This Bisquick funnel cake recipe makes the most delicious homemade funnel cakes right at home! They’re perfect with your favorite toppings like fresh fruit or served hot with powdered sugar and whipped cream.
Bring a taste of the county fair to your kitchen with this carnival funnel cake recipe using Bisquick! This easy 4-ingredient recipe is perfect for frying up the most tender, soft, and chewy funnel cake right at home.
Bisquick baking mix makes a fun and delicious dessert that will rival even the best carnival treat, and also makes prep a breeze. In just minutes, your family will be enjoying warm funnel cakes loaded with your favorite sweet toppings!
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Why We Love Funnel Cake with Pancake Mix
At every state fair, our last stop is always the funnel cake booth. A lightly crisp and chewy fried treat dusted with powdered sugar is just the perfect way to end an evening of rides, junk food, and all-around family fun! This is not only for kids but also kids at heart.
But why should we only enjoy these sweet, nostalgic taste snacks at fairs and local carnivals? That’s why I decided to start making homemade funnel cake for special occasions like birthday parties and summertime cookouts, any time of year.
However, they’ve become so popular that I get requests from family and friends to have them at every gathering! And, given how easy they are to make, I am certainly happy to oblige.
This nearly foolproof twist on a classic fair funnel cake recipe pancake mix – plus milk, eggs, and vanilla. That’s it! The boxed pancake mix ensures that the batter is spot on every time and creates just the right dense yet fluffy texture when fried but with the same iconic funnel cake flavors.
From start to finish, this easy funnel cake recipe using Bisquick mix is ready to top with your favorite fair-style goodies in under 15 minutes. That’s nearly the same or even less time than you’d spend waiting in line at the county carnival or fair!
Love sweet treat and dessert recipes? Check out our tasty apple strawberry crisp, sourdough discard coffee cake, chocolate chip cookies, and blueberry cobbler using Bisquick recipes.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Bisquick Original Baking Mix – This is the base of this recipe. But if you don’t have any in the pantry, check our Pro Tip below to make your own.
- Milk – This adds richness to our homemade funnel cake. You can also use almond milk or soy milk if you prefer.
- Eggs – are the binding agent. If you don’t have one in stock, you can substitute mashed banana.
- Vanilla extract – enhances the flavors of this recipe. You can also substitute almond extract.
- Oil – We used vegetable oil or frying, or use any neutral flavored oil such as canola or corn oil.
- Optional toppings: powdered sugar, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
No Bisquick boxed pancake baking mix on hand? No problem!
You can make Bisquick from scratch with our Bisquick homemade recipe to make the funnel cake recipe with pancake mix.
Then keep it on hand to use with our many Bisquick recipes like our pie filling cherry cobbler, banana nut muffins Bisquick recipe, or oven fried chicken Bisquick recipe.
Recipe Variations
- Funnel cake recipe with pancake mix: Swap the Bisquick mix with pancake mix or any baking mix for the Bisquick in this recipe.
- For gluten-free funnel cakes use Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking Mix or another GF-friendly baking mix.
- Use your choice of frying oil. Vegetable oil, peanut oil, and canola oil are all good options.
How to Make Funnel Cake with Pancake Mix
- Prepare the oil. Pour vegetable oil into the skillet or pot until it reaches 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350ºF.
- Mix the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix Bisquick, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until the pancake batter mixture is smooth and free of lumps. The mixture should be like cake batter.
- Put it in a piping bag. Pour the batter into a pastry bag or a Ziplock bag and seal the top. If using a Ziplock bag, cut the tip from one edge of the bag.
- Frying the funnel cakes. Starting in the middle of the pan or pot, squeeze the batter in a circular motion into the hot oil, creating ribbons of batter to create a 5-inch-wide funnel cake.
- Let the funnel cake fry until golden brown on the bottom. Fry each cake for about 1 minute, then turn it over with tongs or a spatula.
- Cook the other side for 45 seconds to 1 minute until it is equally golden. Repeat this process to cook all of the funnel cakes.
