Pate a Choux Beignets Recipe- Baker Bettie (2024)

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by Baker BettieJanuary 16, 2014

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Learn how to make pate a choux beignets. The classic choux pastry is fried and becomes light and airy fried pastries. Cover in powdered sugar and devour alongside a cup ofstrong black coffee!

Fried dough. I mean… Can you really go wrong? I would argue not. There is just something magical that happens when you drop dough into a hot bath of fat. Magical and delicious.

We’re on to Episode 3 of Pate a Choux week! Beignets! And I feel I need to have a disclaimer on these because some people from New Orleans (or Nawlins) might get a little feisty with me about thinking these aren’t proper beignets. I get it.

In French, beignet means fried dough. It is synonymous with the English word fritter and in France it specifically refers to deep fried choux pastry (unless wikipedia is a total liar, which is entirely possible).

So since pate a choux is a French pastry dough, then we’re going to stick with calling these beignets even though in New Orleans the dough for making beignets is typically more of a traditional yeast doughnut dough. I promise, they are still really tasty and actually much easier to make!

If you are from New Orleans and have a problem with calling these beignets, then call them Zeppole! I was thinking about how so many cultures have their own variations of fried dough. I found this recipe for zeppole from Giada and she uses a pate a choux as the base of her recipe.

Though I have also seen numerous recipes that do not use choux as the base of zeppole. Whatever. Call them what you want. As long as hot fried dough is in my mouth, I don’t really care what it’s called.

If you are just tuning into Pate a Choux week, welcome! On Tuesday I did a tutorial about the basics of pate a choux, how to make it, and all it’s various applications. That is a great post to check out first if you are unfamiliar with how to make this simple and incredibly versatile pastry dough.

Yesterday we baked the pastry for eclairs and filled them with cinnamon whipped cream and topped them with an espresso glaze. Pate a choux has many applications when baking it. But today, we fry!

Check out the rest of thePate a Choux and All it Can Doseries here:
How to Make Basic Pate a Choux
Eclairs with Espresso Glaze and Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Classic Cream Puffs
Sharp Cheddar and Thyme Cheese Puffs (Gougère)

One of the glorious things about pate a choux is the amount of rise you get without any yeast or chemical leavening. This comes from the amount of moisture in the batter.

If you have ever made popovers, it is a similar idea. The moisture content begins to evaporate and create steam when heated creating rise. These beignets are perfectly hollow in the middle once cooked, resulting in a very light and airy treat.

Tune in tomorrow for some more pate a choux and all it can do! (the rhyming just never gets old)

Pate a Choux Beignets

Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time1 hour 45 minutes

Learn how to make pate a choux beignets. The classic choux pastry is fried and becomes light and airy fried pastries. Cover in powdered sugar and devour alongside a cup ofstrong black coffee!

Ingredients

1 cup (8 fl oz, 240 ml) water
1 stick (1/2 cup, 4 oz, 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
large pinch kosher salt
2 TBSP (0.8 oz, 24 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (4.5 oz, 127 grams) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
oil for frying, such as canola or vegetable
powdered sugar for topping

Instructions

Place water, butter, sugar, and salt in a sauce pot over medium high heat. Stir until butter is melted and everything comes to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium. Add flour into the mixture all at once while stirring quickly. Continue to stir and cook off the moisture in the dough until it pulls away from the sides and starts to form into a ball. This should take about a minute.
Place dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add eggs in one at a time. Do not add another egg until the one before has been completely absorbed into the batter. The batter will look smooth and glossy when ready. (Alternatively, you can mix in the eggs by hand. This just takes a bit longer. Mix each egg until completely absorbed before adding the next).
Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to overnight.
Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium-high heat to 350F.
Use a small scoop or a spoon to drop about 1 TBSP of batter per beignet into the oil. They will puff up considerably. Fry in batches.
Turn beignets after several minutes and continue to cook until each side is golden, the beignet is puffed, and it is started to create a seam (the dough will start to burst creating a seam when it is ready). This will take about 7-9 minutes of frying. Be patient so that the inside is not uncooked. Drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 0

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49 Comments on “Pate a Choux Beignets”

