Gluten Free Funnel Cake Recipe

If there’s a state fair near you, I bet you’re craving a funnel cake! Problem is, no vendor ever seems to be able to make a gluten free funnel cake for us.

Just why is that? Don’t we deserve to enjoy this summertime treat just like anyone else?

Okay okay, I know that most places making gluten free food use gritty and heavy gluten free flour, so any gluten free funnel cake they’d make would probably be dense and icky, but it doesn’t stop a girl from pining for a funnel cake.

What would stop me cold is the fry oil they’d use to make “gluten free” funnel cakes; if it’s been used to fry anything with gluten, then it’s off limits. Cross-contact with gluten is no joke for those of us living gluten free for medical reasons, and fry oil is one of those notorious places where gluten can hide. (Check out my article for more things to watch out for when eating out or shopping gluten free.)

At any rate, since I’m subject to the same state fair food cravings you are, I decided to make my own gluten free funnel cake recipe and share it with you! Of course, this light and airy gluten free funnel cake is only so light and airy because it’s made with my award-winning gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.

It’s the key to making your gluten free pie crust flaky, your gluten free cookies perfectly chewy, your gluten free bread soft and pliable, and your gluten free funnel cake, donuts, beignets, churros … light and airy. You get the picture. 

With my gfJules Flour and this simple one-bowl recipe, you’ll be dunking heavenly gluten free funnel cakes in powdered sugar before you know it!

I promise, these are the real deal and you’re going to have to fight your family off for these or double the recipe. Maybe just go ahead and double the recipe and make everyone happy.

If you’ve made any of my other fried recipes before, you’ll know the key to frying is getting the oil the right temperature. For this recipe, the sweet spot is around 350F. You need to monitor the oil to make sure it’s not too cool or the dough will just get oily instead of crispy on the outside; if it’s too hot, the dough on the inside won’t fully cook and the outsides will burn. (a candy thermometer is super handy here!)

There’s no magic to it, just watch the heat. With this easy recipe, you’ll look like a professional funnel cake maker in no time! And in case you were worried about technique, there’s no wrong or right to the design — they’ll all look different and it’s fun to see patterns and shapes in your finished creations. Do you see the treble clef in this one?

While funnel cakes are traditionally made by spooning the batter into a funnel and then swirling the dough into the hot oil, I found that it worked better for me to use a squeeze bottle. You can rinse a used ketchup bottle or the like, or you can make the investment into new squeeze bottles with a not-too-narrow tip (luckily these kinds of bottles are pretty cheap, so there’s no serious “investment” to be made!).

The one I used is the same as the one I use to make decorative gluten free pancakes, so I get even more use out of it.

Just whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl and stir in the wet ingredients, mixing until smooth.

Depending on whether you’re using a funnel or squeeze bottle, the batter may need to be thinner to make it able to pipe out — just add more milk to thin it, if necessary.

So there you have it: easy peasy. State Fair Gluten Free Funnel Cakes made in 1-bowl, start to finish in 15 minutes!

If gluten free apple fritters or gluten free apple cider donuts are more your speed, check out those recipes here on gfJules.com. And if a gluten free soft pretzel would make your day, I have a recipe for that too! But don’t forget the gluten free waffle cones for the ice cream you’re going to want to cool you off at the end of the day!

Oh and my friend Cindy at Vegetarian Mamma also has a great recipe for gluten free fried pickles that would round out any homage to state fair food. 

I hope you enjoy this treat as much as we have! 

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Gluten Free Funnel Cake Recipe

Yield: 3 large funnel cakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 14 minutes

Gluten free funnel cake is within reach with this fast and easy one-bowl recipe that'll have your kitchen smelling like the state fair funnel cake booth!

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Ingredients

• mild fry oil (sunflower, safflower, non-GMO canola, vegetable oil)
• 1 cup (135 grams) gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 egg or substitute like 1/4 cup applesauce (will make batter a bit heavier)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup milk of choice (I've used almond or coconut)
• confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Fill a pot with oil up to at least 3 inches deep. I like using a pan that is only about 8 inches diameter, as it makes it easier to keep the funnel cake batter together when piped into the hot oil. Heat to 350F. (using a candy thermometer is super helpful!)
2. Add dry ingredients to one bowl and whisk together.
3. Measure out milk in a liquid measuring cup. Crack egg or add egg substitute to the milk and add vanilla. Whisk to combine, then stir into the bowl with dry ingredients.
4. Whisk until lumps are smoothed and the dry ingredients are integrated.
5. The batter should be thin enough to drizzle but not watery. Add more milk if needed to get it to the consistency that it can drizzle out of your funnel or squeeze out of your bottle.
6. When the oil has come to temperature, drizzle the batter out of the funnel or bottle in criss-cross and swirly designs. There's no wrong way of making these as long as the batter sticks to itself so it can be flipped and served as one "cake".
7. Cook until the underside of the funnel cake is lightly browned, then flip to cook the other side. The total cook time should be around 3-4 minutes, depending on how thick your batter is when squeezed out.
8. Use a slotted spatula to flip and remove the cooked funnel cakes to a paper towel-lined cookie sheet to cool while making remaining funnel cakes.
9. When slightly cooled, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.

Notes

As with anything fried, these gluten free funnel cakes taste best the day they are made. Luckily the batter is so quick to whip up, you can be enjoying a fresh funnel cake in no time!

Recommended Products

I may earn a small amount from qualifying affiliate purchases; this amount goes to fund this blog and does not cost you anything additional.

• 
  Taylor 3522 TruTemp Series Candy/Deep Fry Analog Dial Thermometer with 9" Stem
• 
  gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• 
  Tovolo Easy-Flow, Mess-Free Valve, Removable Cap, Pancake Pen 2.0, 3 Cup Batter Dispenser, Green

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 298Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 35mgSodium 247mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 1gSugar 28gProtein 6g

Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.

Did you make this recipe?

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