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Beignets
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Beignets (New Orleans)

Beignets – These New Orleans doughnuts are the best! It is soft, pillowy, and light, just like the ones at Cafe du Monde but made with love in your kitchen, so they taste even better.
Makes 35-40 Beignets
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American, Southern
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 300kcal
Author Imma

Equipment

  • Large bowl or stand mixer
  • Sharp knife or pizza cutter
  • Frying Pan

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (180 mL lukewarm water
  • 1 .25-ounce packet (7 g) active dry yeast
  • ½ cup (125 mL) evaporated milk
  • cup (66 g) sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract
  • 3 ¾ – 4 cups (469-500 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter, melted
  • corn oil (or any flavorless oil), for frying
  • powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let the mixture do its job for about 5 minutes or until it's dissolved and looks a little frothy.
  • Lightly whisk evaporated milk, sugar, salt, egg, and vanilla extract. Add it to the yeast mixture.
  • Mix in about 2 cups flour and continue mixing with a hand or dough mixer. If using a stand mixer, mix for about 1-2 minutes.
  • Finally, add melted butter and mix until the dough is sticky but smooth. Add in additional flour (if needed) to make a soft dough.
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. Place the beignet dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat it. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
  • Punch the dough down and remove it from the bowl. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about ¼ - ⅓ inch thick.
  • Cut the dough into 1 ½ to 2" squares using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before frying.
  • Working in batches to not crowd the oil, fry the dough squares until puffy and golden brown.
  • Remove them from the oil, making a pit stop on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.
  • Dust with powdered sugar immediately. Serve hot with café au lait and enjoy!!!

Notes

  • When mixing the yeast and water, keep in mind that the water should be somewhere between 110℉ and 115℉/43-46℃. Any hotter and the water will kill the yeast cells; any cooler and the yeast won’t activate. Your beignets won’t rise and get that classic melt-in-your-mouth texture in either situation.
  • You can substitute butter with vegetable shortening, but I prefer the texture and buttery notes of my beignets.
  • You can make the dough the day before and fry them in the morning. Just make sure you let it rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature before frying.
  • Oil should be at 375℉/190℃ when frying.  Any cooler and the beignets will take longer to cook and absorb more oil (not good). Any hotter and the outside can burn before the inside is cooked through.
  • Any regular milk would work fine if you wish to substitute the evaporated milk.
  • Corn oil or any flavorless oil is excellent for frying these beignets.
  • Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used in the recipe.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 3beignets | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 56mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 0.1mg