples in this recipe, you will need: canola or vegetable oil, ice water, Granny Smith apples, pastry or all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and sugar.

Ingredients for fried apples with cinnamon sugar.

First, add enough oil to your pan so it is 2-3 inches deep. I use a smaller pot and fry in batches or even one at a time. Heat the oil to 350-370F and try your best to keep it at this temperature. You can use a candy thermometer or an infrared thermometer.

Next, mix 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with ¼ cup (or 4 tablespoons) of sugar in a plate. Set aside.

Peel and core the apples. Then, slice them in ¾-inch thick rounds (photo 1 below). Then, make your batter. You want to make your batter last to make sure it is as cold as possible. Mix 1 cup of ice water with 1 cup of flour. You don't want to over-mix with a whisk or the batter will not be airy (see details in blog post).

In small batches, dip your apples in the batter (photo 2 below) and gently immerse them into the hot oil (photo 3). Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway.

A sliced and cored apple dipped into batter and fried, then placed on a rack.

Drain the oil on a rack or on paper towels, but only for a few seconds. Quickly cover with cinnamon sugar while hot and serve immediately.

A slice of fried apple in a blue plate filled with cinnamon sugar.

Ice Cream to Pair with this Recipe

This recipe goes great with simple vanilla ice cream. Although I usually go for a vanilla pairing, sometimes I like to switch it up with one of these other flavors:

Or check out some of my other favorite sweets here like this apple slab olive oil cake that is my favorite breakfast cake or my grandma's recipe for apple strudel that is always a hit.

Two slices of fried apple topped with a scoop of ice cream on a white plate.

Print Recipe

5 from 16 votes

Fried Apples

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Japanese

Servings:

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Candice

Ingredients

Batter

▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour or pastry flour
▢ 1 cup ice water

Fritters

▢ 2 Granny Smith apples peeled & cored
▢ ¼ cup sugar
▢ 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

Add enough oil to your pan so it is 2-3 inches deep. I use a smaller pot and fry in batches or even one at a time. Heat the oil to 350-370F and try your best to keep it at this temperature.
Mix 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with ¼ cup (or 4 tablespoons) of sugar in a plate. Set aside.
Peel and core the apples. Then, slice them in ¾-inch thick rounds. Try and get 4 slices out of each of the apples (2 per person).
Then, make your batter. Mix 1 cup of ice water with 1 cup of flour. You don't want to over-mix with a whisk or the batter will not be airy (see details in blog post).
In small batches, dip your apples in the batter and gently immerse them into the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway.
Drain the oil on a rack or on paper towels, but only for a few seconds. Quickly cover with cinnamon sugar while hot and serve immediately.

Notes

You can use a candy thermometer or an infrared thermometer to keep your oil temperature at 350-370F.

You want to make your batter last to make sure the water is as cold as possible.

For extra crispiness, use pastry flour.

If you are going to slice the apples ahead of time, cover them in lemon or lime juice to keep them from browning/oxidizing.

Nutrition

Did you try this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and/or comment! And tag @ProportionalPlate on TikTok or Instagram... I'd love to see what you're making.

This post was originally published in April of 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, and tips September of 2019.