The Doughy Trick To Make Deep Fried Coke

If you've ever wandered through a state fair, you know that anything can be deep-fried, from ice cream to bananas to sweet and fluffy deep-fried Oreos. While the basics of frying food seem clear enough, one state fair treat may still seem a mystery to you: deep-fried Coke. How can you possibly fry a liquid into perfectly round balls? The secret is to not fry any liquid at all; instead, make a soda-infused dough.

Coca-cola, in its liquid form, is no doubt delicious, but it doesn't have the structure required to make a tangible end-product or the starch needed to create the crisp exterior that one expects from deep-fried foods. In order to address these issues, one must instead incorporate the Coke into a fry-able dough, not unlike fritters. This dough includes ingredients like flour that thicken the Coke and introduce a neutral starch that doesn't compete with the flavor of the beverage. 

Now that you know the mechanics behind frying Coca-Cola, it becomes all the easier to attempt from the comfort of your own kitchen. First, reduce your Coke (or other cola of choice) in order to concentrate its flavor and make it easier to work with. All you have to do is simmer your bottle of cola on the stove for about a half hour or until it has reached a syrupy consistency. Next, combine the syrup with the dry ingredients of any basic pancake or sweet fritter recipe — all you really need is flour and a bit of leavener to get the job done. Once the ingredients come together to form a dough, roll it into balls and fry until golden.

Deep-fried Coke is typically served topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and occasionally a few maraschino cherries. Alternatively, we recommend trying them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of any leftover Coke syrup. You can also create entirely new variations with this technique: add a splash of rum to your cola reduction for a boozy, cocktail-inspired twist, or use a different soda altogether to create a fried treat all your own.