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Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes bring the state fair right into your kitchen, with crispy fried funnel cake folded full of fresh grated apple and drenched in caramel and powdered sugar. I whipped these up on a crisp October evening when Maddie wanted fair food without the long lines, and watching her eyes light up at that first caramel covered bite made the whole thing worth it. If you love a classic, start with our homemade fair funnel cake and then come back for this apple loaded twist.
Grated Granny Smith apple keeps every bite tender, tangy, and unmistakably fall.
Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 5 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 funnel cakes
- ⚡ Calories: 614kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Crispy fried dough, sweet caramel, and warm spiced apple
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a fun fried treat like our homemade apple fritters
Quick Answer
Whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla, then stir in flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Fold in grated Granny Smith apple, pour the batter through a snipped bag into hot oil in overlapping circles, and fry until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels, then finish with powdered sugar, caramel sauce, and whipped cream.
Jump to:
- Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes FAQs
- Other Recommended Fall Dessert Recipes
- Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Grated apple keeps it moist. Shredding the apple instead of dicing means it melts right into the batter, adding tang and tenderness without any big chunks.
- A piping bag gives you control. Pouring the batter from a snipped corner of a zip top bag lets you make those classic lacy funnel cake circles with zero mess.
- Hot oil means crispy, not greasy. Frying at a steady 350 degrees gives you a shatteringly crisp outside while keeping the inside light and never oily.
- Warm spices echo the apple. Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon amplify the fresh apple flavor, so every bite tastes like fall on a plate.
- Caramel ties it all together. A generous drizzle of caramel over the powdered sugar gives you that irresistible caramel apple combination in fried form.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is fair food you can make at home, no ticket required, and it tastes even better fresh from your own skillet.
- Fresh grated apple and warm fall spices make these feel special, perfect for cozy autumn nights and Halloween parties.
- They come together in about 15 minutes, faster than our caramel apple pie egg rolls when a craving strikes.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry staples plus one fresh apple are all it takes. Here is what each one brings to the table.
- Granny Smith apple: Grated right into the batter, its tartness cuts the sweetness and keeps every funnel cake moist and tender.
- Flour: The backbone of the batter. A thick, pourable consistency is what gives you those lacy, crispy edges.
- Milk and eggs: They create a smooth, rich batter that fries up light and golden.
- Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon: Warm fall spices that make these taste like a caramel apple and a cinnamon roll had a baby.
- Caramel sauce and powdered sugar: The classic finish. A snowfall of powdered sugar and a caramel drizzle, just like at the fair, similar to our caramel apple dip.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make them your own with a few easy swaps and add ins.
- Apple cider glaze: Skip the caramel and drizzle with a simple apple cider powdered sugar glaze.
- Salted caramel: Finish with flaky sea salt over the caramel for a salty sweet upgrade.
- Different apples: Swap Granny Smith for Honeycrisp or Gala if you like a sweeter, milder apple.
- Ice cream sundae: Top with a scoop of vanilla and extra caramel for a full dessert moment.
- Cinnamon sugar: Dust with cinnamon sugar instead of powdered sugar, like our cinnamon twists.
How to Make Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth, then carefully whisk in the milk and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt, whisking until the batter is smooth with no lumps.
- Fold in the grated Granny Smith apple until evenly combined.
- Pour half the batter into a gallon bag, snip a bottom corner, and pipe overlapping circles into 350 degree oil. Fry about 3 minutes per side until golden, then flip with tongs.
- Drain the funnel cakes on a paper towel lined plate, then top with powdered sugar, caramel sauce, and whipped cream.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Keep the oil at 350 degrees. Too cool and the funnel cakes soak up grease, too hot and they brown before cooking through. A thermometer is your best friend.
- Grate the apple finely. A fine grate melts into the batter, while big shreds can make the funnel cakes hard to pipe.
- Work in batches. Fry one funnel cake at a time so the oil temperature stays steady and each one cooks evenly.
- Snip a small corner. Start with a tiny hole in the bag, you can always cut more, and pipe slowly for those classic lacy circles.
- Serve them hot. Funnel cakes are at their crispy best within a few minutes of frying, so top and serve right away.
- Drain well. A wire rack or paper towels wick away extra oil so your funnel cakes stay crisp, not soggy.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These caramel apple funnel cakes are the ultimate fall dessert centerpiece. Serve them warm at a Halloween bash or harvest party next to our caramel apple pie egg rolls for a fried apple dessert spread no one will forget.