Theresa Martin —January 16, 2014 @ 3:00 pm Reply
Look delicious a 🙂
lthough not good for the waistline
Marjorie (Sugar for the Brain) —January 16, 2014 @ 11:46 am Reply
Oh Yum!!! I didn’t know you could do that! Must taste like heavean! Can’t wait to try it!
- Baker Bettie —January 21, 2014 @ 7:06 pm Reply
  The more you know… the more hot fried dough you get to eat!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) —January 16, 2014 @ 6:26 pm Reply
O_O…..
….I want to come live at your house, please
- Baker Bettie —January 21, 2014 @ 7:07 pm Reply
  Yep! If you don’t mind sleeping on a couch that you share with two cats! I’m down!
Rachel —January 17, 2014 @ 6:14 am Reply
I need fried dough. NOW. Also, I don’t know why I never thought of using my stand mixer to make pate a choux before…I’ve always done it by hand, and it’s kind of a pain. I now predict all sorts of delicious pate a choux goodies in my future!
- Baker Bettie —January 21, 2014 @ 7:08 pm Reply
  I admit, I don’t always use it for pate a choux. Sometimes I don’t want to dirty it up. But it can be a tiring dough to make without it! So much easier with it. You just have to clean it… You win some you lose some.
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dina —January 20, 2014 @ 7:32 pm Reply
they look yummy!
BakerBettie —January 22, 2014 @ 1:04 am Reply
True. True. A once in a while type of breakfast 🙂
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Melissa Loh —January 23, 2014 @ 5:25 am Reply
That’s it, I really should get myself an ice-cream scoop to make such adorable little round fried balls of choux pastry.
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lia marliana —October 7, 2015 @ 10:46 pm Reply
why do we have to chill the batter prior to frying?what would happen if we do not chill it?
tq in advance
Teresa Christensen —August 14, 2016 @ 2:04 pm Reply
Baker Bettie, So glad that I found your site. It has been decades since I was taught the fundamentals of baking. Thank you for an extensive collection of recipes. I also enjoy your sense of humor & unassuming approach to baking 101. Your site helps me gain the confidence I need to venture into the world of beignets, pies, cookies and muffins!
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liz —January 22, 2017 @ 5:09 pm Reply
we would make these in work and if you pipe shapes on to geaseproof paper leaving a gap at the top then lower in to the hot fat the choux paste comes off after a few seconds! love these thank you 🙂
Harold —May 8, 2017 @ 1:10 am Reply
They are great. There is a restaurant by the name of “Grand Lux ” it is a sister restaurant os The Cheesecake Factory. They serve some using this recipe. Incredible!
Wendy —June 23, 2017 @ 2:54 pm Reply
These are too “eggy” for my taste but thanks for posting the recipe.
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Rima —March 16, 2018 @ 1:21 pm Reply
I’ve been making this for years, since I was little and saw it on tv, I was about 11. Makes quick, easy treat. You don’t need a mixer, a wooden spoon does great. Try rolling it in cinnamon and sugar.
- Kristin "Baker Bettie" Hoffman —March 18, 2018 @ 8:23 am Reply
  Hi Rima! Yes you can definitely make it without a mixer! I have some pretty bad tendonitis in my wrists and making pate a choux without a mixer is sometimes very difficult for me. So a mixer can be helpful!
Ashley —April 1, 2018 @ 1:35 am Reply
Have you ever tried filling the fried pate a choux with a pastry cream or anything? Just curious to know if it’d work as well as it does with the baked ones.
- Kristin "Baker Bettie" Hoffman —April 1, 2018 @ 8:34 am Reply
  I have never tried that Ashley! The shells are definitely more delicate than baked ones, but I think it would work! Let me know if you try it!
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Kristina —June 19, 2018 @ 3:41 am Reply
This looks so delicious, but I’d really like to add some chocolate in these, do you have any recomandations?
- Kristin "Baker Bettie" Hoffman —June 19, 2018 @ 7:21 am Reply
  Hi Kristina! I have never tried it, but the thing I would suggest doing is to push some chocolate chips into the center of your batter when you scoop it, before going into the fryer. Make sure the batter is surrounding the chocolate before you drop them into the oil. You could also drizzle them with some ganache!
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Al V. —January 1, 2019 @ 3:51 pm Reply
I use this recipe to make Dutch Oliebollen , adding raisins and diced apple to the dough .
- Bettie —January 7, 2019 @ 12:53 pm Reply
  That sounds absolutely delicious!
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Susan —October 6, 2019 @ 4:55 pm Reply
Made these this morning. Used a food syringe to add just a touch of raspberry jam inside. They were fantastic! I’ve found my go to recipe for pate choux.
livvy —February 10, 2020 @ 9:39 pm Reply
I made these tonight, and they didn’t puff up at all. I had to do little teaspoon sized balls so that they wouldn’t be underdone and custard-y. What do you think I did wrong? I didn’t make any changes, only in the fridge for about 2 hours.
The only thing is that I don’t have a thermometer, so I had to guess, but the oil was definitely hot enough… maybe too hot? idk. They were still tasty, though! I added cinnamon into the sugar mixture.
Verbena —April 10, 2020 @ 5:18 pm Reply
These look great, but I think they are more like cream puff consistency than beignets.
Suzy chapsrick —April 10, 2020 @ 8:23 pm Reply
I made these tonight, they didn’t puff up at all. Your recipe was off. The dough was too heavy for your ingredients, terrible
N —May 25, 2020 @ 6:05 am Reply
Can I bake these?
- Baker Bettie —May 27, 2020 @ 12:53 pm Reply
  You can! They’ll be more like cream puffs instead of beignets without the frying.
  - N —May 27, 2020 @ 3:31 pm Reply
    How long would I be baking them for? I’m sorry for basic questions but I’m an absolute disaster at baking.