Servings: 2 Prep: 5 mins Cook: 5 mins Total: 10 mins
I have a text file on my computer called “MintChocolateChip.txt”. It’s been bopping around my machine for several years. When I very very first began low-carbing, it was always open on my desktop. As I’d scour the web looking for interesting ideas and new ways to be low-carb, I’d jot down recipes, ideas and ratios. I did this for probably 6 months and then, one day, inexplicably … I just stopped. I assume I’d found a groove, or decided I no longer needed to add anything to it. For the most part it’s where my personal sugar mix recipe lived, in and amongst the other ice creams and pie dough recipes.
One of those recipes was for “fried dough”. Like most of the other recipes, I don’t know where I got it, or if I just made it up, on the spot. Whenever I don’t know where something came from, I like to give a plug to LowCarbFriends.com, as they were the source of almost all my early discoveries. In any event, because I don’t own a fryer, I’d never made it! Recently I had wanted to try some fried foods. So, one day, a few weeks ago, I set up a fryer in a big pot with a candy thermometer. I tried a few different recipes. Some were great and some weren’t. My fried chicken, for example, was the debacle of debacles. Oh, what a disaster! This recipe, on the other hand, was EXCELLENT! Hot and fresh from the fryer, topped with some powdered Swerve, cinnamon and nutmeg …
This recipe was the cat’s meow!
Note: I couldn’t even begin to guess how to handle the nutrition facts on this one. I’ve completely omitted the nutritional information on the coconut oil, even though I’m certain some portion of it is eaten. I feel confident the carb count is accurate, but it’s likely to be much higher in fat.
Funnel Cakes
Print RateIngredients
- coconut oil for frying
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup fresh whole butter melted
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 scoop vanilla zero carb whey protein
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt
- 1 tbsp 'Swerve' or other sugar replacement
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ground
Instructions
- Pre-heat oil to a temperature of 350 F. Please, be careful!
- Mix the eggs, melted butter, baking powder, protein powder, coconut flour, vanilla and salt together. Mix until the end result is a smooth, pourable batter.
- I used an actual funnel for this. With my finger blocking the hole at the base of a funnel, I poured in half of the batter. Then, I placed the funnel over the hot oil, with my finger still blocking it. Then, I slid my finger off to the side and moved the funnel in a controlled circular motion, above the oil. This caused the batter to drop into a steady circular stream, creating a disc of fried yumminess. Keep moving until all the batter has been added. When done, let it fry on one side until golden in color; maybe a minute. Flip and fry the other side. Remove and place on paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Immediately, dust with a mixture of powdered sweetener and spices. They will stick better, if fresh from the fryer.
- There is enough batter for 2 cakes, or 3 smaller ones. Repeat the process until you're out of batter. Enjoy!
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
Dj…..love your recipes. Questioning why there is a ‘recipe’ listed for coconut oil?
Hi LeeAnn. Whoops! Typo! Behind the scenes, I have a little program that I made for handling the nutrition. When I adjusted the coconut oil’s nutrition, I somehow added the recipe for Chicken Stock. Long story and a total mistake. Fixed it! Thank you for pointing it out!
You could pour the batter into an empty and washed out mustard bottle or I have one I got from the dollar tree to make it easier to squirt into the oil. And like you said BE CAREFUL with the hot oil. Thanks for your recipes. Your a food genius.
Hi Ruby. Thanks for the tip! I thought about suggesting something like that. The reason I didn’t is because you want as wide a "tip" as possible. If you were to squirt through the tiny hole at the end of a mustard bottle, the stream of dough would be super thin and noodle-y, resulting in a kind of greasy bird’s nest. The thicker the stream of dough, the better! In fact, my funnel even seemed to have too narrow an opening. Any kind of squirt bottle will work, but try and make the opening a good 1/4 inch wide, at least. Up to 1/2 inch. Food for thought … thanks for the kind words! 🙂
Hi I love this recipe…I can’t wait to try it 🙂 I just wanted to add that Ruby’s idea was great! To solve the problem of the hole being too small just get one of those empty condiment bottles you can buy at the dollar store used for mustard, ketchup and mayo. Just cut the spout down to make a bigger opening 😉 gotta try this one soon!!
