Carnival-Worthy Funnel Cake (2024)

Recipes
Recipes By Course
Desserts

Just like the sugar-dusted funnel cakes of state fair fame.

Alexandra Penfold

Alexandra Penfold is a literary agent, author, blogger, and recipe developer who has contributed an extensive number of baking and candy recipes to Serious Eats.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated May 13, 2024

WRITE A REVIEW

Why It Works

Using a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven that measures about 9-inches in diameter when frying ensures the funnel cake has the proper round shape and size.
A cake-like batter consistency that forms ribbons when a whisk is lifted through the batter is crucial to achieve the funnel cake's iconic airy and crispy texture.

Once Labor Day has come and gone, it's full on fair season, which means it's time for caramel apples, cotton candy, and corn dogs. If your Tilt-A-Whirl days are behind you, though, there's no reason you have to miss out on all of the fried goodness. Not when you can make the king of fair food,the funnel cake, at home.

What Are Funnel Cakes?

ThePennsylvania Dutchare the likely architects of the American-style funnel cake—a lightly sweetened, airy and crisp fried confection that's dusted with confectioner's sugar. At state fairs, funnel cakes are enormous, paper plate-sized affairs that are made by pouring batter from a funnel in a winding circular pattern over hot oil.

The Quick Batter Hack

Traditional recipes call for a fairly standard batter: flour, eggs, sugar, milk, baking soda or baking powder, but I discovered that you can make awesome funnel cakes with "complete" buttermilk pancake mix (look for brands that only require the addition of water). After all, these boxed mixes contain little more than, well, flour, eggs and milk (in powdered form), sugar, and leavening agents. Alternatively, you can make your own dry pancake mix. Plus, many county fair funnel cake stands are likely starting from some kind of mix, anyhow. I like to doctor my mix with a touch more sugar and vanilla for true funnel cake flavor.

Keys to Funnel Cake Success

Timing, batter thickness, and funnel spout size are the keys to funnel cake success. If your batter is too thin or watery, you'll have an enormous mess that spreads and won't hold together. If your batter is too gloppy, you won't be able to pour it out in a timely enough fashion to avoid an overdone crunchy mess. A large funnel with a 1/2-inch opening works well, but a large squeeze bottle with the same 1/2-inch opening is even better, if non-traditional. With the bottle, it's easier to control the flow rate. In a pinch a 4-cup liquid measuring cup with a spout will also work well, just be steady and slow with the pour.

Using a 4-quart saucepan that measures about 9-inches in diameter insures the ideal round funnel cake shape during frying. No special ring mold needed.

One of the other benefits of making funnel cakes at home is you can control the size of your cake, and you can top it as you please. Hello, funnel cake ice cream sundae!

September 2012

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and updated with more accurate measurements to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Easy Funnel Cake

Prep5 mins

Cook20 mins

Active30 mins

Total25 mins

Serves2 servings

Makes1 8-inch funnel cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 quarts (1.4L) neutral oil such as vegetable or peanut oil for frying
2 cups dry store-bought “complete” buttermilk pancake mix (9 ounces; 255g) or dry Thick and Fluffy pancake mix (see notes)
2 tablespoons sugar (3/4 ounces; 21g)
1 cup (237ml) water, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract
Powdered sugar to garnish

Directions

In a 4-quart saucepan of Dutch oven that measures roughly 9-inches in diameter, heat oil to 375°F (190°C) and adjust as needed to maintain temperature. (see notes)
While oil is heating, in a large bowl, whisk pancake mix and sugar to combine. Whisk in water and vanilla until smooth. Batter should resemble the thickness of cake batter; It should form thick ribbons as it falls when lifted out of the bowl with whisk. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of additional water at a time to reach proper consistency.
If Using a Squeeze Bottle: cut opening of a large squeeze bottle so it measures 1/2-inch in diameter. Add batter and close lid.
If Using a Funnel: Use a large funnel with an opening that measures about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cover the bottom opening of the funnel with your finger and center over the saucepan. Pour batter into the funnel and move finger as needed to control the flow of the batter. Alternatively, transfer batter to a 4-cup liquid measuring cup for pouring slowly directly into the hot oil.
Carefully squeeze batter from the prepared squeeze bottle or slowly pour and drizzle batter into hot oil, working quickly and swirling in a circular pattern around the circumference of the saucepan, then swirl and crisscross the batter over itself to fill in the funnel cake to form a round shape. use caution as the oil may bubble up slightly when initially pouring.
Fry cake until golden brown on the first side, 1 to 2 minutes. Use cooking chopsticks or a spider skimmer or slotted spoon and a heat-safe spatula to carefully flip the funnel cake and fry until the second side is golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Use a fine-mesh strainer to lightly dust the funnel cake with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

