Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters (No Yeast, Make-Ahead Batter)
Every fall after apple picking, my kids beg for apple fritter Saturdays, and these sourdough discard apple fritters are the ones I make. After plenty of gummy-centered batches, I found the fix which is to sauté the apples first so they don't leak juice into the batter, and add a pinch of baking soda that reacts with your discard for a lighter, more golden fritter. After years of baking with sourdough discard, this is the version I make every fall!
Apple fritters were always my pick at the donut shop growing up in New Jersey, and these sourdough discard apple fritters taste just like the ones I remember. Crispy, craggy edges, soft and tender centers, chunks of cinnamon apples in every bite, and a sweet apple cider glaze that sets into that shiny shell. No yeast, no rolling, no cutting.
Every Summer we get a big batch of apple fritters from a local Jersey shore bakery and it's honestly a highlight of the Summer! So when I saw my sourdough discard hanging out in my fridge, I said I had to try to make some of my own!
The best part? You can make them two ways. Fry them right away in about 30 minutes, or stir the batter together the night before and let your discard work overnight for more flavor. Saturday morning, all you do is fold in the apples and fry. My family thinks I got up at 5am to make donuts. I didn't.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Sourdough Apple Fritters
- Ingredients for Apple Fritters with Sourdough Discard
- Why I Sauté the Apples First
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters
- Make-Ahead Overnight Apple Fritter Batter
- Apple Fritter Bites
- How to Fry Without a Thermometer
- Tips and Tricks
- Troubleshooting
- Storage Info
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Apple Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love These Sourdough Apple Fritters
- No yeast and no rising time. The great thing about this recipe is that it's basically and mix and fry kind of recipe, just like my sourdough onion rings or funnel cake.
- Uses a full cup of discard in one batch. If you are like me and you usually have a ton of sourdough discard in the fridge, this is a great recipe to make!
- It's a great make-ahead recipe. You can easily mix the batter the night before, cover it with some plastic wrap, and then fry in the morning.
- Apple cider glaze for donut shop flavor. When we leave an orchard we are always taking home some apple cider. This is a great place to use it!
- Never soggy or raw in the middle, thanks to one quick step!
- Make big fritters or apple fritter bites from the same batter. This batter is really versatile so you can make big fritters or you can make smaller apple fritter bites!
Ingredients for Apple Fritters with Sourdough Discard
- Apples: Use firm, crisp apples that hold their shape. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Gala are all great. I like one sweet and one tart.
- Butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon: For a quick sauté that cooks off the extra apple juice.
For the Batter
- Sourdough discard. Unfed discard straight from the fridge works perfectly. Active starter works too because we aren't waiting for the batter to rise. The leavening agents do all the hard work.
- All-purpose flour. Lower protein than bread flour, so the fritters stay tender.
- Baking powder and baking soda: You need both. Baking powder does most of the lifting, and baking soda reacts with the acidity in your discard for extra puff and a deeper golden color.
- Egg. Just like in a muffin batter, the egg holds everything together.
- Milk. Loosens the batter just enough.
- Brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. This is all to get that classic apple fritter flavor.
- Neutral oil for frying: Canola, vegetable, avocado oil, or peanut oil.
For the Glaze
- Powdered sugar, apple cider, and vanilla. Apple cider instead of milk gives the glaze real apple flavor. Milk works if that's what you have.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
Why I Sauté the Apples First
This is the step that makes these the best homemade apple fritters. Raw diced apples release water as they fry, which thins the batter right around each apple chunk and leaves you with gummy, raw centers.
Cooking the apples for 4 or 5 minutes in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon drives off that extra moisture, softens them so they're tender in every bite, and adds a caramelized apple flavor. Just let them cool for 10 minutes before mixing them in so they don't scramble the egg.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cinnamon sugar fritters. Skip the glaze and roll warm fritters in cinnamon sugar.
- Brown butter glaze. Brown 2 tablespoons of butter, cool slightly, and whisk into the glaze. I love adding brown sugar to my sweet items, like my sourdough chocolate chip cookies.
- Caramel apple fritters. Drizzle with warm caramel sauce and flaky salt.
- Pear fritters. Swap firm pears for the apples. Just make sure to sauté the pears first like we do with the apples.
- Add-ins. Fold in ⅓ cup chopped pecans or walnuts with the apples.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters
- Step 1: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes until just softened and the liquid has mostly cooked off. Spread on a plate to cool.
- Step 2: Pour about 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven and heat to 350°F. I like to use avocado oil but vegetable oil will work too!
- Step 3: Whisk the powdered sugar, apple cider, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Set aside.
- Step 4: In a large bowl, whisk the sourdough discard, egg, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined. The batter should be thick and hold its shape on a spoon. Fold in the cooled apples.
