Biscuit Beignets are fluffy little pillows of fried biscuit dough. They are crispy and golden brown on the outside and soft and tender on the inside – then lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
These sweet little bites are the perfect shortcut to making the New Orleans beignets that we dream about at home. It’s an Easy Beignet Recipe, taking a lot of the hard work out of making beignets. Beignet biscuits just melt in your mouth – just like traditional New Orleans-style Beignets that you can get at Cafe du Monde.
These biscuit beignets taste just like bite-sized doughnuts and are a perfect addition to a dessert spread, Sunday brunch, or easy breakfast.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make these biscuit beignets. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Biscuit Dough – I use frozen biscuit dough, but you can use canned biscuit dough or homemade as well! (Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuit dough is my go-to.)
- Powdered Sugar
- Frying Oil – I like to use peanut oil for frying because it has such a mild taste. You can also use vegetable oil or canola oil.
Special Equipment Needed
- A Dutch Oven or Large Pot, a deep Cast Iron Skillet, or a Deep Fryer
- A Candy Thermometer
- Paper Towels
- A Shallow Bowl, Fine Mesh Sieve, or Paper Bag for dusting the beignets with powdered sugar
How to Make Biscuit Beignets
This biscuit beignet recipe is so easy to make, and they are such a quick breakfast treat. I like to use frozen biscuits because we always have them in the freezer in case of last-minute overnight guests, but you can use canned biscuits, too!
- Defrost the Biscuits: Take the biscuits out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you plan to fry the beignets to let the dough soften. For canned biscuits, you can skip this step.
- Heat the Oil: When your biscuits are ready to cut up, begin heating your oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat (or you can use a deep fryer to make a lot at once.) I heat mine to 360°F. You need enough oil for the beignets to submerge fully, keeping in mind that they will absorb some oil as they go, so as you cook, the oil will reduce.
- Prep the Biscuits: Cut each biscuit into thirds or quarters, depending on how small you want them to be. With thirds, you can make triangles, then lightly pinch the edges of the biscuits to make a triangle to make them like the Cracker Barrel Biscuit Beignets. With quarters, you can gently roll the pieces of dough in your hands softly until it forms a round ball. (Pictures 1-2)
- Fry the Beignets: When the oil has reached the right temperature, carefully drop the biscuit pieces into the oil a few at a time. Fry the beignets for 2-3 minutes on each side. The biscuit pieces will puff up in the hot oil and get crispy and golden brown on the outside. (Pictures 3-5)
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the beignets out of the hot oil and drip off any excess oil before placing them on a paper towel to cool. Repeat until all of the beignets are fried.
- Dust the Beignets with Sugar: While the beignets are still hot, it’s time to coat them in powdered sugar. Either sprinkle them with sugar using a fine mesh sieve, roll them in powdered sugar on a plate, or place them in a paper bag filled with powdered sugar and shake until they are coated. (This is how it is done in New Orleans!)
Serve hot, covered in powdered sugar, with a caramel or fruit sauce if desired, and serve with a hot cup of coffee.
Can You Use an Air Fryer?
You can. I prefer to deep fry them because it is more authentic, but the air fryer is even more of a short cut!
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F, then once preheated, spritz the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray and place the beignets in the basket. Fry for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the biscuits and let them cool on a wire rack, then dust the hot beignets with powdered sugar the same way you would if you deep fried them.
They will have the texture of a baked donut.
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Pin ItRecipe Variations
- Make a berry sauce or caramel sauce to drizzle over your beignet donuts.
- Mix a little cinnamon into your powdered sugar just for another layer of flavor, or sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.
- For a fun Mardi Gras breakfast, mix purple, green, or yellow sugar crystals into your powdered sugar!
Storage and Reheating
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze them for later.
How to Reheat Leftovers
Leftover beignets are best reheated in an air fryer or in the oven on convection mode so the outside crisps back up.
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Easy Biscuit Beignets
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 frozen buttermilk biscuits You can also use canned flaky layers biscuits; I use Pillsbury frozen biscuits.
