Low-Carb Funnel Cakes

Naomi ShermanUpdated 21 November 2023★★★★★4.6 (16 ratings)

Ready in 1h 15m
1.8 g net carbs
201 kcal
Serves 12

This post may contain affiliate links, see our disclaimer.

Low-Carb Funnel Cakes (keto, primal, grain-free)

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.

Step-by-step

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.
Whisk the whey protein and coconut flour together.
Place the butter, molasses and boiling water together in a pot on the stove and bring to the boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the protein powder and coconut flour, stirring until a thick batter forms.
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.
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.
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!)
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).

Recipe