Funnel Cake Bites

Funnel cake bites are fluffy, crispy, pieces of fried dough covered in powdered sugar. Recreate this mouth-watering classic amusement park in your own kitchen.

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Funnel cake bites are a mini version of the classic favorite fair food. These bite-sized delights are a warm and delicious dessert made of fried dough and covered in powdered sugar. These funnel cake bites taste just like authentic fair food, but are easy to make at home. 

If you love amusement park-style treats you’ll want to make Deep-Fried Oreos, No Churn Cotton Candy Ice Cream, and Disney Churro Bites.

Funnel Cake Bites Ingredients

Substitutions and Additions

TOPPINGS: You can get creative with the funnel cake toppings that you add. You can drizzle them with chocolate, or strawberry sauce, add whipped cream and sprinkles to the top, serve them with dipping sauces like frosting or Nutella, or add a big scoop of ice cream to them. 

How to Make This Funnel Cake Bites Recipe

STEP ONE: In a stock pot, dutch oven, or 12-inch frying pan, add shortening or oil at least 3 inches deep.

PRO TIP: It is important to make sure you have enough oil to submerge the bites.

STEP TWO: Affix the pot with a food thermometer and begin heating the oil over medium-high heat.  You will need the oil to reach and maintain a temperature of 375°F for frying the funnel cake bites.

STEP THREE: While the oil is heating, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and nutmeg.

STEP FOUR: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs until foamy.  Add in wet ingredients: cream, milk, vanilla extract, butter, and oil.

STEP FIVE: Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until the batter is combined.

STEP SIX: Use a ladle to dollop a tablespoon or two of batter into the heated oil.  The batter will puff up immediately and begin to brown on the bottom.  As soon as the bottom of the batter ball is golden brown, flip it over and brown on the other side.  Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon to drain off any excess oil.  If the oil maintains a temperature of 375°F, the funnel cake bites should cook in less than a minute. 

PRO TIP: Adding too much batter to the pan at once can cause the temperature of the oil to drop rapidly. The funnel cake bites will take longer to cook and will absorb too much oil in the process. Be sure to monitor the oil to ensure it stays at the right temperature continuously while cooking.

STEP SEVEN: Place cooked funnel cake bites on paper towels to absorb excess oil. 

PRO TIP: As you are frying up your bites, be sure to pick out any pieces of batter that have fallen off into the oil. They will burn and make the bites taste burnt.

STEP EIGHT: Sprinkle cooled funnel cake bites with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

How to Serve

No need to wait until the fair comes to town, recreate the local carnival experience, and serve Funnel Cake Bites with a variety of yummy toppings like whipped cream, hot fudge, or a drizzle of caramel sauce. You could also serve your mini funnel cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wash it all down with fresh strawberry lemonade or homemade butterbeer.

Storage

ON THE COUNTER: These amazing funnel cake bites need to be eaten immediately. They should be finished within 5 hours or so. It’s best not to store them as they will get soggy very quickly and do not reheat well. 

IN THE FREEZER: We do not recommend freezing funnel cake bites as they will become soggy. Stick with making these fresh.

Funnel cake bites are crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and completely delicious. Kids and adults love this classic amusement park treat of fried dough blanketed in powdered sugar. This simple recipe makes it easy to make these mouth-watering delights in the comfort of your own kitchen. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I store leftovers for later? 

These easy funnel cake bites will not store very well. They should be eaten within about 5 hours of cooking or they will become soggy. If you need to transport them in the short term to share with a friend, you can store them in an airtight container.

What kind of hot oil is best for deep frying? 

Fry only with oils that have a high smoking point. The smoking point is the temperature it takes for the oil to start to break down and smoke. Once it smokes, it’s not good for frying. Good oils to use are peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, or vegetable oil. Olive oil on the other hand is not a good oil to fry in.

Can I use this recipe for making regular funnel cakes? 

While we haven’t tried it, since these bites taste just like the full-sized cakes, you could probably make larger funnel cakes too. Just drizzle your batter in your oil in the famous funnel cake shape and cook on both sides according to the listed time in this recipe. Keep a close eye that they don’t get overcooked.

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Funnel Cake Bites

Funnel cake bites are fluffy, crispy, pieces of fried dough covered in powdered sugar. Recreate this mouth-watering classic amusement park in your own kitchen.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Ingredients

  

• Vegetable oil or shortening, for frying
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• Powdered sugar, for dusting cooked funnel cake bites

Instructions

 

• In a stock pot, dutch oven, or 12 inch frying pan, add shortening or oil at least 3 inches deep.
• Affix the pot with a food thermometer and begin heating the oil over medium-high heat. You will need the oil to reach and maintain a temperature of 375°F for frying the funnel cake bites.
• While the oil is heating, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and nutmeg.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs until foamy. Add in wet ingredients: cream, milk, vanilla extract, butter, and oil.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until batter is combined.
• Use a ladle to dollop a tablespoon or two of batter into the heated oil. The batter will puff up immediately and begin to brown on the bottom. As soon as the bottom of the batter ball is golden brown, flip it over and brown on the other side. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon to drain off any excess oil. If the oil maintains a temperature of 375°F, the funnel cake bites should cook in less than a minute.
• Place cooked funnel cake bites on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
• Sprinkle cooled funnel cake bites with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

• It is important to make sure you have enough oil to submerge the bites.
• Adding too much batter to the pan at once can cause the temperature of the oil to drop rapidly. The funnel cake bites will take longer to cook and will absorb too much oil in the process. Be sure to monitor the oil to ensure it stays at the right temperature continuously while cooking. If the oil maintains a temperature of 375°F, the funnel cake bites should cook in less than a minute.
• As you are frying up your bites, be sure to pick out any pieces of batter that have fallen off into the oil. They will burn and make the bites taste burnt.