Homemade Sopapilla Recipe

4 from 1 vote

This Homemade Sopapilla Recipe is one of our favorite desserts to make as a family. Warm fried dough with melted butter, honey and powdered sugar? Yes please! If you’re wondering how to make sopapillas this easy recipe is for you.

sopapilla

Homemade Sopapillas

I’ve been looking forward to sharing my sopapilla recipe for weeks now. Let me start by saying I know people call these all kinds of different names. It kind of depends where you grew up! I’ve heard people call them scones, fry bread and sopapillas. I am not partial, I’ll call them anything, lol! I remember as a kid having warm sopapillas at a Mexican restaurant we went to and it was my favorite part of the meal!

Be sure to try my Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe too!  Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

What Is A Sopapilla?

If you are not aware of what this recipe is, let me explain. It’s a homemade dough, fried, then lathered with butter, honey and powdered sugar. Seriously does NOT get better than this.

When my family gets together on Sundays, we almost always end up making these. They are everyone’s favorite 🙂

sopapilla

What You’ll Need

  • canola oil– You’ll use canola oil or vegetable oil to fry your sopapillas.
  • warm water– Warm water helps activate the yeast for the homemade sopapillas.
  • active dry yeast– Active dry yeast is a key ingredient when making homemade breads.
  • granulated sugar– Just a touch of sugar gives a slight sweetness.
  • all-purpose flour- All-purpose flour is the main dry ingredient.
  • kosher salt– Kosher salt is a course salt. I prefer using it over fine salt.
  • extra virgin olive oil– Just a touch of olive oil is used when making the dough.
  • butter– You can use salted or unsalted butter here.
  • honey– You’ll drizzle honey over top of the warm sopapillas when they are done frying.
  • powdered sugar– Also referred to as confectioners sugar. You’ll use powdered sugar to dust over top of the sopapillas.

How To Make Sopapillas

  1. Place oil in large dutch oven over medium heat with a thermometer attached to the side of the pot. Heat until at least 350 degrees but under 375 degrees F.
  2. Place warm water, yeast and sugar into stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attached. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast has grown.
  3. Add flour, salt and olive oil to the stand mixer, beating on medium speed. Mix until dough is cleaning sides of bowl, about 2-3 minutes. With very floured hands, remove dough from bowl and form into a ball on top of parchment paper.
  4. Pinch off about 1/4 cup pieces of dough forming into 3 inch rounds. Does not have to be perfect. Carefully drop pieces of dough into hot oil, in batches. No more than about 3 or 4 at a time. Fry until golden and puffed on each side. Remove from hot oil and place onto parchment paper. Immediately spread butter and honey over each piece. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

sopapilla

While you are waiting for your yeast to rise, heat your oil to 350-375 degrees F.

sopapilla

Prepare dough as recipe states below in recipe card. Roll into ball on top of parchment paper.

sopapilla

Pinch off little pieces of dough and form into about 3 inch rounds.

sopapilla

It doesn’t have to be exact, can be bigger or smaller 🙂

sopapilla

 

Carefully drop each piece of dough into the hot oil. Let fry until golden then flip! This is the color you are looking for. Remove from the oil and set onto some parchment paper. Spread each piece of dough with lots of butter as soon as it comes out of the oil.

sopapilla

Drizzle with honey. Dust with more powdered sugar. The outcome is pure heaven. Such a delicious dessert for the whole family.

sopapilla

How To Serve Sopapillas

Serve warm with butter, honey and powdered sugar. Best if enjoyed shortly after fried. It’s not recommended to store leftovers and re-heat. Best if eaten on day they’re made.

Leftovers

Store any leftover sopapillas in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Homemade Sopapilla Recipe
4 from 1 vote

Homemade Sopapilla Recipe

This Homemade Sopapilla Recipe is simple to prepare and pefect for your upcoming celebrations!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings: 30
Calories: 637kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: $15
Print Pin

Equipment

  • Stove
  • stand mixer with dough hook
  • Dutch Oven or large pot
  • deef frying sieve
  • Bowl
  • measuring cups
  • measuring spoons

