Traditional beignets aren't vegan. The classic New Orleans dough uses butter, eggs and milk. They're easy to make vegan at home with plant butter, plant milk and a flax egg.
Beignets are square, deep-fried pillows of dough buried under powdered sugar. The word is French for "fritter", they're pronounced "ben-YAY", and they're a fixture in New Orleans, especially around Mardi Gras.
What's in a traditional beignet
| Ingredient | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flour, water, yeast, salt | Vegan | |
| Oil for frying | Vegan | |
| Granulated and powdered sugar | Grey area | Possible bone char filtering. |
| Butter | Not vegan | Swap for plant butter. |
| Eggs | Not vegan | Swap for a flax egg or egg replacer. |
| Milk | Not vegan | Swap for plant milk. |
Using shortening instead of butter still leaves the eggs and milk, so bakery and café beignets should be assumed non-vegan unless they're labeled.
How to make vegan beignets
Take a beignet recipe you trust and make three swaps:
- Butter: use the same amount of vegan butter.
- Milk: use the same amount of unsweetened soy or oat milk.
- Eggs: use a commercial egg replacer, or a flax egg for each egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water and left for 5 to 10 minutes).
If you avoid bone-char sugar, use beet sugar or organic sugar, and grind it to a powder in a food processor for the dusting.
Where to find vegan beignets
Packaged beignets are rare in shops. Vegan bakeries sometimes make them, and a few New Orleans cafés offer vegan versions. Ask about the sugar too, if that matters to you.
Beignets vs doughnuts
Beignets are French-style fritters made from a soft, enriched yeast dough, rolled flat, cut into squares and deep-fried until they puff up. They're served hot under a heavy layer of powdered sugar, with no glaze or filling. Doughnuts are usually richer, ring-shaped or filled, and glazed. Both are traditionally made with milk, butter and egg, and both are easy to make vegan with the same swaps.
Tips for the best vegan beignets
- Keep the dough soft. A slightly sticky dough gives lighter beignets. Oil your hands rather than adding lots of flour.
- Roll to about 5 mm (¼ in). Thicker squares stay doughy in the middle.
- Fry at 175 to 180°C (350 to 360°F). Too cool and they soak up oil; too hot and they brown before they puff.
- Eat them hot. Beignets are at their best within minutes of frying.
- Use vegan powdered sugar. Most icing sugar in Ireland and the UK is fine. In the US, choose beet or organic powdered sugar if you avoid bone char.
Vegan beignets around the world
French and Belgian-style fritters, Spanish churros and Italian zeppole are cousins of the beignet. Churros are often accidentally vegan, made from flour, water and oil, but check for egg and for butter in any dipping sauce.
The bottom line
Traditional beignets aren't vegan, but the recipe adapts easily. Plant butter, plant milk and a flax egg give you light, sugar-dusted beignets at home.