beignet

American  

[ben-yay, be-nye] / bɛnˈjeɪ, bɛˈnjɛ /

noun

• beignets
  plural

1. a fritter or doughnut.

2. French Cooking. any fruit, vegetable, seafood, etc., dipped in batter and deep-fried.

---

beignet British  

/ ˈbɛnjeɪ /

noun

1. a square deep-fried pastry served hot and sprinkled with icing sugar

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• beignets
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of beignet

1830–35, < Louisiana French beignet ( def. 1 ), French beignet ( def. 2 ), Middle French bignet pastry filled with fruit or meat, equivalent to buyne literally, bruise, lump from a blow (of uncertain origin; cf. bunion) + -et -et

---

Explanation

A beignet is a type of sweet fried dough. New Orleans is famous for its beignets, and the beignet was named Louisiana's official state doughnut in 1986. You could describe a beignet as a small French doughnut. These delicious pastries are made from a yeasted dough — or sometimes a light choux pastry, which uses steam to puff up — that's cut into squares, fried in hot oil, and dusted with powdered sugar while still warm. In New Orleans, where beignets were introduced around 1700 by French immigrants, they're often served for breakfast. Beignet comes from the Old French buigne, "bump or lump," referring to the way the dough puffs into small, golden lumps as it fries.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beignet beignets

The beignet story notwithstanding, Reed’s chapter on passing is one of his least effective.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2022

In pastelillos de guayaba, guava — the epitome of tropical flavor — is balanced by crumbly, salty queso en hoja, fresh cheese, which is baked into a beignet and delightfully dusted with powdered sugar.

From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2021

“This is how much I like you,” Gadot said as the host picked up a jelly sufganiyot, a cross between a beignet and a jelly donut, served at Hanukkah.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2020

Nothing new about that, even if the humor has, by now, grown staler than a day-old French Quarter beignet.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2013

Conversation stretched between them like beignet dough, rising and falling and turning into something new and unexpected.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

To put it another way: No one has been confused that New Orleans Square has ghosts and pirates next to a cozy place for beignets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

McIlroy’s introduction to New Orleans included a sampling of crab beignets from popular restaurant Le Petit Grocery on Wednesday night, a meal he shared with Lowry.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

The beignets at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen are better than the ones at Royal Street Veranda and made fresh to order.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2023

After eating the beignets, you can take home this bag filled with just powdered sugar and add it to your baking pantry.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2023

The bakery next door had started making beignets for tomorrow morning, filling the stairwell with the smell of melting butter.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---