These healthier pumpkin pie flavored fritters are soft and fluffy. They only need 4 ingredients and don’t require any eggs, refined sugar, dairy or butter. The fritters take only a few minutes to prepare.

These healthier fritters are baked instead of fried. The fritter batter comes together in just a few minutes and you don’t even need a mixer to make them.

Ingredients

  • Self-rising flour
  • Pumpkin
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Honey

Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is a flour blend that already includes a leavening agent. I like using self-rising flour because it saves some time but you can also make your own homemade self-rising flour blend.

Pumpkin: The fritters are made with pumpkin puree. You can use homemade pumpkin puree or store bought canned pumpkin puree. You can also use canned pumpkin pie mix instead but pumpkin pie mix does have sugar already added to it. If using pumpkin pie mix, you don’t need the honey or pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin pie spice: Pumpkin pie spice is used to give these fritters their pumpkin pie flavor. You can leave it out if you don’t like warm spices.

Honey: Honey is used to sweeten the fritters. You can use another sweetener, like maple syrup, but you may need to increase the amount.

How to Make Healthier Pumpkin Pie Fritters

  • The pumpkin, spice and honey are first mixed together. The flour is then mixed in until a thick batter forms.
  • Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop up the batter and release onto your prepared baking pan.
  • Use slightly wet hands to shape the batter to slightly flatten the batter and make the edges more round.
  • Bake the fritters for about 25 minutes or until done.
  • If desired, you can add glaze or powdered sugar to the fritters before serving.

Texture

The fritters have a soft and fluffy texture if eaten soon after they are baked. They will not be as light as traditional fried fritters. If you are looking for traditional fried fritters, I do have a fried version as well. These fritters are also only lightly sweet on their own. You can make them sweeter by adding a sweet glaze.

Expert Tips

  • These fritters are best enjoyed soon after they are baked. They will become more dense once completely cooled.
  • You can also cook the fritters in the air fryer. If cooked in the air fryer, they have a more crispy exterior but they don’t rise and fluff up as much.

More Fritter Recipes

4.80 from 5 votes

4 Ingredient Healthier Pumpkin Pie Fritters

These healthier pumpkin pie fritters are soft and fluffy. They only need 4 ingredients and don't require any eggs, dairy, refined sugar or butter. They also don't require any frying.
Servings: 9 fritters
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Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups (405g) pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp (2g) pumpkin pie spice, or more to taste
  • 3-4 tbsp (44-59ml) honey, or more to taste
  • 2 cups (276g) self-rising flour, see note before starting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Add a large cast iron skillet or metal baking dish filled about halfway up with water to the bottom rack of the oven while it preheats. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add pumpkin, pumpkin spice and honey to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Add in the flour. Stir with a spatula until you have a thick batter/wet dough. Add more honey or spice if needed.
  • Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter and release onto your prepared baking sheet, spacing the fritters 2 inches apart. Using slightly wet hands, shape each mound into an approximate 2½ wide circle with your hands. Optional step: Lightly brush the surface of the fritters with avocado oil. While they will still crisp up without it, they will be more golden and crispy with the avocado oil.
  • Add fritters to the oven (they should be placed on the oven rack above the one with pan holding water). Bake fritters for about 20-25 minutes until they are puffed and cooked through. Then switch the oven to broil and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the fritters are crisp and golden on the outside.
  • Allow the fritters to cool slightly before serving. Fritters are best enjoyed soon after they are done cooking and while still a little warm. The fritters are lightly sweet on their own. If desired, you can dust the fritters with powdered sweetener or add a glaze. I share the maple glaze I used on the fritters in the notes section. Store uneaten fritters in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • Self-rising flour amount. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 2 cup all purpose flour, 3 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill. You do not want a high protein flour for these fritters.
  • Air fryer instructions: You can also cook these in the air fryer at 400F for about 10-12 minutes or until golden and puffed.
  • Optional glaze. I made a maple glaze for the fritters. You can skip the glaze or use powdered sweetener instead to keep them a little healthier.
    • ½ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar 
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
    • Add the maple syrup and powdered sugar to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add more sugar if needed to thicken the glaze. Drizzle glaze over the fritters.
  • Estimated nutrition does not include optional glaze.
Serving: 1fritter, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 313mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, NET CARBS: 28
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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