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Funnel Cake is a fair favorite, but it’s even better made at home! You can enjoy crispy, fried funnel cakes with powdered sugar any time of the year with this easy recipe!
Have fun and great creative, try drizzling with homemade caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, or your favorite toppings!
What is a Funnel Cake
If you’ve been wondering “Is funnel cake a cake?”, the answer is no. Funnel cake is a lovely light batter fried until golden brown, most often topped with powdered sugar. It is a sweet and delicious fair food that no one really thinks to make at home, and yet it makes me wonder, why not?!
They are actually incredibly easy to make. If you can stir together a simple batter and heat a bit of oil in a pan, you can make this easy homemade funnel cake recipe!
But why stop there, if you’re suddenly craving all the fair food, try these churros, caramel apples or homemade mini corn dogs. They are sure to satisfy your craving!
How to Make Funnel Cakes
This recipe makes two large funnel cakes. Because they really need to be eaten fresh, I wanted a small batch that can easily be doubled or tripled when you need it.
- Mix together wet ingredients.
- Whisk in dry ingredients until completely smooth (per recipe below).
- In a pot of hot oil, drizzle batter in thin lines, swirling and overlapping.
- Cook just until golden, using tongs to carefully flip.
Remove to a paper towel to drain excess oil. Dust with powdered sugar, add your toppings of choice, and serve immediately.
Best Funnel Cake Toppings
The most difficult thing about making homemade funnel cakes might be deciding what to top them with ;).
Traditionally, they are served with a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar. But there are so many fun toppings to try!
- Fruit: Fresh sliced strawberries, pineapples, or an assortment of berries!
- Ice Cream: A scoop of your favorite ice cream, like classic vanilla or mint chocolate chip ice cream.
- Sauce: Drizzle with chocolate sauce, homemade nutella, caramel sauce, or even whipped cream!
- Sprinkles: Try cinnamon sugar like a churro or classic rainbow sprinkles.
Whatever you choose, just be sure you eat them while they’re fresh and warm!
More Fun Desserts
-
- Homemade Jelly Jigglers – with real fruit juice
- Mini Cinnamon Donut Holes – just 3 ingredients!
- Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes – perfect handheld portions!
- Easy Fruit Pizza – colorful, sweet, and full of flavor!
- Frozen Hot Chocolate – with 3 ways to serve
Homemade Funnel Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large liquid measuring cup or batter bowl with a spout, whisk together milk, egg, water and vanilla.
- Add sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour, and whisk until completely smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium, deep-sided pan or pot, heat 1" of oil to 375°F over medium-high heat. When you put the end of a wooden spoon in the pot and bubbles form around the spoon, it's ready. Reduce heat to medium.
- Drizzle batter from cup in a thin line, swirling around the pan and overlapping as desired. Cook for 2 minutes or until light golden brown, then flip and cook another 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Dust with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and serve. Repeat one more time with the remaining batter.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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So easy and fast! Way better than the fair! Thank you!
such an easy thing to make for the family. I cut up strawberries add a cup of sugar let those sit while I start making the batter.
We love this recipe! THX
L
So good! Made 1 funnel cake and was so good I made the rest of the batter. Hehe. Definitely my go to recicpe from here on out.
Great recipe! easy and tasty.
Awesome , easy to do. Family loved it. Thanks
Hi, I was wondering if i can bake this in the oven instead of frying? Thanks
I have never tried this recipe in the oven but I would love it hear how it turns out for you!
bake no I don’t think I try that.what makes it,is the oil,(deep fry).an boy is it good.i wouldn’t change a thing.
This recipe made exactly two 8” funnel cakes and they turned out perfect like the fair! I substituted cows milk for oat milk and had to add a few tablespoons more because it was a bit too thick to pour and they turned out fantastic! Thanks!
I looked up how to make funnel cake found it made it it’s licious thank you very much love the recipes.
by 1 egg does it mean 1 large egg?
Yes, 1 large egg.
This is my GO-TO Funnel Cake recipe! They turn out perfectly yummy every time and they’re super quick & easy! My hubby loves these funnel cakes and says they’re “better than the fair!”
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
I’ve been craving funnel cakes for a long time, so I tried this recipe. I made it exactly as posted and cooked it in 1″ of canola oil (which is all I had on hand). The funnel cakes came out tasty, like heavy donuts. They hit the spot! To keep hot oil from splashing in my face, I used a tall pot and wore safety glasses. I had to cook each cake longer than 2 minutes on each side to get it golden brown. I topped with powdered sugar. I strained the oil and will use it to cook another batch for my son tonight.
The amount is perfect for exactly two funnel cakes. I followed the recipe to a t and it tastes pretty good, but not close to what they sell at the fair. Thank you for sharing
Each year our family gets together for an outdoor Autumn Celebration- a time for us to slow down, reconnect, and take in the glorious autumn colors. This year our group set up an outdoor fryer and made funnel cakes using your recipe. Everyone was super impressed and we all agreed they were by far the best funnel cakes we have ever had! If you are making these be generous with the vanilla.
We had options for topping: powdered sugar, chocolate syrup and whipped cream, but the show stopper was homemade apple pie filling.
I was sitting here watching tv and all the sudden, Im dying for funnel cake. So I googled and found this recipe. Its so good!!! I think my oil got a little hot, but thats ok bc it tasted amazing! WOW! This is a keeper and I will be making this more often. Sent it to my daughter and now she is making it!!!
This made me so happy and reminscent of theme park food I got to eat 13 years ago! Thanks a lot!
This tastes amazing! I have always loved funnel cakes but only get them once a year at our local fair. This recipe is even better than the ones that our local fair sells!