Gluten free beignets. Just the sound of those words causes me to sigh (happily).
For those of us in the gluten free community, a Beignet may seem like a faint, sweet memory, but now it doesn’t have to be. I love when I can be the bearer of good news: Gluten Free Beignets are here, and you can make them ANYTIME you like! No need to wait for a trip to New Orleans or even for Mardi Gras. Gluten Free Beignets are yours for the taking whenever you have the craving!
Especially at Mardi Gras time of year, when we think all things New Orleans, take heart knowing these amazingly festive and special doughnuts, and even King Cakes are again within reach (you simply MUST try my gluten free King Cake recipe! Oh, and my gluten free étouffée!
Here are some other Mardi Gras recipe ideas from Southern Living Magazine I think I might have to dive into soon, as well! They’re not necessarily gluten free, but with my gfJules Flour, anything is possible!).
So grab your plastic beads, and let’s make some Gluten Free Beignets!
What’s A Beignet?
A little background on Beignets first. This quintessential New Orleans treat, the Beignet: (pronounced: ben-yay), is a crispy-on-the-outside, feather-light, heavenly doughnut, flash fried and smothered in confectioner’s sugar … and totally full of gluten.
They are unique to New Orleans, so I hadn’t been lucky enough to have one since my parents’ trip to Bourbon Street in the ’80s, when they brought back boxes of famous wheat-filled Café du Monde Beignet Mix.
Since I devised this recipe, I’ve actually had some gluten free beignets at Disney World which was a really cool experience to be able to order them out, but mine are better. Just being honest. Which means when you make these gluten free beignets with my recipe, yours will be better than a Disney chef’s too! (I think it’s the gluten free flour talking – it makes a huge difference, as you know.)
For years, the thought of ever enjoying such a soft, airy, gluten-free puffed doughnut seemed like an unachievable dream to me.
Now, sharing my gluten free beignet recipe with a host of friends and family (and two Louisiana natives), I am happy to pronounce my gluten free beignets are a resounding success! Made with my award-winning gfJules Flour, you would never know these delicate puffs are gluten free. No grit, no denseness, no funky taste. Just gluten free beignet perfection.
Whether you have had and now miss Beignets since going gluten-free, or are just curious to try these little puffs of New Orleans deliciousness, give this recipe a try, even if it’s not Mardi Gras time!
My children have never been to New Orleans, so when they tasted these gluten free Beignets, they announced that they taste just like funnel cakes, only better because they’re fluffy! Sounds pretty yummy to me! (Oh and yes, I have a recipe for gluten free Funnel Cakes too!).
How to Make Gluten Free Beignets
To make these beauties, you prepare the dough as outlined in the recipe, then cut into parallelograms (see, and you thought you would never use high school geometry again).
Then gather up the dough, re-roll and repeat to use up all the remaining dough:
Then allow them to rise for an hour or two or even overnight (covered, in a chilly garage or in the refrigerator for a long, slow rise works great!).
Once they’ve risen, you simply fry them. Check out my specific directions below for the oil temperature and for how long — it’s not hard or complicated, but it is precise.
Making Gluten Free Beignets in an Air Fryer
This year I tried something new and even made these babies in my Air Fryer! I have to say they were definitely a success! There are some differences though.
When the risen dough hits hot oil, it causes air pockets to form quickly in traditional beignets and in my gluten free beignets; in an air fryer, there’s no such rapid contact with high heat, so there are no huge air pockets formed. Nonetheless, the dough is still light and airy, if more uniform.
In my Cuisinart Toaster Air Fryer set on 350F, they only took about 2 minutes to cook in the air fryer. I misted them with water first and then with cooking oil spray so that they would be a bit wet when I took them out of the air fryer so that the powdered sugar would stick to them because … powdered sugar.
And lest you think these gluten free beignets must be too difficult to master, take inspiration from young Cosette:
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!
Gluten Free Beignets Recipe
Gluten Free Beignets Recipe
Feather-light, airy puffs of dough fried (or air fried) and smothered in powdered sugar. That's heaven on a plate. That's a gluten-free beignet.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (110° F)
- 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 package active dry or instant yeast
- 1 large egg (or 1 Tbs. vegetable oil + 2 Tbs. water + 2 tsp. baking powder)
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (see directions below for making non-dairy evaporated milk or use Coconut Evaporated Milk)
- 3 3/4 cup gfJules All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. shortening (vegetable or palm shortening)
- high heat vegetable oil for frying
- confectioner’s sugar to dust Beignets
Instructions
Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast; stir and set aside to activate the yeast. Allow mixture to sit until it becomes frothy, at least 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat together the egg and milk. Add 1 cup of the gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and the salt. Beat until integrated.
