This year I’ve been hunting bargains — not for clothes or accessories, but for ingredients in the food aisle. These apple fritters began after a great supermarket find. A turkey I bought for a holiday meal was reduced from £32 to just £4.95, and more recently I picked up fresh herbs for 3p each. I came home with sage and thyme and decided to turn that tiny purchase into a quick treat: apple and sage fritters.
I had a friendly exchange at the checkout when the cashier commented on how cheap the herbs were and asked what I planned to do with them. I didn’t want to say “I’m a food blogger” in the middle of the queue, so I improvised: sage fritters and freezing the thyme. Back in the kitchen I made the fritters, and they turned out to be fast, simple and popular with the family — especially when dusted generously with sugar. The trickiest part is photographing them; fritters rarely look as tempting on camera as they do on the plate.
Ingredients for making Apple Fritters
- 2 large apples — Pink Lady or Granny Smith work well
- 125 g plain white flour (organic if you prefer)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 35 g granulated or caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 125 ml milk (add a little extra if the batter is very thick)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (split: 1/2 tsp in the base, 1/2 tsp for the other portion)
- 8 sage leaves, chopped very finely
- Vegetable oil — enough to cover the bottom of the frying pan to about 1 cm
Apple Fritters
Crispy, light fritters made with diced apple and fresh sage. These are quick to prepare and cook — ideal for a weekend breakfast, snack or to serve warm as a simple dessert with a dusting of sugar.
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 2 mins Serves: 6 Calories: 163 kcal (per serving, approximate)
Method
- Peel and chop the apples into very small pieces. Because fritters cook quickly, smaller apple pieces will soften in the short cooking time.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and 35 g sugar.
- Whisk the egg then add it to the dry mix, alternating with the milk until you have a smooth batter. If it feels too thick, add a splash more milk.
- Stir in the apple pieces and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon — this is your base batter.
- Divide the batter into two portions. Add the finely chopped sage to one portion and the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the other so you can make both sage and cinnamon fritters.
- Heat oil in a frying pan to a medium-high temperature so the surface is hot but not smoking. Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls into the pan. Keep fritters small — large ones will brown on the outside before the centre cooks through.
- Cook several fritters at a time (about five in a standard pan), turning when the bottoms are golden. They cook very quickly — usually about 30–40 seconds per side, so watch closely to avoid overcooking.
- When done, remove fritters to kitchen paper to drain briefly. Sprinkle the sage fritters with granulated sugar and the cinnamon ones with icing sugar if you like.
Tips and variations
- If you prefer a purely sweet option, omit the sage and add a little extra cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg.
- Use a firmer, tangy apple such as Granny Smith for a balance of tartness and sweetness; Pink Lady also works well.
- Serve warm with a side of yogurt, crème fraîche, or simply with extra sugar for dipping.
- For a lighter finish, drain on kitchen paper and keep them in a warm oven while you cook the rest.
- These fritters are best eaten the day they are made but can be reheated briefly in a warm oven for a few minutes.
Alternatives to using Sage in Apple Fritters
If you want a more classic flavour, try making apple and cinnamon fritters. They’re festive, straightforward and perfect for a special breakfast or brunch during the holidays.
Other apple recipes you might enjoy
Try these other apple bakes for more inspiration: Apple & Cinnamon Pastry Twists; Apple & Passion Fruit Puffs; Apple Pie Cupcakes. Each uses apple in a different way, from flaky pastry twists to light puff pastry parcels and cupcake-style mini pies.
If you try this recipe, leave a note about how it went — small changes, like the variety of apple or the amount of sage, can make a big difference to the final flavour.
Nutrition (approximate per serving)
- Calories: 163 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Fat: 2 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fiber: 3 g