State Fair Funnel Cakes
with Cinnamon Apples & Lemon Glaze
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Milk
It's true! You don't need to wait for a fair (or midway prices!) to get this special delectable treat! -- and three topping options to boot! You'll carefully pour a quick and easy batter into hot oil, brown, flip, and that's it! All that's left is deciding if you want a tangy lemon glaze, an apple-cinnamon topper, or the sweet classic dusting of powdered sugar!
Ingredients
1.5 cup
Flour
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Powdered Sugar
246 g
Tempura Mix
(Contains: Eggs, Milk, Wheat)
1 unit
Milk
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Cinnamon
1 unit
Lemon
2 unit
Apple
Nutrition Values
Cooking Steps
In a large bowl, combine tempura batter, flour, ¼ cup sugar, and a pinch of salt. Whisk to evenly combine. Add milk and ⅓ cup water to bowl. Whisk until combined and no lumps remain, 30-60 seconds. Transfer funnel cake batter to a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl with a pour spout. TIP: This will make pouring the batter into the oil much easier and safer!
Peel, halve, and core apples; dice into ½-inch pieces. Quarter lemon.
Melt 1 TBSP butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add apples, cinnamon, and 2 TBSP sugar; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add ⅓ cup water and a pinch of salt; stir to combine, then cover. Cook, covered, until apples are tender, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning; reduce heat to medium if liquid is reducing too quickly. Uncover apples and cook until liquid has thickened slightly and is syrupy, 2-4 minutes more. Turn off heat. Set aside until ready to serve.
While apples cook, in a medium bowl, whisk together juice from 2 lemon wedges and half the powdered sugar until powdered sugar is dissolved (reserve reamining powdered sugar for serving). TIP: If glaze is too thick, add additional squeezes of lemon juice until glaze reaches a drizzling consistency.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat 2-inches of oil to 375°F over medium-high heat. TIP: This amount of oil may take 5-6 minutes to heat up. If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, you can test the oil by placing the end of a wooden spoon in the pot; if small bubbles quickly form around the spoon, the oil is ready for frying. Reduce heat to medium. Slowly drizzle ¼ cup funnel cake batter in a thin line into pot, swirling around the pot and overlapping as desired. Cook for 2 minutes or until bottom is light golden brown. Carefully flip using tongs. Cook an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown. TIP: It's ok if some of the funnel cake breaks off into smaller pieces—they will still taste delicious! Carefully remove funnel cake from pot and transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter until you have four funnel cakes.
Dust funnel cakes with remaining powdered sugar if desired. TIP: Use a fine mesh strainer if you have one to make the dusting easier! Serve funnel cakes with lemon glaze, cinnamon-apples (reheat cinnamon-apples over low heat before serving if desired), and any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: When they come together, the funnel cakes taste just like the real deal 🎡 — the lemon glaze, cinnamon apples, and powdered sugar all work beautifully as toppings.
- Ease of prep: Frying at home takes patience and practice; getting the batter to flow smoothly into the oil is the trickiest part, but a liquid measuring cup with a pour spout helps a lot.
- Suggestions: Make only half the batter at a time to keep things manageable; eat immediately, as these do not keep well and reheat poorly.
- Portions: This recipe makes a generous amount — easily enough for 4–6 people, so it's ideal for a small gathering rather than a weeknight treat for two.
Reviews from our home cooks
I absolutely enjoyed making my first funnel cakes. It was very time consuming. Make sure to set aside a good amount of time for this recipe. After awhile the batter that is used for the funnel cakes gets pretty sticky in the large measuring cup and can be hard to wash out.
Very easy and tasty! Hot and fresh--dare I say--even better than the state fair!
I was kinda intimidated by the idea of frying something at home, but it was easier than I thought!
Makes a LOT, would be great for a small group. We only made 1/2 of the recipe, saving the other 1/2 for another day
Used batter to make deep fried Oreos. Highly recommend coming deep fried cookies of some kind.
I definitely didn't have to leave it for two minutes on either side. In about 10 seconds, it was done enough. I am not sure the middle cooked right. I ended up just making long strips and that worked out, but I ended up only making half the batch as the first bit didn't turn out and it took too long because I could only cook 1 strip at a time. I don't think I would do this one again. Plus, it isn't the healthiest of options, but I am glad I gave it a try.
Good! Sort of a pain to make and they don't keep very well - need to eat immediately.
They were soo good and a big hit with everyone I made them on game day
Delish! This made way more than I expected. I loved the toppings.
Indulgent dessert. More like donuts than ribbons shown in pic.
