Move over, doughnuts—this Sopapilla Recipe is going to become your new favorite dessert. Make these crispy, deep-fried treats for your next party!
I love a modern layer cake, but to be honest, I’m a big fan of classic, traditional desserts. Indian lassi, Italian tiramisu, Spanish flan, French beignets, Russian honey cake—the list goes on! There’s something grounding and satisfying about eating a sweet treat that is enjoyed by so many people around the world.
Somewhere on that list of great traditional desserts is the humble sopapilla. Its origins are somewhat murky, but the most common sopapilla lore is that it’s a Spanish-influenced creation refined in New Mexico. Sopapillas are fried pastry desserts, so they’re a lot like beignets, at least in theory. In practice, there are differences: beignets use yeast to create a bready interior, while sopapillas use different leavening ingredients for a puffy, more hollow interior.
This sopapilla recipe results in perfectly golden, crispy, fried pastries, which you can then dress up any way you like. The dough isn’t inherently sweet, so the real art is in the toppings. Drizzle them with honey, chocolate, caramel sauce, or a fruit compote. Dust them with powdered sugar, cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice. Or, go in a different direction and add spicy taco meat or dress them like a tostada with refried beans and pulled pork. Either way, you’ll love these crunchy little morsels!
Everything you can do with a batch of sopapillas
Outside of the traditional sweet-or-savory choices for sopapillas, try some of these different ways to enjoy your deep-fried treats!
- Stuffed sopapillas: You can cut a pocket into your sopapillas after they’re fried and fill them with whatever you like. Try meat, cheese, or beans for a savory stuffed sopapilla, or fruit, cream cheese, or chocolate for a sweet stuffed sopapilla.
- Sopapilla ice cream sandwiches: Stick some ice cream between two (cooled) sopapillas for a delicious take on an ice cream sandwich.
- Sopapilla chips: Cut your dough into small triangles and fry them until they’re crispy like a chip. Then, dunk them into sweet dips or salsa.
- Chocolate sopapillas: Add some cocoa powder to the dough and top the finished sopapillas with chocolate sauce for a super chocolaty dessert.
How do I store leftovers?
Sopapillas are best when served fresh, but you can store any leftovers to eat later. Make sure they’ve completely cooled before placing them in a sealable plastic bag or airtight container, then keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them, sealed tightly in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months.
When reheating your sopapillas, place them in the oven or in the air fryer for a few minutes until they crisp back up. If you’re cooking from frozen, let the sopapillas sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before reheating them.
Serving suggestions
Whether you’re making sweet or savory sopapillas, they go great with lots of different dishes. Serve sweet sopapillas with No-Churn Salted Cinnamon Ice Cream or try dunking your savory sopapillas in a Butternut Squash Soup or a Beef Stew. Sopapillas are incredibly versatile—it’s just about finding the best matchup for your own tastes.
Sopapilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1½ cups warm water
- Enough canola oil to fill 3-4 inches in the pot
Topping Ideas:
- Chocolate sauce
- Chocolate crumble
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon and sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix them together. Add in the melted butter and warm water, then mix together until a smooth ball forms. Stop mixing as soon as a ball forms to prevent overmixing.
- Allow the dough to rest in the bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
- Flour a smooth surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼-inch thick. Then use a sharp knife to cut the dough into rectangles.
- Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pot over medium heat to 375°F. Test one sopapilla in the oil first. It should cook slowly, puffing up from the inside and browning on the outside. Cook 4-6 sopapillas at a time, making sure you don’t overcrowd the pot. Once golden-brown, take them out carefully with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel.
- Dress them in your desired toppings.
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