Puff Puff (Deep-Fried Dough)
My beloved puff puff, a West African street food, is quick and easy with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addictive!
As a child, I often watched in amazement how the women selling the puffs would grab the mixture with the tip of their fingers, roll it in the palm of their hands, and drop it in oil.
I was fascinated by this process and would go home and practice this act with any mixture I had on hand. But it never came out as proportional or as visually appealing as it did for the women. After years of practice as an adult, I can proudly say I finally got the hang of it.
What Is Puff Puff?
People in most West African countries are familiar with the popular street food, known by different names depending on the country. For example, Ghanaians call it bofrot (togbei), Cameroonians and Nigerians call it puff puff, and it’s beignet in French. Basic ingredients are flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt, and oil for deep frying.
It’s easy and quick with various flavors. This recipe is the one I have been making for years and takes me back to my hometown. It brings back memories of happy late-night snacking on the street.
How to Make Puff Puff
- Mix the yeast, sugar, salt, and water to activate the yeast. Stir in the flour, cover, and let the dough rise.
- Heat the oil, drop in the dough balls, and fry until golden.
Tips and Tricks
- If the weather is cold and your dough isn’t rising, turn on the stove for 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the dough rise next to it. Or place your dough in the cold oven and put a pan full of hot water under it. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.
- Use a spoon to scoop the dough into the oil if you don’t want to use your hands. It still tastes delicious!
- Avoid overcrowding the pan, as it will cool the oil too much and cause the fried dough to absorb excess oil.
Make-Ahead and Leftover Instructions
I love making the dough ahead for a quick snack. You can keep the raw dough in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to five days. It will rise in the cold fridge, but it may take a day or two. Then, bring the dough to room temperature and fry.
Keep leftovers tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for a month or two. Reheat them in a preheated 350℉ (177℃) oven for 5-10 minutes whenever the craving hits.
What to Serve With Puff Puff
This treat is relished for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish. A must-have for me is pepper sauce, but chocolate sauce and cinnamon sugar are fantastic.
Puff puff’s beauty is that you can eat them sweet or savory. I often eat it as a snack or appetizer. My son definitely loves it as a simple dessert with just a bit of powdered sugar. Ginger tea and sorrel drink are a great way to wash them down.
More Addictive Variations to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”pGrRksuf” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:37:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Puff Puff” description=”Puff Puff — A very popular West African street food that’s quick and easy to make with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addicting!”]
This blog post was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with great tips and new pictures.
Puff Puff (Deep-Fried Dough)
Ingredients
- 2¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ½-¾ cup (100-150g) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (8-9g) salt
- 2 cups (472ml) warm water (+1-2 tablespoons for softer puffs)
- 3½ cups (420g) flour
- vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, sugar, salt, and water, and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
- Add the flour and mix well.
- Cover and let it rise for 1-2 hours.
- In a large saucepan, heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil (7-8cm) on low. Too little oil will result in flatter balls.
- Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If it is not hot enough, the batter stays at the bottom rather than rising to the top.
- When the oil is hot enough, grab bits of the mixture with your hands or use a spoon to get small balls of dough and drop them carefully into the oil.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Turn the balls over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Use a large spoon or strainer to remove them from the oil. I usually place them on napkins immediately to soak up the excess oil.
- If desired, you can roll the finished product in cinnamon or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Tips & Notes:
- For softer puff puffs, add 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find the puff puffs a bit hard after they have cooled.
- Feel free to cut back on the salt; a teaspoon of salt will do.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This is actually an Arabian-Ramadan traditional breakfast. We call it (logeemat).
My mother makes it using half brown and half white flour, it’s more crispy from the outside, and not as heavy from the inside.
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Thanks a bunch! Plz can i share it so as to see it whenever i want to make use of it?
Hi Ifeoma, you sure can with link back here. Thanks
A neighbor where I used to live made these Wonderous puff puffs for me and my children. We have since lost touch and I long for another taste!! You have awesome reviews and the recipe appears to be quick and easy. So, I am headed to the store for the ingredients!! Also, tomorrow is international day at work, if they come out good enough I will freeze tonight and heat in the morning and take them to work. Or should I fry in the am? Let me know. I figure any recipe that has a thread spanning two to three years has to be Great!
Thanks!
Thanks Lamara! For best results, I would say, make and fry in the morning if time permits- way better in my opinion. Although some people hardly notice the difference.
I never took these to work (time did not permit..lol) but I have been making them ever since! My kids LOVE them!! I do too! I love your site and recipes! Going to try your Curry Chicken in the crock-pot!!
Thanks!
My pleasure!! So glad to hear it turned out well. Do let me know how the curry chicken works out for you.
These are so so amazing. Some of my favorite things to snack on. I could probably live off of these!
Me too! Jenita!