- 4 cups peanut oil or vegetable oil or canola oil, for frying.
Instructions
- Defrost the Biscuits: Take the biscuits out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you plan to fry the beignets to let the dough soften. For canned biscuits, you can skip this step.8 frozen buttermilk biscuits
- Heat the Oil: When your biscuits are ready to cut up, begin heating your oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat (or you can use a deep fryer to make a lot at once.) I heat mine to 360°F. You need enough oil for the beignets to submerge fully, keeping in mind that they will absorb some oil as the batches are fried, so use more than you think.4 cups peanut oil
- Prep the Biscuits: Cut each biscuit into thirds or quarters, depending on how small you want them to be. With thirds, you can make triangles, then lightly pinch the edges of the biscuits to make a triangle to make them like the Cracker Barrel Biscuit Beignets. With quarters, you can gently roll the pieces of dough in your hands softly until it forms a round ball.
- Fry the Beignets: When the oil has reached the right temperature, carefully drop the biscuit pieces into the oil a few at a time. Fry the beignets for 2-3 minutes on each side. The biscuit pieces will puff up in the hot oil and get crispy and golden brown on the outside.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the beignets out of the hot oil and drip off any excess oil before placing them on a paper towel to cool.Repeat until all of the beignets are fried.
- Dust the Beignets with Sugar: While the beignets are still hot, it's time to coat them in powdered sugar. Either sprinkle them with sugar using a fine mesh sieve, roll them in powdered sugar on a plate, or place them in a paper bag filled with powdered sugar and shake until they are coated. (This is how it is done in New Orleans!)1 cup powdered sugar
- Serve hot, covered in powdered sugar, with a caramel or fruit sauce if desired, and serve with a hot cup of coffee.
Notes
♨️ Can Biscuit Beignets Be Made in the Air Fryer?
They can! I prefer to deep fry them because it is more authentic, but the air fryer is even more of a short cut! Preheat your air fryer to 350°F, then once preheated, spritz the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray and place the beignets in the basket. Fry for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the biscuits and let them cool on a wire rack, then dust the hot beignets with powdered sugar the same way you would if you deep fried them.🫙 How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container and are best reheated in an air fryer or in the oven so the outside crisps back up.🎭 Variations
- Make a berry sauce or caramel sauce to drizzle over your beignet donuts.
- Mix a little cinnamon into your powdered sugar just for another layer of flavor, or sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.
- For a fun Mardi Gras breakfast, mix purple, green, or yellow sugar crystals into your powdered sugar!
☕ What to Serve with Beignets
Sweet beignets are best served with a cup of coffee. They just go together. Traditional beignets are served with chicory coffee, which I personally love, but my husband, the Louisiana native, hates it. You can also cook up some eggs or a frittata to add some protein on the side and make it a more filling breakfast. Fresh fruit is also a great side option! Nutrition Facts are calculated assuming that not all of the oil is used.Special Equipment Needeed
- a slotted spoon
- a deep fryer or a Dutch Oven
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
☕ What to Serve with Beignets
Sweet beignets are best served with a cup of coffee. They just go together. Traditional beignets are served with chicory coffee, which I personally love, but my husband, the Louisiana native, hates it. You can also cook up some eggs or a frittata to add some protein on the side. Fresh fruit is also a great side option!
If you want to visit New Orleans, beignets are high on the list of foods to try, but here’s a great list of foods that you must try in New Orleans. You must visit Cafe du Monde!
While reading through this recipe it reminded me of my mother’s Shortcut Loukoumades recipe. Loukoumades are the Greek version of Beignets. My mom would also use the Pillsbury biscuits and pinch them into thirds! Because we live in Canada her variation included dipping them in maple syrup and adding cinnamon as soon as they left the deep fryer. BTW we never had to worry about storing leftovers. Thanks for reminding me about this recipe – I will surprise the kids with it on the weekend!
That sounds so good! I will definitely try that next time – hope the kids loved them!