Funnel cakes are a common “fair food” in North America, appearing at amusement parks, carnivals, sporting events, and festivals. It is often considered a classic treat, and many kids remember them fondly from days spend with the family at Disney World or local fairs. Many people who have switched to a vegan diet are curious with how they fit in now, and whether it’s possible to incorporate them into a plant-based meal plan.
Funnel cake is not considered vegan. This is because the standard recipe calls for milk and eggs, both of which are animal products. If you’re looking for a yummy vegan alternative, funnel cakes can easily be made vegan at home. If you’re out and about, churros are a great option for a sweet treat without interfering with your plant-based diet.
Let’s get into the fine details of funnel-cake ingredients, health information, and the best vegan alternatives. Ready to dig in?
Contents
Why Isn’t Funnel Cake Vegan?
It’s important to note that most funnel cakes are not vegan, but most is not all. Some places will choose to make funnel cakes without eggs or dairy milk. If the funnel cake is not labeled specifically as vegan or not-vegan, check out the ingredients or ask your food server whether it has animal-based ingredients.
Eggs are often used to increase liquid volume in pour batters, which is why many funnel cake recipes use them. They are not as important in funnel cake for their binding properties, which is why it is easy to leave them out in homemade vegan alternatives.
Milk is also used in funnel cakes for a variety of purposes. First, it adds moisture to the batter. Second, it helps stabilize the ingredients and provide nice texture to the end-product. The lactose in milk also darkens baked goods, thanks to a browning reaction with heat.
Are Funnel Cake Toppings Vegan?
If you’re lucky enough to find a funnel cake made from vegan batter, the next challenge is the toppings. Many toppings are vegan friendly, but there are a few to watch out for.
Our favorite common vegan toppings include:
- Fresh fruit
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon
- Most fruit jams and jellies
Non-vegan toppings include:
- Most chocolates (especially milk and white chocolate)
- Whipped cream
- Mandy candies
If you want to ensure your toppings are vegan, try sticking to fresh fruit and powdered sugar, or ask your server for their vegan recommendations.
Funnel Cake Nutritional Information
Most fairs and festivals will have their own funnel cake recipes with specific ingredients and measures, but the general nutrition information with be about the same across the board.
Funnel Cake
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/3 Funnel Cake Serving, 65g):
- Calories: 260
- Total fat: 12g (18% DV)
- Cholesterol: 20mg (7% DV)
- Sodium: 290mg (12% DV)
- Total Carbohydrates: 35g (12% DV)
- Dietary Fiber: 1g (4% DV)
- Protein: 4g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 0%
- Calcium: 4%
- Iron: 8%
Ingredients:
- Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Sugar
- vegetable oil (soybean oil)
- nonfat milk
- egg yolk with sodium silicoaluminate
- mono & diglycerides
- soybean oil
- salt
- leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate)
- cellulose gum
- artificial flavor
- soy flour
Funnel cakes contain small amounts of calcium and iron but are not particularly nutritious. They are mainly made from flour, sugar, and liquid thinners such as oil and milk. They are okay for a treat on the occasional day out, but we don’t recommend making them part of your daily diet.
Vegan Funnel Cake Alternative
Churros
Churros are traditionally made from flour, oil, water, and sugar. This makes them vegan, as they do not contain any animal products. However, the dipping chocolate classically associated with churros is often not vegan, so it’s best to double check this, bring your own vegan chocolate dip, or eat the churros plain (also delicious!).
A classic churro has the following nutritional information:
Nutrition Facts (1 churro):
- Calories: 103
- Total fat: 7.7g (12% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
- Sodium: 44mg (2% DV)
- Total Carbohydrates: 8.4g (3% DV)
- Dietary Fiber: 0.2g (1% DV)
- Protein: 0.5g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 0%
- Calcium: 0.1%
- Iron: 0.4%
Ingredients:
- Flour
- Water
- Oil
- Sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
Churros are easy to find in most supermarkets, and you can check the ingredients list to ensure there are no sneaky animal products hidden in the recipe. However, if you are out on the town and picking a sweet dessert, churros are a pretty safe bet for a vegan snack.
How to Make Vegan Funnel Cake with Pancake Mix
Sadly, most funnel cake pre-made mixes contain animal derived ingredients such as whey products or powdered milk. This is often unnecessary, as many quick bread and baking mixes do not require these ingredients.
You can check your local store for specifically vegan funnel cake mixes, but you best bet it to look for local vegan restaurants or bake shops that may sell a specialty version. If you are feeling particularly fond of funnel cakes, you can even reach out to a local shop to see if you can create a custom order.
If you are unable to find a vegan funnel cake, using a vegan pancake mix can create an easy replacement. Annie’s organic pancake and waffle mix can double as funnel cake batter, you just need oil for frying. The nutrition information is as follows:
Annie’s Organic Pancake & Waffle Mix
Nutrition Facts (per 41 gram Serving):
- Calories: 150
- Total fat: 2g (2% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
- Sodium: 370mg (16% DV)
- Total Carbohydrates: 29g (11% DV)
- Dietary Fiber: 1g (3% DV)
- Sugars: 5g
- Protein: 3g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Vitamin C: 0%
- Calcium: 2%
Ingredients:
- Organic Wheat Flour
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Organic Expeller-Pressed Sunflower Oil
- Baking Powder (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate)
- Sea Salt
To make funnel cake with pancake mix, you mix 1 cup of pancake mix with 1 tablespoon of sugar, ½ cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. You then fill an 8-inch skillet halfway with oil and heat until it reaches above 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your batter should be the thickness of cake batter, not too runny and not too thick. You should be able to pour it like ribbons into the pan.
If available, move batter into a bottle with a ¼-inch nozzle. If not, use a plastic bag and cut one corner off.
You can test the oil in the pan by putting a little dot of batter in it. The batter should float to the top quickly and bubble without burning.
If the oil is ready, you can squeeze the batter into the pan making squiggles and circular motions. The batter will take about a minute to cook on the bottom, then flip it and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the other side.
Remove the batter after this to a plate with paper towels to soak the oil.
How to Make Vegan Funnel Cake from Scratch
If you don’t have pancake batter available or would prefer to make it from scratch, here is a simple recipe that PETA advertises for a simple, at-home vegan funnel cake.
Ingredients:
- Oil, for frying
- 1 1/2 cups nondairy milk
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions:
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil over medium heat (350°F) in a skillet.
- Combine all the remaining ingredients except the powdered sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth.
- Cover the small end of a funnel and pour the mixture into the wide end. Uncover the small end and slowly pour the batter into the hot oil, forming layered circles.
- Fry until slightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully flip using a shallow metal strainer. Do not fry for more than 2 minutes on each side or the cake will get hard.
- Remove from the oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
We recommend using oat milk for the creamiest consistency and topping with fresh berries and powdered sugar.
Related Questions
Are funnel cakes and fried dough the same?
Funnel cakes are a type of fried dough, but not all fried dough are funnel cakes. Fried dough can be made from a variety of dough types, such as pizza dough or doughnuts. Fried dough also encompasses foods such as bagels and hush puppies, both of which are very different than funnel cake.
Is funnel cake a cake?
No, funnel cake is not technically a cake. Funnel cake is a type of fried batter while cake is typically baked in the oven.