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Low-Carb Funnel Cakes

★★★★★★★★★★
4.6 stars, average of 16 ratings

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So. I’ll be honest with you all — we don’t have Funnel Cakes here in Australia, nor do we have anything similar to base it on. So, I did a lot of researching and I’m really hoping that I’ve got these right. I was aiming for soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside — just like traditional funnel cakes — and that’s what I ended up with. Feel free to let me know if I’ve got this recipe completely wrong though.

There's a small amount of blackstrap molasses which is not carb-free but it's totally worth it. It improves the flavour, making these keto funnel cakes more authentic and the carbs per serving are still very low (less than 2 grams of net carbs per one funnel cake!).

Unlike most low-carb recipes that are using almond flour, these use coconut flour and are nut-free so they are great for those who can't eat nuts.

This low-carb recipe if perfect for summer gatherings such as the Fourth of July celebrations. Enjoy!

Make sure you use whey protein powder (almost zero-carb) and not whey protein concentrate (more carbs). Instead of vanilla whey protein powder, you can use unflavoured whey protein powder or egg white protein powder. If you swap the vanilla protein powder with unflavoured protein powder, simply add 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract (or seeds from one vanilla bean), plus 2-4 tablespoons of low-carb sweetener such as Swerve or Erythritol.

Hands-on Overall

Serving size 1 funnel cake

Allergy information for Low-Carb Funnel Cakes

✔  Gluten free
✔  Nut free
✔  Nightshade free
✔  Pork free
✔  Avocado free
✔  Fish free
✔  Shellfish free
✔  Beef free
Pescatarian
Vegetarian

Nutritional values (per 1 funnel cake)

Net carbs1.8 grams
Protein9.6 grams
Fat16.9 grams
Calories201 kcal
Calories from carbs 4%, protein 20%, fat 76%
Total carbs2.4 gramsFiber0.6 gramsSugars1.3 gramsSaturated fat12.1 gramsSodium69 mg(3% RDA)Magnesium9 mg(2% RDA)Potassium165 mg(8% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 12 funnel cakes)

  • 1 cup boiling water (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (85 g/ 3 oz)
  • 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
  • 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (100 g/ 3.5 oz) - see alternatives in the intro
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup virgin coconut oil or ghee for frying (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
  • 2 tbsp powdered Swerve or Erythritol for dusting (20 g/ 0.7 oz)

Instructions

  1. Prepare all the ingredients. For the dry ingredients it's always best if you use a kitchen scale to make sure you have the right amounts. Low-Carb Funnel Cakes
  2. Whisk the whey protein and coconut flour together.
  3. Place the butter, molasses and boiling water together in a pot on the stove and bring to the boil.
    Low-Carb Funnel Cakes
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the protein powder and coconut flour, stirring until a thick batter forms.
  5. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer and leave to cool (approx. 15-20 minutes). Once cool, add eggs in the following order; 2 whole eggs, egg white, 2 whole eggs, beating well in-between additions.
    Low-Carb Funnel Cakes
  6. Heat coconut oil to medium-high on the stovetop. Do a quick test of your batter through your funnel, as it can be a bit thick for some. If your batter doesn’t flow freely, use a piping bag with a large round nozzle instead.
  7. Place about 1/4 cup (60 ml/ 2 fl oz) of mixture into your funnel and pipe it in circles in the hot oil. Cook for only 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side until crispy and golden. (It is very easy to cook these too long, so keep an eye on them to prevent burning!)
    Low-Carb Funnel Cakes
  8. Drain on a paper towel and pipe the next one. Serve dusted with powdered Swerve or Erythritol. Store, covered loosely, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
    Note: Nutrition facts are estimated as only part of the coconut oil used for cooking will be absorbed (we included half of coconut oil in the nutrition facts). Low-Carb Funnel Cakes

Funnel Cakes
Step by Step

★★★★★★★★★★
4.6 stars, average of 16 ratings
Funnel Cakes
These amazing low-carb funnel cakes are like a cross between fried donuts and churros. An American funfair favorite made grain-free, sugar-free and nut-free!
Hands on45m
Overall1h 15m
Servings12
Calories201 kcal
Pin it

Ingredients

  • 1 cup boiling water (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (85 g/ 3 oz)
  • 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
  • 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (100 g/ 3.5 oz) - see alternatives in the intro
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup virgin coconut oil or ghee for frying (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
  • 2 tbsp powdered Swerve or Erythritol for dusting (20 g/ 0.7 oz)

