Keto Apple Fritters
Published October 13, 2020 • Updated February 25, 2026
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I tested this dough four times to get it right. These apple fritters use zucchini and concentrated apple extract for the flavor, then fry up with a crunchy golden crust and a soft, buttery center.
I’ve been making these for years, and they’re the recipe that convinced my family that keto baking could actually be good. Not “good for keto.” Just good. Crunchy on the outside, soft and cakey in the middle, with real fritter flavor from a combination of zucchini and apple extract that I stumbled onto by accident.
The classic glazed donut was the first keto donut I cracked, but these fritters are the ones I make most often. I use zucchini in place of apples to keep the carb count way down, and the trick works so well that nobody at my table has ever questioned it.
The zucchini is practically tasteless on its own, which is exactly the point. Peeled and finely diced, it takes on whatever flavor you throw at it. I pair it with concentrated apple extract, lemon juice, and cinnamon to recreate that tart granny-smith bite you’d expect from a traditional fritter. Chayote squash works as a substitute too, but I always reach for zucchini because it’s cheap and available everywhere. The texture holds up, the flavor is convincing, and one serving has a fraction of the carbs.
The dough comes together in about five minutes. Almond flour, protein powder (the real MVP for structure and lift), sweetener, baking powder, and xanthan gum. I mix the wet ingredients separately (melted butter, nut milk, sour cream, water, one egg), fold everything together with the zucchini mixture, then drop spoonfuls into hot lard or avocado oil. The edges crisp up golden and almost crackle when you bite in. The inside stays soft and cakey. That contrast is what makes these worth the effort.
A quick note on frying: oil temperature controls whether these hold together or fall apart. When a reader named Carol had hers disintegrate, I knew right away what went wrong. The oil was too hot. If they start breaking apart the moment they hit the oil, lower your heat to medium and give them a full 3-5 minutes per side before flipping. I check by gently nudging the bottom with a spatula. If it lifts cleanly and looks golden, it’s ready to flip. I use this same patient approach for my churro donut holes too.
I finish mine with a cream glaze (confectioners sweetener, heavy cream, vanilla), but melted butter drizzled on top works just as well. Sometimes I skip the glaze entirely and eat them warm with just a dusting of cinnamon. Two of these with a hot cup of coffee is my idea of a low-carb breakfast.
If you love keto donuts, try these next:
How to make keto apple fritters
- Prep the “mock apples” – Toss finely diced zucchini with cinnamon, lemon juice, and apple flavoring. This is what gives the fritters their apple taste without the carbs.
- Mix the fritter dough – Combine almond flour, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Then stir in nut milk, sour cream, melted butter, water, and an egg.
- Fold in the zucchini mixture – Stir until everything is just combined.
- Fry in lard or avocado oil over medium heat. I use about a 1/4 cup of dough per fritter. Flip once the bottom is golden brown (3-5 minutes), then fry the other side.
- Let cool, then drizzle with cream glaze or melted butter.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Keto Apple Fritters Ingredients
1 zucchini, peeled and finely diced -
1 teaspoon cinnamon
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2 teaspoons lemon juice
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1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon apple flavoring
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2 cup almond flour
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1/2 c unflavored or vanilla protein powder
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3 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener or sweetener of choice
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2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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2 teaspoon xanthan gum
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
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1/2 cup unsweetened macadamia nut milk or other nut milk
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1/4 cup sour cream
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1/4 cup water
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1 egg
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lard, for frying
Glaze Ingredients
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1/2 cup confectioners Swerve or use sweetener of choice
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2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Prep the mock apples
In a small bowl, add finely diced zucchini, cinnamon, lemon juice and apple flavoring. Add more or less apple flavoring to taste. Mix and set aside.
- 1 zucchini, peeled & diced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon apple flavoring
Dry ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl. Mix until combined.
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup unflavored or vanilla protein powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar-free sweetener
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon salt
Add the wet ingredients
Mix in wet ingredients.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup nut milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg
Zucchini in
Fold in apple flavored zucchini mixture.
