Homemade Funnel Cake

Bring the carnival experience right to your home with this Homemade Funnel Cake recipe!

This is such a fun dessert to make – and it’s easier than you might think! You don’t need any fancy equipment – just a squeeze bottle, Dutch oven (or large pot), and all of the ingredients.

You are going to love how much fun this is to make – and it’s even more fun to eat! Enjoy these funnel cakes with some strawberry ice cream and you have all you need for a party.

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I’ve been having tons of fun with my carnival-inspired recipes. Summers are all about days spent at theme parks and carnivals – but when you can’t make it, why not bring the fun to the comfort of your own home? That is exactly what this recipe does!

This is why I’m providing some carnival-inspired recipes that you can make yourself. On today’s menu we’ve got: funnel cakes!

How To Make Funnel Cakes At Home

All the exact steps and ingredients are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

This recipe makes 6 funnel cakes. If you are making more (or fewer) funnel cakes, there is a red “serving size” number at the bottom of the recipe card. Click it and change it to your desired number of servings – it will automatically adjust the ingredient amounts for you!

What You Need

Here’s what you’ll need from the store. The exact amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Kitchen Tools Needed

• Large Pot or Dutch Oven
• Small Saucepan
• Mixing Bowls
• Squeeze Bottle
• Ladle
• Whisk

Ingredients Needed

• Strawberries
• Granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• Salt
• Milk
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Ice cream
• Confectioners’ sugar

Tips And Photos

Before we get to the printable recipe card, here are some questions people often ask about homemade funnel cakes. I’ll also share some photos of the process so you can make them along with me.

What Are Funnel Cakes?

Funnel cakes are batches of fried dough (the mixture is very similar to pancake batter), topped with various garnishes. Some popular toppings include confectioners’ sugar, chocolate, and ice cream.

Today, I’m bringing you a fruity variety. The funnel cake itself is sweet and crunchy but still boasts a delicate interior. I’ve also whipped up a simple sugar and strawberry topping, adding to it even more flavor and texture.

How To Make Funnel Cakes Without A Squeeze Bottle

Obviously, making funnel cakes would be much easier with a squeeze bottle, because you can just squeeze the batter into the hot oil. Actually, these fried desserts get their name because a funnel “drops” the batter into the hot oil to be cooked.

We used a drinking glass to carefully pour ours into the cooking pan.

How To Store Leftover Funnel Cakes

They taste the best right out of the pan, hot and crispy! You can place leftover funnel cakes in the resealable food-storage bag and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Keep in mind that the longer you store it, the softer the funnel cake will become.

Eat Funnel Cakes For Breakfast

These strawberry funnel cakes taste amazing for breakfast or brunch! Sure, they are pretty high in fat and sugar, but they really do make a fun treat.

Easy Funnel Cake Toppings

The classic topping that you see often is powdered sugar. My strawberry topping is really sweet and decadent.

You could also skip the extra sugar and just top it with some fresh fruit. Or, drizzle some chocolate syrup on top! Be creative and have fun with it.

5 from 6 votes

Homemade Funnel Cakes

Print Recipe

Bring carnival deliciousness right to your home with this delicious Homemade Funnel Cake recipe. Topped with confectioners’ sugar, strawberries and ice cream, the flavor profile to this funnel cake isout of this world!

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:8 mins

Total Time:23 mins

SERVINGS

6

Equipment

• Small Saucepan
• 2 Large Bowls
• Squeeze Bottle or Ladle
• Large Pan

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Topping

• 1 ½ cups chopped strawberries
• ½ cup granulated sugar

For the Funnel Cakes

• 3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Ice cream for topping (optional)
• Confectioners’ sugar for topping (optional)

Instructions

• Begin by preparing the strawberry topping: in a small sauce pan, add strawberries then sugar on top. Heat over medium and stir occasionally until strawberries are well coated.
• Once sugar is melted on the strawberries, set aside and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
• In another mixing bowl, mix together milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
• Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine until a loose batter forms.
• Add batter into a squeeze bottle (if you don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can also use a ladle).
• Heat oil in a large pan (we used a Le Creuset French oven with high walls) until it’s about 350 degrees F.
• In a circular motion, squeeze batter from the bottle into the heated oil. Fry on both sides for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Set on a plate and top with desired garnishes: confectioners’ sugar, strawberry topping and vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cake | Calories: 1294kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 113g | Saturated Fat: 91g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 3mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carnival food, deep fried, funnel cakes, homemade funnel cake

Servings: 6 cakes

Calories: 1294kcal

More Dessert Recipes

If you enjoyed this homemade funnel cake, then you will really enjoy these fun dessert recipes too.

• Easy Banana Cake Recipe
• Make Your Perfect Sparkling Cherry Lemonade
• Nutella Crepes