Homemade Sopapilla Recipe | How to Make the Best Sopapillas! (2024)

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This Homemade Sopapilla Recipe is one of our favorite desserts to make as a family. Warm fried dough with melted butter, honey and powdered sugar? Yes please! If you’re wondering how to make sopapillas this easy recipe is for you.

Homemade Sopapilla Recipe | How to Make the Best Sopapillas! (1)

Homemade Sopapillas

I’ve been looking forward to sharing my sopapilla recipe for weeks now. Let me start by saying I know people call these all kinds of different names. It kind of depends where you grew up! I’ve heard people call them scones, fry bread and sopapillas. I am not partial, I’ll call them anything, lol! I remember as a kid having warm sopapillas at a Mexican restaurant we went to and it was my favorite part of the meal!

Be sure to try my Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

What Is A Sopapilla?

If you are not aware of what this recipe is, let me explain. It’s a homemade dough, fried, then lathered with butter, honey and powdered sugar. Seriously does NOT get better than this.

When my family gets together on Sundays, we almost always end up making these. They are everyone’s favorite 🙂

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What You’ll Need

  • canola oil– You’ll use canola oil or vegetable oil to fry your sopapillas.
  • warm water– Warm water helps activate the yeast for the homemade sopapillas.
  • active dry yeast– Active dry yeast is a key ingredient when making homemade breads.
  • granulated sugar– Just a touch of sugar gives a slight sweetness.
  • all-purpose flour- All-purpose flour is the main dry ingredient.
  • kosher salt– Kosher salt is a course salt. I prefer using it over fine salt.
  • extra virgin olive oil– Just a touch of olive oil is used when making the dough.
  • butter– You can use salted or unsalted butter here.
  • honey– You’ll drizzle honey over top of the warm sopapillas when they are done frying.
  • powdered sugar– Also referred to as confectioners sugar. You’ll use powdered sugar to dust over top of the sopapillas.

How To Make Sopapillas

  1. Place oil in large dutch oven over medium heat with a thermometer attached to the side of the pot. Heat until at least 350 degrees but under 375 degrees F.
  2. Place warm water, yeast and sugar into stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attached. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast has grown.
  3. Add flour, salt and olive oil to the stand mixer, beating on medium speed. Mix until dough is cleaning sides of bowl, about 2-3 minutes. With very floured hands, remove dough from bowl and form into a ball on top of parchment paper.
  4. Pinch off about 1/4 cup pieces of dough forming into 3 inch rounds. Does not have to be perfect. Carefully drop pieces of dough into hot oil, in batches. No more than about 3 or 4 at a time. Fry until golden and puffed on each side. Remove from hot oil and place onto parchment paper. Immediately spread butter and honey over each piece. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

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While you are waiting for your yeast to rise, heat your oil to 350-375 degrees F.

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Prepare dough as recipe states below in recipe card. Roll into ball on top of parchment paper.

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Pinch off little pieces of dough and form into about 3 inch rounds.

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It doesn’t have to be exact, can be bigger or smaller 🙂

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Carefully drop each piece of dough into the hot oil. Let fry until golden then flip! This is the color you are looking for. Remove from the oil and set onto some parchment paper. Spread each piece of dough with lots of butter as soon as it comes out of the oil.

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Drizzle with honey. Dust with more powdered sugar. The outcome is pure heaven. Such a delicious dessert for the whole family.

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How To Serve Sopapillas

Serve warm with butter, honey and powdered sugar. Best if enjoyed shortly after fried. It’s not recommended to store leftovers and re-heat. Best if eaten on day they’re made.

Leftovers

Store any leftover sopapillas in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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4 from 1 vote

Homemade Sopapilla Recipe

This Homemade Sopapilla Recipe is simple to prepare and pefect for your upcoming celebrations!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Servings: 30

Calories: 637kcal

Author: Jenny

Cost: $15

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Equipment

  • Stove

  • stand mixer with dough hook

  • Dutch Oven or large pot

  • deef frying sieve

  • Bowl

  • measuring cups

  • measuring spoons

Ingredients

  • 64 ounces canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup warm water 110 degrees F.
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal Flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup good quality honey
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Place oil in large dutch oven over medium heat with a thermometer attached to the side of the pot. Heat until at least 350 degrees but under 375 degrees F.

  • Place warm water, yeast and sugar into stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attached. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast has grown.