Lard & skillet
Add lard to a small non-stick skillet and heat to medium heat. Add enough lard to cover the donut almost halfway. Scoop about a 1/4 cup of the fritter dough into the skillet. You can swirl the oil in the pan to help coat the donuts as they cook. Flip once golden brown on the bottom (about 3-5 minutes) and fry the other side until golden brown.
Cool down
Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel or wire rack to cool.
Glaze
To make the apple fritter glaze, add confectioner’s Swerve, heavy cream and vanilla to a small bowl. Mix to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds to get a thin consistency if needed.
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar-free sweetener
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Drizzle it
Drizzle or dip the top of your apple fritter donut into the glaze and place on a wire rack to set.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Are apples keto?
In my experience, apples are too high in carbs to fit into a keto day comfortably. One cup of diced apple has over 12g net carbs, which is more than I want to spend on a single ingredient. That's why I use zucchini with apple extract instead. You get the flavor and texture without the carb load.
Can I bake or air fry these instead of deep frying?
I've only made these fried, and I think frying is the way to go. The hot oil is what gives them that crunchy, golden crust that makes a fritter a fritter. Baking or air frying would change the texture completely, and I don't think you'd get the same crackly outside. If you want a baked option, I'd try a different recipe entirely.
Can I substitute coconut flour for almond flour?
I haven't tested this recipe with coconut flour, so I can't guarantee the same results. Coconut flour absorbs way more liquid than almond flour, so if you try it, use about 1/4 cup of coconut flour for every cup of almond flour and increase the wet ingredients. I'd also add an extra egg. But honestly, I'd stick with almond flour here because the texture is dialed in.
Why didn't my fritters hold together when frying?
I've heard this from a few readers, and every time the oil was too hot. When fritters hit oil that's too hot, the outside burns before the inside sets, and they fall apart. My fix: lower the heat to medium and let them cook 3-5 minutes per side. I also make sure the dough rests for a minute after mixing so the xanthan gum has time to bind everything.
Can I use real apples instead of zucchini?
You can, but I wouldn't unless you're OK with higher carbs. One cup of diced apple adds about 12g net carbs on top of everything else in the recipe. If you go that route, I'd use a small tart apple (granny smith), dice it fine, and adjust your macros. I've stuck with zucchini for years because the flavor from apple extract is convincing enough that my family doesn't notice.
Can I freeze these for later?
I freeze them without the glaze and they hold up well. I spread the cooled fritters on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for about a month. To reheat, I thaw them in the fridge overnight and warm them in a dry skillet over medium heat until the outside crisps back up. I add fresh glaze right before serving.
What protein powder works best for this recipe?
I use unflavored or vanilla whey protein powder, and that's what I'd recommend starting with. Vegan protein powder works too, but the texture can vary depending on the brand. Protein powder is what gives these fritters their structure and lift, so don't skip it. Without it, I've found the dough comes out flat and falls apart during frying.
0.9 net carbs. I sat with that. Two years keto and apple fritters were not a gap I thought anyone was going to close, the ratio of batter and sugar and apple IS the recipe. Zucchini and extract sounds like a workaround that won't hold. It holds. The edges fry up golden and the center is soft in a way I stopped expecting to find on keto. Made these four days ago. Already planning the next batch.
Works. Dice the zucchini finer than feels necessary.
Same. I also squeeze out the moisture after dicing and it makes a pretty big difference in how they hold together.
Made these last night and lost half of them when I tried to flip them, they just fell apart in the lard. The ones I rescued actually tasted great. Did I make the pieces too big, or is there a way to tell when they're set enough to flip without losing them?
so I've been doing a double batch every Sunday for a few weeks now and the thing I had to work out was the reheating situation, because fresh out of the oil they're everything but day two in the microwave was honestly pretty sad, then I tried the air fryer at 350 for four minutes and they came back with that crust still on them, which I wasn't expecting, so now I pack three or four and they actually hold up through the week.
