Before I moved to Louisiana, I had no idea how big of a deal Mardi Gras is here. Um, yeah, my kids are out of school. My friend Becky in New Orleans has a kid who’s out for 10 days. 10. During the last few years, I’ve really come to love Mardi Gras (lots of fun, very little work on my part–totally my kind of holiday!), so the kids and I were pretty bummed when our parade got rained out on Saturday. To make up for it, we watched The Princess and the Frog, made Beignets (pronounced ben-yays, JUST in case you might be wondering), and I stopped just short of throwing beads and plastic cups at my kids and my cat.
I love this recipe because these babies are not just super, super delicious, but they are so easy, the dough can be made the night before and refrigerated, and they only require one short rise.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Whole milk
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Table salt
- All-purpose flour
- Active dry yeast
- Warm water
- Egg
- Peanut oil – For frying.
How to Make Beignets
- You’ll start by heating some milk, sugar, salt, and oil on the stove top until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. You’ll also get some yeast blooming in water and sugar.
- That all gets mixed up with some flour and and egg to make a soft dough that will stick to your fingers.
- At this point you can either refrigerate the dough for later or continue to the next step.
- When ready to cook, you’ll turn the dough out onto a floured surface, roll it out, and cut it into rectangles, then let them rise for few minutes while you heat your frying oil.
- After the dough has risen, you’ll pop the beignets in the hot oil, a few at a time, until it’s puffed and golden on both sides, flipping half way through.
- When all of your beignets are fried, place some powdered sugar into a fine mesh strainer and generously dust the beignets with the powdered sugar. By “dust,” I’m talking light piles of powdered sugar, not some pansy smattering of powdered sugar. This is a messy operation.
- Eat them immediately while they’re hot!
Storing and Other Tips
- These are best eaten right away! You can still keep them around for a couple of days (or can you?) in an airtight container at room temperature. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before storing.
- Watch that oil temperature carefully! It’s really easy to let your oil get too hot which will result in the outside of your beignets getting overcooked while the middle remains raw. If it’s too low, they will soak up oil and become soggy. Use your candy thermometer and make sure you adjust the heat on your stove as needed to keep the heat steady.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours if needed. When ready to fry, roll out your dough and allow the beignets to rise for 45-60 minutes before frying.
You can also make them ahead of time and store for up to 24 hours before serving. Do not dust with powdered sugar until ready to serve and make sure they are completely cool before storing.
Pretty much, but they have a few specific qualities that set them apart. They are puffy and soft in texture, whereas a lot of doughnuts are a little more dense or chewy. Beignets are traditionally topped with powdered sugar only and doughnuts can have a much larger variety of glazes, icings, and fillings.
Watch your oil temperature carefully and adjust your heat as needed. If the oil cools too much the dough will absorb too much oil. If it gets too hot, they will brown too quickly and the inside won’t cook.
Beignets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons sugar divided
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3 ½ – 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 scant tablespoon dry active yeast
- ½ cup warm water about 105℉
- 1 egg
- peanut oil for frying
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar, vegetable oil, and salt. Heat over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.
- While the milk is heating, combine the yeast and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar with the warm water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until it’s very bubbly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heated milk and 2 cups of flour. Mix, scraping the bowl occasionally, until smooth (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and mix until well-combined. Add the yeast mixture. Add enough flour to make a soft dough that slightly sticks to your finger.
- At this point, you can either place the dough in a bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and cover with a piece of sprayed plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough up to 1 day or you can roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Either way, when you roll it out, roll it into a large rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into about 3″x4″ rectangles. Slightly separate the dough pieces and cover with a clean cloth. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- When the dough has about 15 minutes left to go, heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil in a large skillet or saucepan to 325℉ (just use a candy thermometer). When the oil is heated, fry the dough pieces for about 90 seconds-2 minutes per side or until they are golden. Carefully remove from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
- Place some powdered sugar in a fine-mesh strainer and sprinkle the powdered sugar generously over the beignets. Serve immediately. Makes about 24-30 beignets.
Notes
- These are best eaten right away! You can still keep them around for a couple of days (or can you?) in an airtight container at room temperature. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before storing.
- Watch that oil temperature carefully! It’s really easy to let your oil get too hot which will result in the outside of your beignets getting overcooked while the middle remains raw. If it’s too low, they will soak up oil and become soggy. Use your candy thermometer and make sure you adjust the heat on your stove as needed to keep the heat steady.
Questions & Reviews
Oh wow, these look amazing. Beignets are the main reason why I wanna go to New Orleans. Beignets and Po’Boys, the gorgeous architecture and, well the people too! Thank you so much for this recipe…I can now bring a little New Orleans to my kitchen.
Question, I am not very comfortable with frying but want to make these for company coming this weekend, so I would like to be done with the frying before they come for dinner. (You know, so they don’t hear the squeals and screams as I drop these little beauties as I try to turn them and pop oil on myself.) But you say to serve right away, so any tips on keeping them great but cooking them maybe and hour or two before eating? Like can I keep them warm in the oven or something?
Any BTW, you ladies inspire me! I don’t know how you do all you do!
Thanks
Oh oh! I am so excited! I saw these in the movie Under Cover Blues then ate them in Disney Land… soooo good! Forgot what they were called (since I couldn’t pronounce it)…saw this…and am in happy food heaven! I have a family coming over for dinner this week who doesn’t eat chocolate and now I have a dessert idea! Thank you!
beignets remind ne of the movie Princess and the Frog, My daughter is going to be so excited that I can make these !!! thanks and I love the new look!
Do you think they could be baked instead of fried and turn out good?
Ellie–I honestly don’t. I think they’d turn out like dense rolls (because of the short rise time). They’re definitely a once in awhile indulgence! 🙂
made these with poor man’s gumbo for my husband and i a few night ago… AMAZING. i think this become a monthly thing for us. Thank you!!!
I made these and they are so good and easy! Thanks for the terrific recipe!
Is the whole milk critical to the recipe or can I substitute fat free?
Honestly, I wouldn’t go lower than 2% milk if you can help it! 🙂
I was at Cafe Du Monde about 4 years ago for the first time. My husband and I ate there every morning for a week. We brought back mix from the restaurant to make our own at home. Once that was gone, I haven’t tried to make them my self. Thanks for this recipe. I am ready to give it a try. I alsolove the new look of your blog. I’m a big fan. I’ve made just about all your popcorn recipes and love them all.
Made these for the first time this morning. My husband and I both loved them! Thank you for the recipe!