Traditional Sopapillas Recipe | The Perfect Mexican Dessert

Light and airy, these restaurant style sopapillas are easy to make at home with simple ingredients from your pantry. These deep-fried pastries are delicious rolled in cinnamon sugar or served warm with a drizzle of honey.

If there’s one thing that most people normally think of when it comes to a traditional Mexican dessert, it would have to be sopapillas. Those delicious pieces of soft fried bread that are just slightly sweet are the perfect way to end a dinner. If you’ve never tried to make a batch of homemade sopapillas, you would be surprised at just how easy they are to make with only a handful of pantry staples. You simply mix together a quick dough, roll it and cut it, then fry it up until puffy and golden.

Homemade sopapillas are a classic, fun dessert to serve with any Tex-Mex or Mexican dinner. Traditionally, they’re served in one of two ways : drizzled with honey, or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It’s not a hard decision, because either way, your taste buds will be happy. And when served hot, straight from the fryer, they are downright irresistible.

With such an amazing flavor, a wonderful combination of textures, and the fluffy goodness just waiting for your tastebuds to enjoy, there’s no way you’ll ever be able to say no to this simple dessert.

How To Make Homemade Sopapillas

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There are a few items that I would suggest that will help in making homemade sopapillas a little bit easier.  

• A pizza cutter makes the job of cutting the dough so much easier.
• A deep fryer is handy, but you can use a saucepan or a small pot to fry your sopapillas. 
• Flour sack dish towels are my favorite for rising dough.
• If you plan to make this recipe more than once, which I know you will once you try it, a pastry cutter is indispensable. And a good rolling pin is a must.

Ingredients:

• 4 C flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 TBSP lard (or Crisco)
• 1 1/2 C warm water
• 6 C vegetable oil
• Honey
• Cinnamon sugar

Instructions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add lard and work in with your fingers or a pastry cutter.
3. Add warm water and combine until the dough is smooth
4. Cover with a dish towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
5. Add oil to the deep fryer or deep sided pan, and heat up to 375.
6. Take about 1/6 of the dough and roll it out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2-3 inch squares.
7. Add a couple pieces of dough to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Turn over, and repeat the rolling/frying process.
8. To get a puffier sopapilla, turn the dough after a few seconds until done.
9. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
10. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or drizzle with honey and serve.

Can I Make Homemade Sopapillas in my Air Fryer?

Technically you can, but the texture and flavor will vary. They won’t have that golden brown coloring or the flavoring from being deep fried. They will still be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and will still taste fine, they will just resemble a pizza dough more than a traditional sopapilla.

If you want to try them in the air fryer, make the dough as listed below, roll it out and cut it. Then preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. You don’t need to flip them, unless you just want to. If you do flip them, cook for a minute or so less. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you will need to cook them in batches, you don’t want the dough to touch. Once the dough is cooked, I would recommend brushing them with butter and then coating in cinnamon sugar or drizzling with honey. If you try them in your air fryer, come back and let me know how it turned out for you!

Why Didn’t My Homemade Sopapillas Puff Up?

If your batch isn’t puffing quite right, it’s probably due to the temperature of the oil. I would recommend measuring the oil temperature with a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer though, you can stick the handle end of a wooden spoon in the oil – if you get a lot of bubbles that form around the spoon then the oil is hot enough. If the oil bubbles excessively around the spoon, then your oil has gotten too hot. If there are no bubbles, it’s not hot enough.

Can They Be Reheated?

Sopapillas can be kept warm in an oven at 200 degrees if not being served immediately. If you have leftovers, place them in the fridge and they can be reheated in an oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.

Yield: 36

Sopapillas Recipe

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A delectable traditional Mexican dessert. They're so good dusted with cinnamon sugar or drizzled with honey.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 C flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 TBSP lard (or Crisco)
• 1 1/2 C warm water
• 6 C vegetable oil
• Honey
• Cinnamon sugar

Instructions

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add lard and work in with your fingers or a pastry cutter.
3. Add warm water and combine until the dough is smooth
4. Cover with a dish towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
5. Add oil to the deep fryer or deep sided pan, and heat up to 375.
6. Take about 1/6 of the dough and roll it out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2-3 inch squares.
7. Add a couple pieces of dough to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Turn over, and repeat the rolling/frying process.
8. To get a puffier sopapilla, turn the dough after a few seconds until done.
9. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
10. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or drizzle with honey and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 93mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g