If you haven’t tried making gluten free beignets yet, you are in for a special treat. These fried beignets are light and fluffy on the inside with crispy outsides and a dusting of powdered sugar. Beignets are a popular New Orleans dessert you can make in under 1 1/2 hours, including rise time. I include a dairy-free option, too!
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This recipe makes gluten-free beignets that taste like they were bought in New Orleans. They are crispy and have a generous coating of powdered sugar. There is a dairy-free version, and you can make a batch in only 1 1/2 hours.
Absolutely perfect as is recipe. Fried in half coconut half avocado oil. Made today for Fat Tuesday and they were sooooo good!”
Becca, Blog comment
If you have been to New Orleans, you have heard of beignets. They are fried pieces of dough dusted in powdered sugar. They are fried crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, like gluten free fried dough.
Beignets are one of those desserts I really wanted to make a gluten free version of. Mr. Fearless Dining went to New Orleans for a conference, and he couldn’t find anywhere that had gluten free beignets. I thought it would be fun to create some for him to enjoy.
When making this recipe, it is really important to use a gluten free flour blend that works with yeast recipes. Some 1:1 blends, like King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s 1:1, do not. You can read more about the different flour blends and which work best in which types of recipes. Just for fun, I did test Bob’s 1:1 in this recipe, but the dough didn’t rise well. For this reason, I can definitely verify not to use this blend in this gluten free beignet recipe.
When creating this beignet dough, I used my gluten free fried jelly donuts dough recipe as a base to start experimenting on. Both make a great donut base for fried donuts and donut holes!
If you are planning to celebrate Mardi Gras, here are some of my favorite Gluten Free Mardi Gras Recipes. If you want more dessert inspiration, you will want to check out my easy gluten free dessert recipes!
Ingredients Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten free flour blend – I tested this recipe using Cup4Cup. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours. I felt Cup4Cup is one of the best because it worked well with yeast. The dough got a nice rise. Many 1:1 blends do not work well in yeast recipes. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust the moisture level because every blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. Read “Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary” to learn more about this.
- Binder – Binders are very important in gluten free baking because they hold your baked goods together. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain a binder such as xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon. Read “Why Binders are Important in Gluten-Free Baking” to learn more.
- Yeast – I used regular active dried yeast, not quick-rise yeast. Do not use Red Star Platinum yeast because it is not gluten free.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. I tested this recipe using Earth Balance dairy-free butter to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Coconut milk – I used canned full-fat coconut milk. You can also use milk.
- Powdered sugar – If you can sift it so you get the lumps out.
- Oil – My favorite oils for beignets are coconut and canola oil. Do NOT use olive oil or other low-heat oils. When frying food, it is important to use an oil that can tolerate high heat.
How to Make Gluten Free Beignets (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm coconut milk in a bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture is frothy with a lot of bubbles.
Step 2: Add your dry ingredients to a large
Step 3: Mix the ingredients to form a soft dough.
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Step 4: This is what your dough should look like. You want to shape the beignets before the main rise because you only get one good rise with gluten free.
Step 5: Remove the plastic and put a piece of wax paper down. Dust it with gluten free flour and put the dough on top. Roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut small 1-inch squares. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size.
🔑 Sandi says: Easy Gluten-Free Dough Rising Tip: Heat your oven to 150º F. Turn the oven off. Rise your dough in the warm oven with the door cracked open.
Step 6: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large 12″ cast iron skillet. I use the side burner on my grill for this, so my house doesn’t smell like hot oil. You want to heat the oil to 350ºF.
Add the squares of beignet dough a few at a time. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes and flip them over with a slotted metal spoon. (Do not use plastic utensils or they can melt!)
👀 Sandi Says: If your oil is too hot, your beignets will get dark on the outside but be raw inside, so ensure your oil temperature is no hotter than 350º F!
Step 7: Remove the cooked gluten free fried dough pieces and place them on a paper towel-lined platter or pan. The paper towel will absorb the extra oil. Dip the beignets in powdered sugar while warm and toss to coat.
Enjoy hot or cooled! These taste just as good as any gluten free beignets in New Orleans!
Your beignets will be best the day you make them. If you store them in the refrigerator, they will lose their crispness. You can store them for up to 3 days, then heat them in the oven to crisp them up again.
Beignet Topping Ideas:
- Dip the beignets in chocolate! Then add sprinkles! (Make sure to use gluten free sprinkles!)
- Drizzle icing over them.
- Glaze them (1/2 cup powdered sugar to 2 TBSP milk or coconut milk)
- Dust them in sugar and cinnamon.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If your beignets are raw inside, you didn’t cook them long enough, or your oil was too hot and cooked the outsides too fast.
Beignets taste like fried dough or are similar to funnel cakes.
Many flour blends, including the Bob’s 1:1 I tested, do not work with yeast. A reader said they had luck with this blend. I tested it as well, but didn’t get the fluffy rise that the Cup4Cup blend did.
Delicious! I made these for Mardi Gras this year & they were a perfect dessert. I suggest serving them along with raspberry preserves as they are not too sweet even dusted with powdered sugar. Yum!”
Serena, Blog comment
More Gluten Free Dessert Recipes:
If you want more recipe inspiration, here are a few of my favorite gluten free dessert recipes:
- Gluten Free Honey Cake
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Easy Gluten Free Churros
- Gluten Free Chocolate Custard
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Beignets (Fried Dough Dusted in Powdered Sugar)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast * see note
- 6 tablespoons warm water 110º F
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup canned coconut milk * see note
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 cups oil * see note
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Method
- In a small dish, add the warm 6 tablespoons warm water, 2 teaspoons dry active yeast, and 2 tablespoons cane sugar. Allow the yeast to sit 10 minutes until it is frothy.
