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
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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.
Oh la la!!! I never comment on recipes blog, yet i couldn’t help myself. What can i say besides thank you. Thank you so much for this recipe. For years, i’ve been begging a friend to make them for me. With the quarantine, I had to figure it out for myself since i wanted to have a proper Cameroonian breakfast ( bouillie and beans). It took me one month and half to find yeast but hooray. Your recipe was simple to follow. The puff puff were moist and elastic, just delicious. We devoured them all day. Made my daughter happy.
Forever thankful.
Awww. This has made me so happy. I know exactly how you must have felt :)! Every time I make this puff-puff I am transported right back to the mama with the beignet haricot at the side of the road. Thank you so much for taking the time to share!
The best feeling!!
The pleasure is all mine. It was just « very yummy » in my child’s voice.
I went out to buy items to finally try your Ndolé….
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you 🙂 !
Hi I am practicing this tomorrow…whi preservative can be added to make the puff puff last a day or 2.
Hi Beatrice! I have never tried preservatives with this puff-puff. They are usually enjoyed best fresh, preferably warm.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am from the South Pacific and we have this snack for breakfast sometimes lunch. Have tried so many recipes but fail. This is the best recipe and certainly a keeper. Thank you sincerely.
Hi Kalisi! I am so glad you love these puff-puffs. I could eat this any time of the day. Heck, I could eat it all day :). Thank you for stopping by!
Good afternoon, pls what are the recipes measurement for making 4kg flour of puff puff.
Hi Bukola! This recipe is for about 440 grams of flour. Multiply the measurements by 8 and that should give you an estimate of what you would use.
Am a big fan of puff-puff, am trying out this recipe out
You will love this! Let me know how it works out for you!
Thank you for sharing this.
I’ve been looking for a nice recipe like this. Thank God I found this.
Glad you did. Enjoy!
I’ve been using this recipe for 2 years now, and it’s always such a hit! I only found this because a few years ago I was opening my fast at a masjid and an older lady passed me these puff puffs, they were still warm and so so delicious. While praying I was thinking I needed to speak to this lady and get that recipe, but I couldnt find her after we prayed! So I went home, with these delicious donuts on my mind and started Google searching for the recipe through all I could remember, such as fried dough balls and I found this recipe!! Thank you so much for posting this amazing recipe!
Hi Rabeea! I love love the backstory to you finding this recipe :)! Thank you for sharing it with me. And I am so glad you love this recipe!
Absolutely great recipe! I tried it today and it was a bomb! Thank you so much
Thanks, Ubi 🙂 !
I tried this today and it was an instant hit with my family. Your recipe was so easy to follow and the result was delicious. Thanks very much.
This puff-puff is an all-time favorite in my house! I am so glad it was a hit with your family. Thanks for the feedback, Eugenia :)!
Hello! I’ve tried to change the ingredients to metric ( grams ) but I can’t find where to change it anymore and I don’t understand cups ( sorry ) can you please help me .? ( English is not my first language, sorry for any spelling mistakes )
Hi Marta,
I have converted it in grams and updated recipe. Enjoy.
Thank you very much ❤️
I’m trying this out now…. Please can I add vanilla essence and pepper to it?
I just finished making the mixture. Just covered it now and waiting for 1-2 hours…. So I just hope you will give me a reply soon enough
This might be too late . You can add vanilla or pepper to it or pepper but not both.
Aww dat was nice
Thank you. I’m going to work on my 4th try ( it’s a hit) but how do I make my dough rise like yours
Hi Danica! To get your dough to rise perfectly, first make sure your yeast is not expired or stale.
Next, make sure the water you use to proof your yeast is not too hot, it should just be lukewarm if not it might denature the yeast.
Then make sure your dough is kept in a warm enough place for it to rise.
Hope this helps. Do let me know how it works out next time :).
I tried out your puffpuff recipe (my 3rd attempt at making puffpuff though tried other methods) and when I was done, I started singing “This girl is on fire!!!” Came out soft, succulent and yummy (added nutmeg)
My children LOVED it (they didnt love my other attempts!) And we are now officially no more in need of ordering puffpuff for anything
Thanks for sharing.
ha ha ha.. You are a blessing. Yes I love puff puff and its great to do during this ‘stay at home’ period because its relatively easy to find the few ingredients in your pantry and everyone has flour right :-)… I think I’m about to go make some. Thank you Chinedum
Thank you thank you thank you thank you. My first attempt and it was great. I’ll learn the scoop though. My son loves!!!!! It
You are very welcome, Danica 🙂 ! I am glad you loved it. It took me several tries to get the scoop right so don’t sweat it 🙂 .
thanks for this! Im from the Philippines and we love this recipe here! I added a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter and it tasted great
Hi imma ,
Would you mind doubling the recipe for me
Doubling you mean for twice the crowd.. Here you go. And note in the future when you are on the blog…Where it tells you the number of servings, you can click on the number of servings and increase it for an immediate interactive result. So if you increase the number of servings, the quantites will adjust accordingly. Enjoy!
Puff Puff — A very popular West African street food that’s quick and easy to make with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addicting!
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: African
Servings:
8
people
Calories: 397 kcal
Author: Immaculate Bites
Ingredients
4 cups + 1-2 tablespoons warm water (See notes)
4.5 teaspoon active dry yeast (1 packet)
7 cups flour
1- 1.5 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
Oil for deep frying
US Customary – Metric
How do you store these?
You can freeze and reheat in the oven at 300 Degrees F , until heated through.
Thanks Immaculate. For your recipes are just the best
Hello,
I am using the same cast iron that you have. Can you please tell me what number of heat you use on the stove ranging from 1-10?
Thank you.
Hello,
I use 5. Start at 6 and adjust as I fry. If it’s browning too fast, reduce heat. Hope this helps.
How do I do the frying without too much of the dough sticking on my hand and dough absorbing too much oil wile frying? Oil/flour.. Rub hands with oil?
I know what you mean. There is no way around it, if you are using your hands You can use a spoon. If you can. However, the puff puff wouldn’t be as round
Grew up on puff puff as all Nigerians did and love your recipe. I have used your recipe for over a year now. Making some for my mom today to do a surprise drive by and drop. She has been a nurse for over 45 years and is still working at the bedside. I know she would just love some right about now. She worked overnight. Thanks for creating another memorable moment for us.
Please thank your mother for her selfless sacrifice during this period. How difficult a time this is. But we will pull through. Thank you!!!!
Hello Imma,
Just want to say thank you. Been using your recipes for a while now. You have the most accurate measurements.
The puff puff was great. I like it a little more thick and rich so I used half milk/half water and added an egg.
Turned out great
On the first try!
Thanks so much Ruth.
Hi Imma,
Tried this under lock down in Durban, South Africa and was a great treat!
My dropping skills still need some work though. I have strange and interesting shapes here 😀
Otherwise thank you
How large is one serving
About 3-4 puff puff.
How many grams is 1 cup please?
Its about 128 grams for 1 cup Dami. Hope this helps.
Pls which flour did you use plain or self raising. Thankyou
I used plain flour.
Pls which flour did you use plain or self raising. Thankyou