Louisiana Beignets (Vegan)
RECIPE BELOW!! Sighh.. there's NOTHING like the feeling and taste of going to Café du Monde in the quarter and getting a fresh beignet with cafe au lait! We've recently been going to the little one in the Riverside Mall, and it's just as good! But there's just something about that atmosphere that I love... the community, life, enjoyment of being together, the outdoors, art, music... I guess it just feels like home.
⚜️Beignets are traditionally made with dairy milk, butter, and eggs, so I've subbed in all vegan ingredients: almond milk, Earth Balance butter, and aquafaba. And you know what? YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE!! And I'm being so serious by that. I would know!
So, YES! These beignets are dairy-free & egg-free! They're vegan!! My husband was even like, "Man! These taste like they're straight from the restaurant, like restaurant quality! Put it on the list! We have to make these when friends come visit!"
I adapted this recipe from the one and only Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine, so you know this is legit! As always, go ahead and splurge on this book if you're really interested in Cajun & Creole cooking. It really is amazing!
👉🏻 These are BEST when served immediately!! As they sit, the oil and powder sugar combine and make a powdered sugar paste, which is fine, BUT we want that powdered sugar flying and getting all over (possibly breathing it in), to get the full on beignet experience!! I don't recommend saving them for later. They will taste soggy, stale, "old" and underwhelming.
WATCH THE VIDEO for the step by step process on how to make these! Ignore the whipping up the aquafaba. I know so much more now. You can make these without the equipment and without whipping it up.
Mwah!! Let's do this, mes amis!
Louisiana Beignets (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 4 Tbsps warm water
- pinch of sugar
- 3 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsps all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk
- 2 Tbsps aquafaba (juice from a can of beans -- you DO NOT have to whip it like in the video!)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance works well)
- vegetable oil for frying
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- MIX TOGETHER YEAST, WATER, & PINCH OF SUGAR in a measuring cup. Let stand for about 5 min to proof, until nice and bubbly.
- In large mixing bowl, WHISK FLOUR, SALT, AND SUGAR together until well blended.
- With a wooden spoon, STIR IN PROOFED YEAST MIXTURE, MILK, AQUAFABA, AND BUTTER. Mix until sticky dough is formed.
- COVER with a dish towel and set in a warm place to RISE for 1 hour.
- TURN DOUGH OUT onto lightly floured surface. KNEAD 1 OR 2 TIMES ONLY, & ROLL OUT 1/2" thick.
- CUT DOUGH into 3" squares, triangles, whatever shape you want & PLACE on lightly floured baking sheet.
- COVER & LET REST 10 min.
- HEAT OIL to proper heat of 350 Fahrenheit, or until bubbles continuously form when wooden utensil is put into oil. FRY BEIGNETS, 2-3 at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden browned and puffed.
- REMOVE BEIGNETS from oil, place on a plate lined with a paper towel to catch the extra oil, & DUST generously with powdered sugar.
- SERVE HOT with café au lait (half milk, half coffee drink). Usually served in groups of 3 or six.
Notes
- In the video, you'll notice I whipped up the aquafaba. You don't need to or have to! The video was made a couple years ago. Through experimentation, you get the same results with just a couple tablespoons of liquid aquafaba.
- Feel free to make MINI beignets (much easier to eat, especially for the littles) by just cutting thw dough into smaller squares or triangles.