How to Make Funnel Cakes at Home

Here’s how to make funnel cakes at home. It’s so easy to create this perfectly crispy sweet dessert that will have you reminiscing about summer’s past.

Today I’m going to show you what may or may not be a first for you – how easy it is to make funnel cakes at home. And by “easy” I mean ingredients that you have on hand, a few minutes of cooking time, and you’re done! And just to take the guesswork out of it and show you exactly what to do, I’ve even made a little video of actually making and frying the funnel cake. See? It’s like I’ve shown up at your door and made myself at home in your kitchen – only better because you didn’t have to clean anything or change out of your pajama pants. For the record, I have no problem with a messy house or pajama pants!

With this easy funnel cake recipe, the batter is simple to make and the frying is quick. In just a few minutes, you’ll be ready to enjoy these perfectly crispy and crunchy fried desserts dusted in powdered sugar. From your first bite, I bet you’ll be reminiscing about past summers and state fairs. Make this for visiting friends and family and they’re bound to be overjoyed.

Other nostalgic summer state fair recipes include corn dogs, caramel apples, fresh fried corn, homemade whoopie pies, and fried pickles.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Recipe Ingredients

• Eggs
• Milk
• Flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sugar (2 tablespoons)
• Confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling over them.

You’re also going to need some oil to fry them in, a funnel, and a sifter of some sort to sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over them. My personal preference for oil for frying these is vegetable oil, like coconut oil or corn. Peanut oil would also work really well but I don’t use it often due to a few of my daughter’s friends having allergies.

How to Make Funnel Cakes: Step by Step Tutorial

To begin with, place all funnel cake ingredients in a medium-sized or large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended. This will just take a minute or two.

Now you have your batter. See how easy that was? You’ll want to use this batter soon because if you don’t, it will thicken and be hard to come out of the funnel. If that happens, just add 1/4 cup milk and whisk it in by hand.

Test your oil by dropping a tiny sprinkling of flour into it. If the flour sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Once it tests hot enough, turn the temperature down to medium.

Using a funnel, hold your finger over the opening and add 1/2 cup of the funnel cake mix. Hold this over the hot oil and remove your finger, moving your hand over the oil in a zig-zag or swirling pattern but making sure to criss-cross over the batter multiple times in order to have the cake connect.

Continue until the funnel is empty and then allow the cake to cook until lightly browned on the bottom. Use tongs to carefully flip the fried dough over and cook on the other side as well.

You want the funnel cakes to be fried until golden brown. Then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Repeat the process with the remaining batter until all funnel cakes are fried, placing each finished cake onto its own paper towel-lined plate.

Sit back and enjoy your family and friends thinking you’re awesome (because you are!).

 This recipe will make about 4 – 5 funnel cakes.

For more information and to visually see how to make funnel cakes, click on the video in the below recipe card.

Storage

Funnel cake batter can last in the fridge for up to five days. But once they’re fried, it’s best to eat them within two days. Remember to store them at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

• Some people don’t realize they can use coconut oil for frying but you can. I use the Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, refined. Some people like the unrefined. What’s the difference? Refined coconut oil has one more step in its processing and pretty much takes the coconut taste out of the oil. But because coconut oil has such a high heating point it doesn’t turn rancid quick with heating even when refined, this is a good choice for frying or cooking.  So is the unrefined coconut oil, but you end up with a very coconutty taste. If you love the taste of coconut then you will like the unrefined choice. 
• Funnel cakes can be made in any size you like. Opt for small funnel cake bites or one large plate-sized homemade funnel cake everyone can share.
• While powdered sugar is the traditional funnel cake topping, here are some additional topping suggestions. Opt for cinnamon sugar, a scoop of ice cream with chocolate or caramel sauce, or fresh fruit and whipped cream (think strawberries or blueberries). You could also top your funnel cake with sprinkles, toasted coconut, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts like pecans and walnuts.

Recipe FAQs

Is funnel cake made from pancake batter?

Funnel cake and pancake batter recipes share similar ingredients, so technically you can make funnel cakes from pancake batter. You can also make homemade funnel cakes with store-bought pancake mix. You just have to add oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

What kind of oil is used for funnel cakes?

I personally prefer frying my funnel cakes in refined coconut oil, but any neutral oil will do. This includes vegetable, canola oil, or peanut oil.

Does a funnel cake need to be refrigerated?

No, it’s best to serve freshly fried funnel cakes. However, if you want to store them, I recommend storing them at room temperature for up to two days only, then reheating quickly in the oven.

How do you pour a funnel cake without a funnel?

If you don’t have a funnel, use either a plastic squeeze bottle, a piping bag or carefully pour the batter into the oil with a liquid measuring cup. You can also cut the corner of a ziplock bag and use that as well.

Why is my funnel cake falling apart?

The most common reason your funnel cake is falling apart is your oil is too hot. This will cause the funnel cake batter to break apart when you pour it into the pan. Another reason your funnel cake may fall apart is your batter is too thick. If this is the case, just add small amounts of milk until you’re happy with the consistency.

You may also enjoy these cake recipes:

Funnel Cakes

Learn how to make funnel cakes at home. It's so easy to create this perfectly crispy sweet dessert from ingredients I bet you already have on hand.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: funnel

Servings: 4 -5 funnel cakes

Calories: 524kcal

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling on top
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• In a large, thick-bottomed skillet, pour oil to a depth of about an inch. Place over medium-high heat to preheat while you make the batter.
  vegetable oil
• Place eggs, sugar, milk, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
  2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Test your oil by dropping a tiny sprinkling of flour into it. If the flour sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Once it tests hot enough, turn the temperature down to medium.
• Using a funnel, hold your finger over the opening and add 1/2 cup of batter. Hold this over the hot oil and remove your finger, moving your hand over the oil in a zig-zag or swirling pattern but making sure to criss-cross over the batter multiple times in order to have the cake connect. Continue until the funnel is empty and then allow the cake to cook until lightly browned on the bottom. Use tongs to carefully flip the cake over and cook on the other side as well.
• Once done, remove to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle the top with confectioner’s sugar. Repeat the process until all funnel cakes are fried, placing each finished cake onto its own paper towel-lined plate.
  1 cup confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling on top

Nutrition

Calories: 524kcal

Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!