Sopapillas: the delicious, soft-pillowy recipe for a lighter-than-air Latin dessert

If you're a fan of pillowy soft fried desserts like beignets and churros, get ready to fall in love with sopapillas. These phenomenal puffy desserts are made by making a quick dough, then cutting it up into squares or triangles, and deep-frying them, then serving them with a generous drizzle of honey.

Sopapillas are super easy to make. All you need is some flour, a leavening agent like baking powder, shortening, vegetable oil, and water. You can serve your sopapillas sweet or savory. They're a fantastic fast, tasty sweet you can serve for any occasion.

What are Sopapillas?

Sopapillas are a Latin delicious dessert made from fried puffed dough with Spanish heritage. They're also known as sopaipillas, sopaipa, and cachanga. They can be made either sweet or savory, and they're a much-loved treat in Mexico, the American southwest, and South America.

The name sopapilla comes from sopaipa, which in turn comes from xopaipa, a Mozarabic word meaning “bread soaked in oil”.

They're similar to beignets, however, sopapillas are made from unyeasted dough, making them a quick bread. Like fry bread, sopapillas are deep-fried but are usually small, square, and boast a lighter texture.

Churros, another popular Latin dessert, are made by piping pastry into long, thin ribbons and are dusted with sugar and cinnamon.

How to Make Sopapillas

It's so easy to make the perfect homemade sopapillas. Start by sifting the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Place the vegetable shortening in the bowl, then chop it into the flour mixture with a dough scraper. Keep chopping until the shortening is roughly pea-sized. Mix in the water to form a dough. With the dough formed, lay a damp cloth over the bowl and leave the dough to rest for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oil in your Dutch oven. Flour a work surface and roll out the dough. Slice the dough into squares about 3-inches across. Fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel. Drizzle with honey and serve warm.

Can You Make Sopapillas Without Shortening?

Although sopapillas are usually made with vegetable shortening, you can use butter instead. Butter will add extra flavor to these tasty treats. For a vegan-friendly alternative, use coconut oil or even canola oil.

Tips for making Easy Sopapillas

For gluten-free sopapillas, you can use almond flour (which is also great if you're on a keto diet) or your preferred type of gluten-free flour.

If you want to fill your sopapillas, you can add fillings once they're fried. Cut the fried sopapilla and add in your favorite jam, cream, or chocolate ganache using a piping bag.

You can bake your sopapillas instead of frying them. Bake them at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

For another delicious variation, try making sourdough sopapillas. Simply add 2 cups of mature sourdough starter to the dough.

If your sopapillas aren't puffing up, it might be because of the oil temperature. It might be too hot or not hot enough. Use a candy thermometer to determine when it reaches 375F. This is the perfect frying temperature.

You can add other ingredients to make flavored sopapillas like pumpkin, spices, and more.

How to Store Sopapillas

Keep your sopapillas in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Instructions

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Chop the shortening into the flour mixture using a bench scraper until the shortening is roughly pea-sized.

Mix in the water.

Once a dough forms, cover with a damp towel and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil to 375F. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares.

Place the squares into the oil and fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.

Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel.

Repeat until you use up the dough.

Transfer sopapillas on a plate.

Drizzle with honey and serve warm.

Notes

Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for frying your sopapillas. Canola, vegetable, sunflower, or grapeseed oil are excellent for deep frying.