Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (2024)

Bless This Mess Recipes Desserts

By Melissa

5 from 4 votes

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!

Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (2)

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
  • Recipe Ingredients
  • How To Make Beignets
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Expert Tips
  • Easy Authentic Beignets Recipe
Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (3)

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
Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (4)

Recipe Ingredients

  1. Instant or Rapid-Rise Yeast: Speeds up bread making, no proofing needed.
  2. Sugar: Sweetens and aids in browning.
  3. Eggs: Add structure and richness.
  4. Vegetable Oil (in dough): Moistens and tenderizes dough.
  5. Flour: Provides structure and elasticity.
  6. Salt: Enhances flavor, controls yeast.
  7. Confectioners’ Sugar: For dusting, adds sweetness.
  8. Vegetable Oil (for frying): Used for deep-frying, creates crispiness.

How To Make Beignets

Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (5)
  1. Combine water, yeast, and sugar; wait until foamy (5 mins).
  2. Add eggs and oil; mix in flour and salt to form dough.
  3. Cover and refrigerate dough to rise (1 hour).
  4. Prepare baking sheet with wire rack and paper towels.
  5. Heat oil in Dutch oven to 350℉.
  6. Roll dough, cut into squares, and fry until golden.
  7. Drain on paper towels, transfer to rack.
  8. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Difference Between a Beignet and a Doughnut?

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.

What do you eat with beignets?

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.

How do you pronounce beignets?

Beignet is a French word. The proper pronunciation is ben-yay.

What do beignets taste like?

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.

Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (6)

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.
Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (7)
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Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (12)

5 from 4 votes

Easy Authentic Beignets

By: Melissa Griffiths

You are in for a treat with this classic New Orleans beignet recipe. Beignets are pillowy, deep fried dough, dusted with powdered sugar, and to die for!

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Rising Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 24 Beignets

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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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 24 beignets, Calories: 98kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 78mg, Potassium: 24mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 1mg

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Easy Beignet Recipe! (Fried dough) (2024)

FAQs

Are beignets the same as fried dough? ›

A beignet is a sweet fried dough with origins in the fine pastry capital of the world: France. It's also common to find these in areas with heavy French influence, like New Orleans, where they are ubiquitous.

What oil is best for frying beignets? ›

Your cooking oil should be at 370 degrees Fahrenheit. We use cottonseed oil at the Cafe Du Monde, and we recommend you use cottonseed oil. However you may use any vegetable oil you wish. Remember that the temperature of the oil will drop when you add the beignet dough to the oil.

Why are my beignets not fluffy? ›

Tips for MAKING Your Fluffy Beignets:

Really coat that countertop and rolling pin with flour- you do NOT want these babies to stick and they really, REALLY want to. Be sure that you oil is NIICCE and hot. We had our oil even 20 degrees hotter than the box called for and this really seemed to help the dough puff.

What is beignet dough made of? ›

Yeast: This beignet recipe starts with active dry yeast dissolved in warm water. Evaporated milk: You'll need a can of evaporated milk. Sugars: White sugar goes into the dough, while powdered sugar is sprinkled liberally on top of the finished beignets. Eggs: Eggs lend moisture and help bind the dough together.

What is another name for fried dough? ›

Fried dough is also known as fry dough, fry bread (bannock), fried bread, doughboys, elephant ears, beaver tails, scones, pizza fritte, frying saucers, and buñuelos (in the case of smaller pieces).

Why does fried dough taste so good? ›

The feeling and taste of biting into the crunchy surface, and the soft inside is so nice. Also, fat (from the frying oil) adds another dimension of taste to the food. In fact, fatty taste is now commonly accepted as another taste.

How sticky should beignet dough be? ›

If it's not too sticky to knead, knead it on a floured surface or with the dough hook; if it's still pretty sticky, add another 1/2 cup flour. Knead until it's smooth and elastic, yet still tacky. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Are beignets supposed to be doughy in the middle? ›

Are beignets supposed to be doughy? On the inside, beignets should be light and fluffy, like a regular fried doughnut. If your final product is doughy, the oil might have been too cool when you added the beignets, causing them to absorb oil and become doughy.

Can you let beignet dough rise overnight? ›

If you want to prepare the dough ahead of time, you can do a slow rise in the refrigerator overnight. Then you can roll it out and cut the beignets. Since the dough will be cold, let the cut beignets come to room temp for about 30 minutes before frying.

Why do beignets come in threes? ›

At that time, beignets were generally called “French Market doughnuts,” something Fernandez rectified in 1958 when he rebranded them “beignets.” Asked why beignets are always served in threes, Roman had a very simple explanation: “My grandfather always sold them in threes, so that is what we still do today.”

Why are my beignets raw on the inside? ›

Why are my beignets raw in the middle? Oil that's too hot will quickly brown the beignets before the centers have a chance to cook. Make sure to check your oil temperature, and reduce the heat if your beignets are browning too quickly.

What is the English name for beignet? ›

beignet, French-style fried square doughnut. Introduced in Louisiana by the French Acadians in the 18th century, this light pastry is a delicacy in New Orleans. The beignet was named the official state doughnut of Louisiana in 1986. Beignets are commonly served hot with powdered sugar for breakfast or as a dessert.

Should beignets be hollow? ›

Authentic French Quarter beignets should be lightly golden, square, a little hollow, and downright fluffy. And with this recipe and careful frying, your homemade beignets can be just as memorable.

What is the French word for fried dough? ›

Variations of fried dough can be found across cuisines internationally; however, the origin of the term beignet is specifically French.

Is fried dough a New England thing? ›

Fried dough is a popular treat all over the United States, but it is especially popular in New England. It is often sold at fairs, carnivals, and amusem*nt parks in the region. It is also a popular menu item at many seafood restaurants and clam shacks in New England.

Are donuts just fried dough? ›

Donuts (also spelled doughnuts) are deep-fried pastries made from dough. Donut-like fried pastries appear in many forms the world over, both savory and sweet. However, in the United States, donuts are most often sweet treats commonly enjoyed at breakfast.

Is fried dough a NY thing? ›

Fried dough of various types is ubiquitous nationwide (as well as around the world), whether made at home or acquired at one of countless county fairs.

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