Easy French Beignets Recipe (Street Food Style)

Most people recognize New Orleans-style beignets from Café du Monde, but my food truck version is closer to a classic French beignet, rolled into dough balls and fried until golden.

I added beignets to my food truck menu not long after I opened in 2021, and they quickly became a top seller. My followers look forward to them every time they show up on the menu.

The best part might be hearing all the different ways people try to pronounce beignets. At this point, I’ve heard so many versions that I sometimes think about renaming them. But it’s too entertaining, so the name is probably staying.

I first had the idea when I was looking for a dessert that would sell well, taste amazing, and not be too complicated to make in a food truck.

There are days I regret adding them to the menu; I’ve burned myself more than once dropping dough balls into the deep fryer, but customers ask for them all the time.

And if my kids are lucky and we have leftover dough, they get fresh fried beignets for breakfast the next morning. That alone makes my food truck days worth it.

Over the years, I’ve adjusted this recipe many times, and I think it’s just about perfect now, but you can be the judge of that.

Most days, I serve these French-style beignets dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce before sending them out the window. But during special events or certain seasons, I change things up.

Sometimes they get rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with caramel sauce and apples. Other times, I add whipped cheesecake and fresh strawberries. And once in a while, I make a Strawberry Rhubarb sauce to go on top.

However you decide to serve them, these easy beignets are a favorite dessert and make a pretty tasty breakfast too.

What Are French Beignets

There are two types of Beignets. I do like to make people aware that every culture out there has their own form of fried dough, so fried sweet dough comes in many shapes and forms and with many different toppings. 

New Orleans Beignets

New Orleans beignets came from the French influence in Louisiana. But they evolved into a very specific style.

They are usually:

• Made from yeast dough
• Rolled flat and cut into squares
• Fried until puffy pillows
• Covered heavily in powdered sugar
• Almost always served plain

The famous example is Beignets from Café du Monde. They are basically square sweet yeast doughnuts covered with powdered sugar.

French Beignets

French beignets are the traditional pastry from France.

They are:

• Usually smaller or round
• Often made with choux pastry or a yeast dough
• Can be filled with fruit jam, custard, or chocolate
• Light and airy
• Often served as dessert pastries

Think of them more like French doughnut fritters. They appear in many shapes:

• Balls
• Rectangles
• Spoon-dropped fritters

In France, they are sometimes called “beignets de carnaval.” Often served at festivals. 

Why You’ll Love These Easy French Beignets

If you love fresh fried doughnuts, these beignets will quickly become a favorite. They’re a tasty, not-too-sweet fried treat that’s quick and easy to make. Pillowy on the inside, lightly crisp on the outside, and perfect with your favorite toppings. So much easier than making doughnuts. 

Ingredients Needed for French Beignets

Beignets are fairly simple ingredient-wise.

What you need for the dough:

• Instant Yeast
• All-purpose flour or Bread Flour
• Milk
• Water (warm)
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Vanilla
• Unsalted Butter (soft) (salted works great too)
• Salt
• Canola oil, or other neutral-flavored oil

For serving:

• Confectioner’s sugar (Powdered sugar)
• Chocolate Sauce (or other favorite sauce)

Equipment Needed

I like to use a stand mixer to make the dough because it’s the quickest and easiest method. At home, I deep fry the beignets in an electric fryer. On the food truck, I use my commercial propane fryer; nothing compares to how well a commercial fryer works.

If you don’t have a deep fryer, don’t worry. You can easily fry beignets in a Dutch oven or a deep frying pan on the stovetop.

Add a few inches of oil. Just be sure to watch the oil temperature(use a candy thermometer).

If the oil is too hot, the outside will burn while the inside stays raw. If the oil is too cool, the dough will absorb too much oil and become greasy.

Equipment

• Stand mixer or large mixing bowl
• Large bowl or container for dough to rise
• Deep fryer, Dutch oven, or deep frying pan
• Slotted spoon or tongs
• Paper towels for draining

How to Make Homemade Beignets

This dough is simple and comes together quickly, which is one of the main reasons I love it so much.

I start by adding the sugar, eggs, warm water, yeast, vanilla, and milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Begin mixing, use a dough hook attachment, then slowly add the all-purpose flour and salt.

Next, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time and mix until a soft dough forms.

The beignet dough should be soft but not overly sticky. If it feels extremely sticky, add a little more flour until the dough is soft and workable.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover.

Let the dough rise before frying. Once it has risen about halfway, it’s ready to go. Depending on your room temperature, this usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat your oil to 350°F and drop the pieces of dough into the hot oil. Fry until the beignets are golden brown and puffy. If you aren’t sure they are done in the middle, pull out a dough ball and check the center.

Remove immediately, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with chocolate sauce, and serve hot.

Tips for Perfect Beignets

Make sure your dough has had enough time to rise before frying. If it hasn’t risen properly, your beignets will turn out dense instead of light and fluffy.

Don’t make the dough balls too large. Larger dough balls take longer to cook and can leave you with raw centers or overly browned outsides before the inside is done.

Keep your oil at the proper temperature; this is the most important step. If you’re using a smaller fryer or pan, fry in batches and avoid overcrowding. Adding too many at once will cause the oil temperature to drop.

Serve the beignets warm, right out of the fryer. They don’t hold well in the oven and aren’t nearly as good reheated.

Make-Ahead Tips

I have made the dough 1 day ahead of time, and it can be frozen. 

When I make it for the food truck its kept at room temperature because I need it to rise before frying. But if you’re planning on making these the next day, you can make the dough and refrigerate it.

Just make sure you are storing it in a large enough container, as it will still rise in the fridge and may escape the container. I’ve had this happen a few times. 

After being refridgerating make sure to bring the dough back to room temperature before frying, this prevents raw beignets, and they fry quicker. 

If you freeze the dough, thaw it in the fridge and let it rise at room temp before using.

Frequently Asked Questions    

Can you freeze beignets?

Yes, but only the dough. Beignets are best fried to order and served hot. You could fry, keep warm in the oven, and serve later, but the texture will suffer. My kids do rewarm them, but again, they are much, much better hot out of the fryer. 

Can you bake them?

I wouldn’t recommend trying to bake them; these are strictly deep-fried only. They have better texture, rise better, and have much better flavor when deep-fried. 

What oil is best for frying?

I love frying in peanut oil; it seems to last longer. But Beef tallow and lard are also great options. Vegetable oil and Avacado oils work great also. Just make sure you are using an oil that has a high smoke point and is flavorless.

Can I make these squares?

You sure can, just roll out the dough about a 1/2 inch thick and cut into 2-inch squares using a pizza cutter. let rise until puffy, 30-45 min. Depending on room temp. Deep fry until golden brown. 

A Sweet Street Food Favorite 

These easy beignets are a favorite on my truck because who doesn’t love fried dough?  especially when it’s freshly made, hot out of the fryer, and topped with sweet toppings.

It’s the perfect dessert to eat out of a boat or bowl. Perfect for a quick dessert on the go. 

It’s also a very rustic dessert, the way I make it, and it ties in perfectly with Clyde’s menu. I hope you enjoy them as much as my customers do. 

Check out my other street food recipes.