Apple fries are a fun fall treat that will transport you to the center of an apple orchard! Fried apple sticks coated in cinnamon and sugar served with three sauces for dipping! They will be the star of your fall gathering!
Apple fries? Yes please!
If you love apple pies, then these are definitely going to be a new favorite treat for you and your guests! Plus, they're much quicker to make AND a wee bit healthier!
Serve them at your next autumn gathering along with my Apple Pie Fritters and I bet people will rave for days. Serve them with an apple spiced cocktail and what more could you need?
Apple Fry Ingredients
- Apples- You can use any apples you like! I like the tartness of Granny smith apples but Gala, Pink Lady, Red Delicious would all work too!
- Cornstarch- This is what makes the apples super crispy.
- Cinnamon/Sugar- You can make your own cinnamon sugar or purchase it pre-mixed. After our fries come out of the fryer, we will be coating them in this deliciousness.
- Oil- The best oil to use is one that is meant for deep frying. Oils such as canola, vegetable, sunflower, or peanut oil works well.
Dipping Sauces
- Chocolate Syrup- You can make this on your own or purchase the syrup in bottles like I did here.
- Caramel Syrup- Caramel sauce is VERY hard to make on your own so I suggest purchasing your favorite caramel sauce from the store.
- Powdered Sugar/Vanilla/Heavy Cream- These ingredient will make a deliciously simple whipped cream. THIS is my favorite dipping "sauce" by far!
Cutting Your Apples
The hardest part is cutting your apples into the perfect size fry or stick. Since apples are round instead of cubic, we will need to trim off the rounded edges. If you don't want to waste any apple, simply leave the edges on and you'll have yourself fried apple wedges instead of apple fries.
Or, you can save the rest of the apples for a smoothie!
Depending on the size of your apple, you should get around 10 fries per apple. Look out for the largest apples in the produce aisle!
Frying Tips
It's important to understand that apples DON'T NEED TO BE COOKED. Meaning they are perfectly safe to eat raw. In fact, apples are BETTER when they're crunchy.
So with that said, you do not want to overcook your apples. They'll heat up VERY quickly and if you leave them in the oil too long, you'll get a soggy fry which NO ONE likes....well...some people do.
You want to heat your oil to 400 degrees F! This will allow the exterior to come out super crunchy without overcooking the apples inside.
The Best Oil For Deep Frying
Certain oils are better for frying than others because of two things. The taste and smoke point. If you fry in oils like olive oil, your food will take on some of that olive oil flavor which is not what we want. We want to use neutral oils that have a higher smoke point so the oil doesn't smoke up which can give the food a rancid, unpleasant taste.
These oils are listed in order from highest smoke point to lowest and are best for deep frying:
- avocado
- safflower
- peanut
- soybean
- corn
- sunflower
- canola
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Why Air Frying Won't Work
I tried BOTH methods when testing these apple fries and unfortunately, the air fryer will NOT result in a crispy fry.
Although it IS healthier, it just takes too long to get the exterior super crispy. If you leave them in longer than 5 minutes, the fries get super soggy and if you take them out earlier than that, the exterior wont be very crunchy.
This goes for baking in the oven. It will take even longer to achieve the crispiness and for this recipe, we want very hot and super fast cooking.
Leftover apples? Make my Mulled Apple Cider with Spices!
Substitutions and Variations
Because these fries are so simple, you can easily swap out a few ingredients or add some for a fun twist! Here are some suggestions!
- Replace the white sugar with either brown sugar for a deeper flavor OR use monk fruit sweetener for a healthier option.
- Replace the cinnamon for pumpkin or apple spice to really welcome fall.
- Serve with Nutella for a chocolate option.
- Leave out the sugar and dust cinnamon over instead for less calories.
Expert Tips
- Serve your fries within an hour of frying! The moisture in the apple will leach out into the crust making them soggy.
- Flash fry your apples in advance if expecting company for a party. This will allow you to serve them piping hot efficiently.
- Use a mixture of apples for different flavor profiles.
- Look out for the LARGEST apples you can find in the produce section!
- Try my bourbon infused whipped cream for the adults!
- Add pumpkin spice to your cinnamon sugar mixture for a fun fall twist!
FAQ's
Either your oil was not hot enough or you fried your apples too long!
Yes! There is no flour, just cornstarch which is 100% gluten free.
I have never been there but I have done some research and believe they are very similar!
Most of my recipes you can but these are a rare exception. They will get soggy as they sit and will overcook if reheated. Serve within 1-2 hours of frying.
Other fall treats you'll love:
Pumpkin Spice Pie Crust Cookies
Easy Pumpkin Pie Tartlets (Mini Tarts)
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📖 Recipe
Apple Fries (with 3 Dipping Sauces!)
Ingredients
- 2 large Granny Smith apples (*any apple works well)
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- oil for frying (*avocado, canola, safflower, peanut or vegetable oil work best.)
3 Dipping Sauces
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- store-bought caramel sauce (*or you can make your own!)
- store-bought chocolate sauce
Instructions
- If making your own whipped cream, prepare it by adding heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and mix on high until it thickens up a bit. This should take about 1 minute. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.*We want a thicken cream sauce as opposed to a super thick and fluffy whipped cream to make dipping EASIER.
- Mix together your cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil to 400°F.
- Cut your apples into ½" sticks. (See photos for help.) Do not make them too thin or they will cook too quick and be soggy.
- Add apples to a large bowl and coat with lemon juice.
- Add your cornstarch, flour and baking powder to the bowl and toss well to coat.
- When your oil is ready, shake off excess flour and fry in small batches for 60-70 seconds. (Adding too much at once will bring the oil temperature down making your fries soggy and/or greasy.
- When apple fries are ready toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture and serve with three sauces for dipping.
Recipe Notes
- Serve your fries within 1-2 hours of frying! The moisture in the apple will leach out into the crust making them soggy.
- Flash fry your apples in advance if expecting company for a party. This will allow you to serve them piping hot efficiently.
- Use a mixture of apples for different flavor profiles.
- Look out for the LARGEST apples you can find in the produce section!
- You can purchase store-bought cool whip if you don't want to make your own whipped cream but I beg you to try making your own. It's 100x better!
- Add pumpkin spice to your cinnamon sugar mixture for a fun fall twist!
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