Cheese And Herbs Savory Beignets Recipe

New Orleans-style beignets are one of the city's signature dishes, and this dessert has a long history in the Crescent City. Before the recipe was brought to the New World by 18^th-century Creole settlers, however, the French had been making both sweet and savory beignets for several centuries. Before developer Jessica Morone created this cheese and herbs savory beignet recipe, she'd only ever eaten beignets as a dessert, but as she tells us, "I just thought if you can make sweet ones then you can definitely try to make savory ones." 

Morone has previously shared a recipe for New Orleans beignets with Tasting Table, and this savory beignet recipe starts out in much the same way, only the dough calls for a smaller amount of sweetener. It's also flavored with herbs and cheese, making the pastries so flavorful that you can eat them on their own as a snack or appetizer. They also go great with a side of sauce, though — Morone likes to accompany her beignets with a garlicky aioli dip, while you could also opt for marinara, ranch dressing, honey mustard, fire-roasted salsa, or a classic basil-pine nut pesto.

The beignet dough is made with instant yeast, sugar, salt, flour, milk, egg, and butter and flavored with parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, and gruyere. You'll also need a few cups of a neutral-flavored, high smoke point oil for frying.

Add the yeast, sugar, salt, flour, parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, and gruyere to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.

Stir until combined.

Add the warm water, milk, egg, and butter to the bowl and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Once the dough has doubled, place it on a flour dusted surface and roll it out into a square that is about ½-inch thick.

Cut the dough into 1 ½-inch to 2-inch squares.

Place the cut out beignets onto a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet while the oil heats.

Add the oil to a large skillet, Dutch oven, or a deep fryer until it is 2 to 3 inches deep.

Heat the oil to 360 F.

Add 4 to 5 beignets to the fryer at a time and cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

Flip the beignets and cook them for an addition 1 ½ to 2 minutes until golden brown, placing the fried beignets onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Cook in batches until all beignets have been fried.

Serve warm, with aioli or dipping sauce of your choice if desired.

Beignets are traditionally deep-fried, but not everyone has access to a deep fryer or wants to fuss with all of that oil in a pot or pan. If you want to skip the oil altogether (or for the most part, at least), you can cook the beignets in an oven or air fryer.

If you'll be using your oven to bake the beignets, allow them to rise for an additional 45 minutes after you cut them into squares. That way, the yeast can help them puff up in lieu of the hot oil. Preheat the oven to 350 F, brush the beignets with a beaten egg, then bake them for 12 to 15 minutes until they're golden brown. If you'd prefer to convection-cook them in an air fryer, you'll need to work in batches, since you might only be able to fit four at a time in the basket. Brush the beignets with melted butter, cook them for 6 minutes at 375 F, then take them out of the air fryer and repeat the process four more times until all the beignets are done.  These beignets might have a more bread-like consistency than their deep-fried counterparts, but they'll still be delightfully cheesy (and herby).

If you're intrigued by the idea of savory beignets but gruyere, chives, and parsley don't float your boat, you can use this recipe as a template and create your own flavor combos instead. Try pairing gouda with thyme, dill with havarti, mozzarella with basil, feta with oregano, or cheddar with sage.

You could also add some extra protein to the dough in the form of diced ham (this would pair well with Swiss cheese), cooked and crumbled bacon (this would be tasty with sharp cheddar), or cooked chorizo (this would go great with pepper jack). Seafood, too, can be delicious in savory beignets. Some New Orleans restaurants have been known to offer crawfish beignets, but if you don't live in crawfish country, you could always substitute crabmeat, shrimp, or smoked salmon. Vegetables such as corn, diced bell peppers, jalapeños, or mushrooms could also make excellent additions to your beignet dough.