Homemade Funnel Cake Recipe (Steps + Video!)

The last time the county fair came through, my husband and I took the kids. We couldn’t resist the funnel cakes, or really anything else. Recently, we were reminiscing about how much fun we had and how good those funnel cakes were and I thought why not make them at home? Now you can too with this funnel cake recipe!

Best Funnel Cake Recipe

Oh I know you’ve seen those funnel cake kits in the store. But don’t buy that junk! You can make the best funnel cakes ever with real ingredients in your kitchen. I’ll give you all the details and if you close your eyes while eating these, you’ll swear you’re at the fair!

Homemade Funnel Cake Ingredients

Whole milk – Trust me, the full-fat version is best.
Water – For batter balance.
Eggs – Gotta bind your batter!
All-purpose flour – You can’t really make batter without it.
Baking powder – Gives your funnel cake some lift
Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
Vanilla extract – Gives it that signature sweetness funnel cakes need.
Vegetable oil – You’ll need this to fry up your funnel cakes.
Garnishes – You’ll want powdered sugar, whipped cream, and strawberries.

Easy Funnel Cake Recipe

What are you doing for the next 15 minutes? Nothing?!? Great! That is all you need to make funnel cake from start to finish. No kidding! I’ll show you the way and you’ll forever have the best way to entertain your kids or simply spoil yourself with an indulgent treat any day!

You had me at funnel cake.
Megan

How do you Make Funnel Cake from Scratch?

Grab a large mixing bowl and whisk the wet ingredients. Then add in all the dry ingredients except the flour, whisking until combined. Next, add the flour and whisk until it’s completely smooth. Pour the batter into a large liquid measuring cup, then pour it into a plastic squirt bottle and put the cap on. You’ll heat an inch of vegetable oil in a pot or deep skillet so it reaches 375F. Then drizzle the batter from the squirt bottle in a continuous thin line, swirling around the pan and overlapping. Cook it for 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Then dust with powdered sugar and top with whipped cream and strawberries, serving immediately while it’s hot.

Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Funnel Cake Every Time

Make sure the oil is hot enough. When it’s not, the homemade funnel cake won’t form the way it should.
Make sure it’s deep enough too. Without enough oil, you won’t have the desired effect. This isn’t the place to be stingy with oil.
You can use a piping bag. If you don’t have a plastic squirt bottle, a piping bag will do.
Feel free to be creative with toppings. While powdered sugar is a must, you don’t have to do whipped cream and strawberries. You could do blueberries or even chocolate chips.

Is funnel cake made from pancake batter?

No, but you can make funnel cake with pancake mix by adding a few simple tweaks, namely adding sugar, vanilla, and water.

Is pancake batter the same as funnel cake batter?

No, though it is similar. Funnel cake batter has more vanilla, more sugar, and more water to thin out the consistency.

What is funnel cake batter made of?

You’ll make funnel cake batter with whole milk, eggs, water, vanilla extract, sugar, baking powder, all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt.

What is funnel cake dough made of?

Funnel cake dough is made of eggs, whole milk, all-purpose flour, baking powder, water, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt.

What oil is best for funnel cake?

Vegetable oil works best for funnel cake as it fries it up golden and doesn’t impart any weird flavor to your funnel cake.

How do you pour a funnel cake?

Funnel cake needs to be squirted out in a stream. A plastic squeeze bottle makes this super-simple to do.

How do you make an easy funnel?

You can use a plastic bottle. Just cut it in half and voila! You’ve got a funnel!

How do you make funnel cakes without a funnel?

I use a plastic squirt bottle but you can also use a piping bag or even a plastic zipper bag with a corner cut off so you can squirt the batter into the oil.

How to Cook Funnel Cake

Funnel cake is cooked on the stovetop in a deep skillet or pot with a good amount of oil.

How do you make funnel cakes crispy?

The oil has to be just right. Find that sweet spot at 375F and you will get those crispy funnel cakes!

Why is my funnel cake falling apart?

While it’s not good to have the oil not get hot enough, having it too hot can make your funnel cake fall apart. It should be 375F when it’s ready for you to add the batter.

What are the best toppings for Funnel Cake?

When it comes to the best funnel cake toppings, I recommend powdered sugar, strawberries and whipped cream, but you can have at it the way you like. Chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, your favorite fruit, cinnamon sugar, sprinkles, or even maple syrup will be great toppings.

What goes well with Funnel Cake?

Um, how about more funnel cake? Ha! I know, but with funnel cakes, the best things are fruits to add a fresh sweetness as well as whipped cream for more indulgence.

How to Store Funnel Cake?

If you didn’t gobble them all up, you can keep your funnel cakes at room temperature in an airtight container.

How Long Does Funnel Cake Last?

At room temperature, you’ll want to make sure you polish off the last funnel cake before 2 days elapse.

Can You Freeze Funnel Cake?

Yes, you can! They’ll do best if you wrap them in wax paper first before wrapping them all up.

How to Reheat Funnel Cake?

Set your oven to 350F and bake your funnel cake covered with foil for 8 minutes. Remove the foil and keep cooking for 2 more minutes and it will become nice and golden.

Watch How To Make Funnel Cake (Video)

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