Have the wonderful experience of eating New Orleans Beignets right in your home with this easy Homemade Beignets recipe.
Think you have to live in New Orleans to enjoy Beignets? Think again. These pillowy pieces of deep fried dough coated in powdered sugar can be enjoyed at home. They’re really not hard at all to make.
All it takes to make beignets is some dough and some hot oil. They can be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert, or a snack and are especially good with a cup of coffee.
That’s a mound of beignets isn’t it?
What Are Beignets?
Beignets are pieces of yeast dough that has been cut into squares, deep-fried until golden and covered with powdered sugar. They are ownderful paired with a cafe au lait. Beignets were brought to New Orleans by 18th century French Colonists and they have become one of New Orleans most iconic foods.
This Homemade Beignets recipe is from Paula Deen and like all her recipes, it is slap your mama good!
It is best to make the dough a day ahead of time so plan ahead. Also, this recipe makes a huge amount of beignets, so you may want to cut it in half if you don’t plan on feeding half the neighborhood.
Be sure to go heavy on the powdered sugar. 🙂
I think you will find these are some of the best beignets you have eaten. Even better than Cafe du Monde.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy beignet recipe, try these Biscuit Beignets.
Keep Dough For 3 Days
The dough needs to be made a day in advance and will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. That’s 3 days you can have fresh beignets!
How To Store
Beignets unfortunately do not keep well. It’s best to fry up just the amount you want to eat right away. Leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator where it will keep for 3 days.
Cook’s Note
Be careful when you eat beignets that you don’t inhale the powdered sugar. It is easy to do!
More New Orleans Favorites
- Mardi Gras Monkey Bread
- Mardi Gras Pound Cake
- Bananas Foster Coffee Cake
- Pecan Praline Cheesecake
- King Cake Cracker Candy
- Cinnamon-Pecan King Cake
- Bananas Foster Cake
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Watch the short video below to see how easy it is to make Homemade Beignets.
Homemade Beignets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 2 eggs,, slightly beaten
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 7 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup shortening
- Vegetable oil
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, and evaporated milk together.
- Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix.
- Stir in 3 cups of bread flour. (A wooden spoon is good for stirring.)
- Add shortening and stir it in. Stir in remaining flour.Note: The video above shows melted shortening being used, but there is no need to melt the shortening. It will mix in just fine in solid form.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
- Coat a large bowl with oil, place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let rise at least 2 hours or place in refrigerator overnight.
- Pour about 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven and heat to 350 degrees.
- Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut 2-inch squares. (This is easy to do with a pizza cutter.)
- Working about 4 at a time, place in oil and fry, flipping continuously until they are golden brown.
- Test one to make sure it is cooked through. Drain on paper towels and coat with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Paula Deen
Originally posted February 4, 2015.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Made these today…absolutely delicious and just like New Orleans. How long does the dough keep in the fridge? Also, can you make other things with this dough?
The dough should keep for a good 3 days or so. I haven’t thought about making anything else with it. You could make a creamy filling and use a pastry bag to fill the middle once they are fried.
How long do they keep?
They should be eaten right away. You can kkep the dough in the fridge and not fry it all at the ame time though.
When stirring in the flour, do I mix by hand or use a electric or stand mixer?
It’s easier using your hands because I tried to mix by hand and it started to get harder and harder to so you can just flour a surface and knead the dough until it’s soft and put it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to let it rise.
When stir in flour, do you do this by hand or using a electric or stand mixture?
What kind of shortening do you use? Butter? Margarine?
Crisco solid vegetable shortening.
I cannot tell you how pleased I am to get the Beignets recipe. They are wonderful. Just like I remembered. Thank you.
So glad you like them!
Can you freeze the extra dough
Not really sure. I haven’t tried freezing it.
I have frozen dough before. I actually find that they turn out better when not made right away. Leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight (even a couple of days ahead) or make dough ahead and freeze. Just do not save beignets once you have fried them. They are not good unless fresh and hot. 🔥😋
Do you use all purpose or self rise flour?
Regular bread flour. I don’t think there is such a thing as self-rising bread flour.
so, all purpose?
All-purpose flour is different than bread flour. Here is a link to bread flour- https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pilsbury-Bread-Flour-5-lbs/10308169?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227010201924&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=66579217232&wl4=pla-130448822192&wl5=9011146&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=10308169&wl13=&veh=sem
Yeah, there is. Make beerbread with it. Found in grocery stores in pacufic northwest.
I’ve used bread flour and all purpose flour in the past and have enjoyed them greatly. But when I ran out of both (with no time to go to the store) I tried using cake flour and have discovered that they turn out fluffier. My entire family can’t get enough of them. I’m now constantly making them this way.
Dont forget to blow the person across from you in the face with the powdered sugar !!!!!!!!!!! That’s Cafe De Monte style !!!!!!!
Question: What oil do you use for frying? I know that can make a difference in taste. Thx!
I usually use Vegetable oil.