Fried Sourdough Discard Funnel Cakes

These fried sourdough discard funnel cakes are so much fun to make! They're crispy and golden brown but so light and fluffy on the inside with just a bit of tangy flavor from the sourdough.

My go-to recipe for sourdough discard has always been my sourdough discard scallion pancakes. But I recently found myself wanting to do something sweet with my sourdough discard instead. These fried sourdough discard funnel cakes totally hit the spot.

Funnel cakes are my faaaaavorite food at carnivals and fairs. The swirly ropes of deep fried batter, the fact that you have to eat them quickly, the infinitely customizable toppings... they're just fun!

I also love funnel cakes because they're just like, the ultimate practical festival food. The batter is simple and so easy to make in bulk, and they take less than 2 minutes to fry to golden-brown perfection.

Funnel cakes are a brilliantly simple and economical food to make when you need to feed many people and feed them quickly. And these are also just a great way to use up your sourdough discard at home.

My fried sourdough discard funnel cakes are made from a batter that's really similar to pancake batter. No speciality ingredients needed. In fact, you probably have almost everything you need to make them in your kitchen already.

Making the funnel cake batter is also so freaking easy. I usually whisk it by hand, but sometimes I use an immersion blender to mix everything together. Then I let the batter rest to activate the baking powder before frying.

The trickiest part of developing this funnel cake recipe was figuring out the best way to fry them. I used a simple plastic funnel to pour the batter into the oil (this is where funnel cakes get their name, after all).

But when the ropes of batter hit the oil, they spread out and filled the whole surface of the pot, which made it hard to flip them without splashing hot oil everywhere.

My solution? I leave a wire spider resting in the pan of oil. The edges of the wire spider just barely break the surface and keep the ropes of batter contained as they float.

Remember: The size of your wire spider determines the size of the funnel cakes. It's also the best tool for flipping and removing the funnel cakes from the hot oil with minimal splashing. You can also use a 6" cake ring or make a ring out of aluminum foil to help contain the batter, as long as it breaks the surface of the oil.

The wire spider also keeps the batter from sticking to your candy thermometer. And you definitely need to use a candy thermometer. It's really important to know the temperature of the oil and adjust as needed to maintain a steady temperature. If the oil is too hot the batter will cook before it can stick to itself; If the oil is too cool, the ropes of batter lose their definition and will stick to the wire spider.

📖 Recipe