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These New Orleans beignets are so soft, pillowy and light! An authentic take on the classic southern fritters. They are easy to make and will not disappoint!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItEver since our trip to New Orleans, I can’t stop thinking about the fluffy, sugar-dusted beignets from the legendary Café Du Monde. They’ve been serving them up since 1862—just beignets and coffee, and they’ve perfected both.
Since we’re about 1,900 miles away, I started making them at home. They’re easier than you’d think, but I save them for holidays or birthday requests. That mountain of powdered sugar? Pure magic.
Want a shortcut? Try our store-bought dough version in the video below. Homemade is my favorite, but both are completely charming (and messy—in the best way).
Beignets Ingredients
Active Dry Yeast – Gives the beignets their signature puff and airy texture.
Warm Water – Wakes up the yeast so the magic can happen.
White Sugar – Adds a touch of sweetness to the dough.
Salt – Brings out all the delicious flavors.
Eggs – Add richness and structure.
Evaporated Milk – Creamy and concentrated for extra flavor (about 60% of the water is removed).
Bread Flour – Higher protein content for the perfect chewy-meets-fluffy bite.
Shortening – A solid vegetable fat that makes the dough tender.
Vegetable Oil – For frying those golden pillows to perfection.
Confectioners’ Sugar – The snowy, sweet finishing touch every beignet needs.
How to Make Traditional Beignets
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and stir. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- In a standalone mixer, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, and salt and beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low, add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture.
- Then add in 3 cups of the bread flour and mix on low.
- Add the shortening in and continue to mix before adding the remaining 3 1/2 cups of bread flour. DON’T over mix!
- Knead the dough until smooth (it shouldn’t be stiff). Then place back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Set the bowl in a warm area and let it rise for 2 hours.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4″ thick. Then slice into 2″ squares with a pizza cutter.
- Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Or you can be like me and just wait until it’s pretty hot.
- Then place a few dough squares in the hot oil and watch the magic happen! Turn them so they don’t burn on one side.
- When you remove them, dust with a light layer of powdered sugar, until all of them are done, then pile powdered sugar on top.
Recipe Tips
Beignets are best prepared right before consumption and served warm.
Beignets are best served fresh, but you can fry them 2 hours ahead of time and reheat.
Don’t skimp on the powdered sugar.
Use a pizza cutter to cut up the dough, it really saves time.
Beignets FAQ’s
Beignets are small, fried pastries that are shaped as a square or a rectangle. They are airy and light inside and are covered in powdered sugar. They’re also made with yeast dough, which gives them a distinct flavor. The difference between a beignet and a donut is the active ingredients, the shape, and the texture.
They have a similar taste to a donut and funnel cake. However, the texture of a beignet is much more airy and soft. They are sweetened with powdered sugar and the dough is not as sweet as a donut.
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If you try this New Orleans Beignets recipe, then please rate it and let us know how it turned out in the comments below! We’ve been making them for years and would love to know your thoughts.
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Traditional New Orleans Beignets Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 6 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a standalone mixer, combine the eggs, evaporated milk and salt and beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low, add in the yeast mixture to the egg mixture.
- Then add in 3 cups of the bread flour and mix on low.
- Add the shortening in and continue to mix before adding the remaining 3 1/2 cups bread flour. DON’T over mix!
- Knead the dough until smooth (it shouldn’t be stiff). Then place back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Set the bowl in a warm area and let it rise for 2 hours.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4″ thick. Then slice into 2″ squares with a pizza cutter.
- Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Or you can be like me and just wait until it’s pretty hot ; )
- Then place a few dough squares in the hot oil and watch the magic happen! Turn them so they don’t burn on one side.
- When you remove them, dust with a light layer of powdered sugar, until all of them are done, then pile powdered sugar on top! And don’t be shy!!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are the best! I make them all the time and they always work and taste so delicious!
I’ve been making this recipe for years now, and it’s always a hit!
So glad they worked for you! I need to retake these photos, this post is so old! Hahah!
Can you make dough a head of time and refrigerate it and use the next day?
Hi Lisa – Not sure if that would work, we didn’t try it. However it might change the outcome of them since the dough should be room temp.
how long can you store the dough? any tips on how to keep it and use when needed?
These were amazing! Our dough made about 40 beignets… which was a little more than expected for our family of four. Really great taste! Definitely a keeper recipe for our book! 🙂
These were – TDF! seriously the best thing we have had!
Oh! Thank you Melissa!! LOVE hearing this!
I am planning on making these this weekend! I can’t get enough! They are so yummy!
My absolute favorite!! Pillows of goodness! I need to make them more often!
This recipe is awesome! I made this the other day and the end result was so delicious it was worth it! My kids enjoyed the beignets and are asking for more.
Absolute pillowy perfection, we dipped them into Nutella, super yummy!