What Makes Beignets Different from Other Donuts? Understanding Choux Dough vs. Regular Dough

Beignets and donuts often get lumped together as just fried dough treats, but there’s more to these pastries than meets the eye. The difference starts with the dough itself—beignets use choux pastry or a yeast-leavened dough, while donuts rely on denser, egg-rich batters. This distinction shapes everything from texture and weight to appearance and even cultural roots. For anyone who’s ever wondered why beignets feel so light and airy compared to the familiar heft of a donut, the answer lies in the dough and how it’s prepared.

Key Takeaway

• Beignets use choux or yeast-leavened dough, resulting in a lighter, airier texture than donuts.
• Donuts have denser dough with more eggs and usually undergo two rises before frying.
• Beignets are square and dusted with powdered sugar, while donuts are round, often glazed or filled.

The Dough Difference: Choux Pastry vs. Regular Dough

What is Choux Pastry?

Choux pastry, or pâte à choux, is a French dough dating back to the 18th century. Unlike typical bread or cake dough, it doesn’t use yeast to rise. Instead, it relies on the moisture in the dough turning to steam during frying or baking, causing it to puff up. The ingredients are simple: water, flour, eggs, and butter. This method creates a hollow, airy interior, much like the inside of an éclair.

Beignets and Choux Pastry

Traditional French beignets are made with this choux pastry, giving them their signature lightness (1). But the beignets most people know from New Orleans’ Café du Monde are often made from a yeast-leavened dough instead (2). This dough uses bread flour and requires only one rise before deep frying. The result is still airy and puffy but with a slightly different texture than choux-based beignets.

Donut Dough Characteristics

Donuts typically use a denser dough that contains more eggs and sometimes yeast or cake batter (3). This dough undergoes two rises before frying, which contributes to its heavier, more substantial texture (4). The higher egg content adds richness and weight, making donuts feel more filling.

The Role of Yeast and Eggs

Yeast causes dough to rise by producing carbon dioxide, creating air pockets that lighten the dough. Beignets’ yeast dough rises once, while donuts usually rise twice, making donuts denser. Eggs add structure and richness, donuts have more eggs, which thickens the dough and adds to the chewiness.

Texture and Weight: Lightness vs. Heaviness

Beignets: Airy and Fluffy

Thanks to choux pastry or a single rise yeast dough with fewer eggs, beignets are lighter and fluffier. Their soft middle and hollow pockets make them feel less dense. When you bite into a beignet, it almost melts in your mouth, dusted generously with powdered sugar that adds a sweet contrast.

Donuts: Denser and More Substantial

Donuts, with their richer dough and two rises, have a denser crumb and heavier mouthfeel. They’re more filling, often eaten as a snack or dessert. The texture can range from cakey to chewy depending on the recipe, but they rarely have the airy lightness of beignets.

Shape and Appearance: Squares vs. Circles

Beignets’ Signature Shape

Beignets are usually square or rectangular pieces of fried dough. They don’t have holes in the center. This shape comes from the way the dough is cut before frying. After frying, they’re dusted heavily with powdered sugar, giving them a snowy white look that’s iconic in New Orleans cafes (5).

Donuts’ Classic Form

Donuts are most commonly round with a hole in the center, though filled and other shapes exist. They’re often glazed, frosted, or topped with sprinkles and fillings, making them visually more varied and elaborate than beignets.

Serving and Cultural Context

Beignets and New Orleans

Beignets are deeply tied to New Orleans culture, especially during Mardi Gras (6). They’re typically served as a breakfast item alongside coffee, emphasizing simplicity and the delicate texture of the dough. The tradition of dusting them with powdered sugar is almost ritualistic, and places like Café du Monde have made them a must-try.

Donuts in American Culture

Donuts are an American staple with endless variations. From glazed to chocolate frosted, filled with jelly or custard, they cater to a wide range of tastes. Donuts are more versatile in presentation and flavor, often enjoyed as a snack or dessert rather than a breakfast staple.

Historical Roots: From Middle Ages to Modern Day

Origins of Fried Dough

Fried dough has been around since the Middle Ages, evolving over centuries. The French brought choux pastry techniques in the 18th century, which influenced beignet recipes. Donuts, meanwhile, evolved in America with influences from various European fried dough traditions.

Beignets’ French Heritage

Beignets come from French pastry traditions, with choux pastry being a hallmark of French baking. Their presence in New Orleans reflects the city’s French colonial past and culinary fusion.

Donuts’ American Evolution

Donuts developed in the United States, growing from simple fried dough to a diverse category of pastries. The use of yeast or cake batter and the addition of toppings reflect American tastes and innovation.

Deep Frying Techniques and Their Impact

How Deep Frying Affects Dough

Deep frying cooks dough quickly in hot oil, causing the moisture inside to turn to steam and puff the dough. The temperature and timing are crucial—too hot, and the outside burns before the inside cooks, too cool, and the dough absorbs oil and becomes greasy.

Beignets’ Frying Process

Beignets are fried until golden and puffed, usually in vegetable oil heated to about 360 degrees Fahrenheit. The frying process creates a crisp exterior while keeping the inside soft and airy.

Donuts’ Frying Process

Donuts are fried similarly but often for a slightly longer time due to their denser dough. The goal is a golden-brown crust with a tender crumb inside.

Powdered Sugar vs. Glazes and Fillings

Beignets’ Powdered Sugar Dusting

Beignets are traditionally dusted heavily with powdered sugar, which sticks to the warm dough and melts slightly, creating a sweet coating. This simplicity highlights the dough’s texture and flavor.

