Pampoenkoekies (South African Pumpkin Fritters)
Pampoenkoekies, South African pumpkin fritters, are light, fluffy, and literally melt in your mouth. Drizzle them with caramel sauce for pure pumpkin heaven.
Ooh, this is soooo exciting. South African pumpkin fritters are the latest addition to my ever-growing list of deep-fried doughs. And in celebration of the fall season, I am very excited to share the recipe with you.
Why all the excitement? Well, let me count the ways… First of all, pumpkin and holiday spices are a really great combination. Second, because they are as light as air and literally melt in your mouth. And best of all, they’re quick and easy. You can start eating these bite-sized treats in under 20 minutes.
What Are Pampoenkoekies?
This traditional Afrikaans fritter is served at breakfast, as a snack, dessert, or side dish, depending on how it’s made. They are a little bit savory, a little bit sweet, and a lot of delight.
In my recipe, I pureed freshly baked pumpkin because we had leftovers and I wanted to put them to good use. However, canned pumpkin tastes equally good and is a whole lot easier to put together. Then you mix in the dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and spices, and fry them up.
The optional caramel sauce is worth making, but you can also roll them in cinnamon sugar. They’re your fritters, so you decide. Now, let’s get to it before fall turns into winter; I promise you won’t regret it.
How to Make Pampoenkoekies
- Mix the batter ingredients, heat the oil, and fry them up.
- Make the caramel sauce, drizzle, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Test the oil temperature with a small spoonful of batter. It should sizzle and float immediately.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying so the oil temperature stays stable for even browning.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make the batter up to 48 hours ahead and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to fry. Let the batter come back to room temperature, heat the oil, then fry as usual. Fritters are crispiest fresh, but you can keep them warm for 2-3 hours in a low (200℉/90℃) oven.
Cool leftovers completely, then store them layered with parchment paper in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer. You’ll want to wait for the toppings and sauces until ready to serve so they don’t get sticky. Reheating in an air fryer and oven both work great for crisping them back up.
What to Pair With South African Pumpkin Fritters
A pot of coffee or ginger tea is usually brewing while we fry these pampoenkoekies up. They also go great with orange marmalade. Teriyaki salmon, light salad, and roasted carrots create a healthy menu that makes the fritters more guilt-free.
More Amazing South African Recipes to Enjoy
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”reL0vJCK” upload-date=”2019-09-18T08:05:24.000Z” name=”Pumpkin Fritters” description=”Pampoenkoekies – These South African pumpkin fritters are light , fluffy and literally melts in your mouth. Drizzled with caramel sauce and your are in pumpkin heaven.”]
This blog post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Pampoenkoekies Recipe
Ingredients
Pumpkin Fritters
- 1 cup (230g) pumpkin puree or mashed pumpkin
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 2 tablespoons (12-13g) sugar
- ¼ cup (60g) milk
- ½ teaspoon (2g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (2g) freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon (1-2g) salt
- 1 large egg
- oil for deep-frying
Caramel Glaze
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45g) water
- ¾ cup (180g) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (40g) light corn syrup
Instructions
Fritters
- Combine all the ingredients: mashed pumpkin, flour, baking powder, sugar, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and egg in a large bowl. Stir until everything has been fully combined.
- Pour vegetable oil into a saucepan until it’s at least 3 inches (or about 8 centimeters) deep. If the oil isn’t deep enough, the fritters will flatten slightly. Heat over medium heat until the oil is 350℉ (180℃).
- The dough will be sticky and light. Grab a little bit of mixture with your hands or scoop it up with a spoon, and gently drop it into the oil. Repeat until all the batter is used up. You’ll probably need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels to soak up excess oil.
- If desired, roll the hot fritters in cinnamon sugar or drizzle them with the caramel glaze.
Caramel Glaze
- Stir the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan until well combined.
- Heat over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes; how long depends on your stove. Swirl the saucepan if you feel the sides are getting browned too quickly. Do not stir it, as it will cause crystallization. Wipe the splatters down with a brush as the sugar caramelizes to a brown color for better flavor and even cooking.