Thanks, Shawn! Good tip, too! Squirt bottles can definitely be found cheaply. I’d just cut the entire tip off. Would be about perfect!
I failed at making this. Miserably. But I didn’t have any whey protein powder, I had some egg white protein that I bought for a different recipe. I’m going to guess that the two aren’t interchangeable. 🙁 I’ll take another stab at it when I have the right ingredients! Until then, I’ll just drool over your pictures.
Hi Denise! I’m sorry it didn’t work out! I honestly don’t know what the rules are in terms of swapping out protein powders. As I learn from my audience, I’m starting to beleive there are even differences between WHEY protein powders. I don’t believe these are as standardized as something like … sugar … or flour. Here’s a decent test, though, and also a thought … Whenever making something like this, or even something like a muffin, or any quick bread, a great test is making a pancake with it. Actually … I even do this with sausage! It’s a great way to make sure that the dough holds up, stays together, that the leavener inside isn’t old and no longer functional, that it tastes good, etc. If you can make a tasty pancake … chances are it’ll work in the fryer. Now for the thought: some of the time a batter needs to sit and thicken/absorb the moisture into the ingredients, etc. It’s possible that if you’d let the batter just sit there for 30 minutes … that it may have worked! Again, I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. They were really quite tasty!
What would you top this with? I am trying to find things for my daughter that are close to what she would normally have. Also do you have an apple crumble?
Hi Unknown. I’d top it with Sweetener and Cinnamon! That’s it! Perhaps you could dip it into a sugar free jelly, perhaps? I don’t have an apple crumble, but I DO have a berry cobbler! Not too far off! Check out the desserts section!
Just yesterday I was cleaning out my cupboards and I found my bottle of Funnel Cake Mix. I heaved a heavy sigh as I dumped the contents into the garbage. I couldn’t make myself throw away the bottle, tho, hoping beyond hope that I would be able to find a recipe for low carb/gluten free Funnel Cakes. And, lo and behold, this showed up on Pinterest today! Yeah! I love all your recipes, and I really can’t wait to try these! Thank you so much!
The universe must have heard you sigh, Cynthia! 😉 I hope you like it!
Thank you for posting this recipe! My son is allergic to gluten and wanted to try an "elephant ear" but it’s just dough. I can?t wait to make this for him!
I’ve only heard good things about this recipe, Holly. I think your son will be quite happy!
Looks amazing! Could you figure out the amount of coconut oil absorbed by measuring what you start out with and remeasuring and subtracting what’s left? Even though it won’t be exactly the same for everyone, it would be an approximate amount, giving a better idea on fat and calories, for those who are interested in those numbers.
Hi Carol, yes. That’s an interesting thought and technically something I could do! It’s HIGHLY unlikely I’ll ever do it, seeing as I think fat is good and that the fat content won’t impact the carb content, but … I like the idea and may employ it for future similar recipes. I do think it’s safe to say that "not a lot" of oil is added to the fried food, when it’s done. It’s certainly not drenched in it. As it cooks, it’s sealed. Any holes are used by escaping carbon dioxide as the bread puffs up. Really, the only fat is what is mixed into the batter and/or what clings to the surface. It’s "some", but … "not a lot". I hope this helps. Did you know this is how you can determine the weight of smoke? Take a log. Weigh it. Burn it. Weigh the ashes. The difference in the two weights … is the weight of smoke. Fun, huh? 😉
With some slight variations and a set of irons to dip in the dough, I bet this would make awesome Rosettes, too!
So I just want to say i made a silly mistake with these and used baking soda instead of powder but… It made for yummy pancakes instead. I drizzled a little agave, cinnamon and trivia on it and my boyfriend and daughter loved them.
