Air Fryer Beignets

February 12, 2020

Air Fryer Beignets

Beignets are square pieces of enriched yeast dough, deep-fried until puffed and golden, then buried under a heavy layer of powdered sugar. They’re the signature treat of New Orleans, most famously served at Café du Monde in the French Quarter, where a plate of hot beignets and a cup of chicory coffee is close to a civic ritual. This version swaps the oil bath for an air fryer: the dough still puffs and browns, as long as it gets a good coat of butter before it goes in.

The dough itself is simple — flour, milk, sugar, egg, butter, and yeast — but it needs an hour or two to rise before it’s rolled out and cut into squares. That patience pays off in a light, airy crumb under a crisp exterior. Because there’s no oil bath to carry heat evenly around the dough, brushing or spraying both sides with melted butter before air-frying matters more here than it would with a deep fryer.

Beignets are a breakfast or afternoon-coffee food, not really a dessert in the composed sense — no plating, no garnish beyond the sugar. Serve them straight from the air fryer, still hot, and eat them before the sugar has time to melt into the dough.

Ingredients

Serves 4 (about 12–15 beignets)

300 g flour
110 ml warm whole milk (about 43°C)
75 g sugar
3 g active dry yeast (about 1 tsp)
1 egg, beaten
35 g unsalted butter, melted, for the dough
30 g unsalted butter, melted (or cooking spray), for brushing
3 g salt (about ½ tsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Stir a pinch of the sugar and the yeast into the warm milk, then let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy. That foam means the yeast is active; if it doesn’t foam, start over with fresh yeast.

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, the remaining sugar, and the salt. Add the yeast mixture, the beaten egg, the melted dough butter, and the vanilla. Mix on low speed until everything comes together, then increase to medium-low and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and set it somewhere warm to rise for 1–1½ hours, until doubled in size. For deeper flavor, let it rise overnight in the refrigerator instead, then bring it back to room temperature before shaping.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it to about ¼–½ inch thick. Cut it into roughly 2-inch squares.

Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and lightly spray the basket. Working in batches so the pieces have room to puff, arrange the squares in the basket and brush or spray both sides with melted butter.

Air-fry for 6–8 minutes, flipping halfway, until the beignets are puffed and golden. At 375°F (190°C) they’ll be done closer to 5–6 minutes — keep an eye on them at the higher temperature.

As soon as they come out, dust the beignets heavily with powdered sugar while they’re still hot, so it sticks. Serve immediately.

Notes

For a shortcut version, quarter an 8-count can of large refrigerated biscuits, roll each piece into a ball, and skip the proofing step entirely. Spray or brush with oil and air-fry at 350°F (175°C) for 6–8 minutes, flipping halfway, for about 32 small pieces. This is a fried biscuit rather than a true beignet, but it’s a fast, low-mess stand-in.

Dust the powdered sugar on right before serving — it dissolves if it sits on the warm dough too long.

Leftovers keep for 2–3 days in an airtight container. Reheat unsugared beignets in the air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 2–3 minutes; if they’re already sugared, warm them in a regular oven instead, since the air fryer’s fan blows the sugar around.