Basic Sopaipilla Recipe
If you love carb-y fried things, you need this Basic Sopaipilla Recipe in your life. New Mexican Sopaipillas (sometimes spelled sopapillas) are easy to make with simple pantry ingredients, and can be either sweet or savory. Serve them drizzled with honey, or stuff them with your choice of savory filling for a complete meal.
What Are Sopaipillas?
Sopaipillas are fried pieces of pastry dough that seem to have originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico over 300 years ago. Depending on where you are and who you are eating with, they can be either sweet or savory.
Interestingly enough, they have become such a beloved dish across the southwest that some parts of Northern Mexico will serve them, though they are not recognized across the entire country. From what I have seen and heard, true Mexican cuisine does not include sopaipillas, but rather has buñuelos.
Please note that there is another Latin American dish called sopaipillas that exist in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. However, these dishes are separate from the New Mexico version I grew up with, and are generally more like a tortilla than a fry bread.
While the specific history of this delicious dish isn’t entirely clear, some speculate that the dish is related to other fried doughs like Mexican churros or buñuelos and Spanish sopaipas. New Mexican sopaipillas are therefore a snapshot of the diversity of the southwestern US in the 1800s.
Sopapillas are popular in New Mexican cuisine and are served in almost every New Mexican-style and Tex-Mex restaurant across the country. In fact, they are so popular that my home state of Texas named sopapillas the official state pastry in the early 2000s.
About This Recipe
Growing up as a Mexican-American in Texas, sopaipillas have always been near and dear to my heart. My dear departed Abuela Jesusita used to make them relatively often, though she generally preferred to serve them as dessert.
You can read on below for more serving suggestions for this beloved and versatile dish!
All you need to make sopapilla dough are 6 ingredients, one of which is water. That should give you an idea of how simple they are!
And don’t get too worried about frying them, either. You don’t need any special equipment like a deep-fryer to make these gorgeous fry breads; all you need is a rolling pin, a sauté pan, and about 30 minutes of time.
How To Make Sopaipillas
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in water just until dough pulls together.
Divide dough into 5 pieces.
Roll out each piece of dough on lightly floured board into an 8-inch diameter circle.
Cut each circle into 4 wedges.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Add a few of the tortilla wedges at a time. The wedges will puff up. Turn once so they will puff evenly on both sides; then turn back to brown on both sides.
Serving Suggestions
Sopaipillas are amazingly versatile, working in either sweet or savory applications. Once fried, either toss with the seasoning mixture of your choice, stuff them like a pita pocket, or drizzle with sauce. YUM!
Do you like sopaipillas sweet or savory? What is your favorite way to use these fried pockets of deliciousness? Let me know in the comments below!
Savory Sopaipillas
You can eat sopaipillas with any number of savory fillings. Some of my favorite stuffing ideas include:
I find that they also pair quite well with savory dips like Tex Mex Chili con Queso, Choriqueso (Queso Fundido with Chorizo), and Classic Guacamole.
Sweet Sopaipillas
My grandma usually made sopapillas for dessert rather than as a savory meal. I loved them so much that her recipe is in the Muy Bueno cookbook, and today I am sharing it here on the blog along with a video. I can still see my grandma sitting in her kitchen drinking her cafecito and drizzling miel virgen (honey) on a sopaipilla.
Try serving them with:
They are also delicious when dipped in coffee or Mexican hot chocolate! Watch this video to learn how to make sweet sopaipillas sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of honey.
Expert Tips
- If you plan on dusting your sopaipillas in cinnamon sugar (or any seasoning mix, really), make sure to do it while they are still warm from the fryer! They’ll be able to adhere to the mixture better when they are hot.
- Serve them hot! If you let them cool too much, sopapillas can begin to feel dense, heavy, and even greasy. If you’ve made them ahead of time, simply warm them in a 200F oven or toaster oven until warmed through. They also refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- Don’t skip draining them on paper towels. This is an essential step for basically everything that is fried. If you skip it, they’ll end up greasy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sopaipillas are little pillows of bliss. They are similar to fry bread that puffs up when fried until golden brown on the outside and remains soft on the inside. Sopapilla dough is also unsweetened, which means it can be used for either sweet or savory applications.
Buñuelos, on the other hand, are rolled out thin and fried until crispy. They are also always served as a dessert.
Some New Mexico and Colorado restaurants stuff sopaipillas with Carne Adobada or Picadillo by splitting a large sopaipilla down the middle like you would with pita bread. Stuffed sopaipillas don’t have to be savory, but they often are.
