No need to head to the local fair to get your fix – you can make Elephant Ears Pastry right at home! Flaked pastry is deep fried to golden brown perfection and dusted with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or any other time you need a treat!
What’s in this Elephant Ears Pastry Recipe
If you’re an avid baker like me, you likely already have most of (if not all of) these ingredients on hand.
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk. Make sure it’s warmed to 110°F before using.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar is needed for both the pastry dough and for topping off the final product with.
- Yeast: You’ll need instant yeast, not active dry or fresh.
- Butter: Unsalted and melted is the way to go.
- Cinnamon: Just like the sugar, you’ll need the cinnamon both for the dough and for topping the actual pastries.
- Salt: Just a pinch is all you need!
- All-Purpose Flour: When you dip your measuring cup into the flour bag, you pack it with flour. Avoid this by instead spooning the flour into the measuring cup.
- Vegetable Oil: This is needed to fry the pastries.
PRO TIP: Only fry one elephant ear at a time! If you overcrowd your vegetable oil, the temperature will decrease and you’ll end up with under-cooked pastries.
What else can I top elephant ear pastries with?
The possibilities are endless! For a sweet elephant ear, drizzle on chocolate, caramel sauce, or maple syrup or top with fresh fruit and whipped cream. For a savory take, top with pizza sauce and shredded cheese.
Elephant ears are crispy fried circles of dough topped with powdered and/or cinnamon sugar. They’re called elephant ears due to their large size and shape that resembles an elephant’s ear.
No, they are not the same thing. Elephant ears are a flaky pastry, and funnel cakes are deep fried soft batter. You can find both at fairs, but they have different tastes and textures.
Elephant ears should be fried in an oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable, canola, or peanut. I recommend vegetable oil for the most neutral taste.
How to Store/Reheat
Store leftover elephant ears in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days. You can easily reheat the pastries in a 350°F oven for at least 5 minutes, or until they become light and crispy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these sweet treats as part of your breakfast or an after-dinner dessert! They’re also fun if you’re planning a circus themed birthday party. The possibilities are endless!
More Easy Breakfast Recipes We Love
- Glazed Fried Apple Fritters
- Orange Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Baked Donuts
- Sour Cream Waffles
- Pancake Bites
- Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts (Copycat Recipe)
Elephant Ears Recipe
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups milk 397 grams, warm (110°F)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 149 grams, divided
- 1½ tablespoons instant yeast 14 grams
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 84 grams, melted (¾ stick)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 6 grams, divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5½ cups all-purpose flour 660 grams, divided
- Vegetable oil for frying
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Add the milk, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the yeast to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until it starts to bubble.1¾ cups milk, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1½ tablespoons instant yeast
- Stir in the butter, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt to combine.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add 5 cups of the flour and stir until you can no longer. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.5½ cups all-purpose flour
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding a light dust of flour when it becomes too sticky to handle, but don’t overdo it. You want the dough to be tacky but not sticky.
- Scrape out any flour bits from the bowl, spray with nonstick spray, and place the dough in the bowl. Cover and let sit for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep-frying pan over medium heat until it reaches 265°F.Vegetable oil for frying
- In the meantime, divide the dough into 15 equal balls and roll each out into a roughly 7-inch round.
- Fry one disk at a time for 3-4 minutes, flipping the disk every 30-45 seconds to ensure even cooking.
- Let them cool on a plate with a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.
- Stir the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl or a plate then dip each disk in the dough and lightly tap off the excess. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Continue to stir your flour until you can’t stir it anymore. Then, turn the dough out onto the floured surface.
- You can easily reheat the Elephant Ears in a 350°F oven for at least 5 minutes, or until they become light and crispy.
I love your site and have printed and made many of your recipes. However, over the last few weeks, it’s hit or miss whether or not a recipe will print. Sometimes when I hit the print button, it opens the original blog page in a new window. Sometimes, it will open the print screen but when I hit the second print button, nothing happens. I have tried to print using Ctrl + P and it still won’t print. As I said, this doesn’t always happen, but it is a nuisance when I find a recipe I really want to make and can’t print. I do better with the reading it on paper. Thank you for listening.
These turned out great! I cut the recipe back to 5 servings and split the dough into sixths. They fried up great!
We are heading to the county fair tonight and I wanted an authentic treat to bring for my son who is a allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. These will be great for him to have while his sisters have something at the fair. Thank you!
What a wonderful idea, Lindsey! So glad you enjoyed them!
First Timer.. They were Delicious 😋
I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe, Christy!