The Best Sopapillas Recipe
This Sopapillas recipe is an easy dessert or side dish for your next Mexican feast. They are crispy and airy and can be/i filled or just eaten with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.
🍽️ Recipe Name: Sopapillas
⏰ Ready In: 30 minutes
⏳ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 10 minutes
👥 Serves: 40 sopapillas
🥕Main Ingredients: Flour, baking soda, salt, shortening, water.
🍳 Special Equipment: Cast-iron or heavy-bottom frying pan or deep fryer.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Light, crispy, and perfect for sweet or savory toppings
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
What are Sopapillas
Sopapillas are a Mexican fried dough. They can be served for savory meals, as a dessert, or as a breakfast treat. The dough is light and airy, and the breads puff up in the center, creating a pocket, so they’re perfect for stuffing, too.
This sopapilla recipe comes from my vintage Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cookbook, and after making them for years, it’s still the only recipe I use. These sopapillas are very popular in Peru, Chile, Argentina, South Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Why You’ll Love These Sopapillas
- They use simple pantry ingredients.
- The dough comes together quickly.
- They puff up beautifully while frying.
- They can be served sweet or savory.
- They’re perfect for dipping, stuffing, or dusting with sugar.
What You Need
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the sopapillas structure while still keeping them light and airy inside.
- Baking Powder: Helps the dough puff up while frying, creating the signature hollow center.
- Salt: Adds flavor and balances the sweetness of the toppings.
- Shortening: Traditionally they were made with lard, which is a good choice, if you have some. Vegetable shortening will work as well. Makes the dough tender and helps create a crisp exterior when fried.
- Lukewarm Water: Brings the dough together and helps create a soft, workable texture.
How to Make Them
- Stir the dry ingredients together. Cut the shortening in with a knife or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Dough will be crumbly.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Knead until a smooth dough forms.
Divide the dough in half. Let the dough stand for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
Roll the dough into a 12×10-inch rectangle. The dough should be about ¼-inch thick.
Cut the rolled-out dough into 2½-inch squares.
Fry a few at a time in deep hot fat (400°F.) until golden on the first side. Flip them with a slotted spoon or a spatula.
Drain them on paper towels. Serve them hot with guacamole as a dip or roll them in cinnamon sugar.
How to Store Leftovers
It’s best to only make what you need. The fried sopapillas get tough when stored. If the batch makes too much, cut down the quantities. You can also fry some the first day and then refrigerate the dough and finish the rest the next day.
Can You Make the Dough Ahead?
Yes, you can make the dough 24 hours in advance. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Take the dough about 20 minutes before rolling to let it come closer to room temperature.
Pro Tips
- Keep the oil close to 400°F. If it’s too cool, the sopapillas absorb oil and become greasy.
- Don’t overcrowd the fryer. Fry only a few at a time so the oil temperature stays consistent.
- Let the dough rest before rolling. This makes it easier to roll thinly and helps create a better puff.
- Roll the dough evenly so all of the sopapillas cook at the same rate.
Serving Suggestions
Serve sopapillas with:
- Honey
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon sugar
- Chocolate sauce
- Dulce de leche
- Guacamole
- Taco fillings
- Refried beans and cheese
- We also serve them a Mexican feast of tacos or enchiladas, Mexican Rice and Refried Beans.
Variations
Honey Sopapillas
Drizzle warm sopapillas with melted butter and honey immediately after frying.
Stuffed Sopapillas
Fill the hollow centers with taco meat, beans, cheese, or shredded chicken.
Dessert Sopapillas
Roll them in cinnamon sugar while still warm.
More Desserts
- Apple Fritters
- Fried Dough
- Churros
- Caramel Corn
- Cozonac
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
Connect with us through our social media pages! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter.
Please ask any questions or share your comments in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
The Best Sopapilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- ⅔ cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut the shortening in with a knife or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Dough will be crumbly.
- Turn the dough out on a floured board. Knead until a smooth dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half. Let the dough stand for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.Roll the dough into a 12×10-inch rectangle.
- Cut the rolled-out dough into 2½-inch squares.
- Fry a few at a time in deep hot oil (400°F.) until golden.
- Drain fried sopapillas on paper towels. Keep batches warm in a warm oven. (250°F)
- Serve them hot with guacamole as a dip or roll them in cinnamon sugar.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky's Amazon Store!Notes
- Keep the oil close to 400°F. If it’s too cool, the sopapillas absorb oil and become greasy.
- Don’t overcrowd the fryer. Fry only a few at a time so the oil temperature stays consistent.
- Let the dough rest before rolling. This makes it easier to roll thinly and helps create a better puff.
- Roll the dough evenly so all of the sopapillas cook at the same rate.
