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
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In a large bowl add the warm water, evaporated milk, salt, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add egg mix.
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Then add 3 ½ cups flour, cardamom, nutmeg, grated coconut and continue mixing by hands or in a stand mixer .
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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.
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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.
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Roll out dough in to 1 inch thick. Cut in bite size
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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.
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Fry until golden brown about 3-5 minutes depending on size. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper napkin. serve warm
wooow thanx for the recipe. I followed it step by step n it came out perfect. doubting Thomases pliz try it works.gudozzzz imma
Glad you liked it Beatrice!
how can i make hard mini mandazi?
Reduce the butter, or eliminate completely
There is no mention of butter in the recipe so how would one eliminate it? Ours is in the oven for the last hour and not rising as expected.
Sorry to hear about that. I can’t really tell what might be the culprit. Check measurements and yeast. This recipe does not include butter . If you want the baked version check it out here https://www.africanbites.com/baked-soft-mandazi/
Or knead much longer than you usually would, makes what’s cooked of any dough that much harder, more ‘chewy’ if I may. That way you don’t have to lose the nice taste butter adds to Immaculate’s great recipe.
Thanks for for taking the time to chime in.
Hello,
I would like to make the mandazi for the next day so I just have to fry the next day. Can I mix everything and keep it overnight and if yes, where can I put it (fridge, outside) and for how long would be the max.
Yes, you can! Make it then cut and place in a single layer on a baking pan/sheet. Cover and store for about 24hours in the fridge. That’s the maximum amount of time I have tried. When ready to fry remove, let it rest for about 30 minutes then fry.
If I mix everything and leave overnight,does it have to be in the fridge and does it need to be cut in pieces ? Can I cover and leave in warm place?
Looking forward to making these tomorrow ☺
Yes, it does have to be in the fridge to prevent over-fermentation.Outside will yield a strong yeasty flavor .But you can make it, let it rise first and then refrigerate. Remove and cut the day off.
OMG!! I might as well say bye bye to my waistline. My new guilty pleasure :-)I used half plain flour and half wholemeal and they turned out great. Thank you for the recipe.
You and I both Catherine! So love these Mandazi! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Great recipe! I used coconut milk and added some finely flaked coconut along with flour. I am making them for a Kenyan friend and I think she’ll like them!
She definitely will.You are an Awesome friend.
Thanks Immaculate for the recipe……i will try and see if my Mandazi becomes softer…Thank you.
Hi Conniey! This will definitely help! Please let me know how it works for you. Thanks
lovely…
Immaculate thanks for the recipe,I really like mandazi and i wll try out these. so i need help with some words,mostly what is evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk is milk that is more concentrated, usually sold in cans. You can sub with with regular milk.
thanks 4the recipe girl. I tried ’em out n they r amazing!
Glad you liked it Doreen!
Hi,
Thanks a for good practical you have made to me you will see results soon
Hi..i was wondering what to replace for eggs?as i dont eat eggs
replace with 1/4 cup yogurt, tofu or ground flax seeds.
hi , i have tried this and i have like them,
it’s awesome.
Thanks Elizabeth!
Made this for chrismas n my son loves them …he is 15 months now!
Hi Lolita! So glad to hear and thanks for sharing!
my gals and I love this mandazis, best recipe ever!!! Thanks a million….
Aww thanks Diana. Glad it was a hit with the gals
I made these and they were very delicious! What a treat! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thanks for the feedback!!
I tried it is very delicious.
God bless the work of my hands
Thank you! Glad you liked it.
Just tried this recipe and I loved it. My wife is from south sudan and I Just Scored a lot of points with her. Thank You
Hi Morten! Yay!!! For scoring points with Wifey. That’s the way to do it!
Hello. Glad to read your recipe. I plan to start a mandazi business and I find the recipe quite appealing. With the ingredients, will I really make a profit, if a make sizes for 10/-? How about their shelf life? Plz, advise.
Hi Ishmael, would love to be of help but unfortunately am not the right person you should be asking . I only make this for friends and family. It’s best severed warm. Doesn’t taste too good the next day.
Hi Immaculate, thanks soo much for the recipe. I have tried for years to cook Mandazi
But they are always too hard. I tried your recipe but the problem is the measurements… I never understand what does one cup flour is equal to? Coz cups are of different sizes. Do you have it in Ml? Your Mandazi’s looks yummy!!
Hi Betty! I always use standard measuring cups in all my recipes. One cup flour equals 4.5 ounce or 125 grams. Flour is best measured in gram or ounce. I think the reason why looks are too hard is the flour ratio. Hope this help. Please let me know how it works out. Thanks.
I tried this recipe. I loved them, they turned out perfect and they are very soft too
Thanks Marion! It is always good to know when a recipe works well.
Hello immaculate, l love your recipes. Kindly assist me. How do l make my mandazi not to be oily after deep frying? Thanks
Hi Debrah! If you fry your mandazi at a lower temperature they’ll absorb too much oil in the process and turn oily . So make sure you keep it at a consistent temperature.
How many pieces, about, does this make, estimated? I need enough for 15 people, but it doesn’t need to be full portions. How many batches do you suggest I make?
By this I mean sampling amounts- three or four pieces each.
