Everything You Need To Know About Beignets

If you've ever seen the word "beignet" and wondered exactly how to say it without getting it wrong, let us help you out. It's pronounced "ben-yay," which is pretty accurate as that's exactly how eating one of these pillowy little treats makes you feel!

But what is a beignet, where can you find them, and what's the history behind them? Turns out, there are a whole host of interesting and quirky facts about beignets that you probably didn't know about. Don't worry — we've got everything you need to know about beignets right here. 

Before we get started, let's look at what exactly beignets are. In simple terms, they're a French doughnut, shaped into a square, with a hole in the middle. A good beignet is light and airy even though it's been deep-fried. Made from choux pastry, the sweetened, yeasted dough is liberally covered in powdered sugar after frying. Beignets don't have to be sweet, though — they can be savory, too! More on that later. 

You'd be forgiven for thinking that beignets have their roots in France — after all, they're also known as French doughnuts and the word itself means "fritter" in French. But beignets are actually thought to date back to ancient Rome. The word "beignet" comes from the Celtic word "bigne" meaning "to raise." In ancient Rome, a similar dessert was prepared called "scriblita, " consisting of a moisture-rich dough boiled in animal fat. Mmm!

The original recipe for beignets did eventually make its way to France, but it may have come via Spain or Mexico. There, they make a fluffy fried pastry known as sopapillas. These resemble beignets but are usually circular or triangular in shape, and often doused with syrup and cinnamon.

Although the home of the beignet is New Orleans, you'll find them all over the U.S. If you're traveling abroad, almost every country has its own iteration of beignets or fried doughnuts.

If beignets originated in Rome and made their way to France, how did they end up in New Orleans? We may never actually know if it's true or not, but legend has it that the secret recipe for Cafe du Monde's beignets was brought to NOLA from France by the Ursuline nuns. Eleven of them settled in the city in 1727, opening a convent and a school for girls, which taught a diverse group of young people from the community.

What's more likely is that French Acadian colonists brought the beignet recipe with them from France to Canada. When displaced from their Nova Scotian homes by the British, they took the recipe to New Orleans in the 1700s. It wasn't until 1862 that Cafe du Monde opened and began selling their now-world-famous beignets.

Nuns seem to be inextricably connected to the history of the beignets, and similar sweet treats, though. More on that coming up!

If you've ever been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, you'll know how the city comes alive with parades, colorful costumes, live music, and street food. Beginning on Twelfth Night, carnival season in NOLA is the event of the year, and Mardi Gras falls on Shrove Tuesday, on a different date each year in February or March.

Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was the day before 40 days of fasting for Lent began. This was a day where people would bake to use up all the fatty ingredients that couldn't be preserved during the fast, like eggs, sugar, and butter. They made little fried pieces of dough sprinkled in sugar — or beignets — as well as pancakes and pastries.

Beignets aren't the only sweet doughnuts associated with Mardi Gras. Fried sweet rice dumplings known as Calas arrived in NOLA in the late 18th century, when Catholic African-American families served them at celebrations including Fat Tuesday. 

What's the best way to enjoy beignets? In case you've never tried them or if you're unsure what to pair them with, it pays to keep it classic. The combo of soft, pillowy, sugar-dusted sweet beignets and milky cafe au lait is sublime. That milky coffee just complements the sweet fried choux pastry like nothing else. Although cafe au lait is the traditional pairing, any type of coffee is a must, as the bitterness of the coffee makes the sweetness of the beignets pop even more.

Don't like coffee? There are some other things that go well with beignets, too. Tea aficionados can try a subtly spiced Chai or a lightly sweetened Earl Grey. If you're looking for true indulgence, add some ice cream or dipping sauce on the side of your sweet beignets. And if you want to pair your beignets with alcohol, dessert wines or prosecco are a good starting point. For something harder, bourbon or cognac ticks the right boxes. Even dark craft beer like stouts or porters are a delicious match for sugary beignets.

Don't be fooled into thinking you can only get beignets in New Orleans. These awesome little doughnuts can be found in almost every major city in the U.S., and nearly every country in the world has its own take on beignets, too. Though, for the ultimate authentic experience, you'll still want to hit NOLA.

In Mexico, there's the churro, deep-fried sweet fritters rolled in cinnamon sugar, usually served with melted chocolate for dipping. Spain's sopapillas, sometimes known as Navajo tacos, are round or triangle-shaped fritters often doused with syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon — they share their light, airy, pillowy texture with traditional beignets.

In Hong Kong, ox-tongue pastries, also known as horseshoe fritters (ma kiok) are lightly sweetened, puffy fried doughnuts filled with a paste made with white sesame seeds. They're served as a popular snack or for breakfast.

Earlier we mentioned pets de nonne and pets de soeur, the fried French pastries named after nuns and sisters. Then there's the an-doughnut, a popular Japanese doughnut that's usually filled with azuki red bean paste or white bean paste and coated with granulated or powdered sugar.