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Pour yourself a cafe au lait and enjoy these New Orleans beignets served warm with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. These fried dough squares are tender, light, and the perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Is there any food more synonymous with New Orleans than a beignet? A warm, airy, square of puffed dough doused in powdered sugar and served alongside a steaming cup of chicory cafe au lait. Ahhhhhh….bliss.
If you ask me, NOLA is home to The. Best. Food. Ever. Gumbo, etouffée, muffuletta sandwiches, pecan pralines, and of course beignets. If you’ve made the trip to the Big Easy then no doubt you’ve waited in line at Cafe du Monde to score a little table and a plate of freshly fried beignets. These French-style doughnuts are famous for a reason. Simple, tender, and perfectly dunkable.
Beignets are surprisingly easy to make and the dough is very forgiving. It starts with yeast dissolved into warm milk then mixed into dry ingredients with egg and butter. After a little kneading with a dough hook, the smooth (but a little sticky) dough gets turned into an oiled bowl and chilled for a at least four hours or overnight in the refrigerator. It can go straight from refrigerator to counter to be rolled and cut into squares, no second rise required.
Just hot oil and a bag of powdered sugar and you’re minutes away from fried dough heaven. These are best eaten fresh and warm, but they’re still damn tasty at room temperature. But good luck having any left!
Let’s make New Orleans Beignets
- Whisk active dry yeast into a warm milk with a pinch of sugar.
- Combine flour, sugar, egg, salt, and butter in a bowl.
- Mix until well combined, then stir in the yeast mixture. Mix with a dough hook and then turn the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover and chill.
- Roll or stretch into a rectangle.
- Cut into 18 – 2 inch squares.
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 375 degrees F. Drop 4-5 squares into the oil at a time and fry on one side.
- Flip and cook until browned on the other side.
- Remove to a paper-towel lined sheet tray to drain.
- Pour confectioners sugar into a brown paper bag and add the warm beignets to the bag and shake. Serve warm and coated with confectioners sugar.
Tips for success
- Check the temperature of the milk with an instant read thermometer before adding the yeast. Feed the yeast with a pinch of sugar and be sure the yeast bubbles and activates before adding to the flour mixture. If it doesn’t activate, throw it out and start again.
- After chilling the dough, roll or stretch it on a floured board into a rectangle. Cut it into roughly 2 inch squares, but they don’t have to be perfect.
- Work with 4-5 squares of dough at a time and drop into the oil. Don’t crowd the pot and watch the temperature of the oil. Turn the heat down if it gets too hot.
- Have your paper towel-lined sheet tray ready to go and let the fried beignets drain before adding to the sugar.
- I love a paper bag to shake the beignets in the confectioners sugar. It absorbs the excess oil and distributes the sugar well.
Pour yourself a cafe au lait and enjoy these New Orleans beignets served warm with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. These fried dough squares are tender, light, and the perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras!
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 oz active dry yeast (1 pkg)
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 - 2 cups confectioners sugar
- *brown paper bag
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Heat the milk over low heat to 105 - 110 degrees. Pour into a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk in the yeast. Let stand for a couple minutes until it begins to activate and froth.
-
Combine the flour, sugar, egg, salt, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until combined.
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Pour in the milk/yeast mixture and vanilla and beat until just combined. Switch to the dough hook and knead the mixture for 3-4 mins. Mixture will be smooth, but still quite tacky.
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Rub a little vegetable oil in a large bowl and turn the dough into the bowl, turning once to coat.
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Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
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Fill a heavy bottomed pot (a dutch oven will work) with at least 2 inches of vegetable oil. Fit the pot with a deep fry cooking thermometer and heat oil to 375 degrees.
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While the oil heats, remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it onto a well-floured surface.
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Roll or stretch the dough into a rectangle (about 6 x 16 inches), about 1/2 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 18 - 2 inch squares.
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Line a baking sheet with paper towels and pour 1 cup confectioners sugar into a brown bag. Set aside.
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Once the oil is up to temperature, carefully slide 4-5 squares of dough into the oil. Fry until golden brown on one side and using a spider strainer or a slotted spoon, turn the beignets to the other side to brown. Beignets will be done in about 3 minutes total.
-
Remove and drain on the lined baking sheet and then shake the still hot beignets in the confectioners sugar in the paper bag. Repeat with remaining dough.
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Serve warm, with additional confectioners sugar if desired.
Yields: 18 beignets
Serving size: 2 beignets
- Check the temperature of the milk with an instant read thermometer before adding the yeast. Feed the yeast with a pinch of sugar and be sure the yeast bubbles and activates before adding to the flour mixture. If it doesn't activate, throw it out and start again.
- After chilling the dough, roll or stretch it on a floured board into a rectangle. Cut it into roughly 2 inch squares, but they don't have to be perfect.
- Work with 4-5 squares of dough at a time and drop into the oil. Don't crowd the pot and watch the temperature of the oil. Turn the heat down if it gets too hot.
- Have your paper towel-lined sheet tray ready to go and let the fried beignets drain before adding to the sugar.
- I love a paper bag to shake the beignets in the confectioners sugar. It absorbs the excess oil and distributes the sugar well.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in January 2017 but was republished with tips and step by step photos in March 2019.
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Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
Congrats! That sounds like an awesome vacation idea. Don’t you love it when your kids are old enough to take care of their own stuff, but not so old that they don’t want to be seen with us? We are in the same boat and looking at summer vacations thinking this may be the last summer our oldest one wants to hang out with us…. Too bad he’ll have to do it until he’s 18! These babies look delicious!
Cathy says
I love their ages right now Karen. Wish we could hit the pause button!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I totally love this post Cathy! Brings back so many good (and nerve-racking) memories traveling with my boys when they were younger! Mine involves a flight to Chicago! Wish I could turn back the clock actually!
I bet after serving these beignets, your boys are anxiously counting down the days to your trip! They look absolutely delicious!
Cathy says
It’s so much better to look back on those days rather than re-live them. But I know what you mean…I can never figure out where the time goes. And you’re right…these beignets definitely did their part in getting the boys psyched for spring break!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I could eat my weight in beignets! Yours look absolutely perfect 🙂
Cathy says
Ditto Jennifer!!
Cindy says
So funny! Don’t break out in hives…. come visit us in Cali. No truly, enjoy your vacation in New Orleans with the perfect thread count, tucked away rooms, and incredible food. Love it.
Cathy says
No more hives thankfully! Those days were brutal. I miss those round little faces sometimes, but not the air travel.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
I never wait for permission and certainly not where beignets are involved! Pass me a plate, please! These look divine!
Cathy says
Thanks Annie! This was hands down my family’s favorite blog post ever. Think they were covered in powdered sugar from head to toe!