Soft, buttery beignets, that are not too sweet so the powdered sugar on top can shine! These beignets are light and airy like beignets should be. The perfect Beignets Recipe which you will want to make over and over again!
A while ago while at a Carribean/Southern restaurant I spotted the waitress taking some Beignets to a table next to ours. I couldn't help stretching my neck to check out the basket of puffy buns generously dusted with powdered sugar.
The Beignets were calling my name but I had no place to keep them because, on that day, we ordered a ridiculous amount of food and my tummy was full. There was no space for more.
But I just couldn't get the picture of the Beignets I saw out of my mind. So I read up some recipes online and started trying to make my own Beignets.
First, the Beignets I made were dense and not as airy on the inside. Then after experimenting more, I was able to nail the perfect soft light Beignets. And that's the Beignets Recipe I am sharing with you today!
My whole family goes crazy for these. So addictive! We love them warm with hot chocolate for breakfast. Mr. N took some to work and his colleagues loved it!
Take this to your next potluck or Christmas party and you will be the star of the day! These Beignets are simple enough to make but elegant enough to be a star on your serving table.
They take a bit of time but they are ridiculously easy! Just make sure you follow the recipe to the letter and you will have soft buttery Beignets.
What Are Beignets?
Beignets are a form of deep-fried dough popular in the city of New Orleans, in the US Southern state of Louisiana. They are mostly shaped into squares, they are puffy and are dusted with powdered sugar. Beignets are mostly served with cafe au lait (coffee with hot milk).
"Beignets' is a French word which translates to 'fritters' in English. It is pronounced "ben-yay". Don't be like my husband's colleagues and pronounce it "beg-nets". 
How Are Beignets Different from Donuts?
Beignets and donuts are quite similar in that they are both deep-fried dough. However, beignets are shaped into squares while the regular American doughnuts are round with holes in the middle. Also, beignets are very light and hollow in the middle.
Beignets are not as sweet as regular American donuts. Most of the sweetness you get from beignets comes from the sugar on the top.
How to Make Beignets
Here is a run-down of the steps required in making beignets (be sure to check out the complete recipe below for accurate measurements):
1. Combine yeast and warm milk and let it rest.
2. Add sugar, egg and melted butter and mix well.
3. Add flour and salt then mix to form a dough.
4. Knead the dough until elastic then place in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.
5. Punch down dough and roll out into a rectangle.
6. Cut the rectangle into squares.
7. Deep fry the squares until golden brown.
8. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Enjoy!
More deep-fried dough recipes that are irresistible:
Soft, buttery beignets! The one and only Beignets Recipe you will ever need. Enjoy these with tea or coffee. So good.
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (480g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 ½ cup lukewarm milk (360ml)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (7g or ¼ oz)
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons butter - melted I used corn oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar for sprinkling
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Place milk in a large bowl then add the yeast. Let it rest for 2 minutes then add the sugar, egg, and butter and mix well.
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Add the flour and salt and mix well to form a dough. The dough will be slightly sticky and that's okay! Place the dough on a floured board and knead for about 5 minutes until it is no longer sticky.
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Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel then place in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. Alternately, place in the fridge to rise overnight.
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Punch down dough to remove excess air. (If you kept the dough in the fridge then let it rest out of the fridge for about 30 minutes until it reaches room temperature before you follow this step.
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Place dough on a floured board and roll out into a large (14 by 12 inch) rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 2-inch squares. Let the cut-out dough rest for about 10 minutes while you heat up the oil.
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Place oil in a frying pan up to 3 or 4 inches. Let it heat up on medium heat for about 8 minutes. If using a thermometer to measure, heat up the oil until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Let it fry for about 1-2 minutes on one side then flip to the other side and let it fry for another 1-2 minutes. Remove and place on paper towels to absorbs the excess oil. Sprinkle with confectioners/icing sugar.
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Enjoy your beignets with tea or coffee.
1. These beignets fry very fast so be sure to keep an eye on them so they do not burn. They only need to cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
2. Note that these beignets aren't very sweet - which is one thing I love about them! Most of the sweetness comes from the sugar sprinkled on top. So you could choose to pile sugar on top if you want more sweetness.
3. These beignets are best enjoyed warm. There's just nothing like freshly made Beignets. So soft and irresistible. But you could serve them cold too.
4. Make-Ahead Tip: Make the dough the day before and place in the fridge then take it out the next day and bring to room temperature then you roll out and cut.
I absolutely adore beignets
Ha. Me too!
What kind of oil is used to fry the beignets??
Hi Cindy, any neutral tasting oil like vegetable oil would work.
Thanks for this ma. I will try it. Am already in love with it.
You are most welcome. Please let me know how it goes when you try it.
Just want to point out, they are popular in the state of Louisiana*/CITY of New Orleans.
Thanks, Constance!
Can I use a deep fryer for this?
Yes you can.
These were wonderful!! My family loved them, thanks for sharing!
So glad you loved it, Lisa!
Can these be frozen?
Yes, they freeze well.
Love it!!! I will definitely make this recipe. I know this sounds silly but I want to make it less oil... is it possible to bake in the oven cover or spray oil instead of flying?
Hi Alex, I haven't tried it that way so not sure how it will turn out.
Can we bake it instead of frying
Hi Joy, sorry that won't work.
Is there a way to make them gluten-free???
Hi, sorry I haven't tried them gluten free before.
OK! NOW you make me miss my home of New Orleans even more!! Love love love YOUR recipe, thank you Merry Christmas! Where do YOU live??
Thank you so much Rose. I live in California.