Side note : I only used a drop of coconut oil to fry these or just non stick spray
Pyriel, sounds fantastic! Thanks for the thought! Just a quick side note: I encourage you to do a bit of reading on Agave. I try and steer people away from that stuff. It’s all just marketing nonsense. It’s really not good for you. Great thoughts on the pancakes, though! 🙂
This is just one of many of your amazing looking recipes I’m logging for the future. My daughter and I have started the low carb program about 2 months ago and have not been bored since thanks to your delicious recipes! Thanks again!
Glad to hear it, Nancybeth! 🙂
you make the most wonderful food items. I was just watching a commercial about funnel cakes and thought I will never be able to have these again, and voila there they are on your site. Do you read minds? Thank you for all your contributions to this healthy way of life. Eggnog and funnel cakes. You sir are the cats pjs…lol
I’m wondering if this dough would work for making Rosettes! They are very similar after all, just fancier, being made with different shaped irons?
Hi Lillian, I can’t read the entire mind … just the part that controls appetite! 😉 I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes. I’ve got hundreds of others, with more on the way! 😀 </br></br>
Unknown … I couldn’t even begin to guess. My hunch is that while you’ll be able to get the shape, that the texture would be quite a bit different and that it won’t be stiff enough. It might be worth a try. Worst case … just fry the dough outside the iron and it’ll still taste great!
I just made these. Awesomeness!
I couldnt get them to run thru a funnel so I just spoon dropped them in the oil and made little cakes. These Will be on the weekly menu.
YAY, PurpleDragonFly! You likely could’ve thinned them out a twinge. I’ve found that not all protein powders are created equal and that some of the time they just need a little tweak. At the very least, it sounds like you found something that you enjoyed, which is wonderful!
This was a recipe posted by SkeeterN on Low Carb Friends dot com way back in 2007 as a donut hole/funnel cake recipe. The only difference with this recipe is the addition of 1T coconut flour, which isn’t needed.
Thanks, Qu. I’d say this is probably true! (To future readers, Qu and I exchanged notes on Facebook. She gave me the link to the recipe (also not the original). <a href="http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/low-carb-recipe-help-suggestions/482309-who-misses-donut-holes-funnel-cakes.html" target="_blank">Here is that link</a>.)
I think this is a variation of the recipe posted by Atlee on the Active Low-Carber Forum in January 2004. See:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=163651
This is one of my favorite low carb recipes. I’ve made it many times over the past decade (although I’ve never tried it with baking powder or coconut flour).
Thanks, CarolynC … Very possible! It’s always tough to know precisely where any given ratio originated. That said, it’s always kind of fun to look!
hi there, I just made these and I must say they are really good. Simple recipe and I really appreciate that part!! Placing them in the fridge for later and maybe tomorrow, that will work out for me!!! Thanks!!!
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/19/2015
Fantastic! Save me some! 😉
these are like the little lc donuts i used to make years ago – and now i’m inspired to make these again! i will use your recipe but add the nutmeg to the batter – that was the way i made them before and with a sprinkle of powder sweetener and cinnamon over the top they are like cinnamon donits (my favourite!)
thanks heaps for your recipes – my crepes are cooling as i type 😉
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/19/2015
Oh, I want to be at YOUR house. I’ll bet it smells AMAZING over there! 🙂
So glad I found your site. My husband and I have changed our lifestyle for Atkins. It’s not a diet it is a lifestyle change! Keep up the fabulous work!
—Reply posted by DJ on 3/6/2015
You got it. It IS a lifestyle change … and a pretty effortless one, once you get the ball rolling. I’ll keep doing my best! Welcome to my site and let me know if you have any further questions or comments. Here to help! 🙂
I wouldl put the batter in a ziplock back and cut off the corner to the size you need. Easy breezy and no cleanup of a bottle. I haven’t made these yet but they are in my near future.
