Hungarian Fried Lángos

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/21/24
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Hungarian fried lángos stacked on a plate

The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 16 mins
Rise Time: 80 mins
Total: 116 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 langos

Lángos is a classic Hungarian fried bread, sold everywhere by street carts and vendors. It can be topped with a variety of ingredients but is usually eaten as is. Fluffy and light, this favorite fair food is made from yeasted dough and often with additional mashed potatoes to make krumplis lángos (potato lángos).

Traditionally, when Hungarian people used to bake bread in communal brick ovens, they'd save a piece of dough and bake it off in the morning for breakfast. This breakfast bread gradually evolved into a deep-fried snack like those found in other countries that share cultural backgrounds with Hungary like Turkey, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Austria.

These popular snacks are usually served rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with salt. Some other pairings include sour cream, onions, kefir, sausage, eggs, yogurt, cheese, ham, or bacon. Our flavorful recipe uses the potato addition and serves it with garlic and salt. This wonderful bread is a great accompaniment to soups, like korhelyleves, and wonderful to enjoy on its own. Eat the lángos freshly made, as it will get mushy when cold; if you made too much dough and don't need to fry many discs, you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Where Is Lángos From?

The exact origins of this bread are uncertain. Some reports indicate the snack became part of the Hungarian cuisine many centuries ago when it was introduced by the Turks during their occupation. Others indicate that lángos has Roman roots because of its similarity to flatbread or focaccia.

Tips For Making Lángos

  • Use a deep skillet - Make sure to use a large, deep skillet so there will be plenty of room in the pan for an 8-inch round of dough. Slide the dough into the hot oil carefully.
  • To cook the bread evenly - You will have to cut the slits in the dough; otherwise, the bread will bubble up around the edges, and parts of the loaf will not brown.
  • Soak up the oil - Pat the top of each lángos with another paper towel to soak up as much excess oil as possible.
  • Microwave potato - For the cup of mashed potato, you can microwave 1 medium russet potato until cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes, turning the potato halfway through cooking. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the potato flesh and mash with a potato masher or fork. Measure out 1 cup of potato for the recipe.


What You'll Need to Make This Hungarian Fried Lángos Recipe
potato ricers and potato mashers
A Handy Dandy Potato Masher
Best stand mixers on the spruce eats
A Zippy Stand Mixer
Best Frying Pans
A Sturdy Frying Pan

"The lángos bread was delicious and easy to prepare. I used a stand mixer, but kneading by hand would be easy as well. This is an excellent bread to serve with goulash or chicken paprikash. The recipe makes four generous breads that could probably serve up to 8 people." — Diana Rattray

Hungarian lángos on a brown paper
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup freshly mashed and warm russet potato, from about 1 medium potato

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (rapid-rise or bread machine yeast)

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 3/4 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • Canola oil, for frying

  • 2 cloves garlic, halved

Steps to Make It

Make the Dough

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Hungarian lángos (fried bread) ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  2. Place 1 cup freshly mashed warm potato alongside 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 3/4 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup milk in a big mixing bowl or stand mixer.

    Warm mashed potatoes with yeast, sugar, and flour in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  3. Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients until they are well moistened. If mixing by hand, start the process by mixing with a wooden spoon.

    Hungarian lángos dough in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  4. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. If mixing by hand, give yourself an extra 5 minutes of working the dough, until it's smooth and not sticking to your hands.

    Lángos ingredients forming a loose dough in a bowl with a hand mixer

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  5. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

    Lángos dough to rise in bowl partially covered with a towel

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  6. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place it on a lightly floured board. Cover and let rest another 20 minutes.

    Lángos balls of dough on a floured surface

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

Fry the Dough

  1. In a large skillet, heat an inch of canola oil to 350 F.

    Canola oil heating in a skillet

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  2. Flatten and stretch each dough ball to a disc 8 inches in diameter. Make 1 or more slits in the center of the stretched dough with a sharp knife. The slits are traditional but also keep the dough from puffing up in the middle.

    Flatten and stretched lángos dough balls, with slits in them

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

  3. Fry one lángos at a time for about 2 minutes per side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot, rubbed with a cut garlic clove and sprinkled with salt to taste.

    Hungarian fried lángos in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

How to Store and Freeze Lángos

  • Lángos are best served fresh and warm. If you have leftover bread, store it in a zip-close bag for a day or two or freeze it for up to 6 months.
  • To reheat from frozen, place the lángos directly on the rack of a preheated 425 F oven and heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, until hot.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

After rubbing each bread with garlic and sprinkling it with salt, a savory variation would include these toppings:

  • Sour cream and chopped dill
  • Shredded Emmenthal or Gruyère cheese
  • Sausage and mushroom
  • Fried cabbage and ham
  • Hungarian peppers
  • Hard-boiled eggs and braised vegetables
  • Roasted eggplant


For a sweet version of lángos, you can skip the garlic and salt and top it with:

  • Confectioners' sugar
  • Jelly or fruit compote
  • Cinnamon sugar
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
456 Calories
23g Fat
55g Carbs
9g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 456
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 29%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 418mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 55g 20%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 5mg 23%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 353mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)