Oil-free Fried Apple Rings (Donuts)

These Fried Apple Rings look like giant apple donuts/doughnuts. They are neither deep-fried nor baked. The juicy apple slices are dipped into a 3-ingredient psyllium husk pancake batter, fried like a pancake and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Vegan and gluten-free.

Sometimes all I need is the smell of apple and cinnamon to fill my home and I immediately feel cozy and warm. I love everything with cinnamon, like our Simple Plum Crumble. I’d like to add it to warm sauces like our Mixed Berries Sauce or our Warm Strawberry Puree or our Cold Spicy Melon Puree. My favorite breakfast is this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal. Cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon on everything. You’ll see!

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Ingredients of our fried apple rings

This recipe is easy, fast and highly addictive. When we receive our yearly supply of apples from my in-laws, I am making apple rings 3-4 days in a row. I can do a batch, while my kids are asleep. All I need is:

• 3 large apples,
• pancake batter, and
• cinnamon sugar.

I fry these pancake battered apple slices as I would fry a regular pancake – in my non-stick frying pan. No oil is needed!!! Definitely healthier than anything deep-fried, don’t you agree?

For substitutions, scroll down a bit and you can read all about the different versions.

Which apples to fry

Large, firm and tart apples like Granny Smith or Pink Lady or anything similar.

You need large apples, so you get nice and big apple donuts. You need firm apples, or at least firm enough that the apple slices won’t go all mushy in the frying pan. You need tart apples as you will get just the right kind combination of sweet cinnamon sugar and sour apple slices. This is the kind of apple you should be looking for if you would like to make these easy, battered apple rings.

Psyllium husk pancakes

I was only introduced to psyllium husk after I started a gluten-free diet. It is a perfect binding agent and egg substitute. I use them a lot in baking, for example, making this light, chocolate sponge cake. I think it binds everything stronger than flax or chia egg. 

As I promised this is a 3-ingredient pancake batter, where you need:

• gluten-free flour (our ultimate guide to gluten-free flours),
• dairy-free milk (recipe for our homemade cashew milk), and
• psyllium husk (vegan, organic and gluten-free psyllium husk).

I use a combination of oat and corn flour. Oat for consistency and corn for extra sweetness. Maybe it is just me, but if I use corn flour in any dish, it somehow turns them even sweeter compared to other flours. I also tested this recipe with a combination of oat-rice flour.

However, you can choose your own pancake mix. Make sure to add a little less liquid as the batter needs to be thick enough to coat the apple slices.

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How to make fried apple rings?

It is actually quite simple and you only need 4 main steps.

Making the pancake batter – step 1

Take a bowl and a whisk. Add flour, milk and psyllium husk and mix them thoroughly. Have the pancake batter rest for at least 5 minutes to ensure the husk does its job i.e. thickens the batter.

Coating the apple slices – step 2

Wash, peel and core the apples. I have an easy-to-use apple corer or a small cookie cutter to finish quickly. Then cut the apples into 0.25-0.5 inch slices. You can use a mandolin for even thin slices.

Dip them in the pancake batter right before you plan to fry them. If you leave them in the batter for long, the apple might release some liquid and the pancake batter may turn runny.

Frying the battered apple rings – step 3

Pre-heat your frying pan to low-medium heat and fry them as you would fry any other pancake. You need only a couple of minutes for each side to turn golden brown.

Coating them in cinnamon sugar – step 4

Don’t forget to cover them with cinnamon sugar while they are hot (they will not stick otherwise). These apple donuts go perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some caramel sauce or dipped in melted chocolate. Enjoy!

Top tips for making perfect Fried Apple Rings

• You need to fry on low-medium heat, so the apples will be cooked. Firm and tart apples tend to remain crunchy if you cut them too wide or cook them for too short.
• Even if the apples remain a bit crunchy (but you have to take them out because the pancake batter is already golden brown), don’t worry, they will soften on room temperature while they are resting. You can even cover them to make sure they do soften.
• I read somewhere ages ago that you can prepare apples for baking if you drop them in hot water for 5 minutes. In that way, the apples will not release any further liquid while baking (no pies with soggy bottom) and the slices soften up a bit as they are pre-cooked so to speak. I tried this method with these apple rings and there were no crunchy apples at all.
• P.S.: I don’t mind crunchy apples at all. :-))

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FAQs and Substitutions

Can it be paleo fried apple rings?

Yes. You need to use coconut flour with a combination of tapioca or arrowroot starch (2:1) instead of the oat-rice or oat-corn mix.

Can I pre-made the pancake batter and leave in the fridge overnight?

Yes and no. Yes, because nothing will go wrong if you leave the batter overnight. But no, because the psyllium husk will turn it into more of a jelly-consistency and it will not stick to the apple rings easily. I could still cover them and fry them but it needed special attention. So, I don’t really recommend to do it.

How long do these fried apple rings last?

I would say 1 day tops on room temperature and 2-3 days in the fridge. The more days pass, the softer it gets. And not the good kind of soft.

This Fried Apple Rings recipe is vegan, so dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for vegetarian, paleo, nut-free and gluten-free diets. It can also be WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you have a good non-stick frying pan or use an air fryer to make them without oil.

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More dessert recipes

You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dessert Recipes or check out

• Vegan Snickers Cake
• Chocolate Peach Galette
• Vegan Chocolate Pudding
• Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
• Vegan Tapioca Pudding

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in September 2018, but was rewritten and republished with step-by-step photos, instructions, and tips in August 2019.