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These light and fluffy pumpkin fritters are great for breakfast, brunch, or a simple dessert! Fry up a batch for a fun fall treat.
We love pumpkin season! I always keep a couple cans of pumpkin puree in the pantry so I’m ready to make all the yummy pumpkin recipes. In addition to these fritters, I love making Baked Pumpkin Donuts or Pumpkin Pancakes for breakfast. You can also use pumpkin in savory recipes like this Pumpkin Alfredo or Pumpkin Mac & Cheese.
Pumpkin Fritters Ingredients
Grab a can of pumpkin puree and some other simple ingredients to mix up these easy pumpkin fritters.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Pumpkin Puree – not pumpkin pie filling
- Baking Powder and Salt
- Brown Sugar – I used light brown sugar, but you could use dark brown sugar
- Spices – Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Nutmeg
- Egg
- Milk
- Unsalted Butter – melted
- Vanilla Extract
- Vegetable Oil – for frying
- Powdered Sugar – for dusting
How to Make Pumpkin Fritters
It is surprisingly easy to make homemade fritters from scratch! Just mix up the batter, heat up some oil, and fry.
Make Fritter Batter – Start by whisking together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and spices) in a bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry flour mixture to the wet and mix until the batter is just combined with no lumps.
Prepare Oil for Frying – Fill a large dutch oven with at least 2 inches of the vegetable oil and heat on medium-high until the oil is 320-350°F. A candy or deep fry thermometer is really handy for these types of recipes.
Fry Fritters – Dollop the fritter batter into the hot oil. You can do this using a regular tablespoon or a cookie scoop. Fry the fritters in batches – about 4-5 at a time and fry until they are a deep golden brown.
Finish Fritters – Use a metal strainer to remove the fritters from the oil and place on a paper towel lined tray or plate. Dust the fritters with cinnamon powdered sugar and enjoy!
Storage
Storing leftovers: These are best eaten soon after frying them. This gives you the best texture. But you can store leftover fritters for a day or two in an airtight container. Fritters will lose their texture when frozen, so freezing is not recommended.
Make Ahead – If you want to prep the fritters in advance, you can make the batter ahead of time. Mix up the batter and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours until ready to fry. I recommend bringing the batter back to room temperature before frying in the oil.
Expert Tips
- Fry in batches – You want to avoid overcrowding the fritters when frying. This ensures better cooking and helps the oil temperature stay hotter.
- Use a thermometer to measure the oil temp – For frying, it’s important that your oil is the right temp. Too low and the fritters will be greasy but too hot and they may burn. I like to use the thermometer throughout cooking so I can adjust as needed since adding the fritters will lower the temp.
- Use a deep, dutch oven – Although you only need 2 inches of oil, it’s best to use a larger, deeper pot so that the oil splatter stays in the pot.
- Drizzle with a vanilla glaze – Try topping with an easy vanilla glaze. Just mix together about 2 cups of powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Mix until smooth and combined – you can add more or less powdered sugar and milk to get your preferred consistency.
- Dust with powdered sugar – Dusting with powdered sugar gives the best presentation! For the pumpkin pairing, I like to use the cinnamon powdered sugar but you can use plain powdered sugar as well. It’s easiest to use a fine mesh sieve to dust and sprinkle the fritters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fritters are a variety of fried foods. They can be made from a batter or even savory ingredients. A popular American choice is the Apple Fritter but there are also savory fritters such as corn or veggie fritters.
Fritters and donuts are very similar in that they are both fried. The difference is that fritter batter has all the filling and ingredients in the batter, while donuts can have the filling ingredients piped into or on them after frying.
No, this recipe cannot be baked. The fritters puff up a little as they are fried, creating the fluffy texture. The batter is too thin to be baked.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
Pumpkin Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- vegetable oil for frying
Cinnamon Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk the mixture until smooth and combined.
- Add in the flour mixture. Mix just until combined and no lumps remaining.
- Fill a Dutch oven/cast iron pot with at least 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat on medium-high until it reaches 320-350°F.
- Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, dollop the batter into the oil, cooking 4-5 at a time until deep golden brown.
- Remove fritters from the oil with the spider tool and place on a tray lined with paper towels.
- Dust the fritters with cinnamon powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
So good with coffee or hot chocolate.
I bet they taste as good as they look and makes the whole house smell nice.
Great Fall recipe.
Thank you
You are so welcome ColleenB! Thanks for stopping by.
K.