If you’ve never had a fresh beignet you’re missing out. Light, pillowy, fried golden, and buried in powdered sugar — these are one of those things that are just better homemade than you’d expect. My boyfriend was my recipe tester for this one and the fact that I devoured the entire batch within minutes of coming out of the fryer said everything.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Light and airy — yeasted dough gives you that pillowy interior that just doesn’t happen with other methods
• Simple pantry ingredients — nothing fancy needed
• They puff up so much more than you think — the squares look tiny when you cut them and then they almost double in the oil which is so satisfying to watch
• The powdered sugar moment — generously, aggressively, non-negotiably
• Easy to make ahead — cold ferment the dough overnight and fry fresh in the morning

New Orleans Beignets: My Recipe Tester

I put my boyfriend to work testing this recipe and he was a very willing participant. He made the whole batch, filmed it, and they were gone before I even had a chance to take any good photos of them but I’m choosing to take that as a good sign. You can watch his video here! Watching the process might be more helpful than me trying to describe it in words.

New Orleans Beignet Ingredients

Beignet Dough

• 325 g all-purpose flour
• 135 g water
• 75 g whole milk
• 45 g granulated sugar
• 36 g egg (about 1 large egg)
• 24 g unsalted butter
• 4.5 g salt
• 3 g instant yeast

For Frying

• Neutral oil

For Serving

• Powdered sugar, a lot of it

The Dough

Super basic dough with just flour, milk, water, egg, butter, and yeast. It comes together fast and doesn’t require any special technique. The butter goes in after the initial mix once the dough has had a chance to build some structure, and from there you just knead until it’s smooth and passes a moderate windowpane. You just want to know the gluten is developed enough that the beignets will hold their shape and puff properly in the oil.

One thing worth mentioning, this recipe makes around 16 beignets which is intentionally a smaller batch. If you’re using a larger mixer like the Ooni Halo Pro or a 7-quart KitchenAid, I’d honestly recommend doubling it. The dough amount is a little small for a big bowl and just won’t mix as efficiently.

Cutting and Shaping

Roll to about ¼ inch thick — not thinner or they won’t have enough volume to puff up. Cut into squares and don’t worry about making them perfect. And just know going in that they are going to look tiny but that’s normal! When they hit the hot oil, it’ll puff up almost double. Trust the size and don’t cut them bigger.

How To Make New Orleans Beignets

1. Mix the dough: Combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, water, milk, and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until no dry flour remains, about 2-3 minutes. If using a larger mixer (like the Ooni Halo Pro Spiral mixer or a 7qt KitchenAid, I would recommend doubling the recipe!)
2. Add the butter: Increase to medium speed and add the butter. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth, elastic, and passes a moderate windowpane, about 8-12 minutes depending on your mixer.
3. Bulk ferment: Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1-2 hours.
4. Roll and cut: Lightly flour your work surface. Gently degas the dough and roll out to approximately ¼ inch thick. Cut into 16 squares. Don’t worry if they look small — they puff up significantly once they hit the oil!
5. Final proof: Cover the cut squares loosely and proof until noticeably puffy and slightly airy to the touch, about 30-45 minutes.
6. Fry: Heat neutral oil to 350-365°F. Fry in batches until deeply golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the pan — let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
7. Serve: Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly. Dust generously with powdered sugar while still warm. Serve immediately.

Storage & Reheating

Storage Beignets are genuinely best eaten immediately — right out of the fryer, still warm, still puffy, buried in powdered sugar. They don’t store well and will lose their texture quickly.

If you absolutely have to save some store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Reheating

• Air fryer: Reheat at 350°F for 2-3 minutes — this is the closest you’ll get to fresh
• Oven: Warm at 350°F for 5 minutes — works but they won’t be quite as puffy
• Re-dust with fresh powdered sugar after reheating

Make Ahead You can make the dough and let it bulk ferment in the fridge overnight instead of at room temperature. The next day roll, cut, final proof, and fry. The cold ferment actually adds a little more flavor depth and makes the morning process easier.