Easy Authentic Beignets
on Feb 12, 2021, Updated Jan 13, 2024
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You are in for a treat with this classic Beignet recipe. Beignets are like an easy version of donuts. They are pillowy, deep fried, dusted with powdered sugar, and to die for!
Beignets originate from France and can be translated in English to mean fritter. They are extremely popular in New Orleans. When you make these delicious treats at home it’s just like being transported to the French Quarter.
Classic beignets are best served warm. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days and bring the dough back to room temperature when you are ready to fry them up. If I’m baking for a crowd I like to double this recipe because they disappear fast!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy these are to make. I think they are much easier to make than donuts and faster too.
- While traditional beignets are sweet, they can be adapted to include various fillings or toppings, appealing to a wide range of tastes and preferences.
- They are light, airy and taste delicious
Recipe Ingredients
- Instant or Rapid-Rise Yeast: Speeds up bread making, no proofing needed.
- Sugar: Sweetens and aids in browning.
- Eggs: Add structure and richness.
- Vegetable Oil (in dough): Moistens and tenderizes dough.
- Flour: Provides structure and elasticity.
- Salt: Enhances flavor, controls yeast.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: For dusting, adds sweetness.
- Vegetable Oil (for frying): Used for deep-frying, creates crispiness.
How To Make Beignets
- Combine water, yeast, and sugar; wait until foamy (5 mins).
- Add eggs and oil; mix in flour and salt to form dough.
- Cover and refrigerate dough to rise (1 hour).
- Prepare baking sheet with wire rack and paper towels.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven to 350℉.
- Roll dough, cut into squares, and fry until golden.
- Drain on paper towels, transfer to rack.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are both similar actually. Both donuts and beignets are made from yeast and deep fried producing a delicious treat. They differ in shape and by a few ingredients. Beignets are a lot lighter than a donut as they are hollow in the middle.
You can pair beignets with your favorite hot drink, add some fruit on the side, or just eat it as dessert. Dipped in chocolate sauce would also be delicious. You really just can’t go wrong.
Beignet is a French word. The proper pronunciation is ben-yay.
Beignets taste like a light, airy fried bread dough, they don’t actually have a ton of flavor on their own. The powered sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness that you need.
Do I need a deep fryer to make this beignet recipe?
You can make beignets in a deep frying pan like dutch oven or even a deep pot. No one likes hot oil splashing on them, so the deeper the better. You’ll need 2-3 inches of oil in the bottom of your pan.
Expert Tips
- Don’t let a little frying scare you! It’s so fun to know how to make things like this even if the cooking method might be new to you. A heavy bottomed pan, a thermometer, and a spider strainer (to get the food out of the hot oil) will make all the difference.
- Don’t be stingy on the powdered sugar and consider serving them with a shaker of powdered sugar on the side so folks can add more as they like while eating. That’s how they are served in New Orleans.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Easy Authentic Beignets
Equipment
- Thermometer
- Spider Strainer
- Heavy Bottomed Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water, (110℉)
- 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- confectioners’ sugar, at least 1 cup
- additional 2 quarts of vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the eggs and 2 tablespoons of oil into yeast mixture.
- Add the flour, salt and stir together until well combined. The dough will be a bit sticky, that’s ok.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (sometimes lightly wetting the edge of the bowl helps the plastic wrap to stick on tightly). Refrigerate dough for about an hour, until it has nearly doubled in size.
- Prepare for frying the beignets by setting a wire rack into a rimmed baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
- Pour the 2 quarts of oil into a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or large skillet, it should fill the bottom of the pot 2-3 inches. Heat over medium to medium-high heat.
- Transfer dough onto a floured counter and cut in half. With one half of the dough, pat into a rectangular shape with floured hands, flipping to coat with flour. Roll dough out into ¼-inch-thick rectangle (about 12 by 9 inch).
- Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into twelve 3-inch squares.
- Repeat this process with the second piece of dough.
- When the oil is 350℉ (using a thermometer is the easiest way to gauge this), add a few beignets at a time (don’t over crowd the pan). Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes total, flipping halfway through frying.
- Transfer beignets to the pan with the paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough.
- When they are cool enough to touch but still hot place them on the rack set inside the pan. Dust heavily with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
Notes
- Don’t let a little frying scare you! It’s so fun to know how to make things like this even if the cooking method might be new to you. A heavy
- bottomed pan, a thermometer, and a spider strainer (to get the food out of the hot oil) will make all the difference.
- Don’t be stingy on the powdered sugar and consider serving them with a shaker of powdered sugar on the side so folks can add more as they like while eating. That’s how they are served in New Orleans.
This recipe turned out great. It tasted amazing. I actually didn’t end up putting mine in the fridge. I let it proof on the counter and it turned out amazing. My Seven is absolutely in love. We did it together and she Can’t wait for tomorrow morning for us to make the rest
The recipe was an absolute disaster when I tried to make it and I followed it to the T. The dough was super sticky before placing it in the fridge for 90 mins. When i tried to roll it, it was sticking on every single thing, so I had to add 1.5 more cups of flour to the dough in order to get somewhat of a decent dough to roll. Anyways they finally made it to the dutch pan and came out looking super ugly, but the taste was 7/10. The texture of the dough was inconsistent but mostly airy and fluffy. Not sure if i’ll try this recipe again, but appreciate you for giving me a starting point.
You can try leaving it in the fridge longer too, like overnight, and that helps the dough to be more workable because it’s colder.
This was my first time making beignets and they turned out great. Thanks for the great, easy to make recipe!
My 15 year old son decided he wanted to make beignets yesterday. For some reason I will probably never understand, and since we have never made or even tasted one we went on the search for a recipe. We found yours and tried it this morning. Those were the best thing we have tried in a while. It was so easy to make and tasted delicious. We will definitely keep this recipe on hand.
He sounds like my kids and that’s awesome he just whipped them up! Thank you for letting me know!!
The only problem I have with this recipe is the fact that it is so easy and good. They are a snap to throw together and put in the fridge overnight, ready to fry up in the morning. Great recipe!!
These were great! I let the dough rise in the fridge over night, then they were quick to fry up the next morning. I love to dip them in chocolate or caramel!
Was your frying oil hot enough? That first little pop or heat is what makes them puff!
I’d be tempted to fill it and top it like an eclair!