Soft Mini Mandzi – East African doughnuts made with grated coconut, spiced with cardamon, nutmeg, and fried to perfection. 
So I guess it is no secret that I love fried dough, you can tell by all puff-puffs, and doughnuts that I have featured here on this blog. Not to talk of this other Mandazi featured here. I am SUPER excited to present this one – Soft Mini Mandazi. Man, you are going to love this! 
Mandazi is a slightly sweet East African Street Food; spicy, airy yeast doughnut made with coconut milk, flavored with cardamom and grated fresh coconut/coconut flakes 
It can be made with yeast or baking powder. However, I love the depth of flavor that yeast adds to this dough, so my first choice is yeast; unless you need a quick fix – then replace the yeast with baking powder and let it rest for 10 minutes before frying. 
Trust me. I have been reading your comments and emails about mandazi and a lot of your complains have been about them being too tough or stringy after a while. Folks, rejoice, because this is not! They are bite size, tender and AMAZINGLY good. Don’t believe me? Make it and see for yourself. Before you make these addictive bites, here are some tips to keep in mind before you proceed.
Make sure the water is not too hot. You don’t want it warmer than body temp. In order for your mandazi to be fluffy, it has to double in size; be patient with it (it might take longer for some days depending on weather and the internal temperature of your kitchen). If your mandazi does not rise in an hour, try turning on the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Then, turn it off and let the dough rise in the oven.
If all else fails, mix rapid rise yeast into the dough and knead it. You may switch out evaporated milk with coconut milk. It is best to use freshly ground cardamom for this recipe; you get a hint of crushed seeds as you bite into the dough for an enjoyable experience.
Watch How to Make It
Soft Mini Mandazi
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) warm water
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- Evaporated milk (5 ounce , 147ml can) or ¾ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup , (100 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all purpose flour (435- 500 grams)
- ¼ cup grated coconut or coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon crushed cardamom spice
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar to sprinkle
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the warm water, evaporated milk, salt, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add egg mix.
- Then add 3 ½ cups flour, cardamom, nutmeg, grated coconut and continue mixing by hands or in a stand mixer .
- Turn dough on a lightly floured surface, knead dough until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated and the dough is not too sticky, when touched, gradually add the remaining flour if you need to, err on the side of less flour than more flour. Mix dough until smooth about 1 -2 minutes.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover Loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled.
- Roll out dough in to 1 inch thick. Cut in bite size
- In a large, sauce pan pour vegetable oil, until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high (too little will result in flatter mandazi and place on medium heat until oil is 350 degrees.
- Fry until golden brown about 3-5 minutes depending on size. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper napkin. serve warm
Nutrition Information:
Wendy Brooks says
I will be fixing these for Christmas to share some of my favorite East African finger foods with my family. I travel each year to Kenya and I want my family here in the states to love African cuisine as much as I do.
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Paul says
What if i want to make more mandazis….. Can i double the recipes?
Immaculate Bites says
Yes you can, Paul 🙂
Amira says
I have tried several mandazi recipes and yours by far is the best! Thank you so much for sharing! This recipe is a keeper!
Grace Nthiana says
I love this recipe. My mandazi turned out very well. thanks Imma
samuel says
thanks thy really worked for me even if I baked with out cardamom . BT how can thy star without being spoiled?
naz says
can i substitute the coconut milk/evaporated milk for normal milk? and leave out the coconut flakes totally? thanks
imma africanbites says
Yes, you can. Please check out this link for more info on substituting evaporated milk >>> https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/evaporated-milk-substitute/ . And yes you can leave out the coconut flakes.
Rose says
Add more recipes for more delicious meals
Flavoured says
Mmmh, wonna try this but what are the grams(for solids) and litres(for liquids) equivalents of the recipe amounts? Cups and spoons come in various sizes.
ImmaculateBites says
I have updated recipe
Rose says
thanks for the recipe. i hv just baked them ready to prepare them for family. will update you on how sweet they are. happy xmas and happy new year.
ImmaculateBites says
Can’t wait! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!
Olaitan Toyin says
Am a Nigerian. What is cardamon?
ImmaculateBites says
Cardamon is a fragrant spice that is used in cooking. It has a very pungent aroma . Sub with your favorite spice or omit and use nutmeg instead.
Nicole says
Very tasty! I needed something for my son’s international food fair to represent Kenya and while I love all the Kenyan stews, they don’t serve up well in a pre-school picnic setting. These were a hit. Thanks for the recipe.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know . Glad to hear it worked out well
Nia-Lael Wangia says
I am planning on making this for my 13th birthday party as a party favor. What do you think would go well with mandazi? Would M&Ms be ok?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Nia! I would go with some sort of sweet dip like chocolate or caramel. If you can’t… then throw in some M&M
Wishing you all the best on your Birthday!!!
Grace says
Best mandazi recipe ever thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you so much!!!