Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
Sopapillas are a delicious fried dough from New Mexico. They are perfectly fried puffed dough and traditionally served with a drizzle of honey or a combination of cinnamon and sugar.
I absolutely love all types of Mexican food. Everything from conchas, beef birria to carne asada tacos. New Mexico’s Mexican food is in its own category.
I went to New Mexico a few years ago and had a transcendent experience in Taos and Santa Fe–two cities that are truly magical. One of my favorite things I ate the entire trip were Sopapillas. I had them both in sweet context and savory (and I ate them alongside a plate of Chilaquiles).
Ingredients You’ll Need for a Sopapillas
- All-purpose flour.
- Baking powder. This is going to activate and make these nice and fluffy and light.
- Granulated sugar. Adding a touch of sweetness and crispness to the dough.
- Kosher salt. With everything sweet, we need a hint of savory.
- Honey. This is going to go inside the dough, as well as on the outside when serving.
- Milk. Whole milk gives this dough a super soft and delicious texture.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
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.
3. Then pour in the honey and milk.
4. Stir until a dough forms.
5. Rest the dough for 20 minutes.
6. Choose your choice of fat. You can use canola oil, lard or shortening. Heat it in a cast iron skillet or medium pot until it reaches 300F.
7. Roll out the dough so that it’s 1/8-inch thick.
8. Cut the dough into squares.
9. Heat the oil further to 375 degrees F.
10. Drop the squares of dough into the hot oil.
11. Flip them after a minute.
12. Cook on the opposite side for another minute. And then transfer to the paper towels.
13. Eat with honey!
Recipe Tip
Test a single sopapilla. I always do a test to make sure the oil is the right temperature. If the first one doesn’t puff up, it means it’s not rolled thin enough. A simple fix with the rest of them!
Recipe FAQs
If you’re serving them in a sweet context, I love mixing together a few tablespoons of granulated sugar with two teaspoons ground cinnamon and dusting them with this mixture right when they come out of the oil. OR you can serve them in a savory context alongside these Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas or Beef Tacos.
This recipe most notably has zero shortening. I tried a recipe with shortening and I didn’t love it; I found that it lacked flavor and I frankly NEVER cook with shortening if I don’t have to. Instead, I swapped in milk vs. water and found that it was delicious this way.
More Latin-Inspired Desserts
If you tried this Sopapillas Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sopapillas Recipe
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet or medium pot
- 1 spider or strainer to help remove the sopapillas from the oil
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- Canola oil, peanut oil or lard, for frying
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- 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.
To Fry the Sopapillas:
- I know frying this is a bit of a bummer but I’ll say that with these it’s needed and worth it. In a cast iron skillet (or medium pot), add enough oil 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 (1/8-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
- Test a single sopapilla. I always do a test to make sure the oil is the right temperature. If the first one doesn’t puff up, it means it’s not rolled thin enough. A simple fix with the rest of them!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*This post was originally posted on May 13, 2015 but has since been republished with new photos and copy.
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.
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
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..
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!
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!
New Mexican here. Don’t ever put powered sugar on my sopapilla
I did it for my husband and he ask for more:) Amazing recipe!
I grew up eating sopapillas, we often stuffed them with beans and cheese like fry bread, also we mixed honey with whipped butter to enjoy these morsels from heaven
Oh really, I taught it was dessert because you’re using honey. Haha! By the way thanks for the tips.=) And I like your cooking styles, I guess it will really blend in my expertise which is Asian cuisine. Also, do you have some recipes in cooking dry aged beef because I’m planning to cook for my colleagues this weekend!
In New Mexico, sopaipillas are eaten with honey, but at the same time as the savory dish. It’s a hot/sweet/meat combination that can’t be beat.
They are not considered dessert, and they are never dusted with powdered sugar.
Thay also need to be eaten right out of the fryer, wait 1/2 an hour and they are bland and chewy. That’s why they bring them at the same time as the entree.
Yeah, in NM we are weird but delicious!
Aside from being an avid fan of dishes made from dry aged beef, I also have a sweet tooth. I love chocolates, candies and honey. Luckily you have a recipe for Sopapillas glaze with honey. The cooking instructions seem easy. Can’t wait to have my own version of this sopapillas!