sopaipilla

American  

[soh-pahy-pee-uh, saw-pahy-pee-yah] / ˌsoʊ paɪˈpi ə, ˌsɔ paɪˈpi yɑ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

plural

sopaipillas

1. a small pastry made of deep-fried yeast dough and usually dipped in honey.

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Etymology

Origin of sopaipilla

First recorded in 1935–40; from Latin American Spanish, equivalent to Spanish sopaip(a) “fritter or thick pancake soaked in honey” (earlier also xopaipa, from Mozarabic, derivative of šúppa, súppa “piece of bread soaked in oil,” Spanish sopa, from Germanic; see sop, soup) + -illa diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

Patrons laughed at a corny but cute puppet show starring Casa Bonita’s dishes, from a chirpy hard-shelled taco to a coquettish sopaipilla.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025

For 100 pesos—about a quarter—you can buy a deep-fried sopaipilla, a round quickbread that is Chile’s favorite rainy-day comfort food.

From Scientific American • Feb. 26, 2013

Guacamole, chipotle chicken tenders, shrimp al ajillo, barbecued chicken wings, Mexican pizza; steak tacos, beef enchiladas, cheese quesadillas, carnitas burrito, chicken chimichangas; sopaipilla, apple crumb cake, vanilla flan.

From New York Times • Aug. 11, 2012

Vega, a two-year-old Mexican restaurant in Hartsdale, however, cooks up an excellent sopaipilla.

From New York Times • Aug. 11, 2012

For diet-busting awesomeness, get the sopaipilla cheesecake, a cinnamon-topped, vanilla cream cheese-filled pastry.

From Southern Living • Apr. 28, 2010