Cut the shortening into small chunks and mix in with the 1 cup flour, egg and milk. Slowly beat in remaining flour and the proofed yeast mixture until completely mixed. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl and not be stiff or sticky at this point.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface or pastry mat lightly dusted with gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. Roll gently into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle.
Using a large, sharp knife, cut strips of dough 2 inches wide, on a diagonal (not straight up and down, leaving a diagonal edge to the strips). Cut across these strips 2 inches across in the same way, creating 2x2 diamond-shaped Beignets.
Cut in this way, you should have approximately 24 Beignets with extra dough scraps.
Leave any scraps of dough to test the temperature of the oil – do not knead together and cut again. Place cut Beignets onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel or parchment paper.
Allow to rise in a warming drawer or an oven brought to 200° F, then turned off. The Beignets will roughly double in size after rising for 45 – 90 minutes (I’ve left them covered overnight in the refrigerator or a chilly garage for a long, slow rise as well, and they turned out great!).
After the Beignets have risen, pour vegetable oil into a large saucepan to a depth of 2-3 inches. Heat the oil on medium-high to approximately 370° – 385° F.
Test the temperature of the oil by using any risen scraps of dough remaining. Gently submerge a piece of dough in oil – if it rises to the top of the oil immediately and begins to bubble, the oil is hot enough; if it does not rise to the top of the oil, it is not hot enough. If the dough turns dark brown within 30 seconds of being submerged, the oil is too hot.
Once the oil is to temperature, gently submerge 2 – 3 Beignets in hot oil and cook until lightly browned and puffed on each side – approximately 1- 2 minutes only.
Remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon to drain on paper towels, and sprinkle confectioner’s sugar liberally over top of each Beignet. Serve warm.
Directions for Non-Dairy Evaporated Milk:
Measure 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice and pour into a small saucepan.
Over low-medium heat, stir milk occasionally to prevent a skin from forming or the milk from sticking to the pan. Heat until the milk is reduced by half to measure 1/2 cup of liquid (allow approximately 30 minutes for this process).
Once reduced, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding to dough per recipe.
Alternatively, mix 2/3 cup warm water with 1/2 cup powdered non-dairy milk (like coconut milk powder). Whisk together, then measure out enough for your recipe.
Pin for later!!
I made your beignet recipe today for my family. I used your wonderful
flour! I have never written a letter of this kind to anyone. They were
absolutely the most wonderful things I have ever eaten and that includes
Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, back In the gluten days! Thank you so much
for sharing your recipes and your talent with the world. My whole family is
so happy tonight!
Sincerely,
Oh Dot, you just made my day!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me and I’m honored to be the only one you’ve ever written such a letter to! 🙂 So happy you can enjoy real beignets again, gluten free!
~jules
Would two tablespoons vegetable oil instead of the shortening work?
Thanks
You could certainly try it, Roger, but the oil might make the dough heavier and more dense. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Hi. I was just wondering if yeast has gluten in it. I’ve gotten many mixed answers.
Hi Nan, hopefully this article will clear things up for you! https://gfjules.com/gluten-free-life/
These were fantastic! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Wonderful to hear, Sue!
so what does jules gluten free flour contain and what is earth balance shortening- I live in central Ontario and these products are not available here-please stop specifying products as too many of us live in the wilderness and do not have access to many product lines- thank you g
Hi Gloria – I’m sorry that you don’t have these products available in Ontario. My flour is a blend of a special tapioca starch, whole grain corn flour, corn starch, potato starch, fine white rice flour and xanthan gum. Earth Balance shortening is vegan and made from a non-hydrogenated blend of oils with no transfats.
So glad I read the reviews this far… I cannot eat corn. I use a brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch mix, usually. Do you thinnk I will have success?
These products are widely available in the US. If you can’t find them, ask your market to carry them or special order. The rest of us are glad that she specifies products that are successful. You choose to live in the “wilderness” not us!
I made these today, and they looked the same as yours, but were a lot more dense than I was expecting. I suspect it’s because I used my hand mixer instead of my Kitchen Aid, and the ol’ girl just wasn’t up to the job! I’ve never had an actual beignet, so I don’t have a basis for comparison. Next time I’m going to use the stand mixer and see if they’re any lighter. Yummy, nonetheless!
