Princess and the Frog Beignets (Tiana’s Beignets)

These classic New Orleans Beignets are inspired by the Disney Parks recipe and are soft, pillowy, and dusted with sweet powdered sugar. Make homemade Princess and the Frog beignets from scratch using this easy recipe, and enjoy them with breakfast, brunch, or dessert with a warm mug of coffee!

Beignets make a frequent appearance in Disney’s Princess And The Frog and now you can make them at home.

Beignets are french doughnuts that originated in New Orleans. Serve these soft pillowy bites of goodness with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Traditionally, beignets are fried in oil or fat and then dusted with confectioners’ sugar. They are made from yeast dough or a quick batter. Serve them plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.

You can find them in various places all over New Orleans, especially the famous Café du Monde. You can also find them at various locations throughout Disney parks and resorts.

But if you can’t make it to Disney or New Orleans, you can make these classic beignets at home just like princess Tiana. You probably already have all of the ingredients in your pantry!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Make these famous princess and the frog beignets right at home using simple baking ingredients.
• Serve these New Orleans beignets for breakfast, brunch or dessert.
• Enjoy them plain or with a variety of different dipping sauces to change the flavor.
• They’re sweet, soft, and have a light crunchy dough on the outside.

Ingredients You Need

• Milk – You’ll need very warm milk to help activate the dry yeast and feed it. Milk also adds a wet texture to the batter while keeping it nice and creamy.
• Granulated Sugar – Helps sweeten up the base of the doughnut dough while also feeding the yeast. Do not substitute with any other type of sugar.
• Active Dry Yeast – Gives the beignets a light classic yeast taste along with it’s fluffy texture on the inside.
• Egg – Binds all of the ingredients together keeping them rich and moist.
• Melted Unsalted Butter – You can substitute with salted butter, if needed.
• Vanilla Extract – Gives the beignets a light vanilla flavor that pairs perfectly with test and sugar.
• Salt – Balances out the sweetness in the doughnut.
• All-Purpose Flour – If you want to make gluten free beignets, try to use a gluten free 1:1 baking flour.
• Frying Oil – You can use vegetable oil or peanut oil to fry and fully cook the beignets.
• Powdered Sugar – This classic topping adds a bit of sweetness to the top along with its classic dusted sugar look.

How to Make Homemade Beignets

These New Orleans beignets come together with a few basic steps. You need to prepare the dough and allow it to rest. Roll out the dough, cut it into squares and fry before dusting with powdered sugar.

1. Activate the yeast: To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast is activated and foamy. Then, stir in the rest of the sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and salt.
2. Add the flour: Add the dough hook to your stand mixer, then slowly stir in the flour to the wet mixture until a soft dough forms.
3. Knead the dough: Use the dough hook to knead the dough for 4-5 minutes. If it does not pull away from the sides, proceed to add a few sprinkles of flour to the mixture. The dough should be elastic, smooth, and still sticky.
4. Let the dough rise: Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rise for at least 2 hours or refrigerate overnight to double in size.

5. Heat the oil: When ready to fry, pour two inches of your preferred frying oil into a deep skillet or Dutch oven and heat until it becomes 350F. Use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature. Be very careful as the oil is very hot.
6. Shape the beignets: Add the dough to a lightly floured countertop removing any leftover bits with a rubber spatula. Lightly flour the surface of the dough then flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a rectangle that’s about ½ inch thick. Use a greased pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 1-2 inch dough squares.
7. Fry the beignets: Add 4-5 squares of raw dough to the hot oil, then fry for 2-2.5 minutes flipping halfway. The beignets should be golden brown and puffed up. Add the finished beignets to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
8. Garnish and serve: Cool for 5 minutes before dusting powdered sugar on top and serving warm. Enjoy!

This beignet recipe makes about 35 to 40 beignets, depending on how wide you cut them.

Expert Tips

1. Be sure to bring the ingredients to the correct temperature. Make sure your milk is hot, the butter is melted, and the egg is at room temperature. This ensures that the batter will mix smoothly and evenly.
2. The dough should be elastic and smooth but still sticky, you will be tempted to add more flour, but if you add too much, the beignets will be heavy and gummy.
3. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to avoid tearing the dough when cutting the beignets. To help with slicing, you can grease the pizza cutter or knife with oil
4. If you don’t have a deep skillet, you can use a Dutch oven or large pot instead.
5. Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying the beignets, otherwise, they will stick together and won’t cook evenly. Cook them in small batches.
6. We call these Princess and the Frog beignets, but they are just classic beignets. If you’re looking for the perfect beignet recipe, this one is it!

Serving Suggestions

Since homemade beignets have such a simple and delicious flavor, there are many ways you can change up your experience!

• Serve them plain with powdered sugar.
• Add a little bit of fresh fruit on top like raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries.
• Dust them with homemade pumpkin pie spice for a warming fall flavor.
• Try dipping them in chocolate sauce, caramel, or your favorite jam.
• Pair homemade beignets with a cup of hot coffee or tea.
• Add cinnamon to the top for a little extra flavor.
• Try making beignet ice cream sandwiches by serving them with a scoop of ice cream!

FAQs

Other Disney Recipes

• Mini Corn Dogs
• Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
• Homemade Churros
• Homemade Dole Whip
• Jack Jack Num Num Cookies

Did you make these Princess and the Frog Beignets? Leave a recipe rating and review below.