Soft, cakey, and full of fall flavors, these fried apple cider donuts are the perfect seasonal treat! With those iconic warm fall spices to the sweet apple cider, you’ll want these morning, noon, and night!
Every fall season, my family likes to visit our favorite orchard. The best part? Eating and taking home their glazed apple cider donuts and fresh apple cider. Honestly, we go at least 2-3 times, so that we can purchase more and take home to enjoy for the whole season.
I decided that I was finally going to try my hand at making my own apple cider doughnuts, using their homemade apple cider!
The difference with my recipe is that these fried apple cider donuts use the base of an old-fashioned sour cream donut, which takes on the soft, cakey characteristics of a cake donut.
What is a sour cream donut? Also known as old-fashioned donuts, sour cream donuts are made with no yeast, coated in a sweet vanilla glaze, taste like a cake donut, and have a nice crackle finish.
Just imagine, delicious, warm donuts for the whole family to enjoy on a beautiful crisp fall morning.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fall Spices. This recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to really give a beautiful warm flavor.
Soft & Cakey. The sour cream gives a nice tenderness and adds moistness to the donuts.
Easy to Make. I love that they require no yeast, which means we don’t have to wait for them to proof (or rise). Also, don’t let the process of frying donuts scare you! Frying donuts at home is quite simple and only takes a few minutes once in the oil.
Apple Cider Glaze. You can’t have too much apple flavor when it comes to these donuts. I decided to make an apple cider glaze to dip the donuts in and oh boy does it make them extra delicious!
Key Ingredients for Fried Apple Cider Donuts
Cake Flour – My go-to for these fried apple cider donuts. Cake flour contributes to the donuts’ tenderness.
Sour Cream – The key ingredient to making these cake donuts super moist and tender.
Apple Cider – The cider will be reduced to get the most flavor and used in the batter and the glaze. Do not use apple juice or apple sauce, the flavors are not as unique as apple cider.
Warm Spices – It wouldn’t be a fall treat without those famous fall flavors! This recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to compliment the apple cider.
Tools You May Need
Candy Thermometer – It’s crucial to have either a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer. You need to be able to monitor the temperature.
Donut Cutter – I like the convenience of a donut cutter, but if you have circle cookie cutters that works as well. Make sure to use a smaller one to cut out the center.
How to Make Fried Apple Cider Donuts
Step 1: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, until it resembles a sand-like texture.
Step 3: Add the egg yolks one at a time until smooth, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with sour cream, then apple cider, mixing on low speed. You should get a nice sticky dough and it should resemble a thick cake batter.
Step 5: Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
Step 6: Lightly flour your surface, roll dough to ½ inch thickness, and cut donuts with a round donut cutter.
Step 7: Place the donuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour. Cover and chill in the fridge while the oil comes to temperature.
Step 8: Add about 2-3 inches of oil to a large heavy bottom pot and let it come to 325F-335F.
Step 9: Fry each side of the donut for about 2-3 minutes, until a nice golden brown. Then transfer to a cooling rack with paper towels lined underneath to let the excess oil drip off.
Step 10: Glaze the donuts in the apple cider glaze, letting the excess drip onto a wire rack.
This old fashioned apple cider donut recipe is the next best thing to the donuts at our local orchard. Those fall spices and the subtle sweet apple flavor just make the perfect fall treat!
Don’t forget to fry up those donut holes, either! If you have any extra dough, just roll them into more doughnut holes! Be careful though, you’ll look down and realize you ate them all in half the time it took you to make them!
Pro Tips for The Best Fried Apple Donuts
Keep an eye on the temperature. When removing the donuts from the oil, you may need to let the temperature come back up again. Make sure the temperature is between 325F and 335F. If the temperature isn’t hot enough the donuts will be tough and undercooked.
Don’t overcrowd the pot. I recommend only adding about 2-3 donuts at a time to the pot. If you overcrowd the pot it will cause the temperature to lower.
Chill the donuts. The best part about this fried apple cider donut recipe is that it requires no yeast! But we do want to make sure the donuts are chilled enough to put in the hot oil. So it’s best to chill the cut donuts right before frying. If you have to wait for the temperature to rise again, place your donuts back into the fridge.
Fresh is best. I DO NOT recommend making the batter the day before. Sour cream donuts are best made and enjoyed the day of.
Storage Instructions
These apple cider donuts are best enjoyed while they are still warm! You can store your homemade donuts in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for 1-2 days. When ready to eat, you can warm them up in the microwave.
If you need more fall inspiration, be sure to check out these recipes and posts!
30 Realistic Fall Bucket List Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions
Are apple cider donuts baked or fried?
You can find several apple cider donut recipes where they are either baked in donut pans or fried in a large pot or large dutch oven. It’s all your preference. I, however, prefer fried donuts.
What’s the best oil to fry donuts in?
The best oil for frying donuts is a neutral oil like peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. They all have a neutral flavor and a high smoke point, perfect for deep frying.
Can you freeze apple cider donuts?
If you would like to freeze your donuts, make sure they are completely cooled. Wrap them in plastic wrap and then place into a freezer bag. You can freeze them for up to 2-3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, thaw them at room temperature and warm them up in the microwave.
Let me know if you give these Fried Apple Cider Donuts a try! As always, leave a rating and a comment and be sure to tag me on Instagram!
xoxo, ave
Fried Apple Cider Donuts
Soft, cakey, and full of warm and delicious fall flavors, these fried apple cider donuts are the perfect seasonal treat!
Ingredients
- 2½ cup apple cider, reduced to 1 cup
- 400 grams (3½ cups) cake flour, plus extra
- 100g (½ cup) sugar
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 175g (¾ cups) sour cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp allspice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Glaze
- ½ cup apple cider
- 2½ - 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat bring apple cider to a boil, boil for about 15-20 minutes, until it reduces to about 1 cup.
- Transfer reduced apple cider to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool.
- Reserve half of the apple cider for the batter and the other half for the glaze.
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed, until it resembles a sand-like texture.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time until smooth, and scrape down the sides of the bowl
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with sour cream, then apple cider, mixing on low speed. The dough should resemble a thick and sticky cake batter.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
- Lightly flour your surface, roll dough to ½ inch thickness, and cut donuts with a round cutter.
- Place the donuts on a parchment-lined or floured baking sheet, cover, and chill in the fridge while the oil comes to temperature.
- Add about 2-3 inches of oil to a large heavy bottom pot and let it come to 325F-335F.
- Fry each side of the donut for about 2-3 minutes ( 1 minute per side for the donut holes) and transfer to a cooling rack, until cool to the touch.
- To make the glaze, combine the apple cider, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl.
- Toss the donuts in the apple cider glaze, and let the excess drip onto a wire rack.
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