Funnel Cake Fries
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Funnel Cake Fries are delicious snacks that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This state fair-inspired funnel cake recipe is easy to make in 20 minutes. Perfect for a party served with your favorite dipping sauces!
Funnel cake fries are an irresistible snack that’s so much fun to share. They’re golden on the outside with a light and airy texture that’s totally irresistible. The best part? You can make these funnel cake sticks using pantry ingredients.
What is Funnel Cake?
Funnel cake fries are a popular carnival and fair food in the US. They are essentially funnel cake batter that is fried as long, thin pieces resembling french fries.
Unlike traditional funnel cakes, which are served in a circular shape, funnel cake fries can be eaten on-the-go and served with various dipping sauces including marshmallow fluff, caramel or chocolate.
What Do Funnel Cake Fries Taste Like?
Funnel cake fries have a sweet, buttery flavor that is similar to a funnel cake. The outside is crispy and golden, while the interior is light and cakey.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- sugar
- milk
- vanilla extract
- vegetable oil for frying
How to Make Funnel Cake Fries
Here’s how to make funnel cake batter from scratch:
- Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt
- Wet ingredients: eggs, milk, vanilla extract
- Oil for frying: vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil all work well
- Dipping sauces (optional): caramel sauce or marshmallow fluff
You make the batter by combining the wet and dry ingredients, just like pancake batter. Use a squeeze bottle or clean ketchup bottle to dispense the batter. Follow these steps to make funnel fries:
Tips and Tricks
- The batter should have the consistency of a runny pancake batter, just thick enough to not drip, to stay produce moist funnel cake fries.
- Fry at 375°F (190°C) to get crispy and golden funnel cake fries. Any lower and the fries will turn out greasy and undercooked. Any higher and they’ll come out dark.
- Use a slotted spoon or stainless steel tongs to turn the fries and remove them from the oil. The fries can be delicate and this prevents them breaking apart.
How to Serve Funnel Cake Fries
- Traditionally they are dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, just like funnel cakes.
- Serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for a sweet and indulgent treat.
- Try topping with chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and/or sprinkles.
- For a savory twist, serve them with a sprinkle of sea salt and a side of spicy ketchup or garlic aioli.
Traditionally, funnel cake fries are served in a basket lined with a checkered napkin.
How to Make Marshmallow Dipping Sauce for Funnel Cake Fries
Marshmallow dipping sauce is a sweet and gooey sauce that pairs perfectly with funnel cake fries. To make it, combine marshmallow fluff and milk over low heat, stirring continuously until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla extract and remove from the heat to serve. Note: you can adjust the amount of milk to reach your desired consistency.
How to Store Leftover Funnel Cake Fries
Funnel cake fries should cool to room temperature before storing to avoid condensation. Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also store at room temperature if you prefer. Alternatively, you can also freeze for up to 3 months.
How Long Will Homemade Funnel Cake Fries Last?
Homemade funnel cake fries will typically last for 1-2 days if stored properly. To maximize their shelf life, store in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag and refrigerate.
FAQ
The batter used for funnel fries consists of flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. The batter is deep fried in hot vegetable oil until crispy and dusted with powdered sugar to serve.
Funnel cake fries and churros are not the same even if the ingredients are similar. Funnel cake batter is runnier and produces a fluffy texture, while churros are more of a more substantial pastry dough. Also, funnel cake has a smooth surface, while churros go through are star-shaped nozzle for a rippled surface.
Yes, you can make funnel cake fries in an air fryer at 375°F (190°C). Spray the hot air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray and then pipe in the batter. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes until golden.
Besides marshmallow dip, some of our favorite dips for funnel cake fries include caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, cream cheese frosting or fruit compote. A dipping sauce alternative is to dust with powdered sugar.
While you can sometimes find funnel cake mix in stores, pancake mix is a close approximation. Just follow the package instructions and whisk away any lumps that could clog up your funnel! The texture should resemble that of a runny cake batter.
More Carnival and Fair Recipes:
Recipe Video: Funnel Cake Fries
Watch this tutorial to see how to make funnel cake fries:
Funnel Cake Fries
Ingredients
Funnel Cake Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Frying and Serving
- 3 cups vegetable oil, or canola oil
- powdered sugar, optional
- caramel sauce, optional
- marshmallow fluff, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla together until frothy.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and blend until smooth, ensuring no lumps.
