Gluten Free Funnel Cake Fries
These crispy, golden Funnel Cake Fries have all the sweet, nostalgic flavor of classic fair food, now in a fun handheld form. Dust them with powdered sugar and serve warm to enjoy a carnival favorite right in your kitchen. This funnel cake fries recipe is easy to make gluten free, too.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Moderate
Funnel cake is one of those treats that instantly brings back all the nostalgic feelings. Maybe it’s summers at the fair or walking through a fall festival. For me, it’s wandering the New Jersey boardwalks during summers down the shore, enjoying crispy fried dough piled high with fluffy powdered sugar, and sometimes whipped cream and fruit too. It’s a sweet treat that’s impossible to resist.
These homemade Funnel Cake Fries take everything you love about classic funnel cake and turn it into a fun handheld dessert. Lightly crisp outside, soft inside, and easily made gluten free, this funnel cake fries recipe brings all the flavors of fair food right into your kitchen. Every batch takes me straight back to childhood.
And while gluten free funnel cakes can be tough to find at fairs and festivals, they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. I’m sure these funnel cake fries will disappear even faster than when my cousins used to steal bites off my plate!
Why You’ll Love This Funnel Cake Fries Recipe
It’s a classic for so many reasons…
- Familiar flavor made gluten-free. It’s beyond easy to make this recipe for funnel cake fries gluten-free! Simply substitute a one-to-one gluten-free all-purpose flour mix for the usual all-purpose flour most recipes use.
- Easy to make dairy-free. If you need to make these funnel cake fries dairy-free as well as gluten-free, no problem. You can swap out the milk in the batter for your preferred non-dairy milk.
- No fork necessary. Because the funnel cake batter is cooked into fry shapes, there’s no need to eat them with a fork. My kids especially find it fun to eat sugary fried dough that looks like French fries but is actually a dessert!
- Not too sweet. There’s actually not a lot of sugar in the batter, despite these funnel cake fries being a sweet treat. If you don’t feel like having them be super sweet, you can use the powdered sugar finish sparingly, or even leave it off altogether and top them with chopped fruit like strawberries or raspberries.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the ingredients to make these funnel cake fries, plus some helpful notes. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend: I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour in this recipe, but you can use your preferred 1:1 blend.
- Sugar: Just enough to lightly sweeten the batter.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent needed in this recipe to make light and puffy funnel cake fries.
- Salt
- Milk: I use whole milk in this recipe, but you could also use 2% milk with good results. If you need dairy free funnel cake fries, you can use a plant-based milk.
- Eggs: Eggs are essential to help bind the gluten-free batter.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract will give the best flavor. Be sure to use a brand like Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract, which is gluten free.
- Oil: I use a neutral vegetable oil to fry the funnel cakes.
- Powdered Sugar: To dust on the funnel cake fries after cooking.
🍴 In the Cupcakes & Kale Chips Kitchen…
- Dusting Wand – this little gadget is the best way to get a nice, even coating of powdered sugar over your homemade funnel cake fries. I also use mine to dust flour over a work surface when shaping dough, or that lovely sprinkle of cocoa powder on top of tiramisu.
How to Make Funnel Cake Fries
Follow along with the photos below to guide you through making this recipe. Here’s what you need to know about making homemade funnel cake fries:
- Whisk dry ingredients. Combine gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla until frothy.
- Mix wet and dry. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together until a runny batter forms
- Prepare to fry. Transfer the batter to a bag or bottle with an opening between ¼-½-inch I used a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. Add about 1-inch of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry the batter. Squeeze a few lines about 4 inches in length into the hot oil. Don’t add more than 4-5 fries at a time to keep the oil temperature steady. Cook for about two minutes, then flip and cook until nicely browned for approximately 1 more minute.
- Serve right away. Remove from the oil and transfer to a wire rack to let the excess oil drain away. Dust immediately with powdered sugar.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips to help make perfect crispy funnel cake fries every time:
- Make the batter ahead of time. You can make up the batter for funnel cake fries the night before you plan to make them and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to take some of the chill off before frying the fries.
- Experiment with different sizes of fries. A ¼-inch opening in your bag will make shoestring size fries while a ½-inch opening will make wider fries like the ones shown in the photos.
- Don’t hold the bag or bottle of batter too high if you want straight fries. To get straighter fry shapes, hold the opening of your batter dispenser about 1 inch above the surface of the oil.
- Do curly fries! On the other hand, if you would like to make curly fries from this funnel cake fries recipe, drop the batter from higher up.
- Use non-dairy milk. As noted earlier, you would like to make this recipe dairy-free, it’s so easy. Simply substitute non-dairy milk for the milk called for in an equal amount.
Can I Store Extras For Later?
Like most fried foods, funnel cake fries are best the day that they are made, preferably as soon as or soon after they come off the skillet. But if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the fries in the microwave and heat at 30-second intervals (they will be soft). Or place the leftover funnel cake fries on a baking sheet and place in the oven on low heat until heated and crisp. Dust them again with powdered sugar before serving.
What Sauces to Serve with Funnel Cake Fries
Powdered sugar is wonderful on funnel cake fries, but you can fancy them up a bit if you like. Drizzle your funnel cake fries with any of these sauces or serve them with bowls of sauce or jam for dunking.
- Chocolate. You can go with something thick and rich like my Hot Fudge Sauce or give them a drizzle of Easy Chocolate Glaze.
- Fruit. Any kind of fruit compote, sauce, jam, or even Citrus Curd would be great for dipping homemade funnel cake fries. You may have also seen them at the fair, topped with Apple Pie Filling for a fall twist or Cherry Pie Filling to keep it summery.
- Other Sweet Dips. You can go classic with Caramel Sauce, or change things up with a sweet Strawberry Cheesecake Dip.
More Gluten Free Desserts To Try
Gluten Free Funnel Cake Fries
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (259 grams) gluten free 1:1 flour (recommended Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1)
- 3 Tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- vegetable oil for frying
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Combine 1 ¾ cups (259 grams) gluten free 1:1 flour, 3 Tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a second bowl, whisk 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) milk, 2 large eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until frothy.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together until a runny batter forms
- Transfer the batter to a bag or bottle with an opening between ¼-½-inch. I used a ziploc bag with the corner cut off.
- Add about 1-inch of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring the oil to 375℉ degrees.
- Squeeze a few lines about 4 inches in length into the hot oil. Don't add more than 4-5 fries at a time to keep the oil temperature steady. Cook for about two minutes, then flip and cook until nicely browned for approximately 1 more minute
- Remove from the oil and transfer to a wire rack to let the excess oil drain away. Dust immediately with powdered sugar.
Notes
- A ¼-inch opening will make shoestring size fries and a ½-inch opening will make wider fries like the ones shown in the photos.
- To get straighter fry shapes, hold the opening of your batter dispenser about 1 inch above the surface of the oil.
- Dropping the batter from higher up will make curly fries.
- Non-dairy milk will work fine in this recipe.
- Serve with hot fudge, fruit sauce, or caramel dipping sauce.
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