Originally invented in Scotland, the deep-fried Mars Bar has become famous worldwide! It’s the perfect dessert for anyone looking for an indulgently crispy, fudgy, chocolate fix. Learn how to deep fry Mars bars with this tried-and-tested recipe from Frymax, which is ideal for home cooks, chippies, food trucks, and restaurants.
A Little History About Deep Fried Mars Bars!
This recipe is one with a sense of humour – it’s known as the unofficial official Scottish national dish! Yes, it’s delicious. And yes, you should try it!
The rumours say that the dish was first invented in Stonehaven, Scotland in the Haven Chip Bar (now rebranded as The Carron), back in 1955. Two lads had been chatting to the chippie and wanted to see exactly how far they could push the deep fryer, asking the cook to pop a Mars Bar into some batter and see what happened! And the rest, they say, is history.
What started as a dare is now possibly the most beloved dessert in the world, achieving legendary status! It can now be found in chippies and food trucks across the UK, and even featured on the menu of Scottish chef Ross Kendall’s Le Chipper restaurant in Paris in 2000.
Nutritional Information and Serving Size of Our Deep Fried Mars Bars Recipe
Serving Size: 133g (4.7 oz)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories Per Serving: 411
Total Fat: 15.2g
Saturated Fat: 4.9g
Trans Fat: 0g
Total Carbohydrate: 60g
Dietary Fibre: 2g
Sugars: 31g
Cholesterol: 166mg
Sodium: 415mg
Protein: 10g
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 Mars Bars
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- ½ cup of milk
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ a teaspoon of salt
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying (palm oil works best!)
- Cinnamon for dusting
- Ice-cream for serving (vanilla is the best!)
Method
- Chill your Mars Bars in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes – Don’t freeze them
- While they are chilling, beat the egg and sugar together until it’s creamy
- Add in the dry ingredients and the milk
- Mix until fully combined
- Heat up oil in a deep pot, pan, or deep fryer until it is 200 degrees Celsius
- Dip an unwrapped, chilled Mars Bar into the mixture until fully covered, and lower it gently into the hot oil
- Cook for 30 seconds or until it turns a rich golden brown
- Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain
- Repeat with the rest of the Mars Bars
- Cut in half, draping each portion over some ice cream
- Dust with cinnamon and dig in!
Tips for Deep Frying Mars Bars
- If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the temperature of your oil using a small piece of bread to see if it’s ready for deep frying.
- Never freeze the Mars Bars! Placing a frozen Mars Bar into 200-degree oil can cause it to explode or the oil to bubble over, and it will leave the Mars Bar frozen in the centre rather than melting and fudgy.
- Always deep fry Mars Bars, as shallow frying gives an uneven result, and the batter tends to fall off and pool.
- Don’t add all the Mars Bars at once, as they will crowd the oil, drop the temperature (this will make the batter mix soggy!) and stick together.
- The batter should be thick enough to coat the Mars Bars fully. If it is too thick, add a little bit of extra milk at the tip to thin it out. If it’s too thin, you can either add another egg (especially if you used a small egg) or a little more flour.
- We recommend dusting with cinnamon because this brings out the chocolate flavour, but you can skip this step.
- You can also add coconut to the batter.
- You can change up the recipe by using ½ cup flour with ½ cup cornflour for extra crispiness
What is The Best Oil for Deep-fried Mars Bars?
For this recipe, it’s essential to use high-quality frying oil that has no scent or flavour! We recommend palm oil – not to be confused with palm kernel oil – for deep-fried Mars Bars because it has a high smoke point (won’t burn or decolour). When an oil has a lower smoke point, the fats in it burn and become acidic, bitter-tasting, brown, and toxic. Palm oil also has a neutral taste, so it doesn’t impact the flavour of the dessert while giving you a golden, crispy, and delicious result.
Alternatives for a Mars Bar
Whether you love a deep-fried chocolate dessert, want to fit it into a theme, or simply want to try something different, you can use these alternatives:
- Cadbury crème eggs
- Twix
- Toblerone
- Kit Kat
- Snickers
- Cadbury Wispa/Wispa Gold
- Cadbury flake
- Kinder bar
- Galaxy ripple
- Yorkie bar
- Toffee crisp
See more deep-fried food recipes here.
Get the Best Oil for Deep Frying from Frymax – the UK’s Leading Supplier of Sustainable Palm Oil
Looking for high-quality, sustainable palm oil for deep frying? Frymax supplies trans-fat-free, fully segregated certified sustainable palm oil to our clients in the restaurant and hospitality industry. With superior quality single-source RSPO palm oil, we’re committed to helping you create a more sustainable, ethical, and healthier world. For more information don’t hesitate to get in contact with the helpful Frymax team.
Become a Frymax member today to gain access to exclusive content, expert frying advice and the chance to enter our fantastic competitions.
