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These small batch crawfish beignets are savory, golden bites filled with tender crawfish, garlic, herbs, and Creole seasoning. Fried until crisp on the outside and light inside, they are ready in about 30 minutes and served with a tangy homemade remoulade sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Big Louisiana Flavor: Crawfish tails, Creole seasoning, garlic, and herbs give these savory beignets the bold flavors found in classic New Orleans cooking.
- Light and Crispy Texture: The batter fries up golden on the outside while staying light and tender inside.
- Small Batch Recipe: This recipe makes a small batch, so you can enjoy freshly fried crawfish beignets without a large amount of leftovers.
- Ready in About 30 Minutes: From mixing the batter to frying the beignets, the entire recipe comes together quickly.
- Perfect as an Appetizer or Snack: Serve these warm crawfish beignets with homemade remoulade sauce for a flavorful Louisiana style appetizer.
The first time I tasted crawfish beignets in New Orleans, I remember being surprised by how different they were from the sweet beignets I grew up seeing at cafés around the city. Instead of powdered sugar and soft pastry, these were savory, crisp little bites filled with tender crawfish and herbs. The outside was golden and lightly crunchy, while the inside stayed soft with bursts of seafood flavor.
I love making a small batch of these at home because they feel like a little taste of Louisiana on the table. The crawfish, garlic, and green onions give each bite rich flavor, and dipping the warm beignets into a creamy remoulade sauce makes them even better. They are the kind of appetizer that disappears quickly, and one I always look forward to making when I want something a little special.
If you enjoy cooking with crawfish, you might also like our single serving crawfish pasta and crawfish étouffée for one. Both recipes bring the bold flavors of Louisiana to a single serving dish and are easy to make at home.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this fried crawfish fritters recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Flour: All purpose flour forms the base of the batter and gives the crawfish beignets their light, crisp exterior when fried. For a gluten free option, use a 1 to 1 gluten free all purpose flour blend designed for baking.
- Baking Powder: This leavening ingredient creates small air pockets in the batter so the beignets cook up fluffy inside with a delicate texture.
- Ground Ginger: A small amount adds subtle warmth and depth that complements the seafood and Creole flavors.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic builds flavor in the batter and adds a savory note that pairs well with the crawfish.
- Green Onions: Chopped green onions add a mild onion flavor and a bit of color throughout the beignets.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley brightens the flavor and adds a fresh herbal note to the batter.
- Creole Seasoning: This classic Louisiana spice blend adds bold Cajun flavor to the batter. You can use store bought seasoning or make our small batch creole seasoning for the freshest flavor.
- Crawfish: Tender Louisiana crawfish tails are the star of these savory seafood beignets, adding rich, slightly sweet flavor. If crawfish is unavailable, chopped shrimp or lump crab meat can be used instead.
- Hot Sauce: A few dashes add gentle heat and boost the Louisiana flavor. Tabasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce, or your favorite brand all work well.
- Oil for Frying: Canola oil works well for frying because of its neutral flavor and high smoke point. Vegetable oil or sunflower oil are good alternatives and will produce equally crisp beignets.
- Remoulade Sauce: This recipe includes a quick homemade remoulade made with mayonnaise, Creole or stone ground mustard, olive oil, horseradish, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and hot sauce. The creamy, tangy sauce pairs perfectly with the crispy crawfish beignets. If you do not have horseradish, substitute a small amount of Dijon mustard or a dab of wasabi.
Recipe Variations
If you’d like to change the flavor slightly, try one of these simple variations.
- Cheesy Crawfish Beignets: Stir a few tablespoons of shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese into the batter for a richer, savory flavor.
- Shrimp Beignets: Replace the crawfish with finely chopped shrimp for a similar seafood fritter with a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Corn and Crawfish Beignets: Stir a few tablespoons of corn kernels into the batter for a hint of sweetness and extra texture.
How To Make Crawfish Beignets
These step by step photos show how to make small batch crawfish beignets. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and complete instructions.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Creole seasoning, ground ginger, and salt.
- Add the Crawfish and Herbs: Stir in the minced garlic, green onions, parsley, and crawfish tails until evenly distributed.
- Form the Batter: Add the water and hot sauce. Stir until a thick batter forms.
- Heat the Oil: Pour canola oil into a small, deep saucepan and heat over medium heat until hot.
- Fry the Beignets: Drop tablespoons of batter into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides.
- Drain and Serve: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beignets to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve warm with the homemade remoulade sauce.
Expert Tips
- Do Not Overmix the Batter: Stir just until the ingredients come together. Overmixing can make the beignets dense instead of light.
- Use a Deep Saucepan: A 2 quart saucepan works well for this small batch recipe and helps keep the oil temperature steady.
