Fluffy and sweet, this incredibly easy Sopapilla Recipe is one you’re bound to love. With only 6 pantry staple ingredients and minutes to fry up, this is one recipe you’ll be wanting over and over again.
Here’s a super simple Sopapilla Recipe that will have everyone asking for seconds. Sopapillas are a fried dough dessert that have become a family favorite in our house.
My kids ask for them regularly and they are so simple I can’t say no, that’s probably also because I’m slightly in love as well. If you can’t tell, we all love fried doughy desserts around here.
They’re easy to make, kid friendly, and are always a great choice. In fact, they remind me of being at the fair and all the other fair food I seem to enjoy there.
Many good memories at the fair watching the kids enjoy themselves while snacking on all the best fried foods. Now this recipe actually comes from my friend Mona who lived in Mexico for over 20 years.
While Sopapillas did not originate from Mexico but New Mexico, they did make them often and were apart of their own tradition down there and we have been making them ever since.
They don’t usually serve them with powdered sugar and usually honey, but we love adding the powdered sugar for our own sweetness aspect of this recipe.
Some of our other favorite dessert recipes we have on our site include: Beignets, Cream Puffs and French Crullers.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Uses minimal ingredients and come together in no time.
- Super kid-friendly!
- Can be enjoyed any time of the day for breakfast, lunch, a snack, dinner, and of course as a dessert.
- They can be doubled or tripled depending on how many you are feeding.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Granulated sugar
Salt
Canola oil
Warm milk
Oil
Powdered sugar, optional
Honey, optional
HOW TO MAKE SOPAPILLAS, STEP BY STEP:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In another container, combine the oil and the warm milk. Now, make a well in the center of the flour and pour the milk mixture in.
- Stir everything until combined.
- Use your hands to form a ball of dough.
- Knead the dough gently for a few seconds into a smooth ball then cut the dough into 4 pieces. Place the dough pieces back in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- In a heavy pan, pour 2 inches of oil and use a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan to heat the oil to 350°F.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut the dough into 2-3 inch squares depending on how large you want the pastries and how many you would like.
- When the oil reaches 350°F carefully lower 5-6 pieces of dough into the pan. Do not overcrowd them in the pan. Spoon some hot oil over the top of the dough to help it puff up. When the dough has puffed up and the bottom side of the pastries are slightly browned, flip them over and cook the other side. Keep in mind the dough cooks quickly.
- Drain on a paper towel. To keep the cooked sopapillas warm while finishing the rest of the batches, pop them in an oven at 200F to stay warm.
- Serve these tasty treats with powdered sugar and honey.
WHAT ARE SOPAPILLAS?
Sopapillas are also called sopaipilla, sopaipa and cachangas. All of these things mean a fried, doughy pastry that’s normally hollow in the center but can sometimes be stuffed with things.
A Sopapilla is made from dough that puffs up when fried. They’re very common in regions with higher Hispanic heritage populations and can also be thought of as a quick bread.
They can be served as a breakfast item, lunch, snack, or dessert item. They can be made to either be sweet or savory.
This Sopapilla Recipe creates a light and fluffy sweet one, and just like other sweet ones, it’s topped with honey and powdered sugar. Savory ones are usually stuffed with meat and cheese.
WHERE DID SOPAPILLAS COME FROM?
Sopapillas are commonly associated with places that have Hispanic heritage, but they’re not actually from Mexico. They originated in New Mexico, but are served in so many various places today.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BEIGNET AND A SOPAPILLA?
HOW TO STORE:
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- To ensure that your sopapillas get nice and fluffy, make sure to let the dough rest and you can drizzle just a tid bit of oil over the top of them while they cook.
- You may need to increase or decrease the oil temperature that you use if the sopapillas aren’t puffing up nicely.
- Both the dough and fried pastries can be frozen and reheated, follow the instructions above.
- For best results, the dough will need to rest, do not forget to do this.
- Feel free to cut these into different shapes: square, triangle, rectangle, even cut them out with a cookie cutter.
- When frying, use a candy thermometer to make sure the oil is at 350°F and doesn’t change and get too hot or cold. If the oil isn’t warm enough, the dough will just soak it up. If it is too hot, the dough will burn quickly and won’t cook properly.
- When you put the dough into the oil, scoop a bit on top, this will help it bubble in the middle.
- If your Sopapillas don’t rise, no worries, they are still good with powdered sugar and honey, or eat them with refried beans and cheese.
- When rolling out your sopapillas, you want them to be just a little bit thicker than a flour tortilla about 1/4-inch. If they are too thick, they won’t rise properly when they’re resting.
- The number of sopapillas you can make will vary on the size and shape that you cut them.
- Easily double or triple this recipe.
Do you love fried treats like I do? Then you’re going to absolutely love this Fried Sopapillas recipe just as much as you love donuts, beignets, and any of your other favorite foods. Grab your ingredients and get to frying these bad boys tonight!
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
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Sopapilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- ¾ cup warm milk
- Oil for frying
- Powdered sugar optional
- Honey optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In another container, combine the oil and the warm milk. Now, make a well in the center of the flour and pour the milk mixture in.
- Stir everything until combined.
- Use your hands to form a ball of dough.
- Knead the dough gently for a few seconds into a smooth ball then cut the dough into 4 pieces. Place the dough pieces back in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- In a heavy pan, pour 2 inches of oil and use a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan to heat the oil to 350°F.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut the dough into 2-3 inch squares depending on how large you want the pastries and how many you would like.
- When the oil reaches 350°F carefully lower 5-6 pieces of dough into the pan. Do not overcrowd them in the pan. Spoon some hot oil over the top of the dough to help it puff up. When the dough has puffed up and the bottom side of the pastries are slightly browned, flip them over and cook the other side. Keep in mind the dough cooks quickly.
- Drain on a paper towel. To keep the cooked sopapillas warm while finishing the rest of the batches, pop them in an oven at 200F to stay warm.
- Serve these tasty treats with powdered sugar and honey.
Notes
- To ensure that your sopapillas get nice and fluffy, make sure to let the dough rest and you can drizzle just a tid bit of oil over the top of them while they cook.
- You may need to increase or decrease the oil temperature that you use if the sopapillas aren't puffing up nicely.
- Both the dough and fried pastries can be frozen and reheated, follow the instructions above.
- For best results, the dough will need to rest, do not forget to do this.
- Feel free to cut these into different shapes: square, triangle, rectangle, even cut them out with a cookie cutter.
- When frying, use a candy thermometer to make sure the oil is at 350°F and doesn’t change and get too hot or cold. If the oil isn't warm enough, the dough will just soak it up. If it is too hot, the dough will burn quickly and won't cook properly.
- When you put the dough into the oil, scoop a bit on top, this will help it bubble in the middle.
- If your Sopapillas don’t rise, no worries, they are still good with powdered sugar and honey, or eat them with refried beans and cheese.
- When rolling out your sopapillas, you want them to be just a little bit thicker than a flour tortilla about 1/4-inch. If they are too thick, they won’t rise properly when they're resting.
- The number of sopapillas you can make will vary on the size and shape that you cut them.
- Easily double or triple this recipe.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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