It makes about 25- 30 mini mandazis -It all depends on what else you are serving , if there are other heavy dishes then just make 2 batches. Please let me know how it works for you . THanks
Tried the recipe awesome but next time I’ll reduce the sugar not so much of a sweet teeth.I used 3tsp baking powder instead of yeast turned out ok
Hi Linda! Thanks for the feedback-so glad this worked out well for you!
Hi Immaculate:
This recipe looks great. Am going to try it and will let you know how it turned out. Read a couple of recipes and they suggest to let it rise again after rolling and cutting and than frying them. What is the difference if i did do that although it will take more time. Also if I added only 1/2 tsp Nutmeg and the other 1/2 tsp use the Cinnamon with the icing sugar to coat the Mandazi, will it give a strong taste or will taste better.
Thanks will be waiting for your reply before trying the recipe.
Hi Mumtaz, letting the dough rise twice makes for better texture and adds flavor. Though I hardly notice with this dough. You should experiment and see if it is worth the extra time. Your spice suggestion is great! I think it would enhance the recipe. Let me know how it works for you!
Hi, which is better to use evaporated milk or coconut milk? I do not have coconut flakes, can I use desiccated coconut instead? Thank you so much!
Hi Sumayah. I would say evaporated milk because it is more concentrated. Yes, you can. Let me know how it works for you. Thanks
If one is to replace yeast with baking powder, how much of it should be used in this recipe?
You should use about 3 teaspoons- Check out this quick mandazi here that uses baking powder http://africanbites.com/?p=12706
Is it possible to make this without the egg?
Yes, replace egg with extra liquid (1-2 tablespoons of oil, coconut milk, or butter)
Thanks. I love this recipe. I went to supermarket to buy the ingridients but forgot eggs. And as i looked through this page. I found the question of cooking without eggs.
Oh no. Do let me know how it works out .
I have made these twice and they are fantastic. Love this recipe! Thanks 🙂
Hi, thanks for the feedback, it is always great to hear when a recipe works out well .
Love it love it’ thank you for the great and simple recipe to follow
AWESOME! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
These are just WONDERFUL! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi Susan, thanks for the feedback! So happy to hear you really did enjoy them.
Hi, Immaculate, i really really need help with this fabulous recipe, i made a moment ago and was kinda sad..it is hard on the outside like crunchy…but cooked inside, that small problem, could you please help?? Thanks!!
Reya, what temp are you using to fry the mandazi? It should be on 350 degrees.F Try reducing the temp and see how it goes.
yes, the temperature was fine, is it maybe because of i added a little flour for dusting, or do you know any other reason why any type of fried dough would become hard on outside? That would help thanks!!
Hi Immaculate – would love to try these over the weekend. There are a few missing instructions (#7, 8, 12). Please check? Thanks!
I checked it out and have updated recipe. Thanks. Let me know how it works for you!
Fantastic, thank you! Looking forward to it 🙂
i love this recipe…i must try i out
Oscar you must try it . I just can never seem to get enough of it!
I just luv your recipes. Keep up the good work
These are truly the BEST mandazi that I have ever tried . They quickly disappear.
Awww thanks. I know what you mean… I really crave this daily.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe! I loved it and shared it in my blog. http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2014/10/meet-mandazi.html
Hi Mary, how long do these last? I have to do an event and I was wandering if I have to do them on that day or if the night before will suffice?
Emma, I did some the day before and the same day in my trial run (warming the ones from the day before in the oven). I could not tell the difference so, for the event, I did them the day before…worked great!
Hi Mary thanks for the recipe am going to try it this weekend.
Lizz, let me know how it turns out!
I’ve made this a couple of times…really good. I eat this in place of store bought bread.
I keep forgetting to tell you that it went great, they were a hit! They also warmed up very well in the oven (in a covered casserole) , in case anyone wonders. Thanks!
I linked the recipe on my FB page too.
Thanks again Mary.
I just did a “trial run” by halving the recipe…OH MY GOODNESS they are good! 😉
I did notice that the egg wasn’t mentioned in the first mix of ingredients. I just put it in with the milk (coconut) etc. I left out the shaved coconut since I used the coconut milk. The 1/2 recipe actually made about 32 but I made them small. Can’t wait to share and we’ll have a copy of the recipe with your website cited.
Super excited you liked it Mary. Thank you so much for the feedback . You don’t know how much I appreciate you spreading the word. Thanks again.
Thanks, it’s on May 4th. There will be other E. African foods to sample as well.
About how many does this recipe make (planning an event and need to have a basic estimate)
Mary, my rough estimate would be about 25-30 bite-size pieces and can feed about 5- 6 people.(I start eating this as soon as it comes out of the fryer- watch yourself!) Let me know how it works out for you. Thanks for stopping by!
thank you for the recipe it has really helped me
Your pictures “how make it” in single recipes is the best part and makes everythings so easy. I’m not scare any more cooking. Thanks.
Ursa, Kapsztad.
They look incredible, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee I would imagine!! Thanks for the recipe!
All you have to say is yeast, cardamom, and coconut and I am IN!! 3 cheers for fried dough this week right Immaculate?? 🙂
Right. It is a fried dough week Karen. You know what? It is a fried dough week every week for me . Shhhhh don’t tell anyone.
Beautiful presentation! Excited to try it.
Thanks Jayda. You will love it!!!!!
Hey, i’m from Kenya. These are actually called Mahamri. They’re slightly different from mandazis. Mahamris are made with yeast while mandazis use baking powder.
Thanks for sharing your insights Ciru!