An authentic recipe for New Orleans-style beignets that turn out pillowy soft and airy on the inside with a crispy golden brown exterior. Serve these beignets with a dusting of powdered sugar and a strong cup of coffee!
If you have ever visited New Orleans, you probably made a trip to the iconic Cafe du Monde for their irresistible beignets. Lucky for you, this authentic beignet recipe allows you to enjoy that experience anywhere!
If you love this recipe, check out our Cajun Crawfish Etouffee and New Orleans Remoulade Sauce recipes next!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- How To Make Beignets
- Variations and Substitutions
- What Are Beignets?
- What Is The Difference Between a Donut and a Beignet?
- What Oil Works Best for Frying Beignets?
- Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
- Recommend Tools For This Recipe
- More Dessert Recipes You Will Love!
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- Warm water. To activate the yeast.
- Sugar. To sweeten the dough.
- Active dry yeast. To help the dough rise.
- Evaporated milk. To create a rich, authentic beignet dough very similar to Cafe du Monde.
- Melted butter. Butter adds richness and flavor to the dough.
- Egg. To act as a binder.
- Vanilla extract. For added flavor and depth. Use good quality vanilla!
- Salt. To bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Bread flour. The extra protein and gluten in bread flour create the best dough for beignets. All-purpose flour will work if you do not have bread flour.
- Neutral flavored oil. For deep frying the beignets. Canola, vegetables, peanut, or cottonseed oil will work.
- Powdered sugar. For dusting the beignets.
How To Make Beignets
Detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Make the Dough
- Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit for 7 to 10 minutes until a foamy layer forms on top.
- Whisk in the milk, butter, egg, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add the flour to the bowl and gently mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough with the bread hook attachment until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and climbs up the bread hook. Shape the dough into a smooth ball, lightly oil the stand mixer bowl, and place the dough back into the bowl.
- Gently move the dough ball around the bowl to coat it in oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or overnight.
Fry the Beignets
- Add enough oil to a Dutch oven or large pot to go about 4 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 360°F. Use a candy thermometer to test the temperature.
- While the oil heats, roll the dough out into a ¼" rectangle and use a pizza cutter to cut 2-inch squares. Do not attempt to re-work the dough scraps as it will become tough. Just fry the scrap pieces as they are.
- Drop 4 beignets in the hot oil at a time. They will rise to the surface in a few seconds. Fry the beignets until they are golden brown and puffy. Flip the beignets once or twice with tongs so they evenly brown on both sides. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the beignets to a baking sheet with a wire rack on top to drain.
- Dust the beignets in lots of powdered sugar and enjoy warm with a cup of coffee!
Variations and Substitutions
- If you do not have bread flour, all-purpose flour will work for these beignets but the texture will not be as chewy and airy. Bread flour is a high-gluten flour with added ingredients that help the yeast activate and increase the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises.
- Whole milk can be used instead of evaporated milk, but I highly recommend using evaporated milk if you can for extra rich New Orleans style beignets!
What Are Beignets?
Beignets are irresistible squares of fried dough coated in mounds of powdered sugar, and they are very popular in the city of New Orleans.
Beignets share some similarities with donuts but are much more soft and airy.
Cafe du Monde is the most popular place to get beignets in New Orleans. People travel from all over the world to get their hands on a fresh Cafe du Monde beignet.
What Is The Difference Between a Donut and a Beignet?
The most obvious difference between beignets and donuts is of course the shape. Some have even referred to beignets as "square, holeless donuts".
While both are made with dough fried in hot oil, beignet dough is slightly different from donut dough. Beignets are made with more yeast and fewer eggs to make them extra soft and airy on the inside.
What Oil Works Best for Frying Beignets?
To stay as close to the original Cafe du Monde recipe as possible, fry your beignets in hot cottonseed oil. However, any neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut, or vegetable oil, works fine.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
One of the wonderful things about these beignets is the dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
Fried beignets do not store and reheat well, however. Beignets are best served hot out of the oil when the exterior is still crispy. Once they sit, beignets become soggy.
You can store leftover beignets in the refrigerator but I do not recommend keeping them for more than a day or two. Reheat leftover beignets in the microwave for a few seconds.
Recommend Tools For This Recipe
More Dessert Recipes You Will Love!
- Bread Pudding with Maple Praline Sauce
- Southern Sweet Potato Pie
- Southern Pecan Pie
- Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
📖 Recipe
New Orleans Beignets
Equipment
- Candy thermometer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water 100°F to 115°F
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast one packet
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ cups bread flour 540g
- Oil for frying, cottonseed, peanut, canola, or vegetable
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Use a handheld whisk to mix warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit for 7 to 10 minutes until a foamy layer forms on top.
- Add the milk, butter, egg, vanilla, and salt to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined. Add the flour to the bowl and gently mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Some small dry pockets of flour remaining is fine.
- Knead the dough with the bread hook attachment on your stand mixer until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and climbs up the bread hook. Shape the dough into a smooth ball, lightly oil the stand mixer bowl, and place the dough back into the bowl.
- Gently move the dough ball around the bowl to coat it in oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or overnight.
- Add enough oil to a Dutch oven or large pot to go about 4 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 360°F, using a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
- While the oil heats, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a ¼" thick rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2-inch squares. Do not attempt to re-work the dough scraps as it will become tough. Just fry the scrap pieces as they are.
- Drop 4 beignets in the hot oil at a time. They will rise to the surface in a few seconds. Cook the beignets for about one minute, flipping them once or twice with tongs after they have puffed up so they brown evenly on both sides. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the beignets to a paper towel-lined baking sheet with a wire cooling rack on top to drain.
- Dust the beignets in lots of powdered sugar and enjoy warm with a cup of coffee!
Notes
- The dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook the beignets.
- Beignets are best served hot out of the oil when the exterior is still crispy. Once they sit, beignets become soggy.
- You can store leftover beignets in the refrigerator but I do not recommend keeping them for more than a day or two. Reheat leftover beignets in the microwave for a few seconds.
Marlon Boyd
This takes right back in my trips to New Orleans! I can’t wait to make these and drink my favorite coffee with them!
Ashley Boyd
New Orleans has the best beignets and I must say these are pretty close! I hope you love them!