Coconut Puff-Puff (Deep-Fried Coconut Dough)
Coconut puff puff (deep-fried coconut dough) is a tasty twist on the popular West African fried dough, made even better with coconut milk and flakes.
The first time I made these to take to a party, I was on the phone with a dear friend, and I mentioned that I was making coconut puff-puff for a party. She said, “You know no one will eat them, right?” My response was, “Why not? They taste great”. She said, “Well, people aren’t used to eating coconut puff-puff.” My reply was that they soon would.
After a drawn-out conversation, we concluded that I should make a side-by-side comparison between the two (regular puff-puff and the coconut version) and see which one people would devour first.
So I did just that, and guess what? You guessed right! The coconut puff-puff won with an overwhelming victory. In fact, it was the first to disappear. You’d be surprised at how enriching the coconut milk and flakes are.
What Is Puff Puff?
Puff puff is a traditional West African fried dough that’s sold in every neighborhood and on many street corners in West Africa. They’re impossible to resist once you take a bite. They have less sugar than most yeast doughnuts and enjoy a pleasant fermented taste.
If you were to vote on the most popular West African snack, puff-puff would win big. I put my own twist on this classic African snack by adding coconut and coconut milk. The coconut flakes give them a slight crunch and a special flavor.
How to Make Coconut Puff Puff
- Mix the warm water, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and yeast, and set aside for 5 minutes so the yeast activates. (Photo 1)
- Stir in the flour with a large spoon or your hands. Follow with the coconut flakes. Mix well until the flour and coconut flakes have been fully incorporated. (Photos 2-3)
- Rise – Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm area until doubled in size (1-2 hours). (Photo 4)
- Heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil (about 5 centimeters) in a saucepan. Too little will result in flatter balls. Heat over medium heat until the oil is 375℉ (190℃).
- Fry – The dough will be slightly sticky, so grab a little bit of the mixture at a time with your hands and drop it in the oil. Or use a spoon to scoop up the batter, and another spoon to drop it in the hot oil. It should take on the shape of a ball. Fry the puff puff in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. (Photo 5)
- Flip – Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Then turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown. (Photo 6)
- Remove the cooked puff puff from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on napkins to soak up the excess oil.
- Serve – If desired, roll your fried coconut dough balls in table sugar or powdered sugar to decorate them and make them sweeter. Best served warm.
Tips and Notes
- How long yeast dough takes to rise depends on the weather or the internal room temperature. The warmer the environment, the faster your dough will rise.
- If the dough is too thin, add a spoonful of flour at a time until you have a sticky dough you can scoop.
- For dough that’s too dry, add a spoonful of coconut milk or water until you have the right consistency.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can refrigerate yeast dough for up to 4-5 days. Honestly, it tastes better the next day because the yeast has more time to do its thing. Bring it back to room temperature and fry them as planned when ready.
These guys are best hot, or at least warm. Store leftovers in a closed paper bag in the fridge. Then take them out and reheat them in the oven or air fryer to crisp them back up. You could also freeze them, then heat them in an air fryer straight from the freezer.
What Goes With Coconut Puff Puff
This common street food is usually enjoyed on its own. But I love a cup of coffee (hot or frozen) or tea with them. A tropical fruit salad makes a refreshing dessert alongside puff puffs.
More Mouthwatering African Snack Recipes
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in April 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Coconut Puff Puff (deep-fried coconut dough)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (236ml) warm water
- 2 cups (470ml) coconut milk
- ½-¾ cup (100-175g) sugar
- 1-1½ teaspoons (10g) salt
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 4½ cups (540g) flour
- 1 cup (60g) coconut flakes
- oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the warm water, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and yeast, and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Then, mix in the flour with a wooden spoon or your hands. Follow with the coconut flakes. Mix well until flour and coconut flakes have been fully incorporated.
- Set the mixture in a warm area and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- In a large saucepan, pour at least 3 inches of vegetable oil (about 5 centimeters). Too little will result in flatter balls. Heat over medium heat until the oil is 375℉ (190℃).
- The dough will be sticky, so use your hands to grab a little bit of mixture at a time and drop it in the oil. Or use a spoon to scoop up the batter, and another spoon to drop it in the oil, sort of in the shape of a ball. Fry the puff puff in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Then turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Remove the cooked puff puff from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on napkins to soak up the excess oil.
