It’s APPLE FRITTER TIME! If you’ve been following along in my Instagram stories you’ll know that when I was pregnant with Elias, I had the HUGEST sweet tooth. Nearly everyday while pregnant, I’d take the kids to school and b-line to the nearest Tim Hortons and grab an apple fritter and coffee to go.
Truthfully I’m shocked I didn’t have gestational diabetes with all the sugar I ate when I was pregnant with him, but I do think it explains how incredibly SWEET he is!
When you switch to a vegan diet, you quickly realize how the world isn’t catered to you. Gone are the days of driving through many a drive-thrus (maybe that’s a good thing?!) and I often find myself wanting to find vegan versions of the comfort foods I love.
Fast forward to this past weekend where I finally nailed a delicious vegan version of my favourite donut- THE APPLE FRITTER!
These apple fritters are:
- delightfully doughy
- crispy and soft in all the right places
- perfectly cinnamon-y and apple-y
- not overly sweet!
A few notes before you start the making the recipe:
- the dough needs lots of love and rest – this will ensure that your dough is easy to roll and rises nicely
- a candy thermometer is ideal to have while making these apple fritters as it’s essential to have even temperature while frying
- allow the oil to come back up to temperature between frying, this will ensure you don’t over/under cook the fritters
Vegan Apple Fritters
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1.5 cups warm plant based milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup melted salted vegan butter
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- vegetable oil for frying
Apple Filling
- 3 granny smith apples
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp plant milk
Instructions
In a bowl combine flour, yeast and sugar.
Stir in warmed milk and melted butter until dough forms.
On a floured surface knead dough for about 5-7 minutes (set a timer so you know how long you've been kneading for) until dough is soft, slightly sticky but overall coming together beautifully.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a warm damp cloth and set aside to rise for approximately 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the apples and place in a saucepan with the sugar and cinnamon and cook down until liquids have evaporated. Allow to cool.
When dough has risen, punch down and knead until a nice ball has formed. Allow dough to rest for a few minutes.
On a floured surface roll dough into a large rectangle. Allow dough to rest for a minute or two between a roll in each direction. Do not stretch the dough with your hands!
Spread apple filling around entire dough surface, then fold in half.
WIth a sharp knife cut roughly 1" slices horizontally, then vertically until a grid is formed. Then with your hands, mush the dough together until you have a mound of dough pieces with the apple filling.
Using a 1/3 measuring cup, pack the mixture in to portion fritters and place mounds onto a cookie sheet. Allow fritters to rest for another 20 minutes before frying.
Heat approximately 2.5" oil in a large pot until thermometer reaches 365º F. Ensure that the temperature stays as consistent as possible so the fritters cook evenly.
Gently drop 3 fritters into the pot and allow to cook for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath so the excess oil can drip onto the sheet. Allow to cool for a few minutes before adding glaze.
In a small bowl mix icing sugar and plant milk to form a glaze. Drizzle glaze over apple fritters. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container for upto 3 days- if they last!
