These air fryer sopapillas are a great alternative to deep fried. While not exactly the same, they’re a great dessert option with far less oil, so you can feel better about indulging!
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix to evenly distribute
2 cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
Add in the shortening and warm water, and mix until dough forms. Note: you can also use a stand mixer and a dough hook if you have one for this
2 Tbsp shortening, ½ cup warm water
Cover the dough bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, then roll each piece out using a rolling pin (or similar) until it’s about ⅛” thick. Preheat your air fryer to 375°F while you’re doing this
Cut each flattened dough piece into 4 relatively equal pieces (squares or rectangles are traditional, but you can do whatever you like), and then place them into your air fryer’s basket or rack in a single layer. Do not overcrowd; cook in batches if needed. If you want to spray a little oil on them to aid in browning, feel free
Cook on the air fry setting at 375°F for 4 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the sopapillas are puffed and brown at the edges. Note that different air fryers and different size sopapillas will vary slightly, so adjust as needed
While they’re still hot, brush the sopapillas with melted butter and then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and drizzle with honey if desired
It is important to preheat your air fryer for this recipe. Just like dropping sopapillas in oil that’s not properly up to temp for deep frying, starting with a cold air fryer can cause your dough to not puff
Don’t be afraid to get messy! There’s only so much a spoon or spatula can do - mix the dough with your hands to bring it together
Make sure to roll the dough out nice and thin. If your dough is too thick, your sopapillas also will not puff correctly. This is why I like cutting the dough into smaller portions to work with, to really roll it out well
If you want to make sopapillas without shortening, you can sub in 2 Tbsp melted butter instead. Note that it does make for a slightly denser dough, though
You can also use powdered sugar for the topping instead of granulated sugar
Tortilla variation: to make sopapillas with tortillas instead of dough, just cut a medium sized flour tortilla into quarters. Brush with melted butter and air fry for 5-6 minutes at 375°F
To store leftover sopapillas, cool and then transfer to an airtight container or zippered bag. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer term storage, wrap and freeze for up to 1 month
Reheat sopapillas in the air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes, until warm and the exterior is re-crisped. Add 2 minutes if reheating from frozen
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand of ingredients, any sauces or toppings added, size of pieces, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only