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.
Very strange dough. Almost like it didn’t want to stretch out.
This recipe was the worst one I tried, I think there is a mis-typo, the baking soda was too strong and they were thick like bread like even after being thinned out by the roller. All the other recipes I coke across it says 1tsp of baking soda, not 1 tablespoon.
Baking soda and baking powder are not the same thing and are not interchangeable.
We were living in Albuquerque until May. Came back to Illinois to take care of parents with covid. We miss New Mexico. The food, mountain, family. Can’t wait to try these to get a little taste of our adopted home. ❤
Wow these came out delicious. I didn’t use whole milk cause I didn’t have it. So I substituted with half and half. My family was in love with the taste and how soft these came out. Thank you for sharing
wonderful to hear!
I was born in Roswell, NM but grew a up in Alaska and we always had the sopapillas my mom learned to make in Tinnie. We had them hand sized and filled them with pinto beans, onions and cheese. These would be gone very quickly. If you fry them in shallow pan and quckly move oil across the bread surface, it will puff up.
SHHH! New Mexico is a hidden gem! Let’s keep it that way…(I’m moving there come spring time.) If everyone finds out about Sopapillas, Hatch Chiles(yes with an”e”),Piñon, the old towns, the ART! The people! I’m afraid of what might happen!Yikes!(getting a little selfish with age)
Thank you for the recipe! I have tried more than several, however yours come closest to the one my mother-in-law taught me. She and all 14 of her children were born and raised in NM. I’m a retired chef and after my first visit 25 years ago and made it a point to fly there every August JUST to buy Chiles!
I’m born and raise in Santa Fe! My grandma would make sopapillas often and were the best every time. Made this recipe and it was perfect! It took me back to when I was a kid! I’ll definitely keep this recipe for life! With honey is the best to have if craving some sweet!
Thank you for the recipe yes it’s authentic and delicious!! My husband said Gracias!! Tastes like his grandmas sopapillas ❤️
I used to live in NM and really miss living there. Love Española!! Next time you go, try Chama train ride in the Autumn.
Anyway you can put anything inside the sopapilla. My fave is shredded chicken red chile & cheese on a cold snowy day yum!
I save extra dough from making rolls/bread. Make a double recipe if needed. Delicious