- Keep the Oil at 350°F: If the oil is too cool, the beignets absorb oil. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the inside cooks through.
- Fry a Few at a Time: Fry only 2 to 3 beignets per batch so the oil temperature stays consistent.
- Drain Before Serving: Transfer the fried beignets to a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Check Batter Thickness: The batter should be thick enough to hold together when dropped into the oil. If it feels too thick, stir in a teaspoon of water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Frozen crawfish tails work well in this recipe. Thaw them in the refrigerator and drain them well before adding them to the batter so the mixture does not become too wet.
Yes. Finely chopped shrimp can be used instead of crawfish. Shrimp beignets have a slightly sweeter seafood flavor but cook the same way.
It is best to fry the beignets soon after mixing the batter. Letting the batter sit too long can reduce the lift from the baking powder and make the beignets less light.
After frying, place the beignets on a paper towel lined plate or a wire rack to drain excess oil. This helps keep the exterior crisp.
Store leftover beignets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat them in a 350°F oven for several minutes until warmed through and crisp again.
More New Orleans Recipes – Single Serving Louisiana Favorites
I grew up in New Orleans where I learned to cook many of these classic dishes. If you enjoy the flavors of Louisiana cooking, here are a few of my favorite New Orleans recipes, each made in a single serving size.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried these crawfish beignets or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Small Batch Crawfish Beignets
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning (Recommended: homemade creole seasoning or your favorite brand)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- 1 green onion -finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- ¼ cup crawfish tail meat (a little over 1 ounce)
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce (Recommended: Tabasco, Louisiana, or your favorite brand)
- ¼ cup water
- canola oil or peanut oil
For the Remoulade Sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Creole mustard or stone-ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon horseradish
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- dash hot sauce -optional (Recommended: Tabasco, Louisiana, or your favorite)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Creole seasoning, ground ginger, and salt.
- Stir in the minced garlic, green onions, parsley, and crawfish tails until evenly distributed.
- Pour in ¼ cup of water and add hot sauce to taste. Stir until a thick batter forms.
- Pour enough canola or peanut oil into a deep 2 quart saucepan so it reaches halfway up the sides. Heat the oil to 350°F.
- Drop tablespoons of batter into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, turning as needed so they cook evenly.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beignets to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Make the Remoulade Sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, olive oil, smoked paprika, and hot sauce until smooth.
- Arrange the crawfish beignets on a plate and serve with the remoulade sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Do Not Overmix the Batter: Stir just until the ingredients come together. Overmixing can make the beignets dense instead of light.
- Use a Deep Saucepan: A 2 quart saucepan works well for this small batch recipe and helps keep the oil temperature steady.
- Keep the Oil at 350°F: If the oil is too cool, the beignets absorb oil. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the inside cooks through.
- Fry a Few at a Time: Fry only 2 to 3 beignets per batch so the oil temperature stays consistent.
- Drain Before Serving: Transfer the fried beignets to a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Check Batter Thickness: The batter should be thick enough to hold together when dropped into the oil. If it feels too thick, stir in a teaspoon of water.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made the recipe as is, except used prawns. Absolutely delicious and a big hit! Will be making this again, along with the Remoulade sauce.
IF CRAWFISH IS UNAVAILABLE, SUBSTITUTE WITH SHRIMP…COULD LOBSTER ALSO BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE??? THANK YOU
Yes.
Has anyone tried to do these in an air fryer? If so, what was your process?
Thanks!!!
This looks delicious. I grew up in New Orleans but moved to Boston 30 years ago, and I finally found a source for Louisiana-style crawdads recently. I’ve been on the hunt for a savory crawfish muffin recipe and someone pointed me to you. Do you have any idea how this could be translated into a recipe to be baked?
I’ve actually never baked these beignets but the batter has a biscuit-like consistency so I think baking them should work out just fine. I would bake the beignets in a 400 F oven for 10-12 minutes or keep an eye on them, they may need to bake a bit longer. If you bake these, please let me know how they turn out.
Would these Crawfish Beignets freeze well………….to be reheated in an Air Fryer?????
Hi David, I have never frozen crawfish beignets but I’m pretty sure they’d do well. I also don’t use an air fryer so I can’t tell you how they will reheat in one. If you try it, please let me know how they turn out.
I love savory beignets and these look and sound incredible, and so does that remoulade sauce! I’m going to try these with shrimp as well!
I want to put this remoulade on everything! Fantastic + fun recipe for sure! Thank you!
Could I substitute shrimp for the crawfish? Don’t remember seeing crawfish in the Atlanta area.
Yes, you can definitely substitute shrimp. Cook the shrimp and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces and add it to the batter in place of the crawfish – it’ll be delicious!