  • Add flour, salt and olive oil to the stand mixer, beating on medium speed. Mix until dough is cleaning sides of bowl, about 2-3 minutes. With very floured hands, remove dough from bowl and form into a ball on top of parchment paper.

  • Pinch off about 1/4 cup pieces of dough forming into 3 inch rounds. Does not have to be perfect. Carefully drop pieces of dough into hot oil, in batches. No more than about 3 or 4 at a time. Fry until golden and puffed on each side. Remove from hot oil and place onto parchment paper. Immediately spread butter and honey over each piece. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Keywords: how to make sopapillas, mexican desserts sopapilla, sopapilla, sopapilla dessert, sopapilla recipe, what is a sopapilla

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Homemade Sopapilla Recipe | How to Make the Best Sopapillas! (2024)

FAQs

What are Mexican sopapillas made of? ›

It's a treat that is very easy and quick to make, and it only uses a few common ingredients. To make Sopapillas, you will need flour, water, shortening, sugar, baking powder, and a few other ingredients that almost everyone has in their pantry.

Are sopapillas Mexican or Native American? ›

But, sopapillas (little pillows) are, as the name implies, of Spanish origin, so they are found in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Northern Mexico, Texas, Coloroado and New Mexico. Some are served coated in cinnamon and sugar, some are served with honey on the side.

Are there different types of sopapillas? ›

In New Mexico, sweet sopapillas are often covered in honey or some kind of syrup and powdered sugar. Stuffed sopapillas are also popular in New Mexico. They are prepared the same way but instead of honey and sugar, the pastries are stuffed with ingredients such as refried beans, cheese, peppers and meat.

What is the secret of soft buns? ›

Don't over flour the dough. Knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about an hour or so. (I usually let the dough rise right in the mixing bowl, but you can transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover.)

What does sopapilla mean in Spanish to english? ›

noun,plural so·pai·pil·las [soh-pahy-pee-uhz; Spanish saw-pahy-pee-yahs]. Mexican Cooking. a small pastry made of deep-fried yeast dough and usually dipped in honey.

What is the difference between a buñelo and a sopapilla? ›

Sopapillas vs Buñuelos: A sopapilla (soap/pah/pee/ya) is soft, sweet dough (made with flour), flash-fried to puff up into a pillow and drizzled with honey when served hot. A buñuelo (boon/whale/oh) is the same dough, deep fried to a flaky crispness, dredged in sugar and cinnamon, and usually served cool.

What nationality are sopapillas? ›

A sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, or cachanga is a kind of fried pastry and a type of quick bread served in several regions with Spanish heritage in the Americas. The word sopaipilla is the diminutive of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from the Mozarabic language of Al-Andalus.

Is sopapilla Spanish or Mexican? ›

Sopapillas are made from a deep fried dough that was introduced to Mexico and South America by the Spanish during the Columbian exchange. Throughout Spain, the sopapilla recipe varies.

Is there a sopapilla mix? ›

Morrison's Sopaipilla Mix offers the authenticity of a Mexican Dessert Treat at home. Since 1886, we have been milling our own flour to deliver superior quality and delicious Morrison's Sopaipilla Mix. Morrison's Sopaipilla Mix offers the authenticity of a Mexican Dessert Treat at home.

Are fry jacks the same as sopapillas? ›

Fry Jacks are essentially fried dough. They are kind of like French beignets, or Latin American sopapillas. A traditional Belizean breakfast will have, fry jacks, salsa or tomatoes, refried beans, eggs and an additional protein like chicken or fish.

What part of Mexico are sopapillas from? ›

Sopapillas are a delicious fried dough from New Mexico. They are perfectly fried puffed dough and traditionally served with a drizzle of honey or a combination of cinnamon and sugar.

What is another name for a sopapilla? ›

Sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, or cachanga are all terms used to describe a fried pastry (similar to a donut or beignet) and are popular in Hispanic culture particularly in New Mexico and South America.

Why is my fry bread not fluffy? ›

Fry Bread will come out hard if you over mix or knead the dough. Mixing or over kneading will develop the gluten too much and result in tough fry bread.

Can you reheat sopapillas? ›

Sopapillas are best eaten right after they're fried, but you can store leftover sopapillas in a large container with a lid without any garnish. To reheat them, place them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 250 F for 7 to 10 minutes.

What is the difference between a beignet and a sopapilla? ›

Sopaipillas look really similar to French beignets and taste similar to American donuts. All three pastries are made from deep fried dough but beignets are made from a more bread-like yeast dough where sopapillas are a little more light and flaky.

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