- Add oil to a medium saucepan or deep fryer and heat to 350°F (177°C). Set aside a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel.
- Add batter to squeeze bottle or medium funnel.
- Pipe the batter into hot oil 5-7 straight lines at a time. Fry 30-60 seconds or until golden brown.
- Using a mesh strainer or slotted spoon, carefully remove fries to the prepared rack or plate.
- Dust with optional powdered sugar and serve with optional dipping sauce.
Notes
- Funnel cake fries are best served fresh. However, you can make them several hours ahead of time and reheat in the oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 5 minutes.
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Best Funnel cake recipe ever!! I added the extra milk YUMMY!!
For dipping I warmed some raspberry jam with a splash of vanilla 😋 MY family loves them.
I have been chomping at the bit for funnel cake fries all summer. The festivals that I have gone to did not have them. Unbelievable!! So I came upon this recipe and just tried it today.
I am giving it four stars because even though it was tasty and definitely satisfied the craving, I did need to add quite a bit of extra milk just to get a crispy texture. It’s only me so I cut the recipe in half. I also added a touch of stevia to the batter to make it a tad bit sweeter.
I never got the shape that’s in the picture, lol (I used a squeeze bottle). Since the larger shapes didn’t get very crispy, I spread a little black raspberry jam on them over the powdered sugar. Yum!! It tasted like eating a jelly donut!
What mattered most was the taste and texture – which I finally got with the last addition of milk… Thanks for this recipe! I will try it again.
PS Can a cow’s milk alternative be used, e.g. almond milk?
Hi Kitt, Thanks for your comment and glad you got it to work finally. You can definitely try almond milk instead of cow’s milk if you wish. It shouldn’t make much difference.
Just made these, sooo delish! Was very easy to make…The batter was a tad thick, so i added a full cup of milk, & instead of fry shape, did a spiral/web shape & turned out great! This is a keeper🙂
Hi Jenn, Great to hear and thanks for your feedback! Love the spiral shape idea too.
The are a wonderful treat that’s so simple to make. Love this easy recipe.
Hi Rebecca, Awesome to hear and thanks for your comment!
Can you make the batter ahead of time (Like a couple of hours) and keep in the fridge until after dinner? Love funnel cakes! I made a chocolate ganache and a caramel sauce and am going to do a “funnel cake bar” – add your own toppings or dips. Yum!
Hi Marlene, Thanks for your comment! I don’t recommend letting the batter sit because the fries will be less fluffy. Bit of a tradeoff there.
Are you supposed to use 1/2 cup or 3/4 cups of milk for the funnel cake?
Hi Destiny, Thanks for your comment. We updated the recipe to be 3/4 cup after people felt the batter was too thick with 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
This is by far the BEST funnel cake recipe I have ever tried! I think a slight typo though on the milk. But I just added a little water to thin it out a tiny bit by eyeing it. (Not more than 1/2 cup tops!) made a maple syrup dip with it and it was perfect! Light fluffy yet cooked on inside without burning the outside. This is my go to for funnel cake!!
Hi Julia, Thanks so much for your feedback and so glad it turned out well! Will check the milk, although it can vary sometimes with flour used. 🙂
Can you provide the caramel sauce recipe used for dipping the funnel fries?
Thanks!!!
Hi Marie, Great question! An easy recipe is 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cream and 4 tbsp butter. Whisk in a saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until thickening slightly. Enjoy 🙂
How do you ensure the funnel fries are light and fluffy?
Hi Marie, Thanks for asking – they usually turn out fluffy as long as the oil is the correct temperature. Hope that helps 🙂
Funnel cake fries approx. How many per serving. Thank you
Hi Sandi, Thanks for asking, it’s about 3-5 depending on how big they are 🙂
I used the 1/2 cup milk and it was way too thick. It’s 1 cup.
Thanks for the feedback Melissa.
Yummy
Thanks 🙂
I want try the blooming onion you got on your site.
Great here’s the recipe: https://tipbuzz.com/blooming-onion/