Best Beignets Recipe

There is nothing better than a beignet, and these are the Best Beignets around! Light, airy doughnut pillows dusted with powdered sugar and best served warm with a cup of joe, beignets are considered the official doughnut of Louisiana.

Whenever I travel I make a long list of the foods I need to try while in a destination along with the best place to find them. I read hundreds of threads and reviews to find the best of the best.

During my trip to New Orleans back in 2017, my list of foods to eat was long!

Lou and I would walk from place to place on my list checking boxes of the next culinary delight to consume. Cafe du Monde, known worldwide for having the best beignets, was one of the top places on my list and did not disappoint!

Cafe Du Monde is in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, right down the street from the famous Bourbon Street on the waterfront of the Mississippi. It is a huge covered outdoor venue with a long line.

But here is a tip… only the tourists wait in line. Just wait for a table to open up, sit and a server will greet you and take your order.

But, don’t waste their time. Know what to order, order once, order fast and move on to the next person to sit. My suggestion is a basket for each person (there are 3 beignet donuts per basket) at your table and a cup of chicory coffee. The perfect combo!

What Makes Buttermilk Beignets So Great?

• Fluffy and Light Texture. The buttermilk in the dough creates a lighter, fluffier texture that melts in your mouth, making these the best beignets ever.
• Simple Ingredients. You don’t need any fancy or hard-to-find ingredients to make this beignet recipe. All you need is everyday items like warm water, yeast, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, butter, and all-purpose flour.
• Easy to Make Ahead. You can prepare the dough in advance, storing it in the fridge for up to a week or freezing it for up to a month. It’s a convenient treat that’s ready to fry whenever you crave those delicious beignets pastries.
• Authentic New Orleans Flavor. Inspired by the famous Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter, these beignet donuts bring a taste of New Orleans to your home.

Ingredients For This Easy Beignet Recipe

• Warm water – A temperature between 105 – 110 F. Too hot and you will kill the yeast, too cool and the yeast won’t wake up.
• Active yeast – When combined with water and sugar the yeast will be activated or brought to life and give rise to the dough. The yeast uses the sugar as food and expels gas (yeast farts) which when added to the flour creates airy pockets causing the dough to rise.
• Sugar – food for the yeast and adds sweetness to the dough.
• Buttermilk – Has a lower fat content than regular whole milk and higher acidity which helps to tenderize the gluten in the flour giving the dough a lighter, fluffier texture as well as a tiny tanginess that blends well with the sugar. If you don’t have buttermilk whole milk is an excellent substitute.
• Eggs – 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Eggs are a binding agent to keep ingredients together but yolks also help to reduce the formation of gluten in flour creating a lighter fluffier dough.
• Unsalted butter – Fat creates flavor but also helps to accelerate yeast growth.
• Sea salt – Salt in general is a flavor enhancer.
• All-purpose Flour – Because you can’t have doughnuts without all the carbs!
• Grapeseed Oil – or any other neutral flavored high smoke point oil. Peanut or safflower oil are other good choices.
• Powdered sugar – To toss the beignets in at the end.

How to Make The Best Beignets

1. Place the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl and whisk to activate the yeast. Wait 7-10 minutes until a “raft” of yeast starts to form at the top. If the yeast does not become foamy looking like this toss it out and start again.
2. Add in the melted butter, eggs, the rest of the sugar and the buttermilk. Whisk to blend well.

3. Add the salt and flour to the liquid and mix with a dough hook using a hand or stand mixer until the dough becomes smoother and pulls away from the edge of the bowl.
4. I don’t have a stand mixer so once the flour is mixed into the dough I transfer the dough out of the bowl and knead by hand until a smooth ball forms. It takes about 5 minutes of kneading. A little workout before you dive into a plate of homemade beignets!

5. Then cover the dough with saran wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for 90 minutes. The dough should double in size.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle that is a 1/2″ thick.

7. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter cut the dough into 2″ X 3″ rectangles.

8. Fill a large saucepan to about 2″-3″ deep and bring to 350F.
9. Drop about 5 or 6 pieces of beignet dough into the oil once heated being sure that they have lots of space.

10. Let them cook until golden brown flipping with tongs halfway through. About 2 minutes per side. They will puff up like pillows and float.
11. Once done remove from the oil and let them rest on paper towels. Continue the process until they are all cooked.

12. Pour the powdered sugar into a large plastic bag and then add 2 or 3 beignets at a time. Seal the bag and shake gently to coat each of these buttermilk beignets with powdered sugar.

Serve warm with a coffee and you will be transported straight to Louisiana! Another great recipe I like to eat with my coffee (and a fellow doughnut lookalike) are these Banana Pancake Bites.

Tips

• Warm water temperature. Use a candy thermometer to ensure your warm water is 105 – 110 F to activate the yeast.
• Stay organized. After you slice the dough, put the uncooked beignets on a platter separated so you can easily drop them in the hot oil. These cook up fast so you want to be organized before you start.
• Give them space. If you are using a smaller pot or pan, you may need to make small batches to make sure the beignets don’t get crowded.

Storage

Store: You’ll want to eat them right away for the best beignet experience, or at the very least same day. You can, however, make the dough for this easy beignet recipe ahead of time and store it in a fridge for up to a week after it has risen.

Freeze. You can also freeze the dough for up to a month. I recommend rolling the dough and cutting it first and then freezing individual pieces on a cookie sheet before transferring to a tightly sealed container. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then toss in the oil when you need a treat!

Try These Other Delicious Breakfast Recipes:

• Peanut Butter Protein Powder Pancakes
• Fluffy Diner Style Pancakes
• Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes
• Cinnamon French Toast Pancakes