These Sopapillas with Honey hail from New Mexico. This version consists of perfectly fried puffed dough served with a drizzle of honey.
Last week I spent a few days in New Mexico (whole re-cap coming soon!) and one of the best things I ate during my trip were Sopapillas with Honey! Have you had a sopapilla before? There are different iterations; before last week, the only version I have had were South American and Tex-Mex versions, but the puffy ones you see pictured are vastly different.
The New Mexican-style sopapilla is almost like a cross between a South American sopapilla and a Native American fry bread. Think of them like that. They’re soft and fluffy and puffy. Traditionally you serve them with a drizzle of honey.
Sweet or Savory Sopapillas!
Sopapillas are served in both sweet and savory contexts.
The best version I had (and I had a lot and in savory contexts too!) was at El Paragua Restaurant in Espanola, New Mexico, which is about an hour south of Taos. It was a meal we ate while we were headed to Albuquerque and it was AMAZING. I got the combination plate. It was simple: one enchilada, one tamale, rice, beans and pazole. I’ve had a lot of enchiladas in my day but seriously it was the best enchilada I've ever had. Same with the tamale.
The sopapillas were to die for. When I got home, the first thing I did was research recipes.
How to Make Sopapillas Without Shortening!
Most recipes I found used shortening in the dough. I’m not big on using shortening but figured this might be the exception. I ended up buying non-gmo shortening and guess what? I didn’t like them! They weren’t right. They were crispy, not puffy and lacked flavor. Luckily I found this video, which uses no shortening (yay!). I played with his recipe, adding more salt and figuring out the technique that works best. (Them puffing up is all about the temperature of the oil and the thinness of the dough.)
The milk in this recipe (most recipes use water) result in a much softer sopapilla. The version I liked from El Paragua was suuuuper soft on the inside but the exterior was awesomely crispy. These are the same. I tried to mimic their version as closely as possible since they really were the best I had all week.
I can’t wait to share my re-cap with you because New Mexico is sooo beautiful and all the food I ate (and I ate A LOT!) was so good and full of history. But for now, Sopapillas with Honey!
How to Make Sopapillas with Honey
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. We’re using all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Make a well in the flour mixture.
- Then pour in the honey and milk.
- Stir until a dough forms.
- Rest the dough for 20 minutes.
- Choose your choice of fat. I used shortening but you could use peanut oil, neutral oil or lard. Heat it until it reaches about 300 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough so that it’s ⅛-inch thick.
- Cut the dough into squares.
- Heat the oil further to 375 degrees F.
- Drop the squares of dough into the hot oil.
- Flip them after a minute.
- Cook on the opposite side for another minute. And then transfer to the paper towels.
- Eat with honey!
New Mexican-Style Sopapillas Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ cup whole milk
- Shortening (or canola oil, peanut oil or lard, for frying)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Next, create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the honey and whole milk. Using a spoon or your hands, mix the dough together until it forms a sticky mass. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for about 20 minutes.
- I know frying this is a bit of a bummer but I’ll say that with these it’s needed and worth it. Since I had shortening leftover from my first batch of dough, I used it to fry these sopapillas; canola oil or peanut oil or lard will also work. In a cast iron skillet (or medium pot), add enough fat so it reaches 3-inches up the sides of the skillet/pot. Heat up your oil to around 300 degrees. (Right before we fry them off, we’ll heat it up even further.)
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. If the dough is at all sticky (it shouldn’t be after it rested) feel free to sprinkle it with a bit of flour so it doesn’t adhere to the surface. Dump the dough onto the counter and roll the dough into a thin (⅛-inch thick) square. (It doesn’t have to be a perfect square either, just do your best.) Cut the sopapillas into 4 x 3-inch rectangles. Again, the measurements don’t have to be exact, you can definitely eyeball this.
- Before you fry them up, be sure to get your honey ready. Line a baking sheet or plate with a few layers of paper towels or clean kitchen towel. Heat the oil up again to 375 degrees F. Drop the sopapillas in the hot oil, frying two to three at a time, for about a minute, flipping them over at the halfway point. (If they don’t puff up, they’ll still be tasty! But it may mean the dough isn’t rolled thin enough.) They should be lightly golden brown—not too crispy. Transfer them to the bed of paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining sopapillas.
- These taste best straight from the fryer to a plate to being consumed but if you want, you can keep the sopapillas warm in an 200 degree pre-heated oven while you fry up the rest. Serve them alongside some honey and apricot preserves.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more Latin-inspired recipes? Here are some of my favorites:Â
Molly Jay says
Hi! Can't wait to try this, but one question ... I watched the video you referenced at the top, and he says he heats his oil to 275, because "much past that, and you're just going to burn everything." But your version calls for 375 ... am I reading that correctly?
Katt says
These turned out wonderful! Thanks for the recipe
Linden says
Hi Adrianna - even after 30 minutes my dough is impossibly sticky. Any suggestions? Is it possible to let it rest TOO much?
Adrianna Adarme says
hi! i know this comment was a while ago but if you make it next time, i would just dust them with some flour! 🙂
Stella says
Disappointed after the rave reviews. I halved the recipe (cooking for two)...I left out the sugar (because I wanted to drizzle them with honey later ;)), and had to add probably an additional 2T milk to get a dough anything close to sticky. I live in a very dry climate - maybe that's why?
They puffed pretty well, and the texture was fine, but whoa! Way too salty! My husband couldn't even eat them. Unless the salt is necessary for some chemical process I would leave the salt out as well as the sugar.
