3 Ingredient Funnel Cake
This 3 Ingredient Funnel Cake is surprisingly easy to make but still has all the nostalgic flavor you love. Simply mix, pipe, and fry! Then enjoy them with all of the toppings that make this fair treat so irresistible.
There are some flavors that just make summer feel like summer (I’m thinking Blueberry Cobbler, Peach Pie, or Orange Dreamsicle). If one of your “summer must haves” is a long walk on the boardwalk with all the nostalgia of street fair food, then you’re in luck.
Skip the fair lines and make golden funnel cakes at home with just pancake mix and a few minutes—no special tools required!
It’s a crowd favorite fried dessert with a light, crispy texture and a subtle, buttery flavor that pairs well with all your favorite toppings. Don’t be intimidated at the idea of frying up your own homemade fair treat! Grab your favorite pancake mix and give this recipe a try.
Why Make This Recipe
- Customizable Flavor: This recipe tastes just like funnel cakes served at the fair, but when you make it at home you can top it any way you like! Load it up with berries, ice cream or chocolate. Yum!
- 3 Ingredients: All you need is pancake mix, sugar and some oil for frying! Want another 3 ingredient recipe? Try this 3 Ingredient Cheese Ball!
- Easier Than You Think: You don’t have to have a funnel or any fancy equipment to recreate this treat at home. A simple squeeze bottle works great!
Ingredients to Make 3 Ingredient Funnel Cake
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Pancake Mix: Use your favorite! Just make sure you use a Complete mix that doesn’t require eggs or oil. It should only require water. Mixtures that require eggs and milk separately will not rise or be as crispy as using a complete mix.
- Granulated Sugar: This helps achieve the right texture and sweetness. You can use brown sugar in a pinch, but it may give your dessert a softer texture than adding granulated sugar.
- Sunflower Oil: Sunflower oil is the best for frying dough because of its high smoke point, but you could use canola oil or vegetable oil if necessary. I do not recommend using olive oil, because the smoke point is lower which means your dough will burn easier.
- Toppings: Top your creation with powdered sugar, ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel or strawberries!
Tools
- Mixing Bowl
- Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
- Squeeze Bottle or Plastic Bag: You don’t need a funnel to make this recipe, you just need something you can squeeze your batter through like a cake decorating/piping bag, plastic bag or a squeeze bottle.
- Tongs: The pan/dough gets hot! Tongs make it easy to flip and remove from the oil.
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Mix the pancake mix with sugar.
Step Two: Add water and a splash of vanilla until your batter reaches a pourable consistency.
Step Three: Squeeze your batter into hot oil, moving in a circular motion to create layers. Cook until golden brown, then flip with tongs to let the opposite side cook.
Step Four: Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate to allow to cool
Step Five: Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Getting the Right Batter Texture
The only tricky part of this recipe is achieving the correct texture. You want your batter thicker than pancake batter, but thinner than cake batter.
Here’s how to know your batter is right:
- It should flow in a continuous stream when poured through a funnel or squeeze bottle, but not run like water.
- When you drizzle it into hot oil, it should hold its shape and puff up slightly, not flatten or spread too much.
- You will know your batter is too thin if it spreads and won’t hold together. If it is too thick it will come out in globs and not cook evenly.
If your batter spreads too much, add a tablespoon or two more of your pancake batter to thicken it up. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon of water.
Expert Tips
- If possible, use a candy thermometer to monitor the heat of your oil. Too hot and it will burn your dough, while too cool and your funnel cake will get overly greasy.
- You can use a funnel to create your funnel cakes, but if you don’t have one, a simple ziploc with the corner cut or a pastry bag will work just as well! The best tool is a squeeze bottle because it gives you complete control over how quickly your batter is flowing.
- A little extra vanilla in the dough is totally optional, but really enhances the flavor!
- Cook only one funnel cake at a time. Overcrowding the pan will cause your funnels cakes to stick together or get soggy!
Recipe FAQs
You can definitely make funnel cakes from scratch without pancake mix but this recipe uses pancake mix as an easy shortcut to make this recipe extra convenient and foolproof.
For perfectly cooked homemade funnel cake, your oil should be between 350 to 375°F. Use a candy thermometer for accuracy.
This usually means your oil wasn’t hot enough. Be sure it stays between 350–375°F. If the oil is too cool, the batter absorbs more oil and won’t crisp up.
I have not tested a gluten-free version of this recipe but if you can find a gluten-free pancake mix that only requires water it should be no problem to make that substitution.
These 3 Ingredient Funnel Cakes are best enjoyed fresh, when they are hot and crispy. You can store them in an airtight container but you will definitely lose some crispiness. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to try to reclaim some of that texture.
Did you enjoy this recipe for 3 Ingredient Funnel Cake? If so, try these other recipes I’ve chosen just for you:
If you tried this 3 Ingredient Funnel Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
3 Ingredient Funnel Cake
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
- Squeeze Bottle or Plastic Bag
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 cup Complete Pancake Mix
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla, optional
- Sunflower Oil, for frying
- Powdered sugar, ice cream, chocolate sauce, or strawberries for topping, optional
Instructions
- Mix the pancake mix with ½ cup water, granulated sugar and vanilla (optional, but delicious!) until a batter is formed. Add 1-2 more Tbsp of water or pancake mix if necessary to make the batter a pourable thickness.
- In a large pan or cast iron skillet, heat about ½ inch of oil until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oil is heating, put your batter in a squeeze bottle or in a plastic bag/cake decorating bag with the corner cut off of it. The batter might be thin enough to leak from the corner, so I only like to fill up the bag enough for one funnel cake at a time.
- When your oil is ready, squeeze the batter into the hot oil, moving in a circular and criss-cross motion to form a filled circle of batter.
- Allow the batter to cook until it becomes light brown on one side. Then use tongs to very carefully flip the funnel cake. Cook again until it browns on the other side.
- Remove from the oil and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Prepare the remaining funnel cakes as desired.
- When you’re ready to eat, sprinkle your funnel cake with powdered sugar, and top with ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel or strawberries. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pancake Mix: Use your favorite!
- Granulated Sugar: You can use brown sugar in a pinch, but it may give your dessert a softer texture than adding granulated sugar.
- Sunflower Oil: You could use canola oil or vegetable oil if necessary. I do not recommend using olive oil, because the smoke point is lower which means your dough will burn easier.
- If possible, use a candy thermometer to monitor the heat of your oil. Too hot and it will burn your dough, while too cool and your funnel cake will get overly greasy.
- You can use a funnel to create your funnel cakes, but if you don’t have one, a simple ziploc with the corner cut or a pastry bag will work just as well! The best tool is a squeeze bottle because it gives you complete control over how quickly your batter is flowing.
- A little extra vanilla in the dough is totally optional, but really enhances the flavor!
- Cook only one funnel cake at a time. Overcrowding the pan will cause your funnels cakes to stick together or get soggy!
