What Are Beignets?
Everything you need to know about this classic New Orleans treat, including how to make it.
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By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
For many residents of or visitors to New Orleans, beignets are a must-try sweet treat. But what exactly is a beignet? For more info, we tapped Alex Brennan-Martin, owner of Brennan’s of Houston and son of Ella Brennan, owner of famed New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace.
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What Are Beignets?
Beignets are square, puffy, deep-fried doughnut-like pastries that are covered in powdered sugar and synonymous with New Orleans.
Beignets are served at various times of the day in New Orleans, including for breakfast, dessert or as an afternoon or midnight snack. At Brennan’s of Houston, mini beignets are served as a dessert paired with a café au lait creme anglaise dipping sauce.
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Beignets in New Orleans: History and Culture
“Most research on beignets traces their ancestry to the Celts and French," Brennan-Martin says. He's heard that the word beignet means "to raise" in Celtic and "fritter" in French. “The story I heard growing up in New Orleans was that this style of frying bread made its way to New Orleans with the migration of the Acadians.”
There are several notable places to get beignets in New Orleans, including Café du Monde (with multiple locations including the French Quarter and City Park), Loretta's Authentic Pralines, Morning Call and Café Beignet (Brennan-Martin is a fan of the Royal Street outpost).
“I think beignets are as much a state of mind as they are a delicious old-world treat that pairs perfectly with New Orleans-style dark, dark, dark coffee and chicory,” Brennan-Martin says. “Their time of the day is agnostic, equally welcome in the morning, afternoon, evening or into the wee hours after making a circuit of favorite French Quarter watering holes.”
Beignet Pronunciation
The phonetic pronunciation of beignet is “ben-yay.”
Beignets vs Doughnuts
Beignets and doughnuts are both sweet, fried pastries, but beignets are square and have no hole, whereas doughnuts typically have a hole in the middle. Brennan-Martin notes that beignet dough is not as sweet as doughnut dough, and beignets are always covered with powdered sugar whereas doughnuts might be covered with a variety of glazes, flavored sugar or icing, or might also be filled with jelly, custard and more.
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How to Make a Beignet, Step-By-Step
Brennan-Martin shares a step-by-step process for making beignets.
Step one: Make the dough. Add active dry yeast, flour, sugar, eggs, evaporated milk and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Allow dough to rest in a greased bowl covered with a towel for 2 hours at room temperature.
Step two: Shape the beignets. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to a rectangle that is 1/4-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 2.5-inch by 2.5-inch squares.
Step three: Fry the beignets. In a large Dutch oven, heat cottonseed oil to 370 degrees F. Working in batches, deep-fry the beignets, continuously flipping until they’re golden on both sides, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Transfer them to paper towels to drain.
Step four: Finish the beignets. Generously sprinkle beignets with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Beignet Recipes
Teri Lyn Fisher
For a classic taste of the Big Easy, follow this traditional recipe for making the fried treats. To capture the spirit of getting an order of piping-hot beignets to go, these New Orleans-style beignets are tossed with powdered sugar inside a large paper grocery bag.
Matt
Using your air fryer to make beignets is much easier and uses far less oil than deep-frying. The sweet, yeasted dough can also be used to make air fryer doughnuts; just cut the dough into rings instead of squares. Finish your pillowy confections with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or a quick glaze.
Anna Williams
This riff on the New Orleans classic treat features a dough that incorporates a mix of sweet potatoes and butternut squash simmered with anise and cinnamon sticks. Instead of powdered sugar, the fried doughnuts are finished with a zesty molasses syrup.
For this filled take on a beignet, apple rounds are sprinkled with sugar and Kirsch then dipped and battered and quickly fried until golden brown. A sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar adds a sweet finish.
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