- Step 5: Scoop ¼ cup portions of batter into the oil and gently flatten each to about ½ inch thick. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown.
- Step 6: Move the fritters to a wire rack set over a sheet pan or paper towels. While they're still warm, dip the tops into the glaze or spoon it over. Let it set for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Make-Ahead Overnight Apple Fritter Batter
This is my favorite way to make them on a weekend. The night before, whisk together the discard, milk, brown sugar, and flour only. Cover and leave it on the counter for 8 to 12 hours. In the morning, whisk in the egg, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices, then fold in your sautéed apples and fry. The overnight rest gives you a deeper, more complex sourdough flavor, and breakfast comes together in 20 minutes.
Apple Fritter Bites
Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and drop small rounds of batter into the oil. Fry for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, turning halfway, until golden. Toss them in cinnamon sugar while warm or dunk them in the glaze. You'll get about 30 apple fritter bites from one batch, and my kids would honestly rather have these than the big ones.
How to Fry Without a Thermometer
Drop a small spoonful of batter into the oil. If it sinks and sits, the oil is too cool. If it bubbles steadily and floats up within a few seconds, you're ready. That's what you are looking for! If it turns dark brown in under 30 seconds, it's too hot. You can also dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil: a steady stream of small bubbles around it means it's time to fry.
Tips and Tricks
- Dice the apples small, about ¼ to ½ inch. This helps get the apples throughout the entire batter.
- Keep the oil between 340 and 360°F. Too cool means greasy fritters, too hot means dark outsides and raw centers.
- Flatten the batter in the oil. Thick mounds won't cook through. You want them a little flat or they will look more like zeppole's or donut holes.
- Don't crowd the pot. Too many fritters drop the oil temperature and can make the apple fritters greasy.
- Let the oil recover for a minute between batches.
- Glaze while warm so it seeps into all the crispy nooks.
Troubleshooting
The fritters are raw in the middle. The oil was too hot or the fritters too thick. Lower the heat a little and flatten them more. A fritter that's slightly underdone can finish in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. If they are too puffy, they might be raw in the middle. That happened to me and I just threw them in the oven for a little bit.
The fritters are greasy. The oil wasn't hot enough or the pot was too crowded. Make sure the oil is 350 degrees and only fry up 4 apple fritters at a time.
The batter too runny. Discard thickness varies from starter to starter. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter holds its shape. It should be thicker than pancake batter, similar to muffin batter.
The batter too stiff. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. This can happen if your sourdough discard is very thick.
Fritters taste too tangy. Your discard was very old. Use fresher discard, or skip the overnight rest.
Storage Info
Apple fritters are best the day they're made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven or an air fryer at 320°F for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp them up again. To freeze, freeze unglazed fritters for up to 2 months, reheat from frozen in the oven, then glaze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, active starter works exactly the same in these sourdough apple fritters since the baking powder and baking soda do the leavening, so use whatever you have in the fridge.
Not really, the discard adds a little depth and tenderness while the cinnamon apples and cider glaze are the stars, and you'll only notice more tang if you use the overnight batter or very old discard.
Firm, crisp apples like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Gala are best because they hold their shape when fried, while softer apples like McIntosh can turn mushy.
This batter is meant for frying, but you can scoop it into a greased muffin tin and bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes for apple fritter muffins, then glaze them.
Yes, mix just the discard, milk, brown sugar, and flour the night before, then add the egg, leaveners, spices, and apples in the morning right before frying.
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 3 Apples peeled and diced, about 2 ½ cups
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
For the Batter
- 1 cup Sourdough discard
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup Milk
- ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
For the Glaze
- 1 ½ cups Powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoon Apple cider or milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped and peeled apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until just softened and most of the liquid has cooked off. Spread on a plate and cool 10 minutes.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.
- Whisk powdered sugar, apple cider, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk discard, egg, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir dry into wet just until combined. Fold in cooled apples.
- Scoop ¼ cup portions into the oil and gently flatten to about ½ inch thick. Fry 3 to 4 at a time, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack or paper towels.
- Dip or drizzle the warm fritters with glaze. Let set 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
- This recipe will make 12 apple fritters or about 30 apple fritter bites.
- This is a great recipe to make the night before! The night before, mix only the discard, milk, brown sugar, and flour. Cover and leave on the counter 8 to 12 hours. In the morning, whisk in the egg, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices, fold in the sautéed apples, and fry.
- You can make these into apple fritter bites too! It's great for the kids! Use a 1 tablespoon scoop and fry 1 ½ to 2 minutes, turning halfway. Makes about 30.
- Discard varies. Add flour or milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter is thick and holds its shape.
- Keep at 340 to 360°F and let it recover between batches.
- These are really best the same day. Airtight at room temperature up to 2 days. You can also freeze unglazed up to 2 months.
