Make homemade beignets from scratch with a yeast dough, fried and then covered in powdered sugar.
I first had an original Louisiana beignet in November 2018 on my very first trip to New Orleans. That trip was magical and I fell in love with New Orleans and its food.
Beignets are basically donuts without holes. They are small, rectangular shaped dough that is fried and then covered in powdered sugar. They are, obviously, quite delicious. And since beignets are not exactly on every street corner unless you’re in New Orleans, now you can make homemade beignets with this easy recipe.
We didn’t skimp here at all. These beignets are made from scratch with yeast and are fried in oil. They are the real deal. Or at least as real as it gets outside of New Orleans.
Homemade Beignets from Scratch
Mix the yeast, water, and sugar in a mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the salt, lemon zest, cinnamon, egg, milk, and 1 1/2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until combined. Add the butter; mix until incorporated. Add 1 3/4 cups flour, and mix until the dough comes together.
Next, knead the dough. You can do this by hand by turning the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the remaining 1/4 cup flour by hand until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Or knead it right in the bowl with the dough hook for 1-2 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
Place the dough in a lightly olive oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about one hour. If your kitchen is cold, put the dough in the oven. Turn it on to the lowest setting for 30 seconds and turn it off. Leave the light in the oven on. This will create a cozy environment for the dough to rise.
Remove the dough from the bowl. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out with a pizza cutter rectangles. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a medium pot or deep fryer until it registers 350ºF on a deep-fry thermometer between a 2 and a 3 on the dial. Fry the beignets in batches, rolling them around constantly with a slotted spoon, until golden brown all over, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the beignets with the slotted spoon to a cooling rack that’s set over a baking pan and dust with powdered sugar.
Yield: 15 beignets
Homemade Beignets
Make homemade beignets from scratch with a yeast dough that is fried and then covered in powdered sugar.
Prep Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
3 hours
Ingredients
- 1 1/4-ounce envelope active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 quarts vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- powdered sugar; for dusting
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, water, and sugar in a mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt, lemon zest, cinnamon, egg, milk, and 1 1/2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until combined.
- Add the butter; mix until incorporated.
- Add 1 3/4 cups flour, and mix until the dough comes together.
- Knead the dough:
- Knead by hand:Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the remaining 1/4 cup flour by hand until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Knead with dough hook: add remaining 1/4 cup flour and mix with dough hook until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly olive oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about one hour. Remove the dough from the bowl.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into rectangles about 3 inches by 5 inches big.
- Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a medium pot or deep fryer until it registers 350ºF on a deep-fry thermometer between a 2 and a 3 on the dial.
- Fry the beignets in batches, rolling them around constantly with a slotted spoon, until golden brown all over, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer the beignets with the slotted spoon to a cooling rack that's set over a baking pan and dust with powdered sugar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1213Total Fat: 119gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 104gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 117mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 5g
Data is provided by a 3rd party and may not be accurate.