Recipes

Beignets with Coffee Sugar

Written by: Claire Wadsworth, Nikki Hill | Published on: May 20, 2026

Photo courtesy of Gentl & Hyers

MAKES ABOUT 20 BEIGNETS |

This was the first dish we came up with in the La Copine kitchen. We noticed the fryers, and immediately Nikki was reminded of how much she loved making fry bread as a kid, and pretty soon that translated into beignets. And because we knew we were going to do coffee and daytime hours, it felt right—like childhood nostalgia. La Copine is rooted in California, with our beginnings on the East Coast, inspired by France and the Mediterranean, New Orleans, and the South. Starting with beignets helped establish our identity—thoughtful yet indulgent. Beignets are something you wouldn’t find in the desert, and it has been important for us to provide something different from what was already here. We decided to make our beignets vegan so more people could have them, as inclusivity is at the root of all our dishes and our restaurant. We don’t advertise them as vegan, because we get a lot of cowboys who might not order them if they knew, haha. Traditional beignets are covered in powdered sugar, so we blend sugar to mimic powdered sugar but with a more granular crunch, then we add coffee grounds for a little more texture. You can make the dough the same day, but we like to make it the day before and let it slow ferment in the fridge overnight to develop more flavor. The next day, let the dough sit out on the counter for an hour before rolling it out and cutting it. You can then chill the cut beignets for up to four hours, until you’re ready to fry. Once the dough is cut, feel free to freeze whatever you are not frying that day. Fry from frozen, but the beignets might be less fluffy. Frying from fresh is always best.

If you don’t need to make them vegan, and have dairy milk, butter, and eggs on hand, you can use them instead of the vegan ingredients. Sub equal parts for the milk and butter. Use one egg for the tablespoon of egg replacer and remove two tablespoons of water from the recipe. We are all about flexibility and using what you have on hand where it makes sense.

Tip

For gluten sensitivities, ferment the dough for 24 to 48 hours to make it easier to digest.

Ingredients

FOR THE BEIGNETS:

½ cup (180 milliliters) lukewarm water (about 100°F/37°C)

2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

¼ cup (½ stick/57 grams) vegan butter, preferably Earth Balance

½ cup (120 milliliters) full-fat oat milk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling and cutting the beignets

sunflower oil, for greasing and deep-frying

FOR THE COFFEE SUGAR:

1 cup (330 grams) organic cane sugar

1 tablespoon ground coffee

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Make the beignet dough: In a small bowl, whisk together the lukewarm water, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and the yeast; set aside until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes (on top of the stove near the pilot light, if your oven has one, where it’s warm is usually a good place, because it will activate the yeast more quickly—it should look frothy and smell yeasty).

2. Meanwhile, melt the vegan butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the oat milk.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the egg replacer, and salt. Whisk in the melted butter and oat milk mixture until smooth. Add the bloomed yeast mixture and mix well.

4. Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and turn to medium-low speed. In a steady stream, pour in the liquid mixture until absorbed and a dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and mix until a soft dough ball forms, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead the dough for another 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

5. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil into a medium bowl and smear it around the surface and edges using your fingertips (or use a paper towel). Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, press it down, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Keep in mind the height of the dough so you can eyeball when it has doubled. If making beignets the same day, let the dough proof at room temperature until it has doubled, about 1½ hours. The other option, and the one we prefer, is to store the plastic-wrapped dough bowl in your refrigerator overnight and finish making the beignets the next day. If you are making them the next day, remove the dough from the fridge an hour or so before rolling it out to soften and continue proofing.

6. Meanwhile, make the coffee sugar: Combine the sugar, coffee, cinnamon, and salt in a blender and blend on low speed until combined and the sugar is slightly powdery looking. Transfer to a small container.

7. When the dough has doubled (or has been out at room temperature and softened from the fridge) and you are ready to roll and fry the beignets, slowly heat up the oil: Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven to come 2 inches (5 centimeters) up the sides and attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot. Place over medium-high heat and heat to 350°F (175°C).

8. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour onto a clean work surface and dump the dough onto the surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and, using your hands, pat the dough into a flattened square or rectangle shape. Next, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out as squarely shaped as possible to about ¼ inch (6 millimeters) thick, dusting with more flour as needed. You can use your hands to pull/press the dough into shape as you go. When the dough is rolled out as squarely and evenly as possible, use a bench scraper or knife to cut 2½-inch (6-centimeter) dough squares. Dust the squares with a little more flour so they don’t stick together.

9. When the oil is ready, carefully drop a few squares of dough into the hot oil and leave to fry on one side for about 1 minute, until golden brown and starting to puff. Flip them over by pushing the corner with a slotted spoon or spatula and continue to fry on the other side until golden brown and looking like a perfect little donut pillow, about 1 minute more. Transfer the fried beignets to a bowl using a spider or slotted spoon; repeat with the remaining dough, monitoring the heat to make sure it isn’t cooling or overheating.

10. While the other batches are frying, coat the hot and freshly fried beignets with coffee sugar and set aside on a serving platter. Add the newest batch of beignets to the same bowl of sugar, coat, and repeat as you go until they are all cooked and coated. Serve warm.

Reprinted with permission from La Copine: New California Cooking from an Oasis in the Desert. Text copyright © 2026 by Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill. Photographs copyright © 2026 by Gentl & Hyers. Published by Abrams.

Originally featured in 3 Vegan Favorites from a Culinary Oasis in California’s High Desert (Plus: A Mini Guide to Joshua Tree)