Vietnamese Hollow Donut (Bánh Tiêu)

What is Banh Tieu?

Bánh Tiêu is one of my favorite Vietnamese desserts. Often called a Vietnamese hollow donut or Vietnamese beignet, it’s made from flattened dough with a sesame seed coating that is deep-fried until it puffs up like a balloon.

Similar fried desserts can be found in other Southeast Asian and Chinese cuisines.

In Vietnam, bánh tiêu is a popular street food, enjoyed on its own or filled with sweet sticky rice (xôi). Its subtle sweetness makes it easy to eat several in one sitting—something I’m not ashamed to admit.

Why You Will Love this Banh Tieu Recipe

Many traditional Bánh Tiêu recipes use yeast, but I’ve found that working with yeast for Bánh Tiêu can be tricky. It also takes much longer to make and with a wetter batter, it can get pretty messy.

Unlike Vietnamese baguette bread, which reliably rises with yeast when baking, Bánh Tiêu tends to be a bit finicky.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

If you’ve struggled with yeast-based Bánh Tiêu recipes like I have, give this recipe a try.

This recipe uses baking powder as the leavening agent for a more reliable result. And because it doesn’t use yeast, we don’t need to proof the dough, which means you can enjoy Banh Tieu quicker.

Sugar — The sweetener. I’m using white granulated cane sugar.

Baking Powder— Our leavening agent that will make the dough rise. I’m using double-acting baking powder here. Do not substitute baking soda for baking powder. Baking soda requires an acid to activate and there is no acid here. Other recipes will call for yeast as well as baking powder, but you will not need yeast in this recipe.

Whole Milk — The liquid needed to make the dry ingredients into dough. You can use water instead of milk, but milk yields a much softer and richer texture.

White Sesame Seeds — You can use either plain or roasted sesame seeds. It doesn’t matter since the cook time is short. The sesame seeds will not burn if you are using toasted/roasted sesame seeds.

Neutral Oil — I’m using vegetable oil to deep fry the dough. You can also use canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, or corn oil.

How to Make Banh Tieu

Step 1: Make the Dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until well combined.

Add the milk to the dry ingredients. Use a large spoon or a pair of chopsticks to stir until the mixture begins to clump together.

Once the mixture has mostly come together, knead by hand until it forms a smooth, cohesive dough ball. This process takes about 15 minutes by hand.

Helpful Tips

• If the dough isn’t coming together, add milk one teaspoon at a time, kneading after each addition, until it holds together.
• The dough should be slightly sticky, leaving small traces on your hands but remaining manageable.

Tool Suggestions

• A hand mixer can speed up the process and is more effective for this quantity.

• A stand mixer with a hook attachment may not work well for this recipe due to the small amount of dough.

Step 2: Divide and Coat with Sesame Seeds

Divide the dough evenly into 5 portions. Roll each portion into a ball.

Roll each dough ball in a bowl of sesame seeds, pressing gently to ensure the seeds stick and the surface is fully coated.

Use a rolling pin to flatten each sesame-covered ball into a thin, round disc about 2–3 mm thick (similar to the thickness of two stacked quarters). The discs should be approximately 5 ½ inches wide.

The dough should be very flat. The flatter it is, the better the chances of it puffing up properly when it hits the hot oil.

Step 3: Deep Fry

Heat oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dipping a wooden chopstick into it; small bubbles should slowly form around the chopstick.

Carefully add one or two dough discs to the hot oil, avoiding splashes. Within 3 to 5 seconds, the dough will puff up.

Flip the discs frequently—every few seconds using a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a large utensil like a slotted spoon or spatula in the other hand.

Each bánh tiêu should fry for about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

If it takes longer than that, the oil is too cool and won’t inflate the dough properly. If it cooks in less than 1 minute, the oil is too hot and may burn the outside before the inside is done.

Properly fried bánh tiêu will puff up, cook evenly, and have a golden, airy texture. Adjust the heat between batches to maintain the correct temperature.

Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat until all discs are fried. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy warm.

Enjoy Bánh Tiêu with these Drinks

• Starbucks Hack: Vietnamese Iced Coffee
• Vietnamese Hot Milk Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Nong)
• Vietnamese Egg Coffee (Ca Phe Trung)
• Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da)
• Thai Iced Tea (Tra Sua Thai)

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