Puff Puff — A very popular West African street food that’s quick and easy to make with different variations. Dangerously delicious and addicting!
As a child, I would often watch in amazement how the women selling the puffs would grab the mixture with the tip of their fingers, place it in the palm of their hands, and drop the mixture in oil.
I was fascinated by this process and would go home and practice this act with any mixture I had on hand. But it never came out as proportional or as visually appealing as the women did it. After years of practice as an adult, I think I can proudly say that I finally got the hang of it.
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Puff Puff?
Most West African countries are familiar with the popular street food Puff-Puff, which is known by different names depending on the country. Ghanaians call it Bofrot (togbei), and Cameroonians and Nigerians call it Puff-Puff (Puff) or beignet in French. The basic ingredient consists of flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt, and oil for deep frying.
It is