Glad they were still yummy, but your hunch might be correct about the mixer. They should be very light, in addition to tasting delicious!
wow, thank you SO MUCH, not only for the Beignets recipe(which I never thought I’d see gluten-free!), but also the evaporated milk!! And MULTO GRACIAS for the PEANUT BUTTER AND KIND BARS!! Thanks so much!
Can I use Active Dry Yeast instead? I don’t have any rapid rise yeast in the house? Thanks!
Hi Tracey, yes you can, but let them rise much longer with the regular active yeast. Enjoy the recipe!
I’m so excited to find this recipe! I love beignets
Have fun with them!!
Do you think these could be baked rather than fried? I’m having a tough time adapting a non gluten free recipe with your flour.
Hi Chelsea, Beignets are made to be fried, unfortunately. But for sure let us know if you try a different way and have success! If your oil is the right temp, the Beignets shouldn’t absorb too much oil. Enjoy!
I don’t know if this would work in this particular recipe but when I make pumpkin pies, I use soft silken tofu for the dairy portion. I put it in the Cuisinart to mix and smooth, then add to pumpkin portion. Truly, it makes a great pie. That’s the only thing I do differently from the old recipe on the pumpkin can.
Wow, these look good. Would you mind if I included them on a Mardi Gras roundup I have on my blog today?
Hi Alta – share away!
I love your flour, recipes, and book. I am so glad my daughter-in-law brought me your book when I was first diagnosed. I don’t know what I would do without your help.
Keep those recipes coming, and I’ll keep buying your flour.
Thank you, Susan Swearingen
Ah Susan, thank you! It’s funny how everything seems to happen for a reason! You clearly have a thoughtful (and insightful!) daughter-in-law! So happy she introduced us and that I have been of help to you!!! Thank her for me!
Is it possible to have the measurements in metric please
Hi Shaz, my gfJules Flour is 1 cup = 135grams. Otherwise there are metric calculators on the internet to make easy conversions for ingredients that you might need. I have over 450 recipes on my site and I’ve been trying to go back and add metric conversions where I can, but there are many! Luckily it’s easy for you do that on your own for any recipe you’re interested in. Happy baking!
~julees
Dying to make these for Mardi Gras. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Any adjustments needed for super high altitude? 10,000 ft+ ?
Sarah, I haven’t tried this recipe at high altitude, but I’ve never had trouble with any of my breads at 7800 ft. Let me know how it goes!
If I make them in the morning and then let them rise before I go to the office at 9:00am, do you think they will be ok to have sitting around until I am ready to fry them at 1:00pm?
Damien, if you let them rise covered in a warm, humid place, that should be fine. My only concern would be if they dried out, so make sure it’s nice and humid where they are left to rise, and that they are covered. Let me know how it goes!
The Beignets were a hit. I ended up leaving them covered with damp towels in the oven until about 30 minutes before the Potluck started, fried them at the office and they were all gone before the line was done….. One person even said I don’t need to put what I am bring on future potluck signup lists because he already knows what he wants me to bring.
Thanks you!
Thank you not thanks you.
Damien, you are doubly welcome!
Cant stand the taste of evaporated milk, so can I use regular milk and if so, do I reduce it down as in the non-dairy version?? Many thanks
jen
Hi Jen, sory I missed this when you posted it Saturday! Yes, you can make your own dairy evaporated milk the same way as my non-dairy evaporated milk recipe. Enjoy!
Are they good cold? I was thinking about making this for a school project but I would not be able to serve them warm.
Ruby, depending on how fresh they are, they may be ok cold, but they’re much better hot and fresh.
Have you tried these using flax seed/water or EnerG egg replacer instead of eggs? They sound amazing, and I’d love to make some, but I’m allergic to eggs.
Hi Denise – I haven’t tried it yet, but there is only 1 egg in the recipe, so it’s the perfect kind of recipe for subbing with flaxseed meal and water. If you get a chance to try it before I do, let us know how it works!
Whenever in New Orleans, everyone has to go and get Beignets. I always wondered what they tasted like, now I will be able to find out:)
Harriet
Great recipe – made my own non-dairy evaporated milk using unsweetened coconut milk. crowd couldn’t tell this was a gf/df dish. very good.
Fantastic! So glad you got to try it Brad!