Mandazi (East African Doughnuts)
Mandazi are East African yeast doughnuts with the perfect amount of sweet spiciness and airy yeastiness. The coconut milk flavored with cardamom and grated coconut creates a breakfast-worthy snack perfect with a steaming cup of chai!
We enjoy all kinds of street food in Africa, whether East, West, or South. Most notable on the list is the undeniably popular puff puff in West Africa. On the other side of the continent, in the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, you have the addictive mandazi (also known as maandazi, ndao, mahamri, and mamri).
I grew up eating puff puff, and then later, I was introduced to mandazi, which is similar to puff-puff. I was hooked on mandazi’s complexity that sets it apart from its Western counterpart. By the way, I’m so torn between my childhood snack and this new favorite. Someone help!
What Makes Mandazi a Different Doughnut
Mandazi, a spicy (flavor-packed, not hot), airy yeast dough made with coconut milk, is a nice way to introduce you to the joys of East African street food. While a lot of cultures use coconut, not everyone pairs it with cardamom.
This versatile treat can be made with yeast or baking powder. I love the depth of flavor that yeast adds to dough, so my first choice is the yeasted version. However, if you need a quick fix, then replace the yeast with baking powder and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before frying.
Another difference in these fried dough treats is that they’re not meant to be as sweet as regular doughnuts. Slightly sweet would best describe them. And freshly ground cardamom is best for this recipe, as you get pops of flavor as you bite into the crushed seeds, which is an enjoyable experience.
How to Make Mandazi
- Activate the yeast in the warm water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt for 5 minutes. Then, lightly beat in the egg. (Photo 1)
- Dough – Mix in 3 cups of flour, the grated coconut, cardamom, and nutmeg by hand or in a stand mixer. (Photo 2)
- Knead – Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until fully incorporated and the gluten develops (5-7 minutes). It shouldn’t be too sticky to the touch. Gradually adding more flour if needed, but it’s better to err on the side of less flour than more. (Photo 3)
- Rise – Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size. (Photo 4)
- Dough Balls – Punch the dough down, divide into 4 equal pieces, then form balls and roll out each piece into 6 triangular pieces. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. (Photos 5-6)
- Heat a large saucepan with at least 3 inches of oil until it reaches 375℉ (190℃). Too little will result in flatter mandazi. Gently drop the mandazis into the oil in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown, quickly turn them over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown. (Photos 7-8)
- Remove them from the pan with a large slotted spoon or spider (culinary, not the arachnid). Place them on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
- Serve – Sprinkle with powdered sugar to make them sweeter if desired.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- An electric coffee grinder does a great job with minimal effort to crush cardamom seeds. A mortar and pestle requires more energy, but it also works.
- If the dough is still sticky, knead in another ¼ cup of flour a bit at a time until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Sometimes, if you let it rest for 10-20 minutes, the flour will absorb more moisture and become less sticky.
- You may need more or less flour depending on the protein content and the weather (humidity and temperature.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Mandazi is best served fresh out of the frying pan with chai or as a snack. Unfortunately, it gets tough and stringy after a while. However, you can make the dough ahead and let it ferment in the refrigerator for a day or two. I’ve even left the dough in the fridge for almost a week, and the flavor was even better.
You can freeze or refrigerate leftovers. Since they’re fried, I usually wrap them in a paper towel to keep them crisp, then store them in a ziplock bag. They’ll last up to a week in the fridge and two months in the freezer.
More Fabulous Doughnut Recipes
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in September 2013 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos.
Mandazi (East African Doughnuts)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60ml) warm water
- ½ cup (120g) coconut milk (canned or fresh)
- 2 teaspoons (6g) active dry yeast
- ¼-½ cup (50-100g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading)
- 3 tablespoons (15-16g) grated coconut (fresh or dried)
- 1 teaspoon (2g) crushed cardamom
- ½ teaspoon (1g) grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the warm water, coconut milk, yeast, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
- Lightly beat the egg into the yeast mixture.
- Mix 3 cups of flour, the grated coconut, cardamom, and nutmeg by hand or in a stand mixer.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until fully incorporated and it's not too sticky to the touch (5-7 minutes). Gradually adding more flour if needed, but it's better to err on the side of less flour than more.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down, divide into 4 equal pieces, then form balls and roll out each piece into 6 triangular pieces. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.
- Fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil until it's at least 3 inches (about 5 centimeters) deep (too little will result in flatter mandazi). Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 375℉ (190℃).
- Gently drop the mandazis into the oil in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown, quickly turn them over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Remove them from the oil with a large slotted spoon or spider (culinary, not the arachnid). Place them on paper towels right away to soak up the excess oil.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar to make them sweeter if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- You can crush the cardamom with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Or you can use already ground cardamom, although the flavor isn’t as intense.
- The amount of flour you need depends on so many things: the climate, flour, liquids, etc. Knead the dough, adding just enough flour so it isn’t sticky.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
How do I store any leftovers ?
You can freeze or refrigerate them. Since they’re fried, I usually wrap them in a paper towel, then store them in a ziplock bag. They’ll last up to a week in the fridge and two months in the freezer.
Hi Imma, thanks for all your recipes. So excited to find your blog. I live in Tanzania and in the coastal areas we eat mandazis as a snack but also with mbaazi, which is a pigeon pea curry (with coconut of course! ) Happy to send you the recipe if you like.
Thank you for showing your loving and support. Sure I would love to see your recipe 🙂
Hi Imma
So I made these three times now and they were perfect. Thank you for sharing the amazing recipe; easy to follow and perfect every time.
So glad I found your website!
Hi Sofia! That is soo nice to know! I am glad you liked it!
We can’t wait to try making these ourselves! Is it possible to prep them the night before frying? If so at what step should I stop and how should the dough be stored? Thank you!
Hi Lily! You can let the dough rise in the fridge overnight. Then, let it come to room temperature, form the doughnuts, and let them rise while the oil heats. Hope it turns out well for you. Let me know how it goes 🙂