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 Mandzi – East African Doughnuts made with grated coconut, spiced with cardamon, nutmeg and fried to perfection.
- 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
- 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
I have tried several mandazi recipes and yours by far is the best! Thank you so much for sharing! This recipe is a keeper!
I love this recipe. My mandazi turned out very well. thanks Imma
thanks thy really worked for me even if I baked with out cardamom . BT how can thy star without being spoiled?
can i substitute the coconut milk/evaporated milk for normal milk? and leave out the coconut flakes totally? thanks
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.
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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.
I have updated recipe
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.
Can’t wait! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!
Am a Nigerian. What is cardamon?
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.
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.
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know . Glad to hear it worked out well
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?
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!!!
Best mandazi recipe ever thanks!
Thank you so much!!!
Hi dear
Can I make this dough 24 hours before frying? If not how early can I make it please
You sure can.
Refrigerate the mandazi after you have shaped it. Cover tightly for up to 24 hours. Let them sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes before frying . Hope this helps
Thanks a lot, will let you know tomorrow x
Just a suggestion – when proofing yeast, it’s generally a bad idea to put the salt in with it, since the salt will actually kill it! Better to let it proof in the warm water with sugar first, and add the salt later.
Hi Leesa! Thanks for the tip.
I made them and they were divine! Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
I love baking for sure thanks for all this.
Hi,
I’d like to try your recipe. I’ve made half-cake mandazi and am curious what the texture is of your mini mandazi. Are they cakey or more airy/hollow inside?
They are airy and definitely not Cakey
Thank you! I did try the recipe and they’re tasty. I found that I kept eating them! Mine were slightly chewy, which wasn’t a bad thing. Is that how they’re supposed to be?
Yes, they are slightly chewy…. Am craving these right now, it’s been a while…
Hello, is there something i could replace the coconut flakes in the recipe with? Google suggested dried cranberries or nuts, but im not sure how that will affect the flavor
Hi !Make it without coconut flakes. If you can’t use it. Cranberries will definitely affect flavor profile .
okay, i must confess- i went ahead and made them with cranberries before i got your reply >< next time, i will try to make them without cranberries or coconut, for comparison, but i loved these as well ^^
Awesome! Glad it worked out well for you.
What? I couldn’t believe this until I tried and mhhh the result was awesome my bowl was empty in 10 minutes and we were only 5 pple around thanks Imma for the recipe.
My Pleasure!!!
Where is your shop please? I want to buy mandazi. I am in Glasgow city
Sorry I do not have a shop.
Just made a batch of these for a guest from Tanzania tonight – they turned out delicious!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
AWESOME! Thanks for the feedback!!!
Hi can you mix the dough and leave it overnight to rise?
No, I would lest it rise first . Then shape and freeze. When ready to make. Bring to room temperature and fry.
Thanks for the receip. I would like to have the receip of Bagiya and daddies
Sorry as of now I do not have those recipes.
Hopfuly l will make it concs
We made these for my daughter’s geography fair tonight–my daughter chose Kenya. While many others has displays that were works of art, her food was by far the best! Thanks for a great, easy recipe!
AWESOME! Who cares about works of art anyways. It’s all about how food taste. So happy to hear this. And thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Wow! i just tried to do it,but my mandazi is not soft at all,What can be the reason
Probably the measurements and/ or yeast. Did it double before you fried them? If this happens again then add about a tablespoon of butter and go from there. Hope this helps
Thax am gonna try it out
Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Thanks Immaculate for the recipe……how can i make my Mandazi becomes softer…Thank you.