4-quart saucepan that measures about 9-inches in diameter, 3-cup squeeze bottle or funnel or 4-cup liquid measuring cup, cooking chopsticks or spider skimmer or slotted spoon

Notes

This recipe can be scaled up to make multiple funnel cakes that are mixed and fried separately.

If using a store-bought pancake mix, look for one that says “complete” on packaging and that only requires adding water.

Desserts
American
Pastries
Frying
Cakes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
956	Calories
41g	Fat
127g	Carbs
17g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories	956
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41g	53%
Saturated Fat 4g	22%
Cholesterol 7mg	2%
Sodium 1618mg	70%
Total Carbohydrate 127g	46%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 53g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 1mg	6%
Calcium 585mg	45%
Iron 5mg	26%
Potassium 438mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

FAQs

What is funnel cake batter made of? ›

Traditional recipes call for a fairly standard batter: flour, eggs, sugar, milk, baking soda or baking powder, but I discovered that you can make awesome funnel cakes with "complete" buttermilk pancake mix (look for brands that only require the addition of water).

Learn More ›

How much to charge for funnel cake? ›

A funnel cake can sell on average from $3.00 – $5.00.

Discover More ›

Why are my funnel cakes soggy? ›

It's important to keep to a frying temperature of around 375 degrees. Any higher than that, and your funnel cakes will brown before cooking through. At too low a temperature, the batter will absorb excess oil, resulting in a greasy, limp funnel cake.

View Details ›

What happens if you put too much water in cake batter? ›

And sometimes, there's simply too much water in the mixture and not enough fat to hold it, no matter how careful you are. When this happens, your cake batter will look lumpy and curdled, rather than smooth and even. This affects the baked cake, too.

How unhealthy is a funnel cake? ›

But for someone looking to eat healthy, fairs can be a tricky situation. The classic funnel cake has 760 calories and 44 grams of fat— roughly the same amount as four servings of cheese pizza, according to food nutrition comparison sites.

Read On ›

Can you make money selling funnel cakes? ›

Funnel cakes boast an impressive profitability. Given the low cost of the raw ingredients (about $1.00 per serving), there is great potential to create significant profit margins regardless of venue. Selling prices can often range from $5.00 to $10.00.

Discover More Details ›

How many funnel cakes will 5 lbs make? ›

A: I contacted the manufacturer with your question and received this response: "3 cups of Golden Barrel Funnel Cake Mix (1 lb) with 2 cups of water will make approximately six 6 inch funnel cakes. So a 5 lb bag would make about 30 funnel cakes." Hope this helps! :) Thank you for your feedback!

View Details ›

How long does funnel cake last? ›

Funnel cakes really are best eaten hot and fresh from the fryer, but if you happen to have some leftovers, you can save them! Allow the funnel cake to cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat the cakes in a 350° oven until heated through and crispy.

Discover More ›

How much oil and water do you put in cake mix? ›

So, if you have a scale, you could measure 3.8oz of the cake mix, and otherwise you'll need to measure the whole thing by volume and take a quarter of it. Then you'll need 1/4 cup of water, 1/8 cup of oil, and... 3/4 of an egg, which you can probably round up to an egg.

Find Out More ›

Do they add water to cake batter? ›

“Cake Mix can usually be used with either water or milk. When using milk, however, you can probably expect better results because it can make the cake become more moist and rich in flavor.

Get More Info Here ›

How watery should cake batter be? ›

A cake batter should be fluffy. This means that the batter is well aerated and will rise when bakedSecondly, your batter shouldn't be overly thick or too runny. That being said, the thickness of a cake batter largely depends on the type of cake you are making.