African Doughnut (Drop Doughnut)
Enjoy a comfort food snack in 15 minutes with these African doughnuts (drop doughnuts). Crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, these delicious balls of dough are packed with flavor for bite-sized treats! No rolling, no waiting, and no sweat orbs of happiness.
A doughnut craving hit me when I had the least time to mix, let it rise, roll it out, and fry. I immediately thought of a traditional street food in Africa. So, of course, I threw them together in what seemed like less than no time, and started satisfying my sweet tooth.
Assuming you’re like me and can’t wait, you can eat the ones from the first batch while cooking the second one. Get ready to do the happy dance with these crunchy, pillowy treats.
What Makes Drop Doughnuts Great
In America, these doughnuts are called drop doughnuts and are classified as a breakfast food. In some parts of Africa, we just call them doughnuts (or donuts if you’re in the States). However, when in the U.S., you have to be specific about the name, African doughnuts.
That aside, they taste incredible, are crispy, crunchy on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside with a hint of nutmeg and orange. In Cameroon, we enjoy them as party food, although you can find them on almost every street corner. They come in various forms, making them a versatile snack or dessert. Need to use up overripe bananas, crave coconut or chocolate, or want plain ol’ sweet fried bread? This drop doughnut recipe has you covered.
How to Make African Drop Doughnuts
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, grated orange, and nutmeg. (Photo 1)
- Stir in the milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil, and mix well. The batter should be smooth, thick, and spoonable. (Photos 2-3)
- Heat vegetable oil at least 3 inches deep (about 5 centimeters) in a large saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 375℉ (190 ℃).
- Scoop up the batter with your fingers or two spoons, one to scoop the dough in the shape of a ball and the other to gently push it into the hot oil. Fry them in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. (Photo 4)
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown. (Photo 5)
- Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a large slotted spoon or something similar. Place them immediately on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Roll them in table sugar or powdered sugar to make them sweeter if desired. (Photo 6)
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make sure the oil is hot enough, or the doughnuts will soak up too much and become soggy.
- If you live somewhere it’s easier to find baking soda than baking powder, feel free to substitute it with half the amount of baking soda.
- Adjust consistency with more flour or more milk to get a spoonable batter.
- After frying the doughnuts, you can toss them in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar for an extra touch.
More Delectable Doughnut Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”R7hXlaph” upload-date=”2019-09-07T22:06:36.000Z” name=”African Drop Doughnut” description=”African Doughnut (Drop Doughnut) – a 15-minute African Doughnut recipe that is crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. Packed with flavor bite-sized treats! “]
This blog post was originally published in August 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
African Doughnut (Drop Doughnut)
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (4g) baking powder
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (2g) grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) grated nutmeg
- ½ cup (118ml) whole milk (or 2% milk)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla
- ¼ cup (60g) melted butter or vegetable oil
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, grated orange, and nutmeg.
- Stir in the milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil, and mix well. The batter should be smooth, thick, and spoonable.
- Pour vegetable oil into a large saucepan at least 3 inches deep (about 5 centimeters), and place on medium heat until the oil is 375℉ (190 ℃).
- Scoop up the batter with your fingers or two spoons, one to scoop the dough in the shape of a ball and the other to gently push it into the hot oil. Fry them in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a large slotted spoon or something similar. Place them immediately on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Roll them in table sugar or powdered sugar to make them sweeter if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the right consistency.
- How much oil it takes will depend on the size of your pan. You’ll want at least 3 inches unless you don’t mind flattened doughnuts.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
There are so good, you have been doing a wonderful job on this website. I tried the fish roll it was fantastic.
Hi Imma thanks so much for this recipe the puff puffs were delicious!
This was the first time I made them I had a problem making them round do you have a video demonstration or suggestions? Thanks.
Catherine, glad you liked them. Unfortunately at this time, I do not have a video demonstration. I usually use my hands to get them really nice and round.
So yummy, can I use baking soda? Thanks
Bina, sorry you can’t use baking soda. Baking soda only works when there is an acid in the recipe.
Hi thanks.
Could I add small pieces of apple to the batter?
Lori, I have never tried them using apple . But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work . let me know how it turns out. Thanks
Thanks so much for this recipe. I come from Ghana, and my mum used to make these doughnuts when I was young. We would have it on Sundays after church while we waited for our ‘fufu’ to finish cooking. I know how to make the ‘ballfloats’ the yeast version, but have been trying to make some of these ones for ages. They always come out either soaked with the oil or hard and chewy.
