It’s easy to make these Authentic New Orleans Beignets! Fluffy, light and delicious these homemade fried beignets taste amazing.
How to make Beignets!
When it came time to pick a recipe to represent Tiana for our disney princess spa party there was NO question I was making Beignet’s! This goes right along with my other Disney Copycat recipes.
Ever since I first watched Princess and the frog I was dying to try authentic New Orleans Beignets. So when I went to Disneyland this year my daughter and I hit up the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Kitchen and shared a bag… EVERY SINGLE DAY. Seriously these are SO good.
I’ve tried a few different recipes trying to really get these right, and on man was it worth it! You want the dough to be soft, slightly sticky and have a nice stretch. You want to be careful not to add too much flour and to knead it long enough to get the dough the stretch and strength you need.
Just take me to the Perfect Beignet Recipe!
If you’d rather skip my tips and tricks for making the dough and get straight to this delicious fried dough recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.
What Equipment I use to make the perfect Beignet recipe
- Good Mixer – I like my Bosch Universal Mixer for breads and doughs (well for everything)
- Rolling pin – I like a french rolling pin!
- Pizza cutter – seriously the best way to cut the dough, knifes tend to stick and pull
- Electric skillet – you can of course use a sauce pan, or deep fryer – but I like the shallow electric skillet best
- Oil – you want an oil that can handle the heat of frying – use anything you like I tend to stick with vegetable oil or canola oil
- Paper Towels and/or newspapers – great for soaking up the oil after frying the dough
- Sugar Shaker – I like this oxo dusting wand
Copycat Cafe Du Monde Beignet Recipe
If you love fried, soft beignets as much as I do, please write a 5 star review and be sure to share on Facebook and Pinterest! If you want to stay updated on new recipes sign up for my newsletter and join my Facebook Group!
If you love Beignets you’ll love these other decadent fried recipes too!
Fried Peaches with Creme Anglaise | Fried Sweets – Cookie Dough, Twinkies, Snickers | Fried Mac and Cheese Bites
Fried Cheesecake Chimichangas | Monte Cristo Sandwiches | Breaded Chicken Tenders
Connect with Ashlee Marie Online!
To watch a live video of me making my classic cheesecake play the video in the recipe card (if you’re on desktop a short teaser should be auto playing for you).
You can find all my cooking show style recipe videos on YouTube, or my short recipe videos on Facebook Watch, or my Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Tradition New Orleans Style Beignets Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 C warm water
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 C evaporated milk
- 6 1/2 C bread flour
- 1/4 C shortening
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir. Let it proof for 5 minutes.
- In your mixer (using your whisks) combine the eggs, evaporated milk and salt, beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low, add in the yeast mixture to the egg mixture.
- Still mixing on low add in 3 C of the bread flour..
- Add the shortening in and continue to mix
- Switch to your dough hook then add more bread flour 1/2 C at a time until the dough cleans the bowl as it mixes. you may use less or more than the recipe calls for.
- If you have a bosch keem mixing the dough on med until smooth (if you don’t then you can hand knead).
- Grease a bowl and place the dough inside, cover with a damp towel, set the bowl in a warm area and let it rise for 2 hours, it should double in size.
- Sprinkle your counter with a ton of flour, the dough wil be crazy sticky. Place the dough on top , sprinkle more flour on top and roll out the dough to 1/4? thick. (don’t knead in the flour, just use it to keep the dough from sticking to the counter or rolling pin)
- Slice into 2 inch squares with a pizza cutter.
- Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until the temperature reaches 350 degrees.
- Then place a few dough squares at a time in the hot oil and watch the magic happen! It’s AWESOME
- Turn them at least once so they don’t burn on one side. Cook about 1 1/2-2 mins on each side
- When you remove them, place them on a cooling rack over a papper towel/newspaper
- Dust with a light layer (or heavy layer) of powdered sugar
- Serve warm!
A. Sanchez
Hello.
I’m dying to make beignets because I’ve seen so many in pictures and they look ah-mazing. But where I live (Venezuela) we do not get what you call ‘shortening’. Is there something I can substitute it with?I really really really want to make it and your recipe since it’s the easiest for me to try since I’m fairly new at dessert’s other than cakes, truffles and mini-tarts haha, except for that little detail.
I’m eager to see your reply, have a nice day.
Linda
I think basically it’s a vegetable fat. or something like that, it’s white,texture like butter. Maybe you can find it in the baking section in grocery. I hope this help.
Ashlee
yup a fat that’s solid when room temp that melts at a higher temp.
Ashlee
lard is the best substitute, after than coconut oil (although it would effect the flavor) and after that butter (but it would give it extra lift and change the texture a bit)
Jennifer
Do you know the nutrition information? Like calories and carbs and if there’s any protein? I am a diabetic and these look so good, and I would love to make them!
Ashlee Marie
I use a recipe card that add nutritional information but I can’t guarantee how close it is as I’m not a nutritionist. – it says 2g protein per beignet
Niah
Hello can I leave the dough for over night???
Brenda
The recipe calls for 6 1/2 c of flour but when mixing only 5 1/2 c is used. Is the other 1c for to counter?
Arturo
If i prep the dough the day before and cut it into squares how can i store it to fry the next day?
Patti
Would you confirm the amount of yeast required. Each envelope of active yeast is equal to 1/8 tsp. And other recipes call for ‘one envelope’ for 7 cups of flour. I also question the amount of flour called in the recipe as others have commented your recipe calls for 61/2 c flour yet in the instructions you use only 5 cups😮
Ashlee Marie
each envelope of yeast is 2 1/4 tsp, not sure where you got 1/8 tsp, I’ve never seen such a small envelope. I fixed the flour information in the recipe card. it’s more about the right texture than using the full amt of flour
Lennie
These were amazing. I will definitely make these again!
Ashlee Marie
thank you so much! glad you enjoyed them as much as me.
Caroline
How much flour? It says 6 1/2c but you only used 5 1/2 in recipe. Thanks! Can’t wait to make these!
Ashlee Marie
it will be different each time you make it – add flour little at a time until the dough cleans the mixing bowl, then top adding flour.
Katie Parfitt
How long do these take to make
Ashlee Marie
with rise time about 2 1/2 hours, active time about 40 mins
Emily
Can I use instant yeast instead of dry active yeast?
Ashlee Marie
that would change the recipe a lot – no blooming time and a much shorter rise time. Technically it should work but I personally wouldn’t (I’m not a fan of instant yeast, I don’t like the flavor)
Crystal Piloto
I was wondering if you could use honey before the powdered suger like Tiana does? Or is that just for the effects of the animation?
Ashlee Marie
you totally can!