These gorgeous fritters known as sopapillas or, in some cases, sopaipillas are a type of Mexican dessert. They’re always popular in restaurants but easier than you might expect to whip up in the comfort of your own kitchen.
You don’t need too many ingredients to make a batch of sopapillas, just flour, shortening, sugar, baking powder, and a few other items you probably have in the refrigerator or cupboard. Sopapillas are especially popular in Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa and other neighboring states in the north of Mexico.
The sopapillas dough is rolled out and then you cut it into rounds and then into triangles. After that they’re dipped in hot oil which makes them puff up like pillows during cooking. Sugar is usually dusted over the hot, fried sopapillas and some people like to add ground cinnamon too. Some people like to drizzle brown sugar syrup or honey over the top before serving.
Why You’ll Love the Recipe:
Sopapillas are a delicious authentic Mexican dessert which are sometimes served in place of churros or bunuelos, as a sweet treat after dinner.
How to Serve Them:
Enjoy these hot from the oil, dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. You can drizzle honey over them or, if you can get it, piloncillo syrup (a Mexican brown sugar syrup).
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Can You Make Them Ahead?
You can but they are much better made and served fresh.
Storage Instructions:
Leftovers will keep for a day or so and can be reheated in a warm oven or in the air fryer.
Variations and Substitutions:
You can drizzle honey over these if you want, or piloncillo syrup if you can find it. You can also omit any drizzle and just have them with the cinnamon sugar.
Sopapillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups vegetable oil
FOR DRIZZLING:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons honey or piloncillo sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl, and then rub in the shortening using your hands.
- Pour in the hot water, bit by bit.
- Work the mixture using your fingers until it’s a smooth dough.
- Knead it for 5 minutes and then roll into a ball and put it back in the bowl.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it sit for half an hour so the gluten can develop.
- Knead for a minute and then shape into a ball and cut into 4 pieces with a pastry cutter or knife.
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a big pot.
- Shape each of the 4 pieces of dough into a 6-inch diameter, ⅛ to ¼-inch thick round.
- Cut each of those rounds into 4 triangles, so you end up with 16 triangles in all.
- Put them in the hot oil and cook until golden brown, flipping once (they will take about 4 minutes to cook).
- Take the cooked ones out of the hot oil and drain on paper towels, and continue until they’re all cooked.
- Serve dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon, drizzled with honey if liked.