Ooops! Sounds like your oil wasn’t hot enough yet. Wait until it’s shimmering, or, if you want to be scientific, until it reaches between 350F – 365F.
Did you try my Basic Sopapilla Recipe? If so, let me know how yours turned out by rating and reviewing it below. If you came up with a brilliant way to use these delectable fried pastries, be sure to tag me in your social posts so I can cheer you on!
Sopaipillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 to 2 cups canola oil for frying
Cinnamon-Sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in water just until dough pulls together.
- Divide dough into 5 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough on lightly floured board into an 8-inch diameter circle. Cut each circle into 4 wedges.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Add a few of the tortilla wedges at a time. The wedges will puff up. Turn once so they will puff evenly on both sides; then turn back to brown on both sides.
- Drain on paper towels. While warm, coat each sopaipilla with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve with honey.
Video
Notes
- If your sopaipillas are not puffing properly, the temperature of the oil may need to be increased or decreased. The ideal frying temperature is between 350-365F.
- Sopaipillas can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. Â They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
23 Comments on “Basic Sopaipilla Recipe”
Can they be cooked in an air fryer and still get the puffy effect?
Hi Kim, I have not tried to make them in an air fryer. I’ll try and test soon 😉
yum yum
Growing up in New Mexico these were a staple always on my abuela’s table. This recipe reminds me of when I was a little girl waking into the kitchen. They are delicious!
Just made them!  Ate four almost immediately, lol. They were amazing of course!  My husband wondered why we couldn’t find them anywhere in California?  The only place we ever had them was Albuquerque. Â
Am on the last day of a road trip to the West Coast.  During the start of our trip, had dinner in late September at Church Street cafe in Albuquerque, NM where these were served with honey as dessert.  They were drop dead delicious! I have been looking for these everywhere since!  Makes sense that I couldn’t find them now that I’ve read your history of the recipe.  Can’t wait to try it when I get home to Michigan tomorrow.Â
5 star recipe for sure!
Perfect NM style sopaipillas! Puffed up beautifully except for a couple of stubborn pieces. Made me miss living in New Mexico and getting these for dessert in a favorite Mexican restaurant.
I forgot to hit the 5 star rating. Â Wonderful recipe. They are good, anyway you eat them.
These are DELICIOUS!!! Â I prefer mine savory, stuffed with green chile, cheese, beans and meat. Â They are wonderful with honey too. I really like them that way too. Â Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. It brought back childhood memories. My mom was from New Mexico, and she would make these for us often. Her tortillas were the best, though.
I live in NC but love New Mexico! Â Thanks for the history of these delicious treats!
I always thought that sopapillas were influenced by the Navajos since they make fry bread, or visa versa. My aunt used to make tortillas, she would save some masa. Then when my uncle got home from work, he would make sopapillas. If we were lucky, he would offer us one.
I just found this web site today and I’m so excited . I’ve been looking for an amazing recipe for soppapillas and here it is. Thank you for sharing God bless you and your family.
My mom was born in New Mexico. Growing up, she would make these for us. We really enjoyed them. A fond memory. Thank you.
Made these and brought back some many memories from Deming, New Mexico. They came out perfect. Thank you
Hola Yvette! I saw your reply on Instagram to write you for your autographed cookbook and your mom’s beautiful masks. Do you take paypal? Thank you amiga!
I love your name. It reminds me of the homemade fruit loops my Abuela made me when I was a weee young chica. She doesn’t have upper appendages so she would make it with her feet. Her name was G-loop.Â
Hello
Do you have a cookbook to purchase?
So first- I am sooooo excited about your blog and recipes!! I absolutely love Mexican dishes and I’m excited to learn and try new dishes.
Next- growing up in Colorado, Sopapilla’s were my ultimate favorite. I loved how they could be like clouds and crispy. When I moved to the South, the sopapilla’s that were made in restaurants were very crunchy. Nor poof to them whatsoever.
So I am more than excited to try this recipe.
When making this, can I substitute the shortening for real butter?
I want to know the same! Â Can real butter be used or should I use Crisco?
I was thinking the same. Can unsalted or salted butter be substituted for the shortening? Thanks!Â
We made sopaipillas in 7th grade home ec class. I memorized that recipe! Still make them some 30yrs later, I love them and your recipe is the exact one we used all those years ago! Thanks for this article, I love it.