Ingredients

  • 64 ounces canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup warm water 110 degrees F.
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal Flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup good quality honey
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Place oil in large dutch oven over medium heat with a thermometer attached to the side of the pot. Heat until at least 350 degrees but under 375 degrees F.
  • Place warm water, yeast and sugar into stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attached. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast has grown.
  • Add flour, salt and olive oil to the stand mixer, beating on medium speed. Mix until dough is cleaning sides of bowl, about 2-3 minutes. With very floured hands, remove dough from bowl and form into a ball on top of parchment paper.
  • Pinch off about 1/4 cup pieces of dough forming into 3 inch rounds. Does not have to be perfect. Carefully drop pieces of dough into hot oil, in batches. No more than about 3 or 4 at a time. Fry until golden and puffed on each side. Remove from hot oil and place onto parchment paper. Immediately spread butter and honey over each piece. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Keywords: how to make sopapillas, mexican desserts sopapilla, sopapilla, sopapilla dessert, sopapilla recipe, what is a sopapilla

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sopapilla

 

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67 Responses
  1. Vickie

    I would change just one word in your write-up. Change lathered to slathered and all will be made good.
    It’s a homemade dough, fried, then slathered with butter, honey and powdered sugar.

  2. Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen

    These look wonderful Jenny! I LOVE Sopaiapillas; my grandma makes them. Just got back from a trip to see them and now I am craving those fluffy pillowy bites drizzled with honey. xoxo

  3. Melissa from HungryFoodLove.com

    I will be licking my fingers after making these because they are so going on my weekend to-do list. Yum! It was so nice meeting you at Blog Her Food!

  4. Upholstery Cleaning Bromley

    Ohh, gorgeous pictures! This looks heavenly delicious! I just can’t wait to try try it! Yum, yum!

  5. Rebecca

    This looks soooo delicious!!! I’ve never tried it…but being fried with lots of butter and honey…It has to delicious!!! 🙂

  6. Tracy Jones

    Hi There! These look “to-die-for” and I’m so excited to make them! Can you please tell us how to cook the dough as pizza crust? I’m assuming you don’t fry it since it will be too big to fit in the fryer? LOL! Like does it need to be flattened? will it be thick crust? and what temp you recommend baking? Thanks …….and now I’m dreaming of dough ……… 🙂

  7. Karen

    Oh my….these look like heaven. Thank you for the recipe. I think it is great you can use this dough for either frying or pizza….that is what I am talking about, versatility. Have your cake and eat it too.

  8. Steph (Steph's Kitchen)

    This is actually the first time I’ve heard about these. I’m very excited to try them!

  9. Jolene

    I love the pics of the fried dough, though I would not call those sopapillas. I’m a native New Mexican and sopapillas, when fried come out like airy pillows. The dough recipe is closer to a tortilla recipe except using milk instead of water. The dough is then rolled out, just like making tortillas then deep fried. You’ll see that when it gets hot and golden the dough puffs up and looks as if it’s going to pop, then you flip it over and fry the other side! Then you’ll have a true sopapilla!!! Soft and golden on the outside, hollow and delicious on the inside;-)

    1. Karen

      I’ll chime in too. Growing up in Alamagordo, the little pillows got filled with honey on the inside. Doesn’t mean these aren’t good, just not what I grew up with as sopapillas- little pillows. Think our way with the honey on the inside is a little less messy to eat?

    2. Debbie

      Jolene, yours are what I remember getting years ago in a Mexican resturant in Wilmington NC. If we order them now we get a fried tortillas with chocolate syrup and honey. Wish I had a recipe for yours. But I am going to try these in the time being they sound very close.

  10. Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen

    These look amazing, fried dough, butter, honey and powdered sugar I NEED these in my life asap!!

  11. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com

    Jenny, excuse me for calling you “Marla.” I had just been thinking about a Marla!

  12. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com

    Marla, it’s been years since I’ve made sopapillas — your post and gorgeous photos have started me craving them now!

  13. Julie

    These look delish! What do you do with your oil when you are finished? Do you reuse it? How do you store it?

    Very happy I found your site! Your recipes and pictures are great!

    1. Jenny

      You can definitely save it and use it again Julie. I usually discard mine only because we don’t fry all that often 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!

  14. Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain

    OMG!! There are no words. Love me some sopapillas! P.S. looking forward to seeing you at BlogHer Food!

  15. shelly (cookies and cups)

    Sopapillas as some of my most favorite treats! I have a hard time finding good ones up here in NJ! Totally going to try these!!

  16. Stacy

    The key is to bite off the end and put the honey on the inside since they are pretty hollow. Makes less of a mess that way. I love sopapillas!!

  17. Meagan @ A Zesty Bite

    You can’t beat fresh hot sopapilla at a mexican restaurant. Love that you can now make them at home.

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