A beignet is a deep fried pastry of French origin, commonly made from choux pastry but sometimes made with rice flour or yeast leavened batters. It is served in a variety of preparations, most commonly dusted with confectioner's sugar, and is popular in French, Hungarian, Italian, Cajun, and American cuisines.
Facts
Origin Period, From (Year) Origin RegionSourced to the subject's own accountThe term beignet is French; the pastry was brought to New Orleans in the 18th century by French colonists and Acadians and became part of Creole home cooking. No exact year of introduction is documented, so origin-start-year is left unfilled rather than invented. FAQs
What kind of doughnut is a beignet in New Orleans?
According to CooksInfo, "When used in America, though, the word takes on the meaning of a specific doughnut made in New Orleans. These are small, square doughnuts about 2 inches by 2 inches square (5 by 5 cm.) There is no hole in them."
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In Cuisine
Source Beignet (Wikipedia)
Uses Ingredient
Source Beignet (Wikipedia)
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Beignet (Wikipedia)tier 3
Sources
1. Beignet (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia 'Beignet' 2026-09-27: beignets 'were brought to New Orleans in the 18th century by French colonists.'View the Source 2. Beignet (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section
They were brought to New Orleans in the 18th century by French colonists, from "the old mother country", as well as by Acadians, and became a large part of home-style Creole cooking.
- Uses Ingredient: Powdered Sugar, Infobox main_ingredient field: Dough, powdered sugar
In Cuisine: French Cuisine, lead paragraph
Beignet ( BEN-yay, also US: bayn-YAY, ben-YAY; French: [bɛɲɛ]; lit. 'bump') is a deep-fried pastry of French origin.
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