This is the best recipe for puffpuff that I have ever tasted. They were just perfect. I love them so much. I even used it for my BBM profile. I like ur puffpuff recipe n the pictures
Wow! Tosin, thank you so much.It really means a lot to me – worked hard to get it just right.
Thanks for the recipe, loving it. How do I measure the flour, I mean what type of cup should I use? over here we use milk (liquid peak milk container) as cup. Can this suffice as cup?
You should use standard measuring cup to get the best results. Tin peak milk is only around 3/4 cup of standard cup. You would have to use about 5 cups(peak milk container). Curious to know how it works out. Thanks!
Hi thanks for the recipe. Please how many bite size puffs can this make? As in small chops size?
I would say 20-30 depending on the size- I usually make mine pretty small.
How much yeast to use? 1pack which is 1/4 oz?
Yes, 1 packet of yeast – 1/4 ounce
Yummy, Muamba, looks good. I think I will try, However Paprika is hard to find in this country. Palm oil? Forget it! lol. I will make this one tomorrow. We rarely eat meat so it will be mostly squash and some chicken breast slices. I loves me some okra tho. I will pair it with Corn meal mush (I call it) 😉 I will tell you how it works out. Asante sana
Habari Gani tena Imma? Thanks a bunch for the info. I decided to make the chocolate version. My yeast was no good,did not rise 🙁 Luckily with my cooking background (culinary school in Maui) I remembered the baking soda/lime method. The puff puffs came out like little round cakes instead of round balls like yours. They were crunchy on the outside and moist & cakey on the inside. Just sprinkled sugar over them, turned out Delish. 🙂 living in a third world country I’ve learned to be creative. hehehe I made a West African peanut soup on day 2 of African cuisine. It was amazing! I have Butternut Squash any suggestions? Blessed
Wow, you definitely have skills. I would have given up…. Really appreciate the feedback!
What about making fritters with it or try this recipe here http://africanbites.com/?p=12697.
Molo Ima,
I’m going to try this recipe for evening snack. I’m making African dishes all week. 🙂
can you add fillings/glazes to the puffs? I live on a farm in the Dominican Republic and would love to add some of the fruits harvested this time of the year. Cherries, Mango’s, oranges, and coconuts. Thanks in advance.
Hi Tottle, so glad to hear you are making African dishes this week. Please take some time and look around .
You can definitely glaze the puff puff after it is fried- I do it all the time and it is DELICIOUS! Go ahead and add fruits to it too, it certainly wouldn’t hurt. Check out this coconut version here and this banana version here http://africanbites.com/?p=2664 http://africanbites.com/?p=10852
P.S If you are adding fruits that are have been pureed you need to adjust the flour. Happy Cooking.
wonderful recipe! authentic and delicious!
Hi Takem, it is always good to hear such great feedback . Thanks
This is a great, simple and easy to follow recipe. Thanks for taking the time to post this and all the other recipes on your blog. I love African food and you are doing a great job introducing it to the rest of the world. Thanks for sharing!
Aww thanks Mzwonderful. I’m always glad to hear feedback.Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
Are we able to use self-rising flour?
Jerry, If you use self rising flour you will not have the same texture. You will have to eliminate the yeast. Check out this recipe here https://www.africanbites.com/no-yeast-puff-puff/
So, I stumbled upon this recipe that turned out to be the best so far. I got this order to make a lot and I have had issues with puff-puff not coming out nice. These came out really nice and set me back a few pounds since quite a lot ended up in my mouth when I am supposed to be losing weight. Thank you!
Kemi, this is hard one for me to stop eating too! Glad to hear you enjoy it as much.I hear you!
ABSOULUTELY DELICIOUS! Hands down the best puff puff EVER!! Slightly crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Made it to for a party ( tripled the recipe ) AND it was gone in minutes. Everyone kept asking for more. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Clara, you are making me hungry. Would definitely love some puff puff right now! Thank you for the RAVE reviews- I really appreciate it!
I am attempting to make this now and I am so glad that I have stumbled across your site it is so refreshing and well thought out. Thank you!
THank you Jacqui! That is so nice of you to say about my blog. Always let me know what you make – I love hearing about it.
oh yes, you are fantastic, you are the best food and nutritionist, i made my own puff-puff following you recipe it was great. more grace to your talent.
happy new year and prosperous years to come
Thanks oh! And Happy New Year to you too!!!
Hi, just want to say this recipe is the best. Tried so many before and decided to try a different one and am I glad I did or what. Thanks so much puffpuff came out perfect !!! All gone within few minutes. Always used to have leftovers but not this batch perfect making tomorrow again for our next visitors 🙂
Mosun, Perfect? Wow! Thanks for the feedback. Glad your family enjoyed it as much as mine do. Happy Holidays!
so can you instant yeast or would that not work
Yes, you can use instant yeast.