Banana Puff Puff
Experience soft and chewy banana puff puff, a tasty African comfort food! Sweet, melt-in-your-mouth bites that are ideal for a soul-satisfying snack or breakfast.
I don’t know of a single West African, myself included, who doesn’t dig puff-puff. It’s the quintessential African snack, plus it’s cheap and filling. When you’re at home in your own country, there are some foods that may not feel incredibly important because they’re shared with everyone around you. Not to mention the fact that it is available at every street corner imaginable, at any time of the day, morning, afternoon, night, and in between.
When we leave home, however, foods that seemed unimportant suddenly take on an importance they never had before. And until you can enjoy them again, you never feel satiated.
These deep-fried dough balls have been one of those foods for me. While I try not to crave puff puff too much, truth be told, I made these almost every weekend before my blogging days. Fortunately, I have a little more self-control now because it started as a breakfast food, and before I knew it, I was having them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What Bananas Do for Puff Puff
My only gripe with plain puff puff is that I can get bored with it. Let‘s just say I am one of those adventurous foodies who has to try different flavors. If you’re like me and want to shake things up a little, here is a puff puff recipe that you can make with bananas and a jolt from nutmeg. Chewy, soft, and quite tasty too!
How to Make Banana Puff Puff
- Mash the bananas, grate in the fresh nutmeg, then add the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour.
- Mix well, then cover and let it rise for an hour or two. Heat the oil in a large pan, and fry spoonfuls of dough until golden brown, flipping halfway through so both sides cook. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- How long the batter takes to rise will depend on the weather. If your kitchen temperature is on the chilly side, put it in the oven (without turning it on), then put a bowl of hot water underneath it. That should help speed up the yeast activity.
- Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- An instant-read thermometer is handy to make sure the oil is at the right temperature. Too cool, and the puff puffs will be greasy. Too hot, and the outside will burn before the inside cooks.
Perfect Pairings for Puff Puff
While plain puff puff goes great with African pepper sauce, the banana version loves being with chocolate sauce, caramel, and Nutella. Of course, a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk is always welcome.
More Delectable Puff Puff Recipes to Try
If you are a puff puff fanatic, rejoice! I have 6 different varieties, with more to come.
- Regular Puff Puff
- Chocolate Puff Puff
- Accra Cassava
- Whole Wheat Banana Accra
- Coconut Puff Puff
- No Yeast Puff Puff
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”habgNYrD” upload-date=”2019-05-07T08:04:10.000Z” name=”Banana Puff Puff” description=”Banana Puff Puff – soft and chewy banana puff puff – quite tasty too!”]
This blog post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Banana Puff Puff
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas, mashed (about 1¼ cups)
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) grated nutmeg
- 1 cup (236ml) warm water
- 2¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ¼-½ cup (50-100g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Grate in the nutmeg, then add the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and flour. Stir well, and set the batter in a warm area and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Pour at least 3 inches (or 8 centimeters) of oil into a large saucepan. Too little oil will result in flatter puff puff. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 375℉ (190℃).
- The dough will be sticky, so use your hands to grab a little bit at a time and drop it in the oil, or use one spoon to scoop up the batter, and another one (or a spatula) to push it in the oil, sort of in the shape of a ball. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown. Then, turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Use a large slotted spoon or something similar to remove them from the oil. Drain on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Tips & Notes:
- Any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point will work for frying.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the ingredients used in the recipe.
I had to come back to leave a comment. They are so so good. My children can’t get enough, they are so good.
Hi Kemi, love hearing that, thanks for sharing the love
Hello Imma,
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
Please in this recipe how many puffs is equivalent to one serving?
Hi Diri.
This will depend on the size of the puff puff. About 5-7 puff puffs
Can I use the air fryer instead of frying them?
Hi Vina. Sorry I haven’t adapted this particular recipe for air frying yet.
Can I use bake soda instead of dry yeast. It will be same the result?
I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure.
I would use about a tablespoon of baking powder because there’s not enough acid in the recipe to activate baking soda. Of course, you could add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the mashed bananas, then add a scant teaspoon of baking soda to the dry ingredients. No need to let the dough rise, just go ahead and make the balls and fry them up.
Hope that helps, and please let me know how it goes.
I’m proudly African, so happy to enjoy this easy & yummy home grown thanks for sharing, I will try most certainly love cooking & love my family this is gonna be favorite like how easy the recipe is. Hope to see more African yumminess.
Thank you, Anne. We are all proud and a source of motivation for each other. I am trying to bring more African cultural recipes to document every aroma and taste of our home culture:)
Just tried this recipe today!!! Love it!!
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, pls can I blend the banana instead of mashing it?
Yes you sure can.
Hi, please what kind of sauce did you use to eat the banana puff puff in the video? Thanks
Hello Gee! The sauce is African pepper sauce. Enjoy!
Can you freeze batter? Or is it better to fry and then freeze them?
It’s best to fry, let it cool and freeze. Reheat in the oven at 300℉ until heated through.
I just made this and I had to hurry back to drop a 5star rating and comment. The sweetness was balanced for me at 80g and the banana flavor will blow you mind. You cannot stop at one, this will awaken your taste buds. Delish ❤
Hi can I omit the yeast?
Yes you can. However, you have to use a rising agent – like baking powder. If not your puff puff would be tough.
Thank you. Also wanted to ask how do u keep the ball shapes. As I have attempted many times and mine it starts to spread whilst in the oil and then I also notice little holes which takes in oil. I have even tried two teaspoons but I never manage to get it round or expand so much that it has a tail end . Please can u advice. And also really love your recipes you are amazing thank u.
Thanks. I think your issue might be the oil. There is not enough oil in your fry pan. Make sure it is at least 3-4 inches deep. Hope this helps .