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.
Can one use wholewheat flour for a healthier puf puf and use an air fryer instead the regular deep frying?
I used whole wheat flour and all purpose flour to see the difference. Whole wheat flour makes the puff puff more dense and less banana-ish. I give 5 stars for the recipe. But if using wheat flour use less than 3 cups.
Thanks for taking time out to share this .
Which flour is used here/
All purpose flour .
Thank u for the recipe.will give a try
Do let me know how it works out . Thanks
Thanks for the metrics indications.
First time making these and my kids and neighbors kids loved it! I will be making this on more than just holidays since its so quick and easy! Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome. So happy you love this as much as I do.
I always look out for your recipes, thank you for sharing
You are amazing
Thank YOU for reading them and looking out for them 🙂
Hello, j’ai essaye votre recette et elle est vraiment tres facile. J’ai juste pas reussi mes beignets, en effet ma pate n’a pas gonfle et mes beignets ont durci apres un certain temps. Qu’est ce que j’ai bien pu faire?
Salut Colette, Le problème semble être la levure. Assurez-vous que votre levure est active et que la pâte double de taille avant la
friture
Looks delicious! Can you do a video on how you drop the batter in the oil? It fascinated me!!
Hello can make puff puff with plantain
Yes, you can.
Can I bake it instead of deep frying in oil? How many minutes,? What’s the temp?
Hi. Yvonee. Puff puffs are best made when deep fried.
Hi Imma,
Thanks for the recipe. Am going to try it out. My question is in the list of ingredients, u gave 50 – 100 grams of sugar, can you pls give a precise measurement ( amount of sugar) to use. Thanks
Hi, Adeola. You may start with 50 g of sugar and adjust depending on the ripeness of your bananas or your preferred sweetness.
How do incorporate evaporated milk??
By reducing the water in half and replacing the other half with evaporated milk.
If you dont use all the batter, how do you store it and for how long? I cant wait to try these I’m waiting for the dough to rise and I added a lil cinnamon to taste. I’m going to sprinkle with powdered sugar. Thanks for the amazing recipes im in love with the one that have the plantains and shrimp and I made a mango salsa guacamole! Yummy.
Hi Janie,
It’s best to fry all the dough, let it cool and freeze. If not store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Can I dip it in a syrup??
Yes, you can.
I saw your earlier post with an answer to my question about dipping sauce. I would prefer a sweet sauce. Do you have a recipe with something with coconut or pineapple?
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
I see you are dipping this in something. Can you give me a recipe for a dipping sauce. These look amazing and I may have to give them a try. My hubby likes anything with banana, coconut, or pineapple.
Thanks,
Here are a few https://www.africanbites.com/pineapple-jalapenos-corn-bread/, https://www.africanbites.com/coconut-bread/, https://www.africanbites.com/banana-pineapple-bread/.
What is the sauce on the side?
It’s an African Pepper Sauce. Please see recipe here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/
Is the flour, plain or self rising?
It’s plain flour.
Very interesting Emma. I will try them right away! I hope it comes out so perfectly like yours *wink.
What is the dip made of.I don’t see a recipe, please.
Please see the full recipe here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/
Thanks, I have been trying to make me some puff puff for something but forgot some of the receipt, from Africa and this was our breakfast before going to school. I love the plain ones. Thanks again, I will always look to see what’s next
Thanks for dropping by, Beatrice! Looking forward to hear how your puff puff turns out. Here’s a handy link though for the plain puff puff >>> https://www.africanbites.com/puff-puff/ Enjoy!
Will be trying this puff puff recipe soon.
Can I use plantain flour in place of normal flour?
It might have a slightly different in taste and texture. Haven’t tried it yet so can’t say for sure .