This Easy Sopapilla Recipe makes it easy to make this fried puff pastry popular in Mexican restaurants. They’re especially delicious with honey! Our kids just love them and they’re always a special treat!
Sopapillas are a beloved treat in many Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico and the southwestern United States. These light, golden pillows of fried dough are typically enjoyed drizzled with honey and cinnamon, dusted with powdered sugar, or even filled with savory ingredients. Whether served as a dessert or a snack, sopapillas are a delicious way to end a meal or satisfy a sweet craving. This recipe will guide you through making traditional sopapillas that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
This recipe makes a lot of dough. You can save some of the sopapilla dough in the refrigerator and use the dough for another night of sopapillas. In our family, we usually get 2-3 nights out of 1 batch of sopapillas.
As you follow the sopapilla recipe, be sure to roll them thin enough. If the first one or 2 don’t puff very much when you put them in the oil, you probably need to roll them thinner.
Easy Sopapilla Recipe
This easy sopapilla recipe makes a delightful treat with a crispy golden exterior and a soft, airy interior that practically melts in your mouth. These traditional Mexican fried pastries puff up beautifully as they cook, creating a light and fluffy texture that’s perfect for drizzling with honey or dusting with cinnamon sugar. Whether served as a sweet snack or a dessert, sopapillas are irresistibly delicious and easy to enjoy with every bite!
Ingredients
1 pkg. or 1 Tbsp. yeast
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups milk
3 Tbsp. shortening, melted
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
oil for frying
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
honey
Instructions
- Mix first 7 ingredients.
- Knead, about 10 times, until smooth.
- Cover with a dish towel and let rise 1 hour.
- Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
- Cut into squares or triangles.
- Fry one at a time in hot oil (385° to 400°), turning once until brown.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl.
- Roll sopapillas in cinnamon and sugar.
- Serve with honey.
Make sure your oil is hot enough and the dough is 1/8 inch thick or your sopapillas won’t puff. Makes about 20.
Notes
These homemade sopapillas should puff up when they are frying in the oil. If your sopapillas seem to be turning out too flat and thick, you need to roll them thinner.
This Easy Sopapilla Recipe is from Volume 1 of our cookbook:
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I was thrilled to see this recipe in the video showing what is in your cookbook!! My favorite meal in the world is bean and cheese sopapillas from a restaurant in my hometown. Have you guys tried stuffing the dough with savory fillings in a half moon shape and pinching the ends together like an empanada? If not, do you think it would work? I have always wanted to be able to have my favorite meal anytime I want! And you guys make everything look so doable and of course delicious, I think I just may be able to now!!! Thank you! I will be ordering volume 1 and 2 on payday and can’t wait!
I have never used the dough like that Stephanie but what you might do is sometime when you make the sopapillas you might try to do a couple up as empanadas. One thing too I have found with sopapilla recipes is to be sure to roll them as thin as to can. I causes them to puff up better. Thank you on all the kind words on our books we really appreciate it. Hope you have fun with them and they help.
Hi Jill! Thank you for answering my question, you were very helpful. Today was payday and I just order 1 and 2. I can’t wait!!!
How long do u let the dough rise before frying?nd can u let it rise overnight
You don’t need to let the dough rise before frying. Their puffiness comes from the thinner you roll them out the more they puff so roll very thin. You can keep in the fridge and use the next day but remember these do not need to rise at all.
Love making sopapillas , rolled very thin to puff good. then tear corner n drop little honey in the pocket yum. Or make them bigger open the top an fill with taco ingred.,but taught no yeast, baking powd. Guess will try the yeast !!
You won’t go back. Yeast makes a better flavor.