Air Fryer Apple Fritters (With Glaze)

8/18/2025

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These easy air fryer apple fritters are made with cottage cheese, sliced apples, and a simple homemade glaze. They’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. An amazing healthier twist on a classic sweet treat with all the iconic flavors of fall! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe ❤️.

A partially eaten apple scone sits on a cooling rack, surrounded by whole apples and apple slices.

why i love this recipe ⤵️

Takes just under 20 minutes TOTAL to make 🙌🏻 🙌🏻

Tastes just like the OG without the deep fryer.

Serve ’em up at everything from brunch to an after school sweet treat.

Apples + cinnamon + sweet glaze — what’s not to love?!

A step-by-step process of making apple scones: mixing ingredients, forming dough, baking in an air fryer, drizzling icing, and showing the baked scone with apple pieces inside.

Ingredients to Gather

Diced apples: where are my honey crisp fans at?! I love the flavor and crisp texture of honey crisp apples, but you do you and choose the apple variety of your choice.
2% blended cottage cheese: any fuller fat cottage cheese will work for this recipe. I recommend at least 2%, but I’ve also tested this with 4% and it worked great. Any low fat cottage cheese will have a higher water content, which will require more flour to form into a dough.
Brown sugar: you’ll toss the diced apples with brown sugar which is just straight up perfect fall flavors IMO.
Ground cinnamon: same goes wit the cinnamon! It’s a perfect complement to the apple and brown sugar flavors of fall.
Unsweetened almond milk: this is my preferred liquid for these fritters. Technically, any milk will work, but I prefer the mild flavor of plain, unsweetened almond milk.

Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below.

My Method for Making Air Fryer Apple Fritters

Prepare the apples: Add the diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a bowl, and toss to coat the apple pieces.
Prepare the dough: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the apples, and stir to mix. Then, add in the blended cottage cheese and stir until a ball starts to form. Then, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out before cutting into 4 pieces. Place 2 apple fritters on parchment paper and press down to a traditional fritter shape (round or oblong).
Air fry the fritters: Air fry the fritters, flipping halfway through to brown both sides.
Make the glaze: Add the powdered sugar and almond milk to a bowl and whisk to combine. That’s it!
Glaze and enjoy! Dip the fritters into the glaze; set them on a wire rack, and allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving!

The Perfect Sweet Treat

I love making these apple fritters in the morning with the kiddos. Something about sitting in the porch on a cool fall morning enjoying one of these yummy treats with a cup of coffee while the kiddos play 🥰🥰.

These apple fritters also make for a great after school snack or sweet treat after dinner. You really can’t go wrong with the ingredient list here, so choose your own adventure on when and where you serve ’em.

If You Have Leftovers

If you have leftover apple fritters, allow them to cool completely before storing on the counter in a vented bag. As the apples continue to soften over time, they will seep moisture and can cause the fritters to become soggy if stored in an airtight container. Venting it helps prevent this.

More Easy Air Fryer Recipes

Four apple-studded pastries with glaze sit on a cooling rack, surrounded by apples, cinnamon, and apple slices on a light surface.

FAQs

Why did my apple fritters get soggy?

This could be happening for a couple reasons! If you crowd the apple fritters too much in the air fryer, it will actually steam them instead of air fry them. Make sure your fritters are not touching in the air fryer.

The other reason this could be happening is because you did not allow them to cool before storing leftovers. I recommend venting the bag or container you store leftovers in to prevent the apple moisture from creating a soggy texture. You can also air fry leftover fritters for a minute or two before serving to crisp them up again.

How do you prevent air fryer apple fritters from sticking to the basket?

I recommend cooking these apple fritters on parchment paper in the air fryer. Not only does it prevent them from sticking to the basket, it also prevents the lines from the grate on the air fryer from transferring onto the fritters.

Can I make these gluten-free?

I have not tested these apple fritters with GF flour, but my go-to is always Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. If you test this ingredient swap, please let me know how it goes in the comments! ❤️

Air Fryer Apple Fritters Recipe

These easy air fryer apple fritters are made with cottage cheese, sliced apples, and a simple homemade glaze. They're crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. An amazing healthier twist on a classic sweet treat with all the iconic flavors of fall.

By: Emily Richter

Prep: 10

Cook: 8

Total: 18

Servings:

Close-up of a glazed apple pastry, reminiscent of air fryer apple fritters, with a bite taken out, resting on a cooling rack and surrounded by fresh apples and apple slices.

Save Pin Print

Ingredients

Apple Fritter Dough

Glaze

▢ ¼ cup powdered sugar
▢ 1 tablespoon almond milk, plain, unsweetened

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 375℉.
Add the diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a bowl. Toss to coat the apple pieces.
Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Stir to mix.
Add the blended cottage cheese and stir using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Once a ball starts to form, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl.
Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out. Cut into 4 pieces.
Place 2 apple fritters on parchment paper and press down to a traditional fritter shape (round).
Air fry at 375℉ for 4 minutes. Flip and air fry for another 4 minutes. Continue until all the dough has been cooked.
While the fritters are air frying, make the glaze. Add the powdered sugar and almond milk to a bowl and whisk to combine.
When the fritters are ready, dip them into the glaze, then set them on a wire cooling rack.
Allow a few minutes for the glaze to set before serving.

Tips & Notes

The amount of flour that you may need during the kneading and portioning part of this recipe will depend on how well blended the cottage cheese is. If you need more flour, add 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough no longer sticky.
Any milk can be used in the glaze.
I prefer cooking these fritters on parchment paper to eliminate the lines that come from the rack in the air fryer.