From China to the Caribbean, sweet fritters are the golden joy we all embrace

Discover all the ways the world celebrates these irresistible little balls of joy.

Apple fritters (frittelle di mele) Credit: Brett Stevens

— See Luca Ciano make banana and coffee fritters in a banana-themed episode of Luca's Key Ingredient streaming at SBS On Demand. —

Whether it's the classic banana fritter dusted in cinnamon or a rich chocolate-filled Spanish dessert, fritters are warm doughy delights. Explore the global fritter family with some of these!

Cherry-on-top fritters (zeppole di San Giuseppe)

Credit: Bonacini's Italy

"Zeppole di San Giuseppe, Saint Joseph fritters, are served on Saint Joseph’s Day which in Italy happens to be Father’s Day," explains Michael Bonacini. These piped golden fritters are light and fluffy with a crisp crust.

Ainsley's Caribbean cinnamon banana fritters with chocolate sauce dip

Credit: Ainsley's Good Mood Food

"Childhood memories of my mum’s kitchen come flooding back when I make these fritters. She used to make these banana treats with us kids hanging around in the kitchen, happily licking the cinnamon sugar from our fingers, waiting until the next batch was ready to eat!" says Ainsley Harriott of these fantastic fritters. "I’ve used a combination of plain and wholemeal flour in these vegan-friendly fritters, because I like the nuttiness, but use just plain if you prefer. I love serving them with my quick and easy chocolate sauce – it’s like a Caribbean version of churros!"

Banana fritters (buñuelos de banana)

Sticking with the bananas and moving to Argentina, we have these buñuelos de banana. In this recipe from Alfonsina Vasquez, part of the secret is using the egg yolks and whites separately, with the egg whites beaten to soft peaks before being added to a milk, egg yolk, sugar and flour batter. Slices of banana are dipped in the batter and fried until golden.

Chocolate-filled fritters (buñuelos de cuaresma)

Buñuelos de cuaresma chocolate-filled fritters) Source: SBS / SBS Food

These deep-fried Spanish fritters are a rich, creamy treat, filled with dark chocolate custard and rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Banana and coffee fritters

Banana and coffee fritters. Credit: Luca's Key Ingredient

"These are a coffee twist on the banana fritters I make at home on Sundays for my daughter Stella," says Luca Ciano of this recipe, shared in season 3 of Luca's Key Ingredient.

Pumpkin fritters with sweet ginger yoghurt

Credit: Sarah Graham's Food Safari

These breakfast fritters are soft on the inside and coated in a crispy batter then dusted with a sweet cinnamon sprinkle. Dip into the ginger yoghurt for extra deliciousness.

Apple fritters

"This wonderful recipe, adapted from Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food and introduced to me by the appropriately named and equally wonderful cook, Jo Cook, is heavenly with vanilla ice cream. The recipe says it serves four, and it looks like a lot to eat, but somehow four people always manage to get through them all. They remind me of the apple fritters I used to have at the Chinese restaurant at the RSL on Friday nights growing up," says Matthew Evans of his recipe.

Chinese toffee apple fritters

Chinese toffee apple fritters Credit: Adam Liaw

Fritter plus caramel? Oh, yes, Adam Liaw! "These Chinese-style toffee apples are simply apples fried in a crisp batter and tossed through a molten caramel. The apple pieces are picked up with chopsticks while still warm and dipped into iced water to set the caramel, delivering a crisp crunch with every mouthful," he says of this recipe, shared in Adam Liaw's Road Trip for Good.

Apple fritters (frittelle di mele)

Apple fritters (frittelle di mele) Credit: Brett Stevens

Hailing from Italy, these irresistible fried balls of appley dough are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Serve warm and dusted with sugar.

Apple and raisin fritters (olie bollen)

Oliebollen are a cousin to doughnuts, and look like golden baubles. Credit: Alan Benson

Of course, we cannot talk fritters without mention of that marvellously warm, comforting Dutch classic, olie bollen. Often traditionally served as a sweet snack between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, olie bollen has many variations among Dutch families. 

Yotam Ottolenghi's ricotta fritters with orange and honey

These Italian fritters are made with a mix of ricotta and goat's cheese, and served with orange syrup-drizzled ricotta.

Basil lemon zeppole

Credit: Bake With Anna Olson

Zeppole can vary in shape and style and these are little doughnut gems that are delightful when served warm – perfect for sharing after a tasty Italian meal, says Anna Olson of these little golden balls. You can also omit the basil and make lemon zeppole with this recipe.