Super Easy Funnel Cake

Funnel cake is an essential when it comes to theme parks or county fairs IMO. I love it! Traditionally, it’s made by pouring batter through a funnel into hot oil to quickly deep fry the cake. I believe it’s somewhat regional to areas of the US but I’m honestly not totally sure as it’s very much a staple of many childhood memories for me so it seems universal. 🙂

Making homemade funnel cake is super easy . It’s very similar to pancake batter—we are basically deep frying pancakes!

Related: And if you love pancakes then you should also try our crepes and french toast recipes next.

Ingredients

• Pancake mix
• Water
• Vanilla extract
• Oil – canola or vegetable
• Powdered Sugar, also called Confectioner’s Sugar

How to make Funnel Cake

Mix together the pancake mix and water. Add to a squeeze bottle or pour through a funnel.

Heat the oil to right around 350°F or a little less. Then pour the batter in, making a spider web type shape. Wait 20-30 seconds, flip, then fry for another 15-20 seconds. Remove to a bed of paper towels to remove excess oil.

Dust with powder sugar before serving.

Notes & Tips

• I tried three different store bought pancake mixes. The one that worked best was Bisquick.
• In the process of testing a few mixes, I learned that it’s all about batter texture. If your batter is super runny, like you could drink it through a straw, it won’t hold together well when you go to deep fry it. You want a thick paste consistency. 
• I like making smaller, two to three bite-sized funnel cakes as they are easier to maneuver in the hot oil. But you can use this same recipe to make large size funnel cakes, like the fair, if you prefer.
• It works best if you pour the batter through a squeeze bottle (like the one pictured above) rather than a funnel into the oil. This gives me a little more control as I work.

More Fun Dessert Recipes

• Eclair Cake
• Gooey Butter Cake
• Chocolate Cake Pops
• Birthday Cake Pops
• Oreo Cake Pops
• Brownies
• Rice Pudding
• Flan
• Jello Poke Cake
• Angel Food Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Tiramisu
• Chocolate Tart
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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5 from 21 votes

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deep fried pancake batter makes the best funnel cake

Yield 6

Prep 5 minutes mins

Total 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup pancake mix
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ cup powdered sugar

Equipment

• ▢
  squeeze bottle

Instructions

• Mix together the pancake mix and water. Add to a squeeze bottle.
• Heat the oil to right around 350°F or a little less.
• Then pour the batter in, making a spider web type shape. Wait 20-30 seconds, flip, then fry for another 15-20 seconds.
• Remove to a bed of paper towels to remove excess oil.
• Dust with powder sugar before serving.

Notes

You will also need enough canola or vegetable oil for the cakes to float while frying. This maybe 1-2 cups depending on your size pot / dutch oven. 

I tried three different store bought pancake mixes. The one that worked best was Bisquick.

In the process of testing a few mixes, I learned that it’s all about batter texture. If your batter is super runny, like you could drink it through a straw, it won’t hold together well when you go to deep fry it. You want a thick paste consistency. 

I like making smaller, two to three bite-sized funnel cakes as they are easier to maneuver in the hot oil. But you can use this same recipe to make large size funnel cakes, like the fair, if you prefer.

It works best if you pour the batter through a squeeze bottle (like the one pictured above) rather than a funnel into the oil. This gives me a little more control as I work.

© Author Emma Chapman

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keywords funnel cake

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Easy Funnel Cake

Amount per Serving

Calories

67

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

2

g

3

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.4

g

3

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

0.4

g

Cholesterol

 

15

mg

5

%

Sodium

 

110

mg

5

%

Potassium

 

43

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

11

g

4

%

Fiber

 

0.4

g

2

%

Sugar

 

5

g

6

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

54

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

0.1

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

47

mg

5

%

Iron

 

0.3

mg

2

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.