These Fried Apples with Cinnamon Sugar 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 fried dessert too. Serve with your favorite ice cream.
You can also use cardamom sugar in 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.
Canola oil or vegetable oil works best for this recipe. They are stable oils with high smoke points and do not add flavor to the recipe.
If you’re already making the batter, consider also making one of these recipes that use the same batter:
Ingredients & Substitutions
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.
The best ratio for cinnamon sugar is 1:4, or 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of sugar.
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.
First, add enough oil to your pan so it is 2-3 inches deep. Canola oil or vegetable oil works best for this recipe. They are stable oils with high smoke points and do not add flavor to the recipe.
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 1/4 cup (or 4 tablespoons) of sugar in a plate. Set aside.
Peel and core the apples. Then, slice them in 3/4-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.
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.
Ice Cream to Pair with Fried Apples
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:
Fried Apples
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or pastry flour
- 1 cup ice water
Fritters
- 2 Granny Smith apples peeled & cored
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp 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 1/4 cup (or 4 tablespoons) of sugar in a plate. Set aside.
- Peel and core the apples. Then, slice them in 3/4-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.
Sounds delicious, I am keen to try. My Grandma made amazing fritters so I have wonderful childhood memories of both Apple and banana fritters.
This pretty much knocked apple pie right out of the water in my opinion! So good! I love you’re little tip about planning this around your dinner frying plans, so clever, I’ll be adopting it!
I’m so glad to hear you loved it and that you will be adopting the tip, Mikayla! Here’s an extra tip: If you have a grill with a burner on in, fry outside so you don’t get that smell in the house from the oil 🙂
Oh boy! These are fab. I love when great recipes happen from leftovers. Thanks for the great tempura tips!
I’m so glad to hear you liked them, Bernice… sometimes, those are the recipes I love the most!
This was a huge hit with my kiddos (and me since it was so easy)! We served the apples with scoops of sea salt caramel ice cream and a drizzle of creme Anglaise.
That sounds sooooo good, Marta… thank you for sharing! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
What a great way to use tempura batter! These apples are incredible and we smothered them in ice cream or you can even just eat them by themselves. Either way, it’s a winning recipe for me!
I’m so glad to hear how much you enjoyed them, Jacque!