Apple Fritter Recipe with Spiced Caramel Apple Dipping Sauce (Dairy Free)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KitchenAid. All opinions, photos, recipes, and text are mine.

This apple fritter recipe is so good. They're crispy crunchy on the outside and fall apple spice on the inside. Plus gooey goodness with the caramel dipping sauce!

In my little family of four, there are few foods that we all love. One of them we can all agree on: apples.

I love fall for so many reasons, but the abundance of fresh Pacific Northwest apples is one of them. There are so many different varieties, and so many different ways to use them! So when I was invited to take on the KitchenAid Apple Challenge, I was super excited. First, just to create my own twist on an apple classic. Second, because one winner will win a whole suite of the brand new KitchenAid black stainless steel appliances, AND a private cooking lesson with one of my family's favorite television chefs, Geoffrey Zakarian!

Dairy Free Apple Fritter Recipe with Spiced Caramel Apple Sauce

My son was the inspiration for creating this apple fritter recipe. He absolutely adores apple fritters. He would eat one every day if I let him (and no, I don't, in case you are wondering). We normally pick some up at our local donut shop, but the KitchenAid Apple Challenge inspired me to try to make these dairy-free apple fritters for my son. They were a hit, and I am so excited to share the recipe here with you!

How to Make Apple Fritters with Spiced Caramel Apple Sauce

Start by chopping fresh green apples into small cubes. I prefer to use Granny Smith green apples.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then the wet ingredients in a stand mixer, then fold in the chopped apples last.

You could use a deep fryer, but since I don't have one (yet... Christmas gift to self?), I fry the fritters in a large pot of vegetable oil.

Flip the first side over after 2-4 minutes so that both sides get a nice golden brown crunch on the outside.

Remove from the pan and place onto a pile of paper towels.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over both sides of each apple fritter while they're still hot.

O.M.G. These are so good. Crispy crunchy on the outside and fall apple spice on the inside.

But we're not done yet. Now, you get to make the Spiced Caramel Apple Sauce. Because: more apple and fall spices!

If you've never made caramel before, it may take a try or two to get right. I don't think it's necessarily difficult, but it does take a watchful eye. You can't set it, and then go answer emails for a few minutes, if you know what I'm sayin'. It just takes a watchful eye to make sure it doesn't burn, because it can go from done to well-done in the blink of an eye sometimes.

Apple Fritter Recipe

Apple Fritters with Caramel Apple Dipping Sauce Spiced Caramel Apple Dipping Sauce

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Recipe by Marlynn Schotland

Servings: 10

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 Granny Smith apples chopped into small cubes
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ Tablespoons coconut sugar you can use granulated sugar if you wish
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup applesauce
• ▢ ⅔ cup almond milk use regular milk if you like
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons butter use vegan butter if you wish
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ vegetable oil for frying
• ▢ powdered sugar
• ▢ Caramel Dipping Sauce see separate recipe below
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter use vegan butter if you wish
• ▢ ¼ cup almond milk
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon apple brandy
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon allspice

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut sugar or regular sugar, baking powder and salt.
• In a stand mixer, combine applesauce, milk, butter, and vanilla.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer and mix until the ingredients are well combined. Gently fold in apple pieces with the mixer on low.
• Heat a large deep pot with about 2-3" of vegetable oil until the oil starts to sizzle slightly. That's when you know it's hot!
• Using two tablespoons, gently lower a huge tablespoon full of the batter into the oil and slightly flatten into a disc-like shape with one tablespoon while holding the batter down with the other.
• Repeat until you have 3-4 fritters frying up in the pot.
• Once the bottoms of each fritter begins to brown, flip over with a slotted spoon.
• Fry until both sides are golden brown, which takes about 3-4 minutes per side.
• Using a slotted spoon, gently lift each fritter out of the hot oil and place onto a stack of paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
• Sprinkle each side of each fritter with powdered sugar, then place on a plate and set aside.
• Continue frying the remaining batter. This batter makes approximately10 fritters, if each fritter is approximately 4" wide.
• Serve immediately with Caramel Dipping Sauce
• In a large saucepan, bring sugar and ¼ cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir gently with a pastry brush or whisk to dissolve sugar.
• Boil and continue stirring until the mixture reaches a beautiful deep amber color. This can take between 7-10 minutes, so be patient and don't get up and walk away to multitask!
• Reduce heat to low, then add butter and stir until smooth. The mixture will bubble up, as it should, at this point.
• Once the butter has melted and the mixture is a smooth consistency, add in the almond milk, then add the apple brandy, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Stir until smooth.
• Remove the spiced caramel from heat and let it cool 10 minutes before serving as a dipping sauce alongside the apple fritters.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!

Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.

SUBSTITUTION NOTE: if you don't need to make this dairy free or don't want to, you can easily use regular milk instead of almond milk and regular butter or vegan butter in the fritter recipe, heavy cream instead of the almond milk in the caramel sauce.

More Caramel Bliss

• Salted Caramel Sauce
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars
• Chocolate + Caramel + Praline Whipped Cream Tarts

Hope you enjoy this recipe for dairy free apple fritters with spiced caramel dipping sauce as much as we did!

KitchenAid Apple Challenge

Food Network and Food.com invites passionate connectors to show how to take simple to extraordinary! Users will enter the “apple” recipe cooking challenge where users will submit a photo and description of their best dish incorporating the use of an apple.

Submissions can be uploaded through Twitter or Instagram with #KitchenAidContest or at foodnetwork.com/applechallenge/etc.​

Food Network Kitchens will select the top 4 recipe submissions and the 4 finalist will win a trip for 2 to NYC to push their limits in a live cook-off to cook their dish to be judged by FN chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

1 winner will receive the grand prize of a suite of KitchenAid Black Stainless Steel Appliances and a private cooking lesson with Geoffrey Zakarian.

Contest Dates: 8/17 – 9/14

From the first-ever black stainless steel to the first-ever five-door refrigerator, KitchenAid pushes the limits with our appliances, so our home cooks can do the same with their cooking. See the revolutionary new line of KitchenAid appliances or visit the Kitchenthusiast™ blog for recipes, tips and more.

This post is sponsored by KitchenAid, a brand that I have loved and trusted in my own kitchen for the past two decades. All opinions, photos, recipes are my own.