These apple fries are battered, cooked until golden brown, then coated in cinnamon sugar and served with caramel dip. The absolute BEST way to eat apples!
Forget potato french fries, these apple fries are where it’s at! Part apple pie, part churro, these treats are the perfect dessert or party snack. Offer these fries at a party with other fun snacks such as mini pizzas and mozzarella sticks.
These apple fries are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, this recipe is a MUST TRY. It’s apple slices coated in batter, then fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar. While these apple fries are incredible on their own, they are even better when you add caramel for dipping. If you love these apple fries, you’ll love other classic apple recipes such as snicker apple salad and charoset. For more deep fried dessert goodness, check out my fried twinkies and fried Oreos recipes!
apple fries ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need fresh apples, milk, all purpose flour, an egg, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, vegetable oil and caramel dip.
How do you make apple fries?
The first thing you need to do to make apple fries is choose your apples. There are countless varieties of apples, but some of them are not suited for frying as they’ll turn to mush. You’ll need to core and peel your apples, then cut them into wedges.
The next step is to prepare the batter, which is similar to a pancake batter. While you make your batter, heat up some oil for frying. Each apple slice gets dunked in the batter then goes into the frying pan until golden brown. Finally, roll the apple wedges in cinnamon sugar as they come out of the fryer; be sure to do this right away as the sugar mixture sticks best when you toss the apples hot. Arrange the apples on a plate, then add a bowl of caramel dip, and serve and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect dish
- I highly recommend using Granny Smith apples for this recipe, they hold their shape beautifully and are available at every grocery store. Their tart flavor pairs so well with the sweet coating.
- Be sure to cut your apples into similar sized wedges so they cook at the same rate.
- Apple fries are best when served immediately, as they can get overly soft when cool.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat the fries in the oven at 400 degrees until warmed through.
- You will need to fry your apples in batches. Be sure to place the cooked fries on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Apple fries first became popular at Legoland as one of their signature dessert options called Granny’s apple fries. Legoland serves their fries with whipped cream for dipping, which would also be great instead of the caramel dip.
- Choose a neutral flavored oil that can stand up to high heat such as canola oil, peanut oil or vegetable oil.
These apple fries almost taste like apple doughnuts, and they’re even better when you add a little caramel to the mix. You can use caramel ice cream topping, or a tub of caramel apple dip that’s typically found in the produce section near the fresh apples.
recipe faqs
Apple fries are made of fresh apples, that are dipped in batter, then fried in oil and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
In this recipe, I cut the apples into slices as it’s a lot easier than cutting them into fry shapes and you don’t need any special equipment. If you prefer to have your apples shaped like french fries, you can buy a french fry cutting tool. They make larger countertop appliance type tools for cutting fries, and also a handheld fry cutter that looks like a small metal box with grates.
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flavor variations
These apple fries are totally delicious as-is, but you can customize the flavors to your tastes if you prefer.
- Fruit: While this recipe is meant to be made with apples, you can also use a similar technique with other types of fruit such as fresh pineapple chunks or firm pears such as Bosc pears. You could even use thinly cut wedges or cubes of fresh pumpkin for a fall themed party!
- Toppings: Instead of cinnamon sugar, you can roll your apples in powdered sugar. If you go this route, I’d add some cinnamon directly into the batter.
- Flavorings: Add some other flavors to your batter such as vanilla extract, nutmeg, lemon zest, pumpkin pie spice or almond extract.
- Dip: Instead of caramel dip as your dipping sauce, serve your fries with whipped cream, marshmallow sauce, caramel sundae topping, or place a few apples in a bowl and add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
These apple fries are definitely a little on the indulgent side, but SO worth it. They always get rave reviews and are super fun to eat.
The next time you find yourself with a few apples on hand, give these apple fries a try. Or don’t wait, and run to the store today to grab the ingredients – you’ll be glad you did!
More apple recipes
Apple Fries
Ingredients
- 3 large Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored and cut into wedges
- 3/4 cup milk I use 1%
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided use
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- oil for frying
- 1 cup caramel sauce or caramel dip
- mint sprigs for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, flour, egg, baking power and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until smooth.
- Place the remaining sugar and cinnamon on a plate; stir to combine.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a pot to 350 degrees F.
- Dip each apple slice into the batter, then add to the pot of oil. Cook 4-5 apple slices at a time for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally.
- Remove the apples from the oil and immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Repeat the process with the remaining apples.
- Serve your apple fries immediately with caramel sauce. Garnish with mint sprigs if desired.
Notes
- Adapted from Delish.
- Be sure to cut your apples into similar sized wedges so that they cook at the same rate.
- It’s important to use a deep frying thermometer to make sure that your oil isn’t overly hot or overly cold. If the oil is too cold the apples will absorb more grease, and if it’s too hot the fries could burn.
Granny Smith Apples are my #1 favorite apples. I always have a few in the refrigerator year round. This recipe was delicious with the sugar and cinnamon combo and the apples fried perfectly.
What a great dessert. Fantastic idea for a potluck.
Such a creative and tasty treat my whole family loves!
Wow, what a fun way to eat apples! Ready to make them.
Wow! Just Wow! These battered apple fries are a total game changer!!!!
My husband went crazy over these! He’s asking me to make them all the time
This was a big hit with my family and a unique dessert! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us!
So much fun to eat these! We all enjoyed them and I always have apples.
These were amazing! Instead of 3/4 milk I used 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup buttermilk. This made them puff up a ton and was really good. I also sliced them so they’d be circles and took out the middle with a piping tip. It made them look like little donuts!
These look fabulous! My mouth is watering!