I'd give it a try again without salt...still searching for that perfect recipe...
Adrianna Adarme says
Hi Stella, Unfortunately I think it's a bit unfair to change a recipe and then have complaints about the recipe. Sugar gives moisture to doughs. So it makes sense that it came out dry. Also the sugar is there to balance out the saltiness. So again, changing it made this difference in the final product. It's hard to help with feedback when you didn't follow the recipe and took your own liberties.
NMChilehead says
What Adrianna said. Yeah, I bet you also used table salt instead of kosher salt as the recipe directed. That error will double the amount of salt.
Lita says
No cap you need to change the color font for the website it hurts my eyes like i have been flashbanged by the Navy Seals or a S.W.A.T team please just change it to black or a color that compliments the white cuz right now this is not it im literally crying while typing this it hurts my eyes so badly but all in all great recipe i will be having my manager cook it for me for my first time
William Butler says
LITA - I just happened upon your comment, and I am compelled to reply, even though your comment is directed at the author of this fine recipe. I find that many sites are now using a shade of gray font. My older eyes do well with black on white, and other high contrast combinations, but gray on white is a killer for my eyes too. It looks classy, but, ouch...
When I encounter a website such as this recipe site, I can copy the text, paste it into my word processor, and then change the font to black. I received a users manual yesterday that is printed with a light gray font, plus, the font is tiny. I just can't read that manual, even with a magnifying glass...
Adonis House says
New Mexican who now lives in Washington here, tried to make these and they didn't turn out like sopapillas at all, however the taste was there just not that puffiness you need for them, and so I decided to try it again but double the rising time. This cause a few of them to turn out correct but again the majority were not correct, so I tried one more time! I cut the salt in half and let them rise for 40-45 minutes and they came out absolutely perfect!! So if you live in a wetter climate just do exactly that and you will have the perfect sopapillas everytime.
Valery says
As a New Mexico resident, I have been to El Paragua many times. They are truly the best sopapillas I have had here.
I just made this recipe, and I can say without a doubt that this is a phenomenal recipe, and truly tastes just like El Paragua's. I will be making these and sharing this recipe with friends.
The tips given are key: keep an eye on oil temperature. If you roll them thin and keep the oil right at 375F, you get a perfect puff each time. They cooks in mere seconds, so be ready to put them aside. I ate three as I was cooking, they were that good.
One note is that these don't have to be served as a dessert, but can also be used with savory dishes. Use them to sop up tasty stews, or fill them with a delicious braised meat 🙂
Amanda Lea Kiannejad says
I cannot wait to try this recipe. I lived in NM for 7 years. If you get the chance try Sopapillas at Viola in Los Alamos or at Rancho de Chimyo. Yum
Rachel says
I’m from New a Mexico and these are my favorite dessert. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Nehemiah Salcido says
Best I've ever made !!! Loved them , Thanks
Sharan says
When I was young,my Mother and I went to church on Sundays, and after church everyone went to old town in Albuquerque.We ate at a Mexican restaurant,the sopapilla was just as you said.I am going to try this one.
Mike Wood says
Back in the late 1950s, when I was a young boy, my family lived in Tucson, AZ. There was a Mexican restaurant (Ponchos) down the road that served SOPAPILLAS, which were to die for. They were more oblong, like a potato, but hollow in the middle. You would tear open the SOPAPILLA and pour in honey. These were, as I mentioned, to die for. In the 60 years since then, I have never seen a Mexican restaurant offering these on a menu. You can imagine my thrill I had when I came across this posting. My wife is going to try this recipe over the weekend and I will edit this post then, but I feel quite confident that these are the same. The video that was mentioned in this posting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XQrVSRRM1o) was also very helpful and I would recommend watching that as well. Ponchos had candles on each table that would burn down to create a rainbow of melted candles. There was one huge candle as you entered the door which had hundreds of melted candles creating it. I learned, from a friend that Ponchos burned down and was never rebuilt. Great childhood memories from childhood.
Maggie says
My exs mom made a beer batter for them and guess where she’s from... Española! I’ve eaten at the restaurant mentioned and the beer batter is where it’s at! And she rolled them in cinnamon and sugar then drizzled with honey
Rene Flores says
Sopapillas are native American. My wife's family from Espanola the best sopapillas you get at La Cocina restaurant. Stuffed sopapillas with carne avocado excellent. Had my wedding reception at El Paragua. From Cali food very food lived in Texas 13 years food took getting used to but New Mexico(northern). It's addicting delicious thebest I've had..
Alexandria Shields says
OFF THE CHAIN! Is all I have to say! I skipped the sweets 'cause we had it with beans and Chile, but a great recipe nonetheless! I've made sopaipillas for years and being from NM, this recipe pretty much nails it... I did add roughly a T of lard because I suppose I'm just conditioned to it lol and the milk was a first time for me and they were super fluffy, soft and just enough crispy on the outside! I'm glad u enjoyed our beautiful state, cuisine and culture! You girl, are NM approved!
Phoebe Gibbs says
Hi and thank you!- I grew up in New Mexico - I ate these torn open on the corner and the honey poured in (at the table) and squished around so there is a smear throughout the inside of the hot sopapilla - then you can dip it in the chile of whatever dish you are eating - so true about the hot and savory with the sweet! Also is helpful when your chile is super hot -takes a bit of the edge off!
steve says
New Mexican here. Don't ever put powered sugar on my sopapilla