- Ready to serve. Carefully remove the cooked funnel cake from the pan with tongs or a spatula, and then let it rest on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
Best Toppings
If you want to take your funnel cakes over the top, try one (or all) of these tasty toppings:
- Powdered sugar
- Whipped cream
- Cinnamon sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate chips
- Chocolate syrup
- Fruit syrups like strawberry or raspberry
- Maraschino cherries
- Fresh fruits like sliced strawberries or raspberries
- Canned pie filling like cherry, strawberry, blueberry, or apple
Serving Suggestions
Once all of the Bisquick funnel cakes are fried and resting on paper towels, it’s time to add your favorite toppings! I prefer to sprinkle it with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or cinnamon sugar, and then serve it warm.
Serve this with a fresh fruit charcuterie board for a healthy side of fresh fruits.
Recipe FAQs
If your funnel cakes are soggy, it’s likely because the oil wasn’t hot enough. Make sure your oil is 375ºF in temp before frying the funnel cakes.
The best oil to fry funnel cakes in is one that doesn’t smoke or burn easily. Vegetable oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, and canola oil are all good options.
The difference between fried dough and funnel cake is that the funnel cake batter is thinner and can be piped into hot oil to create a lace-like cake. Fried dough, on the other hand, has a thicker batter that is dropped or spooned into the hot oil.
– It could be because the batter wasn’t well mixed before frying your funnel cakes.
– The oil wasn’t hot enough before cooking the cakes.
– The funnel cake was turned before it was browned enough. To prevent this, let it cook undisturbed for 1 minute and then lift a corner to check to make sure its golden brown underneat before fully flipping.
You can keep leftover funnel cakes in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then reheat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds before serving.
However, take note that they are best enjoyed the same day they are made.
Yes, you can freeze funnel cakes! Let them cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, put them in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through.
Consider Making These Other Snack Recipes…
If you tried this funnel cake from pancake mix recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Funnel Cake From Pancake Mix
Equipment
- skillet
- large bowl
- Ziplock bag - (you could also use a large squeeze bottle)
- tongs
- paper towels
Ingredients
- 2-4 cups vegetable oil for frying
Funnel Cake ingredients
- 2 cups Bisquick™ baking mix (see notes for DIY baking mix to make this using flour).
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
optional
- ½ tsp salt
Topping options
- powdered sugar
- whipped cream
- cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Pour enough vegetable oil in the skillet or pot until it reaches 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350º F. Check the temperature with a candy thermometer or instant digital thermometer.
- Mix Bisquick, milk, eggs, vanilla extract (and salt, if using) in a large bowl until smooth. The mixture should have the smooth consistency of cake batter and is free of lumps.
Fry the funnel cakes
- Pour funnel cake mixture into a pastry bag or Ziplock bag and seal the top. If using a Ziplock bag, cut the tip from one edge of the bag (about 1/2"). Starting in the middle of the pan or pot, squeeze the batter in a circular motion by swirling the pancake batter mixture, creating ribbons of batter to create a 5-inch wide funnel cake.
- Let the funnel cake fry until the bottom of it is golden in color, about 1 minute, then use tongs or a spatula to carefully turn it over. Cook the other side until it is equally golden, about 45 seconds to 60 seconds.
- Use this same process to make the rest of the funnel cakes.
- Carefully remove cooked the funnel cakes with tongs and let rest on a paper-towel lined plate to wick away excess oil.
To serve
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or cinnamon sugar, or your favorite toppings, and serve warm.
Notes
- No Bisquick boxed pancake baking mix on hand? No problem!
- You can make Bisquick from scratch with our Bisquick homemade recipe to make the funnel cake recipe with pancake mix.
- Then keep it on hand to use with our many Bisquick recipes like our pie filling cherry cobbler, banana nut muffins Bisquick recipe, or oven fried chicken Bisquick recipe.
- Funnel cake recipe with pancake mix: Swap the Bisquick mix with pancake mix or any baking mix for the Bisquick in this recipe.
- For gluten-free funnel cakes use Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking Mix or another GF-friendly baking mix.
- Use your choice of frying oil. Vegetable oil, peanut oil, and canola oil are all good options.
Nutrition
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Ieva says
Ahhh, one of my favorite childhood treats. As soon as I saw the recipe on your blog, I knew I had to make it! Turned out cream and without much fuss! Thanks for the recipe.
Suja md says
yummy cake, tasted so much good! Thank You