Carnival-Worthy Funnel Cakes

If your annual summer checklist includes grabbing a funnel cake and some caramel popcorn from your local carnival or beachside snack shack, you’ll definitely want to save this recipe! While I’m not suggesting you skip your annual tradition, I am suggesting that perhaps you could enjoy this treat more than once a year. From the comfort of your own kitchen. In your pajamas. Okay, the last part isn’t necessary, but let’s be real, funnel cakes are essentially breakfast food…right (if fried donut holes count, these certainly do)?! Despite the frying step, it’s actually very easy to make funnel cakes. If you’re not familiar with frying, I do suggest you watch the video included below for some helpful tips. But really though, this recipe is great for beginners, and it comes together so quickly too!

Why you’ll love my recipe:

Tastes just like the funnel cake you get at the carnival (if not better!).Incredibly simple; you only need a handful of pantry staples.So fast! It takes just minutes from start to finish.NO funnel required–I’m sharing my favorite, funnel-free method!

What You Need

Funnel cake batter is similar to a pancake batter; in fact this recipe is a variation of my buttermilk pancakes. You’ll need a few ingredients, including:

Flour. Regular, all-purpose flour works. Do NOT use self-rising flour.Milk. Pretty much any kind will work, but my preference is whole milk. You may need more milk than I call for to get your batter to the right consistency, I’ve never needed more than 1 cup but enough people have mentioned that they’ve needed to add more in their own kitchen that I like to mention that it’s OK to add more liquid if needed!Vanilla extract. This is optional, but it will make your funnel cakes taste sweeter and richer. Powdered sugar. For sprinkling on top. The more the merrier!

SAM’S TIP: Powdered sugar is a popular topping, but so it cinnamon sugar! To make some, simply combine 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon and ½ cup granulated sugar and sprinkle/dust over your warm funnel cake. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Funnel Cake

SAM’S TIP: It’s very important that you pour a thin stream while constantly moving; otherwise, you could end up with big clumps of batter that are golden brown on the outside and raw in the center. I hope this recipe inspires some sweet, summertime memories for you ❤ Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

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