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A plate full of fried sopapillas, arranged neatly and drizzled with honey, emphasizing their golden-brown color.
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Homemade Sopapillas

These light and crispy fried pillows of dough are the perfect treat drizzled with honey and powdered sugar! Making sopapillas is easy enough for a weekend dessert.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Rest Time20 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 sopapillas
Author: Laurel Perry

Equipment

  • 1 Deep Frying Thermometer

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • 1 ½ cups warm water*
  • oil for frying** 4-6 cups, 2-3 inches of oil in the pot
  • honey for serving

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine.
    4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
    A glass bowl filled with flour and a whisk, showing the beginning stage of the sopapilla dough preparation.
  • Add in the shortening and warm water. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
    ¼ cup shortening, 1 ½ cups warm water*
    A glass bowl containing freshly mixed sopapilla dough with a black spatula.
  • Lightly flour your surface and roll the dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 3-inch squares. They don’t have to be perfect.
    Rolled-out dough cut into squares, prepared for frying, with a dough cutter visible on the side.
  • Heat 1 ½ inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
    oil for frying**
    A pot of oil heating on the stove with a thermometer inserted, indicating preparation for frying sopapillas.
  • Once hot, fry the sopapillas in batches until golden and puffed, about 1-2 minutes per side. Fry only a few pieces at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot, which can lower the oil temperature and result in soggy sopapillas. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
    Sopapillas frying in a pot of oil, turning golden brown, with a thermometer clipped to the side to monitor the temperature.
  • Repeat until all the sopapillas have been fried.
    A baking tray lined with paper towels holding freshly fried sopapillas, golden and crispy, cooling after frying.
  • Serve warm with a drizzle of honey.
    honey
    A plate of sopapillas drizzled with honey, arranged neatly, highlighting their puffy texture and golden color.

Video

Notes

*Warm tap water is essential to melt the shortening and incorporate the dough.
**Test that the oil is hot enough by dropping one sopapilla or a scrap of dough first. If the oil bubbles and the dough starts to puff up and turn golden within a few seconds, the oil is hot enough. If it doesn't bubble or puff up, the oil needs more time to heat. If it browns too quickly, the oil is too hot and should be adjusted.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 29g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg