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If I’m making fried apple cider donuts from scratch, you better believe I’m packing apple cider flavor in every bite! They’re made with fresh apples, reduced apple cider, and apple butter – yes, we’re flavormaxxing with this one! After frying, I roll them in cinnamon sugar for those crisp golden edges and soft cake-like centers. Hands down, these are the best homemade apple cider donuts you’ll ever make!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: The donuts were absolutely incredible! Nice and moist and they actually tasted like apple cider! Easily one of my favorite recipes by you so far. – Jasmine
My family has been going apple picking every year since I was about 5 years old – it’s practically a holiday when we go. Every time, I bring home at least 15 lbs of apples and I make every apple recipe I can possibly think of. I’m talking apple fritter cake, apple cider cupcakes, apple pie filled cinnamon rolls, and of course, homemade apple crisp!
I’ve been honing my fresh apple cider donuts recipe for years. And now, that it’s finally perfect, I’m here to spill all of the deets!
Table of Contents
What Makes These Apple Cider Donuts Different
I’m sure you’ve had many apple cider donuts before, but a lot of them taste like cinnamon as opposed to actual apple cider. This recipe is soft and fluffy on the inside, golden around the edges, and finished with that classic cinnamon sugar coating. Basically, everything you want from a fresh apple cider donut – with the apple flavor to actually back it up. Buckle up, I’m going to show you how to make the BEST apple cider donuts ever. 😉
You’ll definitely want to make these other donut recipes next – Glazed Donuts Recipe and Pumpkin Pie Spice Donuts!
Key Ingredients
(full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card)
- Apple cider and Granny Smith apples: Simmering them together makes a concentrated apple base. Other varieties of apples you can use are honeycrisp or fuji apples for a sweeter taste. Make sure to peel and cut the apples properly!
- Apple butter: This adds another layer of apple flavor. Look for apple butter, not regular applesauce. Save leftovers and fill my apple cider cupcakes with apple butter before frosting them!
- Apple Pie Spice – This recipe will not be complete without cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves! These spices bring all of the Fall flavors.
- Sour cream and egg yolks: They help give these cake donuts a rich, tender center.
- All-purpose flour – regular flour is best to use for homemade cake donuts, especially my old fashioned maple donuts, because the donuts need a balance of structure and softness. I’d avoid using cake flour for this recipe unlike my sour cream donuts recipe, which are more tender.
- Frying Oil – I used vegetable oil but any neutral high smoke point oil will work. Just be sure to use clean oil for best results and the best flavor!
Variations
- Make an apple cider donut glaze by whisking powdered sugar, apple cider, a little maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together.
- If you don’t like deep frying, make my apple cider donut loaf cake instead.
How to Make Apple Cider Donuts
Make the Apple Cider Concentrate
Step 1: Make the apple cider concentrate: Peel and cut the apples into roughly ½-inch pieces. Add them to a saucepan with the apple cider and cinnamon stick (optional) over medium heat.
Step 2: Simmer until there’s a half cup of cider left. To measure this, pour the apples into a strainer, draining out as much of the liquid from the apples as possible. Reserve the apples and set aside, we’re folding it into the batter later. (Note: the apples will become soft, this is totally normal) If you have more than a 1/2 cup (120g), add only the liquid back to the pan and continue to cook until you have a 1/2 cup. Discard the cinnamon stick and set aside and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Mix the Donut Dough
Step 3: Make the donut batter. While the cider is cooling, add butter and brown sugar to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer and cream together for 3 minutes, then add vanilla extract and egg yolks. (The mixture may split a bit, this is OK)
Step 4: Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Step 5: Add the wet ingredients. Add apple butter and sour cream to the cooled apple cider concentrate. Whisk together until combined, then add to the batter along with the strained/cooked apples. Mix together, then pour in the dry ingredients and fold together with a silicone spatula until a thick dough forms.
Step 6: Let the batter rest. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Fry the Donuts
Step 7: Add dough to lightly floured work surface and roll out until 1/2 inch thickness. Use a donut cutter or cookie cutter and cut out 3-inch circles. Then punch out a small circle in the middle. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until the oil is heated.
Step 8: Add vegetable oil to a large pan and heat to 350-370 degrees F. Fry the donuts, about 2 at a time, for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Place onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
- Prep the sugar coating: Combine sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl.
- Coat the donuts: Dip the donut into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Tips for Making Apple Cider Donuts
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix until there are no patches of flour, then stop. Overmixing causes the donuts to become tough.
- Make sure to rest and chill the dough for 2 hours before rolling out. As the batter rests, the liquids in the dough hydrate the flour yielding a more tender and soft crumb.
- Use the excess dough to make fried apple cider donut holes! Roll in cinnamon sugar or dip in glaze for a yummy sweet treat!
Storing and Making Ahead
Storing: The donuts are best enjoyed the day they’re fried but store leftover donuts in an airtight container or plastic bag and store at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months.
Making ahead of time: you can prepare the dough for up to 24 hours, then fry. You can also make the apple cider concentrate ahead to save on prep time. Store it in the fridge and use it whenever you’re ready to bake.
Reheating: For a warm donut, microwave it for about 10–15 seconds. Thaw frozen donuts before reheating. If the cinnamon sugar dissolves as they warm, toss them in a little fresh cinnamon sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Unlike regular yeasted donuts, these apple cider donuts have a cake-like texture because they are made with baking powder instead of yeast.