- Add 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a bowl and whisk to blend. Pour the yeast mixture, 1 large egg, 1/3 cup canned coconut milk or regular milk, and 2 tablespoons melted butter into the bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together to form a soft dough. Move it to a silicone mat.
- Dust the dough with a little gluten free flour and put the dough on top. Roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut small 1 inch squares.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow the beignet dough to rise for 45-60 minutes until it doubles in size. I like to rise mine in an oven. Preheat your oven to 150ºF. Turn it off and rise it in the oven with the door cracked open.
- Heat 2 cups oil in a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet. I use the side burner on my grill for this so my house doesn't smell like hot oil. You want your oil to be 350º F.
- Add the squares of beignet dough a few at a time. Cook 1 1/2 minutes and flip them over with a slotted spoon. If your oil is too hot, your beignets will get dark on the outside but be raw inside so make sure your oil temperature is no hotter than the 350º F!
- Remove the cooked gluten free fried dough pieces and place on a paper towel. The paper towel will absorb the extra oil. Dip the beignets in 1/2 cup powdered sugar and toss to coat.
Nutrition
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with Cup4Cup. It is important to ensure your flour blend will work in yeast recipes. Usually this information is on the brand website, not the back of the bag.
- If your gluten free flour blend does not contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter. I tested Earth Balance.
- I used full-fat canned coconut milk (with no hard cream lumps). You can also use evaporated milk or regular milk. There is dairy evaporated milk, and many stores carry a dairy-free version made with coconut milk. You can also use milk
- It is important to use an oil that can tolerate high heat. I recommend using either coconut oil or canola oil for frying these beignets.
- When frying, you want your oil deep enough so the beignets are not close to the bottom of the pan. If they are close to the bottom while frying, they can burn.
- These beignets will keep up to 3 days, but they are definitely better the day you fry them. If they get soggy in the refrigerator, bake them in the oven to crisp them up again.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
This post was updated from an older April 2021 post with more detailed instructions.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Haven’t made, but was curious if you have used another type of dairy free milk. Coconut is not my friend. Can you taste any coconut in your recipe?
Hi Kristen, You should be able to use almond or another type of milk.
You CANNOT make this recipe dairy free if you use Cup4Cup because it contains powdered milk.
Hi Victoria, Cup4Cup reformulated their flour blend over a year ago and it no longer contains milk powder.
they were really thick and more of a biscuit for me, idk what i did wrong 😭
Hi Emma, My first guess is that you used a flour blend that doesn’t work with yeast. If you can tell me which you used, I can help troubleshoot.
The dough was very sticky (i used a stand mixer, not by hand), and did use cup4cup flour. Wondering what i did wrong? They did come out pretty good though (after adding a little more flour to spread the dough), and used the air fryer 🙂
Hi MJ, Cup4Cup has a LOT of starch (the old version also has milk powder) and this blend needs more flour. Next time you will want to add a little more flour.
Absolutely perfect as is recipe.
Fried in half coconut half avocado oil.
Made today for Fat Tuesday and they were sooooo good!
I am so glad you loved this recipe…it is one of my favorites.
I used Cup 4 Cup gf flour. It tasted wonderful and came out perfect. This was the first time I’ve fried dough in coconut oil. Love these!
I am so glad the recipe worked well. Thank you! Do you by any chance know if you used the old version of Cup4Cup with the dried milk powder, or their new dairy-free formulation?
Just made these using Bob’s 1 to 1 Gluten free flour blend, because that’s all I could get. Definitely a stickier dough, but the blobs (impossible to make nice squares) fried up light and fluffly. Also used soy milk instead of coconut milk.
I am glad soy milk worked well. If you couldn’t form the dough to make squares, I recommend adding 2-3 Tablespoons of additional flour. I am really glad they turned out nice and fluffy!
These turned out amazing! Used Cup for Cup flour. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much, Sandra! I am so glad you were able to enjoy Beignets!!
I needed to know if you can keep the cut beignets in the fridge after cutting.
Hi Paris, How long would you need to store them? I am not sure how well the yeast would keep in the dough over time.
Hi. Thanks so much for this recipe. The beignets came out great. One thing to note is that the flour you are recommending contains dairy, so even with your recommended vegan modifications, they are not vegan with the cup 4 cup flour. I learned this after buying all of the ingredients and had to make a second vegan batch. I used king Arthur measure for measure. That one didn’t rise very well. I will keep trying because the recipe is otherwise spot-on. Please update your recipe though, so that vegans know they will need an alternate flour.
I am so glad you loved the recipe. I often make this recipe with KA as well. You could try adding more baking powder to help stimulate more rise as they fry.
Sandy, would KA measure for measure or their gf bread flour work better? Also, how much more baking soda did you add? Thanks!
Hi Jim, the Measure for Measure doesn’t work well in yeast recipes. I wish it said this on the back of the bag, but it does on the website. I can’t test the KA bread flour because it uses wheat starch, which makes me really sick. I suspect it will work. Note every gf flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio, so you will need to keep an eye on the dough consistency and add more flour or liquid as needed. Try to match the dough consistency of my images in the recipe, and you should be fine.
Whooops, I meant Sandi!
No worries 🙂
Hey! Would you recommend ka bread flour or measure for measure? Aldo how much additional baking powder? Thanks!
Hi Jim, I just answered your other comment. Also, there is no baking soda or powder in this recipe. It has yeast for the rise.