I fry my Nigerian puff puff until the outside is deep golden and the inside stays soft and airy, never dense or doughy. The sticky, yeasted batter gets a hint of nutmeg, rises for an hour, then gets squeezed through your fingers straight into hot oil for round, bouncy balls.
The puff puff recipe I tested my way into
When I first met my husband, Bankole, puff puff was the only Nigerian dish I could eat at family and friend gatherings. So I started making it at home, and kept testing until I got it right. If you haven’t had it, puff puff is a lightly sweet ball of fried yeast dough.
The name comes from Nigeria, and you’ll find versions all over West and Central Africa, like bofrot in Ghana and beignets in Cameroon.
Getting it right came down to two things. The batter has to be loose and stretchy, too wet to knead and too thick to pour. And it has to fully double before any of it touches the oil. Get those two right and the puffs come out light every time.
It’s also vegan as written. There are no eggs or milk in my batter, just flour, sugar, yeast, warm water, and a little nutmeg and vanilla.
The puff puff ingredients that matter
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Active dry yeast has to be alive, so I always proof it in the sugared warm water first. If there’s no foamy, puffed cap after 8 to 10 minutes, toss it and open a fresh packet.
- Warm water between 100 and 110°F wakes the yeast up without killing it. I start with ¾ cup and add more 2 tablespoons at a time, because not every bag of flour drinks the same amount.
- Ground nutmeg gives puff puff its warm, familiar flavor. A quarter teaspoon is enough to taste it in every bite.
- Sugar keeps them lightly sweet, so they work plain or rolled in powdered sugar. It also feeds the yeast.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt is what I measure with. If you have Morton or table salt, use half as much.
Shruthi’s Top Tips
How to get puff puff round, light, and not greasy
These are the things that took me the most rounds to figure out.
- Wet your hand or spoon before every single scoop. With dry hands, the batter sticks to you instead of dropping into the oil.
- Use a deep, heavy pot with 2 to 3 inches of oil. The balls need room to float and roll, and that’s what makes them round. A shallow skillet gives you flat, lopsided puffs.
- Keep the oil at 350°F and fry 5 or 6 at a time. Oil that’s too cool makes them greasy, and oil that’s too hot browns the outside before the middle cooks.
- Don’t stir the batter once it has risen. Scoop gently from the top of the bowl so the air stays in.
How to make Nigerian puff puff
- Whisk the sugar into the warm water, sprinkle the yeast over the top, and wait 8 to 10 minutes for a foamy, puffed cap.
- Whisk the flour, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and vanilla, and stir into a thick, sticky batter that stretches when you pull the spoon away.
- Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled, smooth, and bubbly on top.
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 350°F. A small drop of batter should sizzle and float right away.
- Wet your hand, grab a small handful of batter, and squeeze a ball out between your thumb and index finger into the oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden all over.
- Drain on paper towels and keep going with the rest of the batter. Eat warm.
How to serve Nigerian puff puff
I serve puff puff warm, piled in a bowl lined with paper towels, and let everyone grab them. It’s party food, so I put it out with the rest of the spread, next to a pot of Nigerian jollof rice and a tray of vegan Nigerian fried rice.
For a sit-down dinner, they work as dessert after a bowl of West African peanut stew or vegan efo riro. Kids love them plain. For a crowd, fry them right before people arrive, or keep frying batches as they come in.
Variations
- Roll the warm puffs in powdered sugar.
- Drizzle them with honey. Skip the honey to keep them vegan.
Soft and Round Nigerian Puff Puff
Equipment
- Dutch oven or heavy deep pot
- Slotted spoon
- Deep-fry thermometer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water, 100 to 110°F, plus 2 to 4 tablespoons more as needed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, Diamond Crystal
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Neutral oil, for deep-frying (2 to 3 inches in the pot)
Instructions
For the batter
- Whisk the sugar into ¾ cup warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit 8 to 10 minutes, until foamy with a puffed cap. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is dead, so start over with fresh yeast.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, and salt.
- Pour in the yeast mixture and vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon into a thick, sticky, stretchy batter, too wet to knead and too thick to pour. It should cling to the spoon and stretch when pulled. If it looks like stiff dough, add more warm water 2 tablespoons at a time until it loosens.
- Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled, smooth, and bubbly on top.
To fry
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of neutral oil in a deep, heavy pot to 350°F. Test with a small piece of batter. It should sizzle and float right away.
- Dip your hand in a bowl of cold water before every scoop. Grab a small handful of batter and squeeze a ball out through the gap between your thumb and index finger into the oil, or drop rounded tablespoons from a wet spoon. Fry 5 or 6 at a time.
- Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown all over. They mostly turn themselves, so just nudge them with a slotted spoon if needed.
- Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter, scooping gently from the top of the bowl without stirring.
- Serve warm, plain, rolled in powdered sugar, or drizzled with honey.
Notes
- Let the batter fully double. Under-risen batter fries up dense and doughy.
- Re-wet your hand or spoon before every scoop so the batter drops into the oil instead of sticking to you.
- Deep oil in a proper pot, not a shallow skillet, gives the round shape.
- Using Morton or table salt, use half the amount. Skip the honey to keep them vegan.
- Puff puff is best eaten within an hour of frying. It doesn’t hold well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