- If desired, roll your fried coconut dough balls in table sugar or powdered sugar to decorate them and make them sweeter.
Tips & Notes:
- Rising time depends on the temperature. The warmer it is, the faster your dough will rise.
- Feel free to make the dough ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days before frying it.
- Adjust the dough texture with a little flour if too thin and a little coconut milk or water if too thick.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the ingredients used in the recipe.
I loved this recipe so much!
All ur recipes are always perfect! Thanks!
My pleasure, Esther! 🙂
What kind of sauce were they dipped into on the video please?
Since these guys are a little sweeter, caramel and cream cheese dips go great. Let me know how it goes once you try 🙂
I added vanilla and a tad of lemon rind I’m not sure. Still didn’t get a lot of flavor the balls were perfect and fluffy. I was thinking cinnamon maybe
Sounds good. Everyone likes different levels of flavor. Cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom would spice it up, too. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
This was so fricking delicious, I even added raisins to mine
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Sandra 🙂
Hi, Thanks for your good work.
I have two questions for you-
in terms of the coconut flakes – should they be sweetened coconut flakes or unsweetened coconut flakes?
second, you said 4-1/2 cup flour. Is that 4 and 1/2 cups (four and a half cups)? I was unsure.
Thank you.
Hi Kay, For the most part I use sweetened coconut flakes because it is readily available. Yes it is 4 cups plus 1/2 cup of flour.
Enjoy!
hahah I really wish I read the comments before mixing! I think i added too much sugar because I used sweetened condensed milk as well!
But let’s see how it turns out as it is currently set aside to rise (then I decided to casually look around the page more).
I have now just added some more salt hoping to offset the sugar, then yeast to offset the added salt. Not sure where I’m going with this or if I really understand the science but I hope it works 😀
Hi, Amefon. How was it? Hope it turned out fine.
Hello ImmaculateBites,
I want to ask if I can use oat instead of flour for the mixture?
Hello,
I haven’t tried it with oats yet. So can’t say for sure. However, if you decide to try it with oat flour, you may want to replace half a cup with tapioca starch to replace the gluten.
This is a lovely recipe…. But what about using condensed milk in place of coconut milk? Just asking if it’ll work?
Hi Liz. The coconut milk intensifies the flavor of this puff puff hence I would advise you go with it. If you must use the condensed milk in place of the coconut milk, I would suggest you cut back on the sugar so it is not overly sweet. Happy cooking!
God bless you for sharing this recipe. I am the greatest Coconut lover in the entire universe. No competition…lol. This is so perfect. I was yearning for puff puff but not the regular kind I’m used to. I went to Google and searched for Coconut puff puff and BINGO! Lol… I followed your instructions but I mixed all-purpose Flour with wheat flour and I used a mixture of half cup of coconut sugar and half cup of raw turbinado sugar. The outcome was just the amount of sweetness I needed in my body. Not too sweet but just right. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Uzo,
I think we going to have to fight for the title of Greatest COconut lover. OMG is life. I have actually met people who hate coconut. They don’t know what they are missing. I have to try this recipe this weekend. Looks so delicious
Nice recipe.
But why is nutmeg not added to the recipe?
Hi Mabel. Thank you. I love nutmeg and add it to almost everything sweet. Please feel free to add a ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
It’s 2 cups and 1/4 cup.
I forgot to say the most important part: I’m a coconut lover too! Are there any other coconut dishes you have from Cameroon or any other West African nation?
Hi, Anana.
I have lots of coconut recipes.
vitumbua, coconut bake, African chicken stew with coconut rice, coconut rock buns, coconut drop cookies, and coconut jollof rice are just a few.
Enjoy!!!
Thanks so much for your platform for Cameroonian cooking! My cousin did the swab DNA test and found out that is exactly where our people are from. Very exciting and I will one day journey there. I am having an International Thanksgiving Day in my class and I have asked some of the students from other countries to dress in traditional clothing and share some of their culture with the class. They also have to make a traditional dish to share. As their teacher, I surely did not want to be left out, but I also did not want to make anything that was time consuming, costly or elaborate. Puff Puff is the way to go! I’ll try it out on my husband first so I’ll be ready next month! Hopefully I’ll find something to wear that is specific to Cameroon…we’ll see. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Anana. Please do let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!