Lángos, the heart of Hungarian street food. Golden, crispy flatbread that’s the ultimate comfort food. This irresistible dish combines the soft chew of fried dough with toppings of sour cream, grated cheese, and garlic, making each bite a delicious mix of flavors and textures.
Lángos is a popular Hungarian street food specialty. The name comes from ‘láng’, the Hungarian word for flame, reflecting its traditional cooking method of frying it in hot oil over an open flame. This delicious treat is made from dough that contains flour, yeast, salt, and water (sometimes milk and/or yogurt are added for a softer texture). The dough is left to rise, then flattened into a circular shape and deep-fried until it reaches a golden brown color.
Lángos is typically served hot and can be enjoyed with a variety of toppings. The most traditional way to have it is simply rubbed with garlic or garlic butter, but it can also be topped with sour cream (tejföl in Hungarian), grated cheese, ham, or even more elaborate toppings like sautéed mushrooms, kebab meat, or sweet options. In Hungary, lángos is often eaten as a quick snack or a meal, especially at public baths, festivals, or in street food markets. 
Step by Step Guide to Making Hungarian Lángos
- Prepare the Dough: In a mug, dissolve salt in water. In a large bowl, mix the sifted flour with the yeast. Gradually add the salty water, stirring until a sticky dough forms. If necessary, adjust with a bit more flour. Knead until smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
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Shape the Lángos: On a floured surface, tip out the dough, stretch into a square, and cut out rounds (approx. 4 inches across). Use a glass or a cookie cutter. Thin the center of each round slightly more than the edges. Allow resting for another 30 minutes.
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Fry the Lángos: Heat a generous amount of sunflower oil in a deep pan. Fry each piece until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Do not overcrowd the pan.
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Serve Hot: Enjoy lángos fresh out of the fryer, topped with your choice of garlic, sour cream, and grated cheese.
Recipe Notes:
- For a traditional flavor, rub the hot lángos with a cut garlic clove before adding other toppings.
- Keep the fried lángos warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
- Experiment with toppings like ham, sautéed mushrooms, or even a sweet version with jam or sugar.
How to Make Hungarian Lángos
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Description
Lángos, the heart of Hungarian street food. Golden, crispy flatbread that’s the ultimate comfort food. This irresistible dish combines the soft chew of fried dough with toppings of sour cream, grated cheese, and garlic, making each bite a delicious mix of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (7 g) dried (instant) yeast
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Sunflower oil for frying
- Toppings: sour cream, grated cheese, garlic (chopped or as a water mixture)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a mug, dissolve salt in water. In a large bowl, mix the sifted flour with the yeast. Gradually add the salty water, stirring until a sticky dough forms. If necessary, adjust with a bit more flour. Knead until smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the Lángos: On a floured surface, tip out the dough, stretch into a square, and cut out rounds (approx. 4 inches across). Use a glass or a cookie cutter. Thin the center of each round slightly more than the edges. Allow resting for another 30 minutes.
- Fry the Lángos: Heat a generous amount of sunflower oil in a deep pan. Fry each piece until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Serve Hot: Enjoy lángos fresh out of the fryer, topped with your choice of garlic, sour cream, and grated cheese.
Notes
- For a traditional flavor, rub the hot lángos with a cut garlic clove before adding other toppings.
- Keep the fried lángos warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
- Experiment with toppings like ham, sautéed mushrooms, or even a sweet version with jam or sugar.
- Prep Time: 70 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Hungarian
Hello, I was wanting to make Langos, because my mother always made it for us with her homemade chicken soup. I was born in Hungary, many of the foods are heavy and greasy, but I love bread, and this was one of my favorites with garlic rubbed fresh on it. Yum
Just had this at Airlie Markets, Australia. It is “to die for”, SOOOOO yummy!!! The one I had was smothered with sour cream, then sprinkled with a little salt & covered with fine grated cheese, which melted with the warmth of the flatbread. Will definitely be making this at home :)
I’ve made this super easy recipe 3 times and it has worked perfectly every time! Soft and light on the inside with just enough crunch on the outside.
I add caraway seeds and fry the langos in lard, then I serve with chopped garlic in sour cream. This recipe certainly keeps my Hungarian husband happy!
Easy to follow. Cooked, delicious. Definitely recommend this recipe.
Sounds and looks delicious. I saw “langos” mentioned in a book I’m reading (Hawk by Steven Karl Zoltán Brust) and wanted to know more about it. Since he’s of Hungarian descent and uses Hungarian in his books, and I’m a linguist, I knew pretty much* how to spell and pronounce it in Hungarian even though I don’t know the language. Uncle Google brought me here, and I thank you. :-)
* Couldn’t tell whether it’d be “a” or “á”.
I tried to make this Langos and had trouble converting the ingredients into American measurments.
I have eaten Langos when I was in Hungry
it is wonderful tasting
Can you please convert the measurments for me
Thank you
Ellen Gossage
missgoss@aol.com
As a teenager I used to go with my father to the first graders soccer games in Sydney Australia and they used to serve langos at this one stadium. It was the home ground of a Hungarian soccer team. I couldn’t wait until my father’s side played a game at this stadium, I used to look forward to the langos more than the game itself.
They would serve it nice and hot either plain or with sugar sprinkled on top. It was one of the nicest things ive eaten.
I haven’t eaten one since then, that was 30 years ago until I saw your recipe today and made it myself. It took me back to my childhood, it was beautiful!
Thanks.
I love these ! I’m half Hungarian and have many happy memories of snacking on these on day trips to Miskolc cave baths. One thing i’d like to know is why some recipes use grated potato and some don’t. Whats the difference in the end result please ?
Does it necessarily have to be fried in sunflower oil or can you be done with vegetable oil?