The Best Carnival Style Gluten Free Funnel Cake Recipe | Hybrid Rasta Mama (2024)

By Jennifer Updated: November 1, 2019. First published: April 1, 2019. This post may contain affiliate links. 2 Comments

I don’t know about you but I have three very specific foods that remind me of being a carefree little kid during summer break. While not the healthiest foods out there (and certainly not ones I would regularly eat today) they were kind of the iconic foods of summer for a kid. Can you guess what those are?

Sno Cones

Watermelon

And… drumroll please…

Carnival Funnel Cake!

My gosh how I would go absolutely bananas for funnel cake. I lived in a rather small town and when that County Fair rolled in I could smell the funnel cake from a mile away. It would drive my wild during that two week period of time because I wanted ALL THE FUNNEL CAKE I could get my hands on.

There was something so fun and tasty about those powdered sugared covered funnel cakes. You would take that first warm bite, powder sugar would fly everywhere, and you would look up with the biggest smile on your face, hoping everyone around you could FEEL that satisfaction you had simply from one bite of that fried doughy goodness.

With the exception of my funnel cake pancakes, I hadn’t given much thought to funnel cake in recent years. Being gluten free it simply wasn’t an option. I don’t really frequent places that sell funnel cake regularly, so the smell wasn’t there to lure me in. Plus the sugar…I just don’t enjoy sugar like I did years and years ago.

And then one day… I really NEEDED funnel cake!

Like really, really, really needed funnel cake. It was just one of those things and so I decided I might as well just roll with it and create what I hoped would be the best carnival style gluten free funnel cake recipe on the internet.

It took a few tries but I finally figured out how to get that doughy soft inside texture that makes funnel cake, well, funnel cake. Regular gluten free flours weren’t cutting it. Too dry. Nut flours and coconut flour were a no-go too. Too mealy. But cassava flour???? PERFECTION!

The best carnival style gluten free funnel cake was born!

So let’s go get you the recipe that rocked my world! It’s an easy funnel cake recipe and it is even a bit lower in sugar than most other recipes out there. Win win!

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

The classic funnel cake – warm, slightly chewy with that crispy fried outside. Dusted in powdered sugar that would fly off in every direction as you took that first warm bite. Fair food at it’s finest. What if I told you that you could create that same funnel cake in your own kitchen using healthier (but just as tasty) ingredients? You can! This funnel cake recipe is gluten free and lower sugar too.

Ingredients

• 1/4 organic sugar
• 2 cups milk of choice
• 3 2/3 cups cassava flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Coconut oil to fry these bad babies in

Instructions

1. Mix all of the ingredients (NOT the oil) together in a bowl
2. In a large frying pan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high. You will want to use enough oil that it comes about halfway up the sides of the frying pan
3. Place the batter into a gallon size plastic bag
4. Roll the bag at an angle so it takes on the shape of a piping bag – you are of course welcome to use an actual piping bag
5. Pipe the batter into the oil in your desired design
6. Fry until golden brown on each side (this takes me about 3 minutes of so per side)
7. Remove from the oil and dust with your favorite toppings (see notes)

Notes

My favorite topping combinations (as seen in the photos) are:

• Fresh sliced peaches with whipped cream (a dash of cinnamon on top is excellent as well)
• A honey drizzle topped with slices strawberries and whipped cream
• Mixed berries with a dollop of whipped cream

Other gluten free funnel cake topping ideas are:

• A dusting of powered sugar (classic gluten free funnel cake!)
• Cinnamon sugar
• Chocolate drizzle
• Caramel drizzle
• Sliced bananas with honey walnuts
• Chocolate chips
• Yogurt chips

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12Serving Size: 1 piece
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 202Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered from Nutritionix. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on many factors. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible, but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

If you liked my gluten free funnel cake recipe be sure to check out my:

• Funfetti Cupcake recipe
• Quinoa Chocolate Cake recipe
• Bean Pie recipe