Funnel Cake Smash Burgers
A crispy pillowy funnel cake fresh from the fryer makes a unique and delicious bun for these tasty smash burgers! Cheese and meat in every nook and cranny of the funnel cakes. Can you imagine it? You don’t have to anymore cause you can taste it if you follow this recipe!
The inspiration for this recipe
I have been having so much fun with my Buns Out! Series on Instagram. This was my favorite burger I made for the series this whole season. It was so good I had to write a recipe for it! The series is wrapping up soon, only a couple burgers left with weird buns!
Make the funnel cake
Funnel cake is easier than you might think. It’s similar to a pancake batter, but thinner. Here I am adding the wet ingredients, like vanilla, milk, salt, egg, and sugar.
Next add in the flour and baking powder. You can see in the first photo that I stirred them together first, then whisked it into the liquids. Then add it all to a squeeze bottle!
Fry the funnel cake burger buns
Get the oil nice and hot, then drizzle in the funnel cake batter to make the smash burger buns. Make sure you keep them small, they expand quite a bit. You don’t want to make huge burgers. Or maybe you do?
Make the smash burgers
Split 12 ounces of beef into 4 balls and season them with salt all around. Place a ball on a hot cast iron pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes. Then flip and smash as thin as you can. Repeat with another meat ball. Top with cheese and double them up!
Build the funnel cake smash burgers
Choose a funnel cake with less holes as the bottom bun for the smash burger. Put a condiment down, I like mayo. Then the double burger.
Then top with cooked onions and pickles
Serve the funnel cake smash burgers
Top with some powdered sugar and serve! So good!
The onions tie it all together for me and double down on the taste of the carnival. Pickles help cut through the heaviness of the funnel cake smash burger.
Twists on this recipe
You could put your favorite toppings and condiment on here. Whatever you like! I did think the mayo, onions, and pickles really worked though. You could add some spices to the funnel cake if you wanted to add flavor that way. I reduced the amount of sugar slightly vs what I would normally put in a funnel cake, but you could cut it more too if you wanted. I used this recipe as a guide.
For more fun burgers on weird buns, check out my fried dough burgers, churro burgers, or this kimchi pancake burger.
Funnel Cake Smash Burger
Equipment
Ingredients
Funnel cake batter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Cook it
- 1 oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion sliced thin
- 12 ounces ground beef at least 20% fat
- 4 slices american cheese
- mayo (or other preferred condiments)
- pickles
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mix the milk, egg, vanilla, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and add the baking soda on top of the flour. Whisk it all together until smooth. Pour into a squeeze bottle until you are ready to use.
- Heat your fryer, or heat about 2 or 3 inches of oil in a heavy bottom pan. Drizzle the funnel cake mixture into the pan to form buns, starting small because the cakes will expand as they cook. You want them to only beabout 4 inches in diameter.
- Remove from oil and place on a rack until ready to use.
- Add the butter to a pan with the onions. Season with salt and cook over medium high heat, stirring often, for about 30 minutes to become golden, and charred in some areas, but not fully caramelized.
- Heat a cast iron pan or griddle to high heat. Split the meat into 4 meatballs. Season the balls with salt all around.
- One by one, add to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Flip and smash as thin as you can. Repeat with all the balls.
- Flip the burgers and top with a slice of cheese. Double them up.
- Put two bottom bun funnel cakes down, then top with some mayo. Top with the burgers, then add onions and pickles. Add on the top bun and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve.