Lángos — focaccia fritta ungherese
Hungary's irresistible fried street food: a disc of soft yeasted (often potato) dough stretched thin and deep-fried until golden, puffy and crisp, then rubbed with raw garlic and piled high with sour cream and grated cheese. Lángos is the smell of Hungarian markets, festivals and beaches — hot, chewy, garlicky and indulgent, eaten with your hands. From the classic sour-cream-and-cheese to a hundred loaded toppings, it's pure comfort.
Make a soft yeasted dough (often with mashed potato worked in for a fluffy, chewy texture) and let it rise until doubled. Divide it, stretch each piece by hand into a thin disc (a little thinner in the middle), and deep-fry in hot oil, turning once, until puffed and deep golden on both sides. Drain briefly, then rub the hot lángos with a cut raw garlic clove (or brush with garlic water), and top the classic way with sour cream and a generous shower of grated cheese. Eat immediately, with your hands.
- A soft, well-risen dough (potato in it makes it extra fluffy) is the secret to a light lángos.
- Stretch it thin by hand and fry in properly hot oil so it puffs and crisps, not absorbs oil.
- Rub the hot lángos with raw garlic, then pile on sour cream and grated cheese.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Deep pan for frying
- Slotted spoon/tongs
Ingredienti
Dough
- 400 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 potato, boiled and mashed (optional, for fluffiness)
- 240 ml warm milk or water
- 7 g instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar
Toppings
- Garlic cloves (to rub) or garlic water
- Sour cream (tejföl)
- Grated cheese (Edam/Gouda-style)
- Oil, for deep-frying
Preparazione
- PASSO01
Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar, work in the mashed potato (if using) and the warm milk/water, and knead to a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough. Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- PASSO02
Divide the dough into 6. On an oiled surface, stretch and pat each piece by hand into a thin disc, a little thinner in the centre (don't roll it; hand-stretching keeps it light).
- PASSO03
Heat a good depth of oil until hot (about 175°C). Slip in a lángos and fry, turning once, until puffed and deep golden on both sides, about 2 minutes total. Drain briefly on paper.
- PASSO04
While still hot, rub each lángos all over with a cut raw garlic clove (or brush with garlic-infused water) for the classic pungent hit.
- PASSO05
Spread with sour cream and shower generously with grated cheese (the classic 'tejfölös-sajtos'). Serve immediately and eat with your hands.
Make ahead
Make the dough ahead — it can rise slowly in the fridge overnight for extra flavour and convenience. Bring it to room temperature, then stretch and fry the lángos fresh to serve, as they must be eaten hot. Prep the toppings (grate the cheese, ready the garlic and sour cream) so you can serve them the moment they come out of the oil.
Storage
Lángos is strictly a fresh, hot street food — it goes tough and oily as it cools and doesn't reheat well, so fry it to order. The dough can be made ahead (even given a slow cold rise for flavour). Fry only as many as you'll eat straight away, topping each one fresh.
Variations
Tejfölös-sajtos
The classic — rubbed with garlic, topped with sour cream and grated cheese.
Loaded
Pile on toppings: ham, sausage, more cheese, even Nutella or jam for a sweet version.
Just garlic
The simplest old-school way — hot lángos rubbed only with garlic (fokhagymás).
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Domande frequenti
What is lángos?
Lángos is a Hungarian deep-fried flatbread — a disc of soft yeasted dough fried until golden, puffy and crisp, then traditionally rubbed with garlic and topped with sour cream and grated cheese. It's a hugely popular street food at Hungarian markets, festivals and lake resorts, eaten hot from the fryer with your hands. The name comes from 'láng' (flame), as it was once baked near the flames of a wood oven.
Why add potato to the dough?
Mashed potato worked into the dough makes lángos especially soft, fluffy and chewy, and helps it stay tender. It's a common (though not universal) technique — plain flour-and-yeast dough also works. The potato adds moisture and a lovely light texture to the fried bread. If you skip it, just keep the dough soft and well-risen.
How do I keep lángos from being greasy?
Fry in properly hot oil (around 175°C) — if it's too cool, the dough absorbs oil and turns greasy. Stretch the dough thin so it cooks through quickly, fry just until puffed and golden (a couple of minutes), and drain briefly on paper. Serve immediately; lángos is meant to be eaten hot and fresh, when it's at its crispest.
What are the classic toppings?
The most traditional is 'tejfölös-sajtos' — rubbed with raw garlic, then spread with sour cream (tejföl) and showered with grated cheese. The very old-school version is just garlic. Beyond that, lángos is endlessly customisable: ham, sausage, extra cheese, or even sweet versions with Nutella, jam or cinnamon sugar. Garlic, sour cream and cheese is the iconic combination.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes — the dough can be made ahead and even given a slow rise in the fridge overnight, which develops flavour and is convenient. Bring it back to room temperature before shaping. The frying, garlic-rubbing and topping must be done fresh to serve, as lángos is only good piping hot. Prep everything so you can serve them straight from the oil.
Cooked this? Rate it.
Real ratings from real cooks. We only show a score once enough of you have weighed in — no fabricated stars.