Instructions

  1. Prepare all the ingredients. For the dry ingredients it's always best if you use a kitchen scale to make sure you have the right amounts.
  2. Whisk the whey protein and coconut flour together.
  3. Place the butter, molasses and boiling water together in a pot on the stove and bring to the boil.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the protein powder and coconut flour, stirring until a thick batter forms.
  5. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer and leave to cool (approx. 15-20 minutes). Once cool, add eggs in the following order; 2 whole eggs, egg white, 2 whole eggs, beating well in-between additions.
  6. Heat coconut oil to medium-high on the stovetop. Do a quick test of your batter through your funnel, as it can be a bit thick for some. If your batter doesn’t flow freely, use a piping bag with a large round nozzle instead.
  7. Place about 1/4 cup (60 ml/ 2 fl oz) of mixture into your funnel and pipe it in circles in the hot oil. Cook for only 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side until crispy and golden. (It is very easy to cook these too long, so keep an eye on them to prevent burning!)
  8. Drain on a paper towel and pipe the next one. Serve dusted with powdered Swerve or Erythritol. Store, covered loosely, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
    Note: Nutrition facts are estimated as only part of the coconut oil used for cooking will be absorbed (we included half of coconut oil in the nutrition facts).

Nutrition (per serving, 1 funnel cake)

Calories201kcal
Net Carbs1.8g
Carbohydrates2.4g
Protein9.6g
Fat16.9g
Saturated Fat12.1g
Fiber0.6g
Sugar1.3g
Sodium69mg
Magnesium9mg
Potassium165mg

Detailed nutritional breakdown (per 1 funnel cake)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Total per 1 funnel cake
1.8 g9.6 g16.9 g201 kcal
Water, still
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g0.1 g5.8 g51 kcal
Blackstrap molasses, organic, unsulphured
1 g0 g0 g4 kcal
Whey protein powder (protein isolate, Jay Robb)
0.3 g6.6 g0 g28 kcal
Coconut flour, organic
0.4 g0.6 g0.5 g12 kcal
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)
0.1 g2.1 g1.6 g24 kcal
Egg white, fresh
0 g0.3 g0 g1 kcal
Coconut oil, extra virgin
0 g0 g9 g81 kcal
Swerve, natural sweetener (Erythritol and chicory inulin based)
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal

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Naomi Sherman
Creator of NaomiShermanFoodCreative.com

Naomi Sherman

Naomi is the force behind Naomi Sherman, Food Creative. She is passionate about recipe development, food photography and styling.

An accomplished home cook who was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease eight years ago, Naomi started to explore the connection between healthy, whole food and her symptoms, and a new love was born.

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Comments (12)

Nope. I’m going to have a funnel cake and a corn dog at the Iowa State Fair instead of trying to Keto-fy it. It’s one day a year where I’m walking a large and hilly fairgrounds for 10 hours or more and it’s totally worth it.

I can't blame you for that! I believe that to make this a long term approach, you need to find what works best for you. Even I have a cheat meal from time to time 😉

I would use egg protein powder because I cannot use whey, and I also can't use molasses... how could I substitute it, or could I omit it completely? Thank you 😊

Hi Roberta, egg white protein powder should work just fine. As for the molasses I'd just skip it. It's only used for flavour.

Thanks for this recipe! It sounds amazing! Would it be okay to substitute the butter with a dairy-free option? If so, what would you suggest?

Hi Astrid, I can't guarantee the results but I'd either go with palm shortening (there are sustainable sources), or virgin coconut oil. I hope this helps 😊

Never heard of ‘funnel cakes’, but they look like Churros?  I’m going to give them a whirl!  Could you pipe them from a bag as with Churros, or is the mixture not as thick?

Hi Fiona, the mixture is like crepe batter - it's runny. You could add a little more coconut flour to make it thicker but that will affect the texture and it may be too cakey/crumbly.
The batter we used for keto churros is quite different but you may want to give it a go: Keto Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

These were phenomenal! Just like the ones my mom used to make. So so good! I dusted them with some cinnamon too. Perfection!

These are LEGIT! I'll be making them again for a BBQ this weekend so fingers crossed the kids like them 😊 Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

They look about right, but will have to try them to see how they turn out. If they are somewhat like funnel cakes, the kids will let me know. 😊  Need to pick up some whey protein powder before I can make them, though.

Do let us know! 😊