Half teaspoon of the apple flavoring, not the quarter, and the flavor is so much more convincing. Wasn't expecting the batter to feel as wet as it does (first time frying anything, so I panicked a little), but it firms up fast once it hits the oil. The thing I wish someone had told me: paper towels under the finished fritters matter more than you'd think. Let them sit a couple minutes and they come out crispy instead of staying oily.
Cinnamon hitting the lard has a smell that took me right back. Never thought keto could actually pull off apple fritters. The extract is what makes it work.
Protein powder does something weird to the texture I still can't explain. Six batches in and counting.
Brought these to a cookout last weekend and a friend who eats everything kept insisting I'd bought them somewhere. Told him it was zucchini and apple flavoring, not real apples. He refused to believe me until I pulled up the recipe on my phone.
Showing them the recipe almost makes it worse. I've explained the apple extract thing to so many people and they just stare at me.
Made these for my kids Sunday and did not tell them about the zucchini situation. My youngest has a whole radar for anything vegetable-adjacent so I was bracing myself. She grabbed one off the cooling rack before I could even plate them, said 'wait this actually tastes like apple' with this genuinely confused face, and then went back for another. Docking one star because mine came out a little dense (I'm still new to almond flour baking so it might just be me) but that moment is the reason I'm already looking up how to make the dough work.
That face then going back for another one. Dense is almost always packed almond flour. Spoon it into the measuring cup instead of scooping and the dough will be noticeably lighter.
Was not sold on the zucchini thing at all. Every other keto fritter I've tried just tastes like almond flour with ambitions, but the apple extract plus frying in lard actually pulled it off. The outside crunch is freaking real.
Lard was in my early test batches and the crunch was noticeably better. Holds temp when cold batter hits the oil, so the outside locks before it has a chance to soften.
Salted the zucchini and let it sit 10 minutes, then wrung it out before folding it in. The center on these went from okay to exactly what you want, no soggy middle, just that crunchy golden crust actually holding together. That step is non-negotiable for me now. Only real note: 1/4 teaspoon of apple flavoring is basically a whisper. I pushed it to 3/4 and it finally tasted like something.
Yeah the salting step makes a real difference, I just never made it explicit enough in the recipe. Go with 3/4 on the flavoring, 1/4 barely shows up.
My mom has written off every keto substitute I've made for three years. She ate one of these and asked what orchard the apples came from. Almost made me forget the outside could've been crispier.
Three years and now she wants orchard info. Oil needs to be fully at 350 before the first batch goes in, and don't crowd them. Temp drops fast and that's where the crust goes soft.
My son has been skeptical of everything I've made since the cauliflower rice incident, so I didn't mention the zucchini. He finished his plate, asked if I'd gotten these somewhere, and when I told him they were made with zucchini he made the face. Then quietly grabbed another one. The apple flavoring and cinnamon are that convincing, and the crust fries up with this golden crunch that I think sealed the deal for him.
The cauliflower rice incident had me. Face then quiet second fritter. Doesn't get better than that.
No lard in the house so I used coconut oil, figured why not. Crust still came out golden and crispy, just needed a couple extra minutes. Coconut actually pairs better with the apple and cinnamon than I expected. Used the full half teaspoon of apple flavoring and it came through without tasting fake. Dough was stickier than I expected, though. Wet hands helped a lot when shaping, not sure if that's a xanthan gum thing but it worked. Might try lard next batch to see how the crunch compares.
Yeah, that's the xanthan gum. Wet hands is exactly what I do too. Lard runs hotter so you might get the crust a shade darker in the same time - worth the comparison.
Keto baking I've done plenty, but frying almond flour dough is new for me. The zucchini trick is clever. On the apple flavoring: should I start with the smaller amount and taste as I go, or does it mellow once fried?
Taste the batter before it hits the oil. The flavoring doesn't mellow, it concentrates a bit. Start at 1/4.