Banana Puff Puff
Experience soft and chewy banana puff puff, a tasty African comfort food! Sweet, melt-in-your-mouth bites that are ideal for a soul-satisfying snack or breakfast.
I don’t know of a single West African, myself included, who doesn’t dig puff-puff. It’s the quintessential African snack, plus it’s cheap and filling. When you’re at home in your own country, there are some foods that may not feel incredibly important because they’re shared with everyone around you. Not to mention the fact that it is available at every street corner imaginable, at any time of the day, morning, afternoon, night, and in between.
When we leave home, however, foods that seemed unimportant suddenly take on an importance they never had before. And until you can enjoy them again, you never feel satiated.
These deep-fried dough balls have been one of those foods for me. While I try not to crave puff puff too much, truth be told, I made these almost every weekend before my blogging days. Fortunately, I have a little more self-control now because it started as a breakfast food, and before I knew it, I was having them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What Bananas Do for Puff Puff
My only gripe with plain puff puff is that I can get bored with it. Let‘s just say I am one of those adventurous foodies who has to try different flavors. If you’re like me and want to shake things up a little, here is a puff puff recipe that you can make with bananas and a jolt from nutmeg. Chewy, soft, and quite tasty too!
How to Make Banana Puff Puff
- Mash the bananas, grate in the fresh nutmeg, then add the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour.
- Mix well, then cover and let it rise for an hour or two. Heat the oil in a large pan, and fry spoonfuls of dough until golden brown, flipping halfway through so both sides cook. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- How long the batter takes to rise will depend on the weather. If your kitchen temperature is on the chilly side, put it in the oven (without turning it on), then put a bowl of hot water underneath it. That should help speed up the yeast activity.
- Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- An instant-read thermometer is handy to make sure the oil is at the right temperature. Too cool, and the puff puffs will be greasy. Too hot, and the outside will burn before the inside cooks.
Perfect Pairings for Puff Puff
While plain puff puff goes great with African pepper sauce, the banana version loves being with chocolate sauce, caramel, and Nutella. Of course, a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk is always welcome.
More Delectable Puff Puff Recipes to Try
If you are a puff puff fanatic, rejoice! I have 6 different varieties, with more to come.
- Regular Puff Puff
- Chocolate Puff Puff
- Accra Cassava
- Whole Wheat Banana Accra
- Coconut Puff Puff
- No Yeast Puff Puff
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”habgNYrD” upload-date=”2019-05-07T08:04:10.000Z” name=”Banana Puff Puff” description=”Banana Puff Puff – soft and chewy banana puff puff – quite tasty too!”]
This blog post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Banana Puff Puff
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas, mashed (about 1¼ cups)
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) grated nutmeg
- 1 cup (236ml) warm water
- 2¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ¼-½ cup (50-100g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Grate in the nutmeg, then add the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour. Stir well, and set the batter in a warm area and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Pour at least 3 inches (or 8 centimeters) of oil into a large saucepan. Too little oil will result in flatter puff puff. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 375℉ (190℃).
- The dough will be sticky, so use your hands to grab a little bit at a time and drop it in the oil, or use one spoon to scoop up the batter, and another one (or a spatula) to push it in the oil, sort of in the shape of a ball. Fry them 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.
- Use a large slotted spoon or something similar to remove them from the oil. Drain on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Tips & Notes:
- Any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point will work for frying.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the ingredients used in the recipe.
I tried the plain puff puff recipe and the turned out amazing. I’m not sure if this what is included in ‘small chops’ in Nigerian parties as opposed to the plantain mosa. I tried a plantain mosa recipe I found online yesterday and didn’t like it. It was oily, didn’t rise well and was a little watery. I had to drop into the oil with a spoon. Wanna make small chops for a family gathering soon and I think I’d rather have your banana puff puff than plantain mosa.
Hi Michael, the plain puff puff is what is included in the small chops- if cooking for a gathering is best to go with plain one – maybe do both and see which one they like best . Happy Cooking!!!
Are we talking 375C or 375F? Silly but i am not sure.
Hi Francesca! It’s 375 Degrees F.
The calories you mentioned, is that for the whole banana puff puff or per serving of how many puff?
I have updated to reflect the servings. Take the puff puff divide in 6 and that’s a serving
Hi thanks so much for this recipe. Please how many gram is 1teaspoon yeast and nutmeg. You said 1cup of water and I used 250ml as one cup of water but after mixing my batter it was not sticky as you said instead it was slipper. I took me time to drop it inside the oil and the puff was soft. Please how many ml is for 1cup of water.
Thanks for your usual reply
Hi Maureen!
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out well for you. I have updated recipe to make it clearer. 1 teaspoon is about 3.5 grams . And water is 240ml
May God continue to enlarge your coast. Thanks a million for your reply, you have really helped me.
hi I’m learning how to make puff puffs but they dint cook inside. what might have gone wrong? thanks
My guest would be the oil temperature. If it’s too hot it cooks faster on the outside and not so much on the inside.
Please can I use plantain as a replacement for banna
You sure can. Plantain works as well.
This are all fantastic. Can u please make us some videos
Is in the works! Just hang tight . Thanks
love your recipes will try them out
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks!
Hello Immaculate. I made this today bit had issue getting d right shape as what’s on this page. Does it take practice, was my batter too watery? Cos I tried pressing them out between my thumb but, d batter was everywhere
Yes, it must have been too watery. It’s needs to be thick enough for you squeeze it out of your hand.
Hmmmn! Banana dough,! I will have to try this fast.
Do let me know how it works out for you.Thanks!
Thank u so much for the recipe,it was realt very good .we all enjoyed………………
Yay!!! So happy to hear it went well with you.
Thanks so much for this recipe. Tried it the first time, and my guest finished everything. Had to keep a few aside, so I didn’t miss out! 😀
Thank you so much for posting this! I’ve been looking for the correct recipe for years! This is the only puff puff my mom makes(I can’t stand the regular flour kind) but she’s not one to write down recipes(I’m not gifted with her great memory). It’s nice to find a website that posts food I eat on a daily basis.. Thanks for posting all the great Cameroonian recipes!
tried this at home yesterday.my kids kept asking for more.was so grt.tnx
Nice!
Yum! We call this gula gula, I love how we have soooo many similar dishes! Love it!
We sure do. That’s why I am so into Caribbean food
I love your recipes…. Yummy!
By the way your recipe is on point! I also love the creole shrimp too and the Caribbean fettuccini Alfredo. This banana flavored puff puff is the way to go for me now. No more plain puff puff. Thanks Imma you rock. You bring flavor and variety into my kitchen. Thank a million.
Awww, thanks Mispa you rock too! I am happy it was a hit with your family, you totally make me want to make some tomorrow..I see some ripe bananas on the counter reaching out for me.
Oh my God, I decided to try this recipe out today with some chicken wings for my kids. Didn’t feel like cooking. Awesome!!! Forget Accra banana this is it. Thanks Imma!!!!
As soon as I saw this in my inbox, I had to pop in to read how you managed to make these balls so perfectly round. I expected there to be banana inside the balls, not mashed!! These are SO cool, they would disappear in a flash. I am so amazed they come out so round! And that’s just from using a teaspoon to drop dollops of the dough into the oil?