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I’ve spent years perfecting my homemade funnel cake recipe. In it, I’ll teach you the precise temperature and timing needed for golden, crispy perfection every time, plus all my best tips for cooking evenly on both sides and how to achieve the perfect consistency of your batter.
Easy Funnel Cake Recipe
Making the perfect funnel cake can be tricky, but with the right guidance, anyone can master it! One common issue is getting the batter consistency just right—it needs to be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to flow smoothly through the funnel. I have literally spent years making sure this is the best funnel cake recipe, so I know all the tips and tricks to achieve that ideal consistency.
Another challenge is frying the cakes evenly without ending up with burnt edges or undercooked centers. Plus, knowing when to flip the cake to ensure it cooks evenly on both sides is crucial. With my expertise, you won’t need to worry about any of that. Follow my 8 easy steps below and you’ll easily become a pro at making funnel cake that is better than any amusement park!
What is Funnel Cake?
Funnel cake is a deep-fried dessert made by the batter being drizzled into hot oil to form a circular shape. This fried dough is often topped with confectioner’s sugar and fresh strawberries or strawberry sauce.
Homemade Funnel Cake Ingredients
Another great part about this fun dessert? You may already have these ingredients on hand in your kitchen! Get the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil: for frying
- Powdered sugar: for dusting
How to Make Funnel Cake
This easy recipe has been perfected into 8 simple steps (really 7, because step 8 is just to eat up and enjoy!). Even if this is your first time making this dessert, you won’t have any guesswork. I’m covering it all here. Keep reading for topping ideas and get the full recipe in the recipe card below. Here is the easy step-by-step guide:
- Heat oil. Begin by heating the oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat until it reaches 350°F (177°C). You’ll need about 1 ½ inches of oil in the pot, or enough to submerge the cakes. I recommend a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- Prepare the batter. While the oil is heating, prepare the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Set the batter aside until the oil reaches 350ºF.
- Transfer batter. Add the batter to a funnel, squeeze bottle, piping bag or liquid measuring cup. If using a funnel, pour the batter into it and use your finger to close off the end of the funnel. Alternatively, you can pour the batter into a plastic squeeze bottle, piping bag or liquid measuring cup for easier pouring.
- Fry batter. Carefully drizzle about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the batter into the hot oil in a circular motion, overlapping itself to create a lattice pattern. Allow the batter to cook until lightly golden brown on the bottom, which should take around 1-2 minutes. Then, using tongs or a slotted spoon carefully flip them and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Remove to cool. Once cooked, carefully remove the cakes and transfer them to a baking sheet or plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Allow them to cool slightly.
- Repeat to cook the remaining batter. Repeat the frying process with the remaining batter, pouring fresh batter into the oil and frying until golden brown.
- Top and serve. Serve warm, topping them with powdered sugar or your favorite toppings such as whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or caramel sauce.
- Enjoy warm. Enjoy your homemade funnel cakes as soon as possible while they’re still warm and crispy! They are best enjoyed the same day but can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days if needed.
Homemade Funnel Cake Toppings
There is no wrong answer when it comes to the best funnel cake toppings. Whatever your favorite topping is, go for it! Here are some ideas:
- Dusting of powdered sugar
- Fresh strawberries or any other fresh fruit
- Cinnamon Sugar
- Homemade whipped cream
- Hot fudge sauce
- Honey or maple syrup
- Sprinkles
- Chocolate Chips
- Melted Peanut Butter
- Your favorite ice cream (try birthday cake ice cream or chocolate chip ice cream)
How to store this Recipe for Funnel Cake
You can store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Cooked funnel cake is best served warm and fresh. If you have leftovers you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but they will likely lose their crunchy texture.
How to Reheat Funnel Cake
You can reheat funnel cake in the microwave, air fryer, or oven. Just remember to start with short times and low temps, as reheating can make it overcooked and/or soggy.
Traditional Funnel Cake Recipe FAQs
The key to making funnel cake that doesn’t fall apart is to drizzle the batter into the oil in layers so that as those layers cook they hold together.
Funnel cake and pancake batter are similar, but not exactly the same. Funnel cake batter tends to be a little sweeter.
If your funnel cake batter is sinking, increase the temperature of your oil. If it’s too cold the batter will sink to the bottom.
If your funnel cake batter is thick you likely have an incorrect ratio of dry to wet ingredients. Be sure to follow the recipe for the right amounts.
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Best Recipe for Funnel Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 grams
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, 50 grams
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups milk, 355 ml
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying, 946 ml
- Powdered sugar, for dusting funnel cakes
Instructions
- Begin by heating the oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat until it reaches 350°F (177°C). You’ll need about 1 ½ inches of oil in the pot, or enough to submerge the funnel cakes. I recommend a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- While the oil is heating, prepare the funnel cake batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Set the batter aside until the oil reaches 350ºF.
- Add the batter to a funnel, squeeze bottle, piping bag or liquid measuring cup. If using a funnel, pour the batter into it and use your finger to close off the end of the funnel. Alternatively, you can pour the batter into a plastic squeeze bottle, piping bag or liquid measuring cup for easier pouring.
- Carefully drizzle about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the batter into the hot oil in a circular motion, overlapping itself to create a lattice pattern. Allow the batter to cook until lightly golden brown on the bottom, which should take around 1-2 minutes. Then, using tongs or a slotted spoon carefully flip the funnel cake and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Once cooked, carefully remove the funnel cakes and transfer them to a baking sheet or plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Allow them to cool slightly.
- Repeat the frying process with the remaining batter, pouring fresh batter into the oil and frying until golden brown.
- Serve the funnel cakes warm, topping them with powdered sugar or your favorite toppings such as whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or caramel sauce.
- Enjoy your homemade funnel cakes as soon as possible while they’re still warm and crispy! They are best enjoyed the same day but can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
These look so yummy! Do you have any idea how this would turn out using a dairy milk alternative? My son has a severe dairy allergy but I would love to try and make these for him. Thank you.
Without personally testing that substitution myself, I can’t say if it will work, sorry!