French Quarter Beignets (2026 Half Batch Update)

Buttermilk swap, true half batch, and stand mixer method.

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Activate Yeast

Note you could do the first yeast step below with double the quants and halve when mixing, so that you get less srtuff dirty.  

Mix and rest:

• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1/2 envelope active dry yeast

Let sit 10 minutes until foamy.

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Combine Wet Ingredients

Whisk together:

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• ⅝ tsp salt
• ½ cup buttermilk (subbed for evaporated milk) [note I also tried whole milk, since they did not have evaporated milk when beignets were invented back in the 1862, AND whole milk is spotted in the kitchen at Cafe du Monde]

Add to yeast mixture and combine.

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Build the Dough (Stand Mixer Method)

Add:

• 1½ cups artisan bread flour

Mix using wire whisk attachment until smooth.

Cut in:

• 2 Tbsp butter-flavored Crisco (solid, not melted)

Mix until incorporated.

Switch to dough hook and add:

• ~2 to 2¼ additional cups bread flour (total ~3½ cups)

Knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes until smooth.

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Rise

Transfer and proof:
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise about 2 hours, until doubled.

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Shape

Roll and cut:
Roll dough to about ¼-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares.

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Fry

Heat oil (Note I tried peanut oil in 2026; Cafe du Monde uses cottonseed oil)
350°F.  Another recipe said 370F is what DdM uses.  

Fry:
Cook in batches, turning, until golden brown.

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Finish

Coat:

• ~1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Drain briefly, then toss to coat.

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Yield: ~1–1½ dozen

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Notes

• This is a true half batch (all ingredients reduced proportionally).
• Buttermilk adds tang and slightly softer crumb vs evaporated milk.
• Keeping shortening solid and cutting it in early changes texture slightly—in a good way.
• ¼" thickness is key for proper puff.

Original Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 7 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup butter flavor Crisco
• Nonstick spray
• Oil, for deep-frying (I used canola, which seemed fine)
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture.

In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares. I found that the 1/4" or so thickness was important for the puffing up of the pastry.  As time went on, they puffed up more gloriously. 

Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

Remember that beignets at Cafe du Monde are served in multiples of three, so I fried multiples of three so as not to elicit some voodoo spell!  Makes about 2-3 dozen total.  I made 2 recipes of this and probably served about 150 of them, with one re-rolling. 

Made very successfully at Gillham Crawfish Fest 2012.  Thanks to Paula Dean for this recipe!