- Lower the heat, and gently add the cream and butter. It will sputter, so be careful. Stir the mixture to a smooth consistency, remove it from the heat, and let it cool.
- Serve with or drizzle it over the fritters.
Tips & Notes:
- For thicker, more concentrated pumpkin puree, bake the pumpkin. If using steamed or boiled pumpkin, you may want to simmer the puree to thicken it and concentrate the flavor.
- An immersion blender or blender is useful for a smoother puree. Keep mashing and mixing until there are no lumps.
- Avoid overmixing for a lighter batter.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I am trying to make this…but how do you make the pumpkin puree?
Hi Rahma. You can buy a canned puree (make sure it’s puree and not pumpkin pie filling) in a grocery store. Or you can bake pumpkin (steaming also works but it will be wetter), then mash it with a potato masher or puree it in a blender.
Can these be served with savoury meats, as a side? I’ve been looking for this specific side dish that’s served with savoury meats, I don’t know the name. I tried it at a wedding ages ago, it was fluffy, in syrup and soft. Does anyone know please?
Yes it can be, we had it served with our Christmas lunch. Super divine
Yes, for sure
Amazing. I’ve been looking for a recipe for pumpkin fritters for years and after several disasters (with other recipes); finally one thats good! A couple of notes; it would be nice to have a picture of the batter texture (e.g. of it dropping off a spoon). My pumpkin mash was a little wet so I added less milk; I have a feeling it would have been too runny if I’d added the full amount. It is possible to cook them in just a couple of cm of oil if you don’t want to waste too much oil, but you have to make sure you don’t make them too big and do cook them for a few minutes on each side or they can land up raw in the middle.
Thank you for the tip, Tam. Fritters are definitely something that is personal and requires a bit of playing with so I’m glad you found what works for you 🙂
Delish! Light and fluffy. Not too sweet. Thanks!
Glad you like it! Thanks for dropping by.
I made these in high school, now as I’m older and out of the country these are definately missed. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Annika! Glad I could be of help. Hope they taste as good as the ones in high school. Happy Cooking!!
Thankyou!!!!These were amazing!Ive tried them twice now…delish!!!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know.
I am excited to make these for a special Halloween treat! I will be taking them to a mid day event. My question is…do they store well overnight?
I do reheat them in the oven and it tastes ok. But would never serve it to guests. Same day is best!
They were delicious. I just cannot get it so round! Hand does not work, desert spoon, ice scream spoon…nada
Eventually I tried to use pray a cook on the spoon every time I spooned dough in, so that the dough does not stick to the spoon – but they were still all other forms but the ones in your photo’s!
How?
I use my fingers . Grab a little at a time and squeeze the batter through my hands. I use the same technique in puff puff and it has a photo if you want to take a look.
Where were you twenty years ago? (Probably in first grade.). I fell in love with African and Caribbean cooking during my naval career, but never had the courage to try doing it myself. You have given me hope that I might possibly make edible injera and klako one day. Thank you so much. I started out looking for an oxtail stew recipe and found a whole world of wonderful dishes to try. You have made an old woman very happy.
My pleasure! So Glad you are here! It is never too late… You are going to have a blast. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. Do let me know how it all works out for you. Happy Cooking!!!
Hi I would like to know do you use the cup of sugar for the batter or for the caramel sauce?
For the caramel sauce.
Made these this afternoon after a failed batch out of a well known cook book. Yours are Awesome Thank you
Aww thanks Liza!
Made these this afternoon and it is delicious!! I have made the ones with cinnamon sugar but have not made these for years until I saw your recipe;)
Thanks !
Thanks Angeline, glad you decided to give it a try.
Made these this weekend and they were DELICIOUS. Thanks
Glad you liked it.
Thanks for posting a Southern African recipe. These little treats look very tasty.
Nagi, you definitely would eat the whole thing . It goes well with tea.
oh my gosh! Look how perfectly round and gorgeous they are!! I’m so amazed they cook so smooth and round. Just like the banana fritters you posted! It’s afternoon tea time here in Sydney, I would go nuts if I had these in front of me!