These New Orleans beignets are so soft, pillowy and light! I’ve gone for an authentic take on these delicious southern fritters. They are easy to make and will not disappoint!
Ever since our trip to New Orleans, I’ve been dreaming about the deep fried, fluffy, piled-high-with-sugar beignets recipe at the legendary Café Du Monde. The historical French Market has been serving up the delicious French-style beignets and coffee since 1862. Traditional New Orleans Beignets are the only food they serve, so they definitely do it right. And the place is almost always packed. Since we live about 1,900 miles from New Orleans, I figured I’d try a few recipes out so I can make them from scratch at home! They’re really not that difficult to make, but we’ll keep them as special treats for holidays or birthday requests. And the pile of powdered sugar makes them pretty charming and delicious!! If you’re looking for a super easy way to make these beignets, check out our store-bought dough version in the video below!
How To Make New Orleans Beignets
- 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 cups of 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!!
Where Do Beignets Come From?
The word beignet (pronounced ben-YAY) comes from the early Celtic word bigne meaning “to raise.” It is also French for “fritter.” Beignets have been associated with Mardi Gras in France since at least the 16th century, and many recipes for beignets appear in French works around the same time.
What Is A New Orleans Beignet?
Traditional French beignets are part of the French choux pastry family, which are raised in steam and have a hollow center. This method gives French beignets a light and pillowy texture.
New Orleans beignets vary from the traditional French choux pastry beignet because they’re raised with yeast instead of steam. They are fried, raised pieces of yeast dough, usually about 2 inches in diameter or 2 inches square. However, New Orleans’s beignets are still an utterly delicious and extremely popular form of fried dough!
What To Drink With a Beignet
Having a hot drink to accompany your sweet beignets makes a great pairing. To balance out the sugar, try drinking coffee with chicory, which offers the perfect amount of bitterness , in addition to some extra New Orleans authenticity.
Top Tips For Making New Orleans Beignets
- Beignets are best prepared right before consumption
- 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.
Check Out These Delicious Homemade Donut Recipes
Homemade White Chocolate Matcha Donuts
Homemade Pumpkin Filled Donut Holes
Baked Chocolate Donuts With Homemade Magic Shell Coating
Easy Homemade Donut Holes by The Chunky Chef
Grandma’s Famous Homemade Donuts by Lil’ Luna
If you have tried this New Orleans Beignets recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
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 cups of 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!!
Skye Parker says
April 9, 2014 at 5:06 pmThese look heavenly. Wow – a lotta powdered sugar. Yum.
Erin k says
April 10, 2014 at 11:15 amThose look just like the cafe du monde beignets! It’s supposed to have that much sugar, it’s more for look although it’s hard not to keep dipping it back in lol 😉
Kailey says
August 12, 2014 at 8:21 amHow many will this make???
Claudia says
February 20, 2015 at 12:45 pmCan I substitue bread flour with all purpose flour?
Courtney says
September 9, 2015 at 4:49 pmI’m so excited to make these. Can you make the dough ahead and refrigerate it? If so, how long can you store the dough for? Thanks!
Bobye Bickel says
October 27, 2016 at 12:04 pmDo you have a printer friendly file of this recipe?
milli johnson says
August 4, 2017 at 10:25 amhow can you make these and not have them dry out and get hard. the smart way
Christina says
September 16, 2017 at 8:43 pmOmg what a great recipe.. it comes out perfect every time if you have the patience for it.
Karen says
April 21, 2018 at 9:25 pmThese were AMAZING! First time making these and they are super easy. In addition to powdered sugar I served them with little cups of warm dark chocolate sauce, salted bourbon caramel sauce and raspberry sauce – everyone went crazy!
Makes WAY more than a dozen! I made three dozen and had dough left over. My only suggestion it to divide dough into 3 or 4 manageable sections to roll out, otherwise it’s very difficult to get it to 1/4” thick.
May says
April 27, 2018 at 1:53 amHi. I live in south africa and we aren’t familiar with shortening because we don’t get that here. What can I use as a substitute?
Christina says
July 4, 2018 at 10:40 pmI make this same recipe every time and it comes out perfect every time.. I make them for so many people and they are just the best..
Eden says
July 6, 2018 at 9:11 pmLove hearing that!!