I made it according to your recipe today and they came out perfect. Thanks so much for sharing.
Adjoa, thanks for the feedback and glad to hear it came out perfect!
thanks very much Imma, i tried the recipes and it worked so well. May our almighty God bless and strengthen u.
Thanks Perla , so happy the recipes worked well for you.
Thanks so much for this recipe. This was my first attempt at making this type of donut. They were delicious and the texture was great. My only problem was that I think I shoukd have added more flour because my dough was a bit sticky and I could not form balls. I used a spoon, dropped them in the hot oil, a ball would form but they had really long tips (looked like aliens 😉 ) but very good. Any suggestions would be welcomed and thanks again.
Patricia, you know what? mine sometimes come out looking like aliens too! Adding more flour would make it tough. Maybe two spoons would help. Hope this helps
Hi Imma, I tried this tonight and it tasted divine. Loved the nutmeg flavour and I omitted the orange peel. My puff puff didn’t turn out right though. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Debbie , I am glad you enjoyed it and so appreciate the feedback.
Wow I jst did dis recipe and its something else,I really appreciate and trust Immacute Bite.I’m grteful thanks again
Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear you appreciate this site.
Thanks Imma for the recipe….just the right quantity of sugar i like. My doughnuts were superb!
Thanks for the feedback Iryn and so happy the sugar was just right.
thank you my doughnut was superb’
can I get a chinchin recipe
Here is the link to the chin chin recipe. Thanks for the feedback!!!
could not see the link for the chinchin recipe
https://www.africanbites.com/chin-chin/
Hi Imma,
I did the fish roll and they came out perfect. I used the mackerel fish. My son loved them and had to say..mommy these are good. I will be trying the meat pie this coming weekend. The dough mixture measurements are so accurate. Thank you so much.
BJ
BJ, glad you and your family enjoyed the fish roll.
Hi Girl,
You are a life saver, I cannot wait to try some of these recipes. I guess I will be gaining some pounds after all my try outs. I have been wanting to learn how to do fish/meat pies and unfortunately those who know how to do it are not willing to share their recipes. The doughnuts above luck so mouth watery..wish me luck in my try outs. Stay blessed beautiful and keep up the good work.
Regards,
BJ
BJ am keeping my fingers cross…. Stay positive and you will do great! Thanks for stopping by.
I made these and they came out perfect. I enjoyed every bite. It was fluffy, crunchy and not overly sweet. Thank you!! 5 stars
Hi! These sound amazing and I can’t wait to try them. 🙂
Do you think I could prepare the batter in advance and fry them off in little batches from time to time. If so, how would I store them in between? I’m having a food stall at a sale and I thought it would be cute idea to stick five or six of these through a skewer.
Hi I tried these for the first time . They came out perfect. Did not soak up oil and was fluffy on the inside. I was wondering how can I make them so they are a bit moister on the inside. I let them sit out for 2 days in a baggie to see how they fare and I noticed they were a bit dry on the inside. Can I add sour cream to the batter ? If so how much? or what would you suggest?
Han, sour cream would definitely increase the doughnut moistness . You would have to cut back on the milk and play with the recipe to get the right consistency.
I have read on reputable sites that substituting a couple of tablespoons of soy flour for an equal amount of the all-purpose flour will yield moister fried goods, with a longer “shelf life”. I haven’t tried this technique yet, and can’t attest personally to it’s validity.
Thanks for sharing , am definitely intrigued , will give it a try!
Thank you so so much i love lease they are good i cook them when ever i`m bored
Hi Francine! Glad to hear they relieve boredom . Must try when am bored- Lol.
FINALLY!!! I have waited for this recipe until… 🙂 . Thanks Imma!!!
Lola, now you can make it as often as you want, enjoy it.
Great photography .
Thanks Iquo
Great recipe, however please don’t generalize Africa. For example in Ghana we call them Ball Floats. So each country has their own version:)
Good to know meghannw. Please let me know how you like this one.
These are definitely not “ballfloats”. Those are a completely different product, and they turned out wonderfully. Thanks
These doughnuts are not’bofloat “as suggested. “Bofloats”as normally called are yeast based. They are prepared like bread but fried instead of baking. They are light and float in the oil.
Yes,
Thank you Thank you!!! for this recipe. I have tried several recipes but did not like any. I made it today and it came out very good; crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Way better than what I used to know. Next time I might add a little more sugar to the mixture rather than rolling them in sugar. Thanks a million. You are the best!!!
So glad you liked it kelsey.