Donuts’ Variety of Toppings

Donuts come with a wide range of toppings—glazes, icings, sprinkles, and fillings like jelly or cream. These add flavor and texture but also make donuts more complex and varied.

The Role of Cafés and Donut Shops

Café du Monde and Beignets

Café du Monde in New Orleans is famous for its beignets, serving them fresh and hot with coffee. This café helped popularize beignets across the country and is a cultural icon.

Donut Shops Across America

Donut shops are widespread in the U.S., offering countless varieties. They cater to quick snacks and elaborate treats, reflecting the donut’s place in American food culture.

Practical Advice for Enjoying Beignets and Donuts

How to Choose Between Them

If you want a light, airy pastry dusted with powdered sugar, beignets are the way to go. They’re perfect for breakfast or a delicate snack. If you prefer something denser, richer, and more varied in flavor and toppings, donuts offer more options.

Making Your Own

Beignets require careful preparation of choux or yeast dough and precise frying to get that perfect puff. Donuts are more forgiving but need attention to rising times and frying temperature.

Where to Find Them

Seek out New Orleans-style beignets at French cafés or specialty bakeries. Donuts are everywhere but look for fresh, local shops for the best quality.

FAQs

What’s the main difference between beignets and regular donuts?

The biggest difference lies in the pastry dough. Beignets use choux pastry, which creates light, airy pockets when deep fried. Regular donuts use leavened dough that’s denser and sweeter. While your typical donut shop serves solid circles with holes, beignets are square-shaped french pastry that puff up during deep frying. Both are sweet fried dough, but beignets have a completely different texture that’s more like a cream puff than a traditional donut.

How did beignets become popular in America?

Beignets arrived in New Orleans during the 18th century with French settlers. They became deeply connected to local culture, especially during Mardi Gras celebrations. Places like Cafe Du Monde helped make them famous by serving hot beignets dusted with powdered sugar alongside coffee. Unlike donuts, which spread everywhere, beignets stayed special to Louisiana. The deep fried dough became a symbol of New Orleans dining, passed down through generations of families.

Why do beignets use choux pastry instead of regular donut dough?

Choux pastry creates steam pockets that make beignets incredibly light and hollow inside. This french pastry technique dates back to the middle ages and works differently than leavened dough used in donuts. When the choux pastry hits hot oil during deep frying, water in the dough turns to steam and puffs up the pastry. Regular donut dough relies on yeast or baking powder, creating a denser texture that can’t achieve the same airy results.

What makes the texture of beignets so different from donuts?

The texture comes from how choux pastry behaves during deep frying. While donuts have a cake-like or bread-like feel, beignets are hollow and light as air inside. The deep fried dough creates crispy outsides with almost empty centers. Regular donuts and beignets both start as fried dough, but the pastry dough in beignets expands dramatically when it hits the oil, creating pockets of steam that leave behind those signature hollow spaces.

Why are beignets always covered in so much powdered sugar?

Beignets are traditionally dusted with powdered sugar because it’s part of the authentic french pastry experience. The sweet coating balances the relatively plain choux pastry underneath. Unlike glazed donuts that have sweet dough, beignets rely on the powdered sugar for most of their sweetness. The sugar also helps absorb any oil from deep frying and creates that classic messy eating experience that’s become part of the tradition, especially during Mardi Gras.

Can you find beignets at a regular donut shop?

Most donut shops don’t serve beignets because they require different equipment and techniques than regular donuts. Making choux pastry and deep frying it properly takes special skills that differ from standard donut making. The deep fried dough needs higher temperatures and careful timing. While some specialty shops offer both donuts and beignets, traditional places like Cafe Du Monde focus only on beignets because the pastry dough technique is so different from typical sweet fried dough methods.

How long have people been eating fried dough like beignets?

Fried dough treats go back to the middle ages, but beignets as we know them developed during the 18th century in France. The technique of deep frying choux pastry spread throughout French colonies, including Louisiana. While similar deep fried dough exists in many cultures, the specific french pastry method that creates hollow, square beignets has remained largely unchanged. This makes them different from donuts, which evolved more recently and took many different forms across different countries.

What should first-time beignet eaters expect compared to donuts?

First-timers should expect something much lighter and less sweet than regular donuts. The deep fried dough will be hollow inside, almost like eating flavored air dusted with powdered sugar. Unlike the solid circles you get at a donut shop, beignets are square and will likely fall apart as you eat them. The choux pastry creates a completely different experience from leavened dough – more delicate and airy. Don’t expect the dense, cake-like texture of donuts and beignets will surprise you with how different they really are.

Conclusion

Beignets and donuts may both be fried dough treats, but their differences run deep. The dough is the heart of what makes each unique—choux pastry or a single-rise yeast dough for beignets, denser, egg-rich dough for donuts. This affects texture, shape, and how they’re served. Beignets bring a light, airy experience dusted with powdered sugar, rooted in French and New Orleans tradition. Donuts offer a denser, richer bite with endless toppings, reflecting American tastes. Understanding these differences makes enjoying each all the more satisfying.

References

1. https://bakerbettie.com/homemade-beignets-pate-choux/
2. https://www.lilvienna.com/new-orleans-beignets/
3. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-make-homemade-glazed-doughnuts/
4. https://www.theflavorbender.com/how-to-make-perfect-doughnuts-troubleshooting-vanilla-glaze/
5. https://www.moibymd.co.uk/blog/french-beignets-vs-new-orleans-beignets-whats-the-difference/
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beignet