Homemade Sopapillas Recipe

Light, airy, and irresistibly puffy, these Homemade Sopapillas transform simple ingredients into a delightful treat that’s crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. Drizzled with honey, they’re the perfect balance of sweet and savory that will transport you straight to New Mexico! With just a few pantry staples and less than an hour, you can create these magical fried pastries that everyone will rave about.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Surprisingly Simple: Don’t let the impressive results fool you – these sopapillas come together with basic ingredients and straightforward techniques!
• Versatile Treat: Perfect as a dessert with honey, a breakfast treat with cinnamon sugar, or even as a savory companion to your favorite Mexican dishes.
• Quick Satisfaction: With just 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of resting time, you’ll have these golden pillows of goodness ready faster than a trip to your favorite restaurant.
• Crowd-Pleaser: Watch everyone’s eyes light up when you bring out a platter of these freshly fried treats – they’re guaranteed to disappear quickly!

this Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need

• All-purpose flour: The foundation of our sopapillas, providing structure while keeping them tender.
• Baking powder: The magic ingredient that gives sopapillas their signature puff when they hit the hot oil.
• Salt: Enhances all the flavors and balances the sweetness of the honey topping.
• Shortening: Creates a tender texture and helps achieve that perfect flakiness.
• Warm water: Activates the baking powder and helps form a smooth, pliable dough. Make sure it’s warm, not hot!
• Oil for frying: Any neutral oil with a high smoke point works well – vegetable, canola, or peanut oil are excellent choices.
• Honey: The traditional sweet finish that makes sopapillas truly special. Look for local honey if possible for the best flavor.

Variations

Sweet Options

• Cinnamon Sugar: Roll warm sopapillas in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar for a classic fair-food treat.
• Dessert Platter: Serve with chocolate sauce, caramel, and whipped cream for an indulgent dessert experience.
• Fruit-Topped: Spoon macerated berries or warm fruit compote over sopapillas for a fruity twist.

Savory Applications

• Stuffed Sopapillas: Cut a pocket into cooled sopapillas and fill with seasoned ground beef, beans, and cheese.
• Sopapilla Nachos: Break into pieces and top with your favorite nacho fixings.
• Southwest Breakfast: Serve alongside eggs and green chile for a New Mexican-inspired morning meal.

How to Make Homemade Sopapillas

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add the shortening and warm water, then mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

Step 2: Roll and Cut

Sprinkle a clean work surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough out and roll it into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Don’t worry about getting perfect edges – rustic shapes add character! Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 3-inch squares. You should get approximately 24 squares, depending on how thinly you roll the dough.

Step 3: Heat the Oil

Pour oil into a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of about 1½ to 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test by dropping a small piece of dough into the oil – it should bubble vigorously and the dough should begin to puff up and turn golden within seconds.

Step 4: Fry to Golden Perfection

Line a baking sheet with paper towels and keep it nearby. Working in small batches (3-4 sopapillas at a time), carefully lower squares of dough into the hot oil. Watch the magic happen as they puff up and expand! Fry for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown, flipping once with a slotted spoon. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain excess oil.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy

Serve your sopapillas warm, drizzled generously with honey. For the authentic experience, make a small tear or corner bite in the sopapilla and pour honey directly into the pocket – this allows the honey to infuse the inside of the pastry as well!

Pro Tips for Making the Recipe

• Dough Consistency: The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour; if too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time.
• Oil Temperature: Maintaining the proper oil temperature is crucial – too cool and your sopapillas will be greasy; too hot and they’ll burn before cooking through. Use a thermometer if possible!
• Visual Cues: Perfect sopapillas should puff up immediately when they hit the oil. If they don’t puff, your oil probably isn’t hot enough.
• Drain Well: Allow sopapillas to drain thoroughly on paper towels to remove excess oil for the perfect crispy-not-greasy texture.
• Work Quickly: Once your dough is rolled and cut, try to fry them promptly. The longer they sit out, the less they’ll puff in the oil.

How to Serve

Traditional Service

Serve sopapillas warm with honey in a squeeze bottle that allows guests to add as much or as little as they like. The traditional way to eat a sopapilla is to take a small bite from one corner and squeeze honey into the pocket!

Perfect Pairings

• Serve as a dessert after enchiladas, tacos, or any Mexican-inspired meal
• Pair with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream for a light dessert
• For breakfast, serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar alongside your morning coffee

Complete the Meal

For a festive dessert table, offer sopapillas alongside Mexican hot chocolate, flan, or churros for a variety of sweet options that complement each other beautifully.

Make Ahead and Storage

Storing Leftovers

Store completely cooled sopapillas in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They will lose some crispness but still taste delicious!

Freezing

You can freeze the cut, uncooked dough squares separated by parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before frying.

Reheating

To restore crispness to leftover sopapillas, place them on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes, or in an air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes until warmed through and crisp again.

FAQs

Why didn’t my sopapillas puff up?
The most common reason is oil temperature – it needs to be at 375°F for the perfect puff. Also, overworking the dough can develop too much gluten, making it difficult to puff. Make sure your baking powder is fresh and active, and that you’ve given the dough its full resting time.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can prepare the dough up to 24 hours in advance and keep it refrigerated. Just bring it to room temperature before rolling and cutting. The cold dough won’t puff as dramatically in the hot oil.

What’s the difference between sopapillas and fry bread?
While similar, sopapillas typically contain baking powder which gives them their hollow, puffy center, while Native American fry bread is usually made with yeast or baking soda and has a denser texture. Sopapillas are traditionally served with honey, while fry bread is often topped with savory ingredients.

Can I make these without deep frying?
While traditional sopapillas are deep-fried, you can experiment with baking them at 425°F for about 10-12 minutes until golden. They won’t have the same puffy quality, but they’ll still be delicious. Some people have success with air fryers as well – try 370°F for 5-7 minutes, spraying lightly with oil first.

Final Thoughts

There’s something magical about watching these simple squares of dough transform into pillowy puffs of goodness. Homemade Sopapillas bring a touch of New Mexican tradition to your kitchen with minimal effort and maximum delight. The contrast between the crisp exterior, airy interior, and sweet honey makes them irresistible to everyone lucky enough to try them. Whether you’re finishing a spicy meal or just craving something special, these golden treasures will become a recipe you return to again and again. Give them a try tonight – your family will thank you!

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