This recipe is specifically developed for frying. There are several recipes that you can bake, but this is not one of them.
Yes, apple cider donuts can be frozen to preserve their freshness. To freeze them, first allow the donuts to cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap before freezing. When ready to eat, simply thaw at room temperature or reheat in the oven for a few minutes to restore their texture.
Apple cider is the better choice for this recipe. Its fuller apple flavor stands up to the spices and frying.
More Apple Cider Desserts
Desserts
Apple Cider Cake
Desserts
Apple Cider Whoopie Pies
Desserts
Apple Cider Donut Loaf
Desserts
Apple Pie Filling
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Old Fashioned Fried Apple Cider Donuts
Equipment
- 3 inch Donut Cutter / Cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, (peeled and slice)
- 4 cups (960 g) Apple Cider
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 3 tbsps (42 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (193 g) Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp (8 g) Vanilla Extract
- 3 large (54 g) Egg Yolks, (room temperature)
- 4 1/2 cups (563 g) All Purpose Flour
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/4 cup (68 g) Apple Butter
- 1/3 cup (80 g) Sour Cream
- 4-5 cups Vegetable Oil
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) Sugar
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Make the apple concentrate – peel and slice the apples into 1/2 inch pieces. Add apple cider, apples, and a cinnamon stick to a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until there's a half cup of cider left, this can take about 30-40 minutes. 2 Granny Smith Apples 4 cups Apple Cider 1 Cinnamon Stick
- Pour the apples into a strainer, draining out as much of the liquid from the apples as possible. Reserve the apples and set aside, we're folding it into the batter later. (Note: the apples will become soft, this is totally normal) If you have more than a 1/2 cup (120g), add only the liquid back to the pan and continue to cook until you have a 1/2 cup. Discard the cinnamon stick and set aside and allow the mixture to cool completely.
- Cream the butter and sugar: While the cider is cooling, add butter and brown sugar to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer and cream together for 3 minutes, then add vanilla extract and egg yolks. (The mixture may split a bit, this is OK) 3 tbsps Salted Butter 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp Brown Sugar 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 3 large Egg Yolks
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. 4 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour 4 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Kosher Salt 1 tbsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Ground Ginger 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- Add apple butter and sour cream to the cooled apple cider concentrate. Whisk together until combined, then add it to the batter along with the strained/cooked apples. Mix together, then pour in the dry ingredients and fold together with a silicone spatula until a thick dough forms there's no patches of flour. Note: Be sure not to overmix, stop as soon as all of the flour is fully incorporated. 1/4 cup Apple Butter 1/3 cup Sour Cream
- Rest the dough: Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Cut the dough: Add dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out until 1/2 inch thickness. Use a donut cutter and cut 3-inch circles out of the dough, then punch out a smaller circle in the middle. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and add to the refrigerator until the oil is at temp.
- Heat the oil: Add vegetable oil to a large pan and heat to 350-370 degrees F. 4-5 cups Vegetable Oil
- Prep the sugar coating: Combine sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. 1 1/2 cups Sugar 2 tbsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- Fry the donuts: Fry the donuts, about 2 at a time, for 2 minutes per side and place onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes, then dip the donut into the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring both sides are coated. Repeat for the remaining dough.
Video
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix until there are no patches of flour, then stop. Overmixing causes the donuts to become tough.
- Make sure to rest and chill the dough for 2 hours before rolling out. As the batter rests, the liquids in the dough hydrate the flour yielding a more tender and soft crumb.
- Use the excess dough to make fried apple cider donut holes! Roll in cinnamon sugar or dip in glaze for a yummy sweet treat!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I look forward to Fall and apple cider. I make anything with it. These donuts are the beast. They are on my to do list as soon as I get my hands on the cider. I love these. Sooooo good.
I’ve tried this recipe a couple times now with honeycrisp apples- both were a hit.
The first time I did have the issue above, where my tiny apple slices disintegrated during boiling and made my cider concentrate into more of an apple puree/ slurry. It wasn’t thick enough for my mesh strainer to separate the solid bits but still too thick to get the right dough consistency. The donuts came out on the drier side, but still got eaten quickly at work.
The second time, I sliced the apples less finely and did better at straining the apple solids from the concentrated cider. A coffee filter over my mesh strainer was perfect for the job. I’m happy to report that the donuts are crunchy on the outside and almost have a pound cake-like consistency on the inside. Without the cinnamon/ sugar coating, they’re not too sweet and almost taste “healthy.” The little apple bits that are mixed into the dough are nice and moist, too. I don’t know if there’ll be any left to bring into work this time.
Might try out that cider glaze variation. I’m assuming it would need powdered sugar like most traditional donut glazes?
I’ve been craving an autumn snack, and these hit the spot. Mine were on the crunchier side and tended to split down the middle, but I enjoyed the flavor and crunch.
I diced my apples too small, underestimating how long they would need to boil during the cider reduction. Instead of soft apple chunks in the cider reduction, I ended up with an applesauce that was harder to strain the liquid out of. Maybe because of this, I also struggled a bit with incorporating all the dry ingredients. During frying, 90 seconds per side worked better than 2-3 minutes (again possibly because there wasn’t enough “liquid” cider concentrate). In all, I got 18 donuts from the batch, a nice yield for the effort.
Hi Mari! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, they’re such a autumn classic!
The donuts were absolutely incredible! Nice and moist and they actually tasted like apple cider! Easily one of my favorite recipes by you so far.