New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (2024)

by Ashley Manila 271 Comments

Now you can have New Orleans-Style Beignets without leaving the comfort of your home! If you’ve never enjoyed these soft and pillowy fried doughnuts before, you’re in for a treat. Because this is the best beignet recipe!

New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (1)

Beignets Recipe

We’re heading to New Orleans for vacation today! And I’m SO ready for it. But before we head to the airport, I’m popping in so I can share these beignets with you. And while I can’t say they’re exactly as good as the ones they serve at Café du Monde (aka the best beignets in New Orleans), I can say they’re pretty darn close. So yeah, I guess you could say this is my copycat Cafe du Monde recipe!

They fry up crispy, chewy, and golden brown! Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm!

New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (2)What is a Beignet?

To put it simply, beignets are square shaped pieces of dough that are deep fried and generously sprinkled with confectioners sugar. They’re best served hot and are best paired with a cup of coffee, or café au lait!

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”gqVBe5G1″ upload-date=”2020-01-08T23:30:48.000Z” name=”New Orleans-Style Beignets” description=”Learn how to make New Orleans-Style Beignets! AKA Fried Dough covered in powdered sugar! An easy recipe anyone can make! ” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (3)

Tips and Tricks:

  • First things first: you need a deep fry (aka candy thermometer) for this recipe. Because if your hot oil temperature is off, your fried dough will be too. This is the candy thermometer I use, and I love it. It’s less than 10 bucks and I’ve probably used it over a hundred times!
  • To proof the yeast mixture, your water should be between 110 and 115 degrees (F). If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast cells, and if it’s too cold, the yeast will remain dormant and the dough won’t rise.
  • Because beignets are best eaten hot, I highly suggest serving these as soon as possible! Once they’ve sat, they become soggy and unappealing.
  • This recipe requires bread flour. Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has a tiny amount of barley flour and vitamin C added. The barley flour helps the yeast activate, and the vitamin C increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises.
  • The dough does need to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours. The good news? It can be made up to 24 hours in advance!
  • You should also know this recipe makes a TON of beignets, so I suggest having friends over to help you eat them all 😉
  • Finally, don’t skip the confectioner’s sugar! Without it, the beignets are quite plain. To make “dressing” the beignets an easy affair, place them in a paper bag – a few at a time – with a generous amount of sugar and shake for a few seconds. Be sure to have paper towels nearby too… as there’s sure to be a little mess!

Serve these warm, with extra powdered sugar and strong coffee. And enjoy!

If you try this recipe for New Orleans-Style Beignets, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥

More Beignet Recipes:

  • Lemon Beignets with Fresh Berries
  • Chocolate Beignets

New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (5)

New Orleans-Style Beignets

Ashley Manila

Now you can have New Orleans-Style Beignets without leaving home!

4.96 from 90 votes

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Inactive Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 3 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups warm water, between 110 and 115 degrees (F)
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 7 cups bread flour
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 cups peanut oil, for deep frying
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

  • In a medium-size bowl, add the warm water, sugar, and yeast and whisk well to combine. Sit aside for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has bubbled up and become foamy.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and evaporated milk. Beat in 3 and 1/2 cups of the flour until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly pour in the yeast mixture (careful here - this mixture can splash up if added to quickly!); beat until smooth. Add in the butter and beat until incorporated. Finally, beat in the remaining 3 and 1/2 cups of flour and salt. Beat until dough is smooth and cohesive; about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.

  • Line a large rimmed baking sheet with three layers of paper towels, set aside.

  • In a large enameled cast-iron pan, heat4-inches of oil to 360 degrees (F). Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into 2 and 1/2-inch squares.

  • In batches, fry the dough until they puff up and are golden brown in color, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beignets to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

  • Dust with powdered sugar and serve at once!

Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature

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Reader Interactions

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  1. New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (11)Myshka says

    New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (12)
    I had never seen nor tasted a Beignet before but I stumbled on this recipe and had to try it. I left the dough in the fridge for 24 hours and it quadrupled in size. When cooking I used canola oil as I had no peanut oil. I had to eyeball the temperature as I had no thermometer.