—Reply posted by DJ on 4/28/2015
Yep! I’ve done this myself. The problem I’ve had is the hole seems to slowly grow. Also, if you get too close to the hot oil, it softens the plastic causing the hole to grow more quickly. What I actually do is use parchment paper to fold a cone. I then fill the cone and cut the tip off. Works like a charm! 🙂
Wow! I just whipped these up. What a treat! I didn’t bother to powder my “Truvia” (stevia and erythritol) mixture that I drizzled on top, but still very good. Very light and airy, really great taste. Great recipe.
—Reply posted by DJ on 4/28/2015
YAY!!! I’m glad you like it! 🙂
Ugh, just found out I am allergic to Whey. What else can I substitute for that?
—Reply posted by Kay-M on 10/26/2015
DJ – just needed to clarify my last comment. I was not concerned that you had not answered Shannon’s question – my comment was directed at Margie – not you (it was totally my mistake, for not putting Margie’s name in my response)!! I just thought it was really rude and insensitive for Margie to ‘imply’ that Shannon might not actually be allergic!! Your reply (DJ), was totally appropriate! And I totally understand your not answering right away!
—Reply posted by DJ on 10/26/2015
Hi Shannon, it’s actually answered at the top of this page. Ultimately, I do not know. It’s incredibly challenging to know all the replacements for every possible allergy that exists and how that alternative will behave in every possible recipe. It’s impossible to know all of that, but I do try and offer guidance, wherever possible. In this case, it looks like I just overlooked the question, though. There are hundreds of recipes and hundreds of thousands of readers on any given month. Some of the time … things slip through the cracks. I’m pretty easy to find, though … just ask again, or shoot me an email. Sorry you were so disappointed. Obviously, this isn’t my intention!
—Reply posted by Kay-M on 10/26/2015
REALLY disappointed that the question of IF something could be used in place of whey was NOT answered!!! Shannon said she was allergic – why do you give her solutions if she is only intolerant??
—Reply posted by Margie on 6/22/2015
Are you truly “allergic” or is it lactose intolerance. If it’s intolerance, you can buy the cheap chewable lactaid pills from Wal-Mart and no more stomach issues!
Substituted oat fiber for the coconut as alergic and worked out great!
NOM NOM NOM- thank you DJ…YOU ROCK!!
—Reply posted by DJ on 6/22/2015
Wow! I would never have thought to make that substitution. I’m glad it worked for you. Have you subbed oat fiber for coconut flour before? Is this something I should consider looking into and tinkering with? Thank you for the kind words, Clare! I hope you read this and get back to me. YOU ROCK! 😀
Do you think these could be made into donuts in a donut pan in the oven? If so, do you have any suggestions on how??? I am dying for “yeast type” [light and airy, NOT cake like] type of donuts but I’m on the KETOGENIC diet so I need something very low carb and someone said this was good but I am craving the donut stuff, even shape lol
—Reply posted by DJ on 6/23/2015
Hi Rachel, I don’t see why not! Just make the batter and then rub some melted butter inside the donut cavities. Then, fill them about 3/4’s full and bake at about 350F for … 20-ish minutes (watch them to turn golden brown). If you really want some yeast, sprinkle a teensy bit in there for the flavor. There’s no meaningful sugar, so it won’t really leaven much. It’ll just have that yeast flavor. When you’re done, dust them with some powdered Swerve and cinnamon. Even if it’s not precisely what you’re looking for, it should still be solidly tasty. The worst case scenario is still going to be pretty darn good. I say go for it! 🙂
This looks incredible! I’ve just started experimenting with deep fried gluten free treats. Can the whey protein be omitted or substituted out of this recipe? I don’t have any and the bulk store in town is being renovated this month.
—Reply posted by DJ on 9/3/2015
Hi Michelle, I honestly don’t know, but … something in my gut tells me that it’s necessary. Ultimately, you can fry pretty much any batter, but this one is quite a bit lighter than a lot of the others I’ve tried and I suspect it’s because of the way this one’s ratios stack up. I don’t know if I’d be willing to brave it. Sorry!
The funnel cakes were absolutely delicious
—Reply posted by DJ on 7/29/2018
Fantastic, Nancy! ?I’m thrilled to hear it! 😀