For a true fairground feast, pair them with a dulce de leche milkshake or a scoop of our no churn cookie dough ice cream. The warm, crispy funnel cake against cold creamy ice cream is unbeatable.
They are best enjoyed fresh and hot, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled generously with caramel. Set out bowls of extra caramel and whipped cream and let everyone build their own.
Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes FAQs
Greasy funnel cakes almost always come from oil that is not hot enough. Keep the oil at a steady 350 degrees and drain the funnel cakes on paper towels or a wire rack right after frying.
Funnel cakes are best fresh and crispy, but you can mix the batter up to a day ahead and store it covered in the fridge. Fry just before serving for the best texture.
Granny Smith apples are ideal because their tartness balances the sweet caramel and they hold up well when grated. Honeycrisp or Gala work too if you prefer a sweeter apple.
No. A heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven with about three inches of oil works perfectly. Just use a thermometer to keep the oil at 350 degrees.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day, then reheat in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to crisp them back up. They lose their crunch in the fridge.
Absolutely. A good jarred caramel sauce makes this recipe quick and easy. Warm it slightly so it drizzles beautifully over the hot funnel cakes.
Craving more fair food at home? Make our crispy homemade fair funnel cake next.
Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ⅔ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large granny smith apple peeled cored and grated
- Powdered sugar and caramel sauce for topping
Instructions
- Place three inches of vegetable oil in a heavy bottom skillet with deep sides. Heat over medium heat until hot, around 350°F. You can also use a deep fryer set to 350°F.vegetable oil for frying
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth in a large bowl.3 large eggs, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Carefully whisk in the milk and vanilla.2 cup milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking powder, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and salt until smooth with no lumps.3 ⅔ cup flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add in the grated apples and fold in until combined.1 large granny smith apple peeled
- Place ½ of the mixture into a gallon sized bag.
- Snip one of the bottom corners off and CAREFULLY let batter pour into hot oil. Make a large circle of the batter and connect it with more batter around and around in the pan. Fry until golden brown on the first side about 3 minutes.
- With tongs, turn the funnel cake over and let it brown on the second side for about 2 additional minutes.
- Let the funnel cake drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Top with powdered sugar, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. Or, serve caramel sauce on the side for dipping, enjoy!Powdered sugar and caramel sauce for topping
Notes
- Nutritional value does not include topings.
- Use your favorite apple for this recipe, we use Granny Smith.
- Double this to make more to serve more people.
- Make sure the apple is shredded or really finely diced so it blends into the batter well.
- You can use a funnel or a piping bag or a ziptop bag to pipe these into the hot oil.
- Top with your favorite toppings such as powdered sugar, caramel sauce (recipe linked above), and whipped topping.
- You can make these as large or as small as you want, depending on how many you want made out of the batter.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Yummy 😋 😋 😋 😋 😋 😋 from 1 Husband & 5 sons.
I would like to try the caramel apple funnel cake
Two of the best fair foods combined!
Oh my yum!! These look amazing!!!!
Wow these look incredible and making me really hungry! I can’t wait to try these now!
Seriously, this looks so amazing! Pinned. Jessica has chosen it to feature it at our party tomorrow night at 7 pm. Woo Hoo! Hope to see you there. http://loulougirls.blogspot.com/
Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls
I need about 10 of these! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Funnel cakes and curly fries are the two best foods at the fair! I’m ready for fall too. These funnel cakes look fabulous! Pinning!
Stopping by from Pin Junkie, Pin It.
wow..these look soooo good! thanks for adding it to From the Farm! you were chosen as this week’s favorite!
These caramel apple funnel cakes look delicious! Thanks for sharing them at The Pin Junkie. They are being featured at this week’s party! http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/09/pin-junkie-pin-party-83.html
These look so sticky and yummy!
This is seriously the most amazing-looking desert ever! I would love for you to share this post at my Create & Share Link Party tonight (7:00 PM MST)! Hope to see you there 🙂 http://designsbymissmandee.blogspot.com/
These look amazing! I’ve actually never had a funnel cake, and I’ve been dying to try one. I’ve considered making some shortly, and I’ll be pinning your recipe to try out along with regular funnel cakes.
I love this idea! I love caramel and apples but haven’t eaten a candy apple in years, too rough on the teeth! This adds a whole level of yumminess.