    All in all, they came out great and tasted like billowy pillows of happiness. For some reason, my oil started foaming up and was preventing me from looking at the dough as it fried but other than that, it went swimmingly.

    Reply

  2. New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (13)Jane says

    How long do these last before going stale? I have made similar baked goods that go stale within 2 days.

    Thanks

    Reply

  3. New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (14)Christina says

    Sounds delicious but impossible to do for me. Would have been good to have Centigrade, gram and so on.

    Reply

  4. New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (15)Carrie says

    New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (16)
    These turned out great! So soft inside! I’ve made scones before, but this was my first beignet. Chilling the dough before rolling it out seemed to help a lot.

    Reply

  5. New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (17)Kevin S. says

    New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (18)
    Way better than Café du Monde!

    Reply

  6. New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (19)Brit says

    Do you have to let the dough come to room temperature prior to frying?

    Reply

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New Orleans-Style Beignets Recipe - The Best Beignet Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my beignets not fluffy? ›

Do not add too many pieces to the oil or else the oil temperature will drop and your beignets will be fry up flat. They will not puff up. The only other reason the dough does not puff up would be if you rolled the beignet dough too flat. Try rolling the dough a little thicker.

What oil does Cafe du Monde use for beignets? ›

The Café Du Monde beignet is a square piece of dough, always fried in cottonseed oil and lavishly covered with powdered sugar. A plate of three is served for less than $3.

What's the difference between French beignets and New Orleans beignets? ›

The difference between classic French beignets and the New Orleans-style fritters seen can be found in the preparation of the dough. The former is made from pâte à choux, while those from the Big Easy are made from leavened dough that's cut into squares and fried until crispy on the outside and airy within.

How many pounds of powdered sugar does Cafe du Monde use? ›

Do you know how many pounds of powdered sugar the famous Café du Monde in New Orleans goes through? To keep their famous beignets completely loaded with powdered sugar, they use approximately 5,000 lbs every week!

What kind of flour does Cafe du Monde use? ›

A yeast dough will produce a lighter and sweeter beignet than a basic white flour dough, which many recipes recommend. Cafe du Monde uses multiple flours in their mix, including rye flour, and they aren't willing to share the exact mix and proportions in their recipe.

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 are my beignets raw in the middle? ›

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.

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.

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.”

Can Cafe du Monde beignet mix go bad? ›

We DO NOT recommend using our mix after the best by date.

What is the coffee to water ratio for Cafe du Monde? ›

The Coffee and Chicory should be brewed to the ratio of 2.0 US gallons per 13 ounces of Coffee and Chicory. One 15oz can should be brewed with 2.3 US gallons.

What is the most famous beignet shop in Louisiana? ›

Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter is the oldest and most iconic beignet shop, but several other cafes have become local favorites such as Cafe Beignet and Loretta's Authentic Pralines for their praline-filled beignets.

What is the name of the dough in beignets? ›

Beignets are commonly served hot with powdered sugar for breakfast or as a dessert. They are made by deep-frying choux pastry dough, which puffs up when cooked.

Are beignets better warm or cold? ›

Make sure to fry the Beignets in batches and don't overcrowd the pan or the oil will cool down too much. Beignets are best served hot or warm straight after frying they don't taste nearly as good the next day.

How many beignets does Cafe du Monde Mix make? ›

A: Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix. Our 28oz. box makes up to four dozen French doughnuts.

Why does Café du Monde fry the beignets in cotton seed oil? ›

“Cottonseed oil is part of the original recipe,” says Benrud. “If you want to maintain consistent flavor from one generation to the next, you have to adhere to your original recipe.” Café Du Monde knows it can count on cottonseed oil for another 150 years.

Can you air fry a Cafe du Monde beignet? ›

They are hot, light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. Made famous by Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, Louisiana, this recipe is perfect when served hot with a cup of coffee or cafe au lait. You'll love that making beignets in an air fryer creates a crisp and golden brown exterior without deep frying.

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