Air Fryer Funnel Cake Recipe

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 10/11/21
Tested by
Renae Wilson
Photo of Renae E. Wilson Photo of Renae E. Wilson
Tested by Renae Wilson
Renae has certifications in both Pastry Arts and Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education and works as a private chef and caterer, recipe tester and developer, and food writer. Renae has written and developed recipes for Rachael Ray In Season, the Kitchn, Food52, and more.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
air fryer funnel cake bites air fryer funnel cake bites

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 16 mins
Total: 26 mins
Servings: 4
Yield: 24 bites

Funnel cake is a sweet, crunchy, and delicious pastry that's a summer staple at the fair. This air fryer funnel cake delivers all the fluff with a slight crunch to the outside, but there’s no fussy pot of oil involved. 

So, what's the difference between fried dough and funnel cake? Funnel cakes are technically a type of fried dough much like doughnuts, fritters, and elephant ears. However, funnel cake typically uses baking powder as a leavener versus active yeast. The dough is poured through a funnel—hence the name funnel cake—in into hot oil in a swirling shape, but you can utilize a piping bag or resealable plastic bag like we do here.

To hold up in the basket of the air fryer, we created a thicker dough than traditional recipes. For a mess-free cleanup, we use a basket liner to ensure the best possible product.

Serve it with marshmallow fluff, Nutella, or strawberry sauce to make it a full party. Alternatively, it's just as delicious with a shower of confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar.

"So. Very. Delicious. Never in a million years would I think to have funnel cake at home. And without the hassle of frying? Spectacular. Though the thicker batter makes for a different texture, it's necessary for cooking in the air fryer. But yummy fried-dough goodness is still the end result." —Renae Wilson

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A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Cooking spray, for frying

  • Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

  • Strawberry sauce, optional

  • Marshmallow fluff, optional

  • Nutella, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the air fryer to 400 F.

    air fryer funnel cake ingredients air fryer funnel cake ingredients

  2. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until foamy and pale yellow.

    eggs whisked in a bowl eggs whisked in a bowl

  3. Whisk in the whole milk and vanilla extract to the mixture.

    milk and eggs whisked in a bowl milk and eggs whisked in a bowl

  4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then gradually add it to the wet mixture—be careful not to overmix, but just until there are no lumps or pockets of dry ingredients.

    funnel cake batter funnel cake batter

  5. Add the batter to a large piping bag or plastic ziplock bag. Cut off the end of the bag to create a medium-sized hole, about 1-inch in diameter.

    funnel cake batter in a piping bag funnel cake batter in a piping bag

  6. Line the basket of the air fryer with an appropriate sized liner. You can also hole punch a piece of parchment paper if you can’t get liners. 

    Pipe about 12 (1-inch) rounds of batter onto the liner. Cut the thick batter with kitchen shears as you pipe if you’re having trouble releasing the batter from the plastic bag. Spray the tops of the batter with cooking spray.

    air fryer funnel cake air fryer funnel cake

  7. Heat for 8 minutes at 400F until golden brown, risen, and crisp.

    air fryer funnel cake bites air fryer funnel cake bites

  8. Remove the bites and top with confectioners' sugar. Continue cooking in batches until you use all of the batter.

    Serve with strawberry sauce, marshmallow fluff, or nutella, if desired.

    funnel cake bites funnel cake bites

Tips

  • This recipe looks and tastes best when piped into bite-sized pieces as they stay crispy in smaller pieces; however, you can pipe them into the traditional funnel cake shape, if desired.
  • You can keep the funnel cake bites warm in a 200 F oven while you make the additional batches.

Recipe Variation

  • Whole milk gives a good ratio of fat and acid to the recipe for that nice fluffy interior, but you can substitute 1:1 other milks, including non-dairy.

How to Store

The funnel cake bites can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for three days. 

To reheat, pop them back in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes at 400 F.



Nutrition Facts (per serving)
384 Calories
5g Fat
70g Carbs
12g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 384
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 318mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 70g 26%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 161mg 12%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 192mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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