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New Orleans Beignets - soft, pillowy and the best beignets like New Orleans. This recipe is fail-proof and easy. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Beignets New Orleans
New Orleans is famous for its beignets (sometimes misspelled as benya). Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans is world famous because of its legendary beignets and coffee.
Beignet is a specialty in the French Quarters in the Big Easy. They are square in shape, about 2 inches x 2 inches deep fried nuggets of sweetened dough.
After deep-frying, they are dusted and sprinkled with lots of powdered sugar. Beignets are served as a dessert with French cafe au lait.
Cafe Du Monde Beignet Copycat Recipe
I have an easy beignets recipe using choux pastry. This is the real and authentic New Orleans beignets recipe and Cafe Du Monde copycat.
What Does A Beignet Taste Like
Beignets are fried fritters with a dense and doughy interior. These sweet fried dough are crispy on the outside but soft and pillowy on the inside.
They taste lighter and airy to the palate. They are basically donuts in squares without a hole.
Beignets Main Ingredients
- Cake flour and bread flour
- Yeast
- Eggs
- Butter
- Milk powder
- Sugar and salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Beignets New Orleans
New Orleans beignets are made with a yeast dough.
First, you make the dough by mixing sugar, salt, milk powder, unsalted butter, eggs, yeast and flour to form the dough.
Next, you wait for the beignets dough to rise for one hour.
The final step is cutting the dough into squares and deep fry in batches until golden brown. To serve, dust powdered sugar generously on the beignets and serve warm.
This beignet recipe is very easy, fail-proof and delivers amazing results. If you love sweet desserts, you will definitely love this easy recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Donut and beignets are very similar. Both are made with a yeast dough. The dough needs to rise before deep-frying. The real difference is in its shape.
Donuts are round with a hole and have a variety of sweet glazes. Beignets are squares or rectangles in shape without holes. They don’t have a glaze but dusted with powdered sugar.
This recipe is only 165 calories per beignet.
What To Serve With New Orleans Beignets
This dish is best served with a cup of coffee. For an afternoon tea or dessert party, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
New Orleans Beignets
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230g) warm water
- 1 oz (30g) active dry yeast
- 1 oz (30g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 o (30g) milk powder
- 3 oz (90g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 6 oz (175g) cake flour
- 11 oz (325g) bread flour
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- oil , for deep-frying
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mix the water and active dry yeast together, then let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the sugar, salt, milk powder, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract on high speed until light and foamy. Then, add the eggs one at a time on medium speed, followed by the yeast mixture.
- Change to the hook attachment and add the cake flour, bread flour, and baking powder. Beat on low speed, then increase to high speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let the dough rise for one hour.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thickness. Cut the dough into 1-inch to 2-inch squares (2.5 cm to 5 cm). Heat 3 inches (7 cm) of oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
- When the oil is fully heated, drop the dough in batches and fry until golden brown, turning the beignets frequently. Use a strainer to transfer them to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m happy to find another version for beignets. My butter horn roll recipe is pretty darn good and I can keep the extra dough in the refrigertor for a few days and it still works. I’m going to try this recipe but don’t really have the time to convert ounces, etc. Rasa, since this is your recipe it would be really appreciated if you would convert it for the American crowd. More Americans would follow you that way.
Thank you.
Barbara – did you scroll down to see my recipe? It’s in American measurement and ounces. All my recipes are in ounces.
I made these tonight with no mixer, was too lazy to carry that heavy thing at 8 months pregnant ? mixed all the dried and RT butter, substituted milk powder for milk. Half water/ half milk for the liquids. Added an extra cup flour, used all purpose flour and kneaded just until dough came together. Let rise 40 minutes come cut and fried. Also I only used 3/4 oz yeast. Oh mamma… good stuff ❤️ Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I second the coment left by Hollis.
You took the words right out of my mouth. What is wrong with people these days?
Thank you for your great recipes, and keep on rockin, Rasa!
Thanks Adriana for your kind words and support.
Agree! xox thanks for your recipes!
For those many questions on measurements and/or obvious KitchenAid attachments and speeds…a Google home is an amazing device, as well as an Alexa Dot. Both devices will very easily convert all measurements into fractions of teaspoons all the way through gallons. They can even tell you tomorrow’s weather and that you look beautiful; even if you don’t. Just ask the right questions. As far as typos in anyone’s blogs…I’m pretty sure we can all figure it out with snide remarks or implied ignorance. The recipes posted here have typically been amazing. To each their own I have different acquired tastes. Don’t discourage talent just because you’re bored at home and need a chew toy to make yourself feel superior. Keep up the fabulous work Rasa Malaysia.
Hollis, I loved your comment! You are right on target and I had a great chuckle over your “chew toy” reference!
I never actually had the ones from new Orleans…But the beignets from Disney French Quarter was nothing special… Couldn’t you just roll out some can biscuits, deep fry them in oil and sprinkle or dump powder sugar over them and or Carmel/Chocolate?
Hi Rasa,
Thank you so much for the recipe
Can you please if possible write the recipe in spoon and cups.
I like to try it but I’m not sure about the measurements
I don’t write in spoons and cups, they are all weighted.
Thanks for the recipe !
I am not sure about yeast amount – is it 1 ounce ? Sounds it is too much !
Can you convert the measuerments into cups and spoons please
Yes 1 ounce. I don’t have the measurement in cups and spoons.
1 ounce is 1/8 cup.
He weighs things. He is referencing an ounce by weight, no by volume. Measuring an ounce as 1/8 of a cup won’t work. You need a scale.
Hi Bee,
Thank you for this recipe and many others wonderful ones, which I have made before.
This recipe, however, left me wondering.
I’m an not understanding the instructions.
My mixer does not have a “cook attachment”. What is that? What about “beat on low heat”?
Could please explain?
Thanks
Hi Carmela, so sorry they were typos. I have updated the recipe.
OMG…you couldn’t tell it was a typo and just insert the right word instead of making an issue of it. Feel better now, more superior??
Hi Don, thanks for the feedback. I like everything mini, so it’s easier for my son to eat them. Also I noticed that bigger squares are harder to cook inside as the outside is already brown and inside is still doughy. But thanks so much for your feedback. If you have a recipe, please share with me! :)
How delightful it was to open up your email and see this recipe! I had just been googling beignets. I’ve had good luck with your recipes so I am eager to try these. One question though. Many recipes suggest cutting them into 3″ squares. Do yours basically resemble beignet puffs after frying? Can they be made bigger without sacrificing anything overall?
Hi Carmen, I like mini everything, so you can cut them to be bigger. The thing about bigger beignets are sometimes the inside is not cooked through but outside is already so brown. So I would try with smaller ones first maybe 2-inch, or 1-1/2 inch. They also puff up a bit after frying. :)