Overnight Beignets

Celebrate Mardi Gras at home with Overnight Beignets, a famous New Orleans pastry. The dough rests in the refrigerator overnight for shorter work the next morning. 

Overnight Beignets

The thing I love most about food is how it can transport you to another place without having to travel there. Beignets, for example. They can easily be made at home. And although they won’t taste exactly like the famous ones at Café du Monde (the recipe is closely guarded), they will taste pretty incredible fresh from your own fryer. Brew yourself some strong chicory coffee and cut it with hot milk for an accompaniment, and you’ll have a near authentic New Orleans beignet-eating experience. 

This was my very first foray into beignet making. So I researched recipes from all over and settled on adapted one from King Arthur Baking. And although I am well-practiced with making all kinds of yeast doughs, I was not prepared for the instructions. It simply said “Combine all the ingredients and mix them together.” Could it be that simple? It was! I went forward anyway and things went so well, it’s a new favorite recipe.

Overnight Beignets

Plan ahead.

Chill the Beignet dough overnight so the yeasty flavor develops best overnight, or you can refrigerate it up to two days which is the route I took. Once mixed, I plopped the dough in a big, greased, zip-top bag so it would have room to expand if it decided to. Another step that seemed unusual was rolling the dough straight from the refrigerator. There is no second rise. The chilled dough is rolled flat, cut, and fried from this cold state. 

Overnight Beignets

Golden brown and delicious!

The beignets puffed and pillowed to golden brown perfection in 360°F oil. I recommend using an electric skillet to make these, if you have one. Most have an interior thermometer that keeps the oil at consistent temp the entire duration of frying. If you don’t have an electric skillet, you’ll need a cooking thermometer clipped to the side of a heavy-bottomed pan. 

Overnight Beignets

Ah, the beauty of fried dough! It’s difficult to convey how awesome a beignet is hot from the fryer, and doused with powdered sugar. They go down a little too easy!

This recipe makes about 30. Enjoy them the day they are made, because that’s when they’re best. And if you’re not going to eat all 30 in one day, you can freeze half of the dough squares after you cut them. Place them between wax paper sheets in zip-top freezer bags. They can thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready for another batch. 

Overnight Beignets

Even though the usual parties and parades have been scaled back in recent years, things are slowing getting back to normal. Mardi Gras is still being celebrated in different ways. Some NOLA residents have taken to a new kind of festooning, called “Yardi Gras” where they deck the exteriors of their homes and lawns with green, gold, and purple decorations. (Check it out here.) It’s clear that the spirit of Mardi Gras is indomitable. 

I say we fry up these beignets in solidarity. Enjoy!

Overnight Beignets

Heather Baird
Plan ahead, because this recipe needs to chill in the refrigerator overnight, or kept chilled up to 2 days. If you want same-day beignets, they must chill for 4 hours at the very least.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Overnight resting time 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours 10 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine French, Southern United States
Servings 30

Equipment

  • Electric skillet or fry thermometer

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 cup water 105 °-115°F
  • 1/2 cup milk 105 °-115°F
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • peanut oil for frying (4 cups)
  • powdered sugar for dusting (3-4 cups)

Instructions
 

  • Combine all of the beignet ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together until just combined and switch to the dough hook. Knead until smooth, about 2 minutes; do not over-mix. You may also knead together by hand or bread machine. The finished dough should be soft and smooth.
  • Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn over once; cover with a sheet of greased plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour, or until it's well-puffed but not necessarily doubled in size. Gently deflate the dough, and place it in a greased bowl or greased plastic bag. Choose a bowl or bag that will allow the dough to expand. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.
  • Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into a 14" x 10" rectangle; square off the corners using a bench scraper or sharp chef’s knife. Cut the dough into 2" squares. Let the squares rest 10 minutes.
  • Pour the oil to a depth of 1” a 10" electric frying pan. You may also use a deep, heavy-bottomed 10" frying pan with a thermometer clipped to the side and set over a burner. Heat the oil to 360°F. Fry 5 or 6 squares of dough at a time, about 1-2 minutes per side until golden and puffed. At first, they'll sink to the bottom, then in a few seconds will bubble to the top.
  • Line a plate with paper towels and transfer the beignets to the plate to drain and cool slightly. Sprinkle the beignets heavily with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Notes

These are best on the day they are made, and if you’re not going to eat all 30 in one day, you can freeze half of the dough squares after you cut them. Place them between wax paper sheets in zip-top freezer bags. They can thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready for another batch.
Keyword beignets, cafe du monde, mardi gras
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Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

Loved this post. Brought back memories of my trip to Cafe Du Monde. Growing up, the electric skillet was one of the most used kitchen appliances in our house. I'm thinking of getting one. How much oil would I need to buy to get it deep enough to make beignets?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
3 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Hi! Thank you!
I believe I used an entire 32 oz. bottle of corn oil in my 10-inch skillet. So, about 4 cups.

Catherine
Catherine
2 years ago

Absolutely delicious!! I made these for Mardi Gras on Sunday and fried them on Tuesday—they were a big hit! Mixing Method I used for the dough: -add yeast to warm water & sugar in a measuring cup & let sit for 2 min. Then add the warm milk. -combine flour & salt in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. On low speed, pour the liquid gradually down the side until dough starts to clump and some flour is still visible. -in a separate bowl, mix together the egg, melted butter & vanilla extract. Turn the mixer on low and… Read more »

Ashlie
Ashlie
7 months ago

5 stars
Loved these! I was a little concerned since my dough never got a true smooth and soft like I am used to. But I decided I had mixed them enough and we will just see what happens. They turned out, was so much fun to to see them puff up in the oil. I had froze 2/3 of the squares for later.

Leah
Leah
6 months ago

These were amazing!!! So easy to make. A friend of mine from Louisiana said that these are authentic Louisiana beignets.