Funnel cake bites are little puffs of fried batter with crisp golden outsides, soft cakey middles and a snowy coat of powdered sugar, the taste of the county fair in a size you can pop in your mouth. They are a fun treat for movie night, a birthday party or a rainy afternoon with the kids.
How to make funnel cake bites: Beat eggs until foamy, add milk and vanilla, then mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Heat 3/4 inch of vegetable oil to about 375°F. Drop in spoonfuls of batter, fry until golden, flip and fry the other side. Drain, dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Why You’ll Love It
- No funnel and no piping bag. A spoon or a cookie scoop does the job.
- Pantry batter. Flour, milk, eggs, sugar and a little spice.
- Fifteen minutes. Five to mix and ten to fry.
- Shallow frying. The oil is only 3/4 inch deep, not a full pot.
What Is Funnel Cake Made Of?
A simple batter: flour, milk, eggs, sugar, baking powder and vanilla, here with cinnamon and nutmeg added. It is fried in hot oil and finished with powdered sugar. Bites are the same batter dropped by the spoonful instead of poured in a swirl.
Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour. Two cups.
Baking powder. One and a half teaspoons puff the bites as they fry.
Ground cinnamon and nutmeg. One teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
Milk. One and a half cups.
Granulated sugar. A 1/4 cup in the batter.
Eggs. Two large eggs, beaten until foamy before anything else goes in.
Vegetable oil. For frying. You need enough to reach 3/4 inch deep in your pot.
Powdered sugar. For dusting. Use as much as you like.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for frying, enough to reach 3/4 inch deep in the pot
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
How to Make Funnel Cake Bites
1. Beat the eggs. Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the milk and vanilla extract.
2. Mix the batter. Mix in the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until smooth.
3. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a pot to a depth of 3/4 inch and heat it to about 375°F.
4. Fry the bites. Drop the batter into the hot oil by spoonfuls. A cookie scoop also works. Fry until golden brown, flip, and fry the other side until golden brown.
5. Drain and serve. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.
How to Fry Funnel Cake Bites Without a Funnel
Use a spoon. Scoop up some batter and let it slide off into the hot oil. Each spoonful puffs into its own rough little ball. A small cookie scoop works the same way and gives you bites that are closer in size.
The two numbers to get right are the depth of the oil and its temperature.
| What | Target for this recipe |
|---|---|
| Oil depth | 3/4 inch in the pot |
| Oil temperature | About 375°F |
| How the batter goes in | By the spoonful, or with a cookie scoop |
| When to flip | When the underside is golden brown |
| When they are done | When both sides are golden brown |
Check the oil with a thermometer instead of guessing by how long it has been on the burner. The recipe goes by color, not minutes, for the frying itself: golden brown on the first side, flip, golden brown on the second.
Do not crowd the pot. Fry a few bites at a time so you have room to turn each one.
Tips for Success
How deep should the frying oil be, and how hot should it be?
For this recipe, 3/4 inch deep and about 375°F.
How do I tell when to flip them?
Flip when the side in the oil is golden brown. Then fry the second side to the same color.
Why beat the eggs first?
The recipe starts by beating the eggs until foamy, before the milk and vanilla go in. Then the dry ingredients are mixed in until the batter is smooth.
When do I add the powdered sugar?
After the bites have drained on paper towels, while they are still warm.
What can I dip them in?
Chocolate sauce or caramel sauce.
How Long Does It Take?
About 15 minutes: 5 minutes to mix the batter and 10 minutes to fry it. The recipe makes 4 servings.
Storage & Reheating
Funnel cake bites are best eaten right away. They lose their crunch as they sit. The batter has milk and eggs in it, so do not leave leftovers out: USDA FSIS says to refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when it is above 90°F, and gives 3 to 4 days for refrigerated leftovers. Reheat leftovers to 165°F. I cannot promise they will come back as crisp as they were fresh.
What to Serve With It
For a party dessert table, add carrot cake cookies, Bea’s blueberry sheet cake or the lemon blueberry cake. For easy desserts that cook themselves, try the 4-ingredient slow cooker caramel apple dump cake, the pecan pie dump cake or the 5-ingredient slow cooker lemon lush.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make funnel cake bites without a funnel, and how do I tell when to flip them?
Drop the batter into the oil by spoonfuls or with a cookie scoop. Flip each bite when the underside is golden brown.
What is funnel cake made of?
A batter of flour, milk, eggs, sugar and baking powder, fried in oil and dusted with powdered sugar.
Can I use more oil?
Funnel cake bites are also fried in about 2 inches of oil. This recipe uses 3/4 inch, and the steps here are written for that depth.
Do funnel cake bites keep well?
They are at their best fresh and warm. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours.
Final Notes
I clip a thermometer to the pot and wait for about 375°F before the first spoonful goes in, because the first batch tells you nothing if the oil is cold. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Funnel Cake Bites
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Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying; enough to reach 3/4 inch deep in the pot
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Beat the eggs until foamy. Add the milk and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until smooth.
- Pour vegetable oil into a pot to a depth of 3/4 inch and heat it to about 375°F.
- Drop the batter into the hot oil by spoonfuls. A cookie scoop also works. Fry until golden brown, flip, and fry the other side until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.
