Air fryer sopapillas - Family Guide Central
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Can You Cook Sopapillas in an Air Fryer? (Here’s Exactly How!)

There’s a little-known secret to making extraordinarily delicious and healthy sopapillas using an air fryer.

Air fryers are a must-have kitchen appliance if you are interested in making sopapillas.

Air fryers cook sopapillas by circulating heat around the exterior of the dough. This creates a more flakey, delicious, and sometimes crispier sopapilla than traditional deep fryers or any other kitchen device. It also requires little to no oil and can be a very healthy alternative to deep frying.

Using an air fryer is the best way to make crispy sopapillas.

However, it is a challenging cooking method that takes a lot of skill, and there can be other challenges to using these appliances.

Can you cook sopapillas in an air fryer?

Sopapillas can be cooked in air fryers to make light, crispy treats. In fact, this has always been a low-key secret among families and cooks who steer towards the healthier spectrum of “fried” foods.

Air fryers are a healthier alternative to deep fryers.

You can cook almost anything with the dough in an air fryer, including frozen items. Sopapillas are no exception.

What are the pros and cons of cooking sopapillas in an air fryer?

Air fryers have many benefits, like making sopapillas crispier. 

However, air fryers are temperamental and can burn your dough easily if you do not cook your sopapillas at the right temperature. Dishes can get burnt easily (which is a normal part of cooking), so learning to navigate your way around the air fryer will be just one obstacle in addition to cooking sopapillas if you have not done that already.

Air frying sopapillas requires knowledgeable timing and temperature and the results get better with practice.

There are multiple downfalls to using air fryers, like how difficult these appliances are to clean. All parts must be removed from air fryers and cleaned individually, which is a major pain. The cleaning difficulty is not the only problem either.

Another issue is that when we deep fry sopapillas, we get to see the progress of the cooking. With most (if not, all) deep fryers, cooking requires that we place the food into a closed chamber. And you won’t get to see the progress until the food is done.

How to make sopapillas with an air fryer

Making sopapillas with an air fryer is easy but it can be a bit challenging to get right. If you already know how to make sopapillas with a deep fryer, you are in luck! Sopapillas are made similarly with an air fryer the same way you make them using a deep fryer.

For those who do not know how to make sopapillas already follow these instructions: 

Step 1: Making the dough

Mix the sopapilla dough in a large bowl until it forms a smooth ball. After mixing all ingredients thoroughly, take it from the bowl and knead it for a minimum of at least two minutes. Let the dough rise for at least 20 minutes.

Step 2: Rolling and cutting out the dough

After letting your dough rise, remove it from the bowl with clean hands. 

Place your dough on a clean, floured surface, and then roll it out with a flour-covered roller until it is roughly ¼ inch thick

Cut your dough into 2.5-inch triangles (or any other shape you desire). 

Step 3: Air frying the dough

Heat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a bit of oil and either spray or glaze your sheets of dough. Then carefully lay the dough inside the air fryer container but don’t place them on top of each other. Keep an eye on the temperature as you cook sopapillas and cook each side of the sopapilla for 3 minutes.

Why do air fryers work so well when cooking sopapillas?

The sopapillas fried with air fryers are extra light and crispy. Air-fried foods are healthier than most deep-fried foods. These foods are lower in fat, so a low-calorie dish like sopapillas can become even lower in calories.

There have been multiple studies that link deep-fried foods to serious health conditions like diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

The best way to avoid and prevent these issues is to use less cooking oil in your foods.

Can you cook a frozen sopapilla in an air fryer?

Air fryers can cook frozen food, and that includes sopapillas. Frozen food cooks faster, easier, and crisper in an air fryer.

Most air fryers have several settings that even allow you to preheat or even thaw frozen foods. When an air fryer defrosts, it’s normally just running at a lower temperature which is usually between 176°F to 194°F (80°C to 90°C).
Defrost for about 2 minutes total.

Cooking frozen sopapillas in an air fryer is perfect so you can make the crispiest sopapillas ever.

A valid alternative would just be to let it thaw at room temperature. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to room thaw.

Can sopapillas be reheated in an air fryer and how?

Sopapillas can be reheated in an air fryer to taste exactly how they did when they were fresh! Cook them the same you did before but put them in at a lower temperature. If you reheat sopapillas at a lower temperature, you guarantee that your sopapillas do not dry out. 

This will help keep your sopapillas stay moist and are flakey, not crumbly.

The traditional method for heating sopapillas is by using an oven. Reheating in an oven can result in the dough developing a chewy texture.

Place the sopapillas in your air fryer that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Again follow the steps above and don’t forget to flip them over on each side to cook for 2 minutes each. 

Take them out and let them cool for 5 minutes before serving with powdered sugar and honey or chocolate sauce.

Why didn’t my sopapillas puff up in the air fryer?

Sopapillas will puff and become fluffy, but sometimes they will not. Odds are, if your sopapillas did not puff up, it was a small error on your end. 

The following reasons prevent sopapillas from puffing: 

  • The mix is too watery
  • Not letting the dough rise
  • Incorrect temperature (too high or too low)
  • You may need to spray some oil on it
  • Not frying long enough
  • Over/under-kneading

I recommend spraying your cut-out mix with oil right before placing them in the air fryer. Oil temperature is critical for puffiness. Always keep an eye on the temperature of your sopapillas. 

It is common to see fluctuations in oil temperature the more dough you fry. Adjust your air fryer as needed to keep it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit throughout your cooking.

How do I get my sopapillas to be crispier in an air fryer?

Air fryers produce crispy sopapillas, and adding different cooking oils can make sopapillas even crispier. With air fryers, you can use low-calorie oils like peanut oil to create extra flakey crusts. 

However, there are many oils that your air fryer is not capable of supporting. That is why you must consider the cooking oil that you use before frying.

Be conscious of the amount of oil you use. Fortunately, it’s probably going to be nowhere near as much oil that stays in your sopapilla had you deep-fried it.

Tips for making the best sopapillas in an air fryer

Frying sopapillas with an air fryer can be difficult at times, but you will be happy to cook this delicious Hispanic dessert once you get the hang of it! 

Air fryers can be difficult but stay motivated, and you will surely be a sopapilla air frying pro in no time. 

A few tips for making sopapillas in an air fryer include: 

  • Always maintain a stable oil heat
  • Do not leave your sopapillas in too long
  • Don’t fill your air fryer with too much sopapilla
  • Only use approved oils
  • Keep your air fryer clean
  • Coat your sopapillas with a little bit of oil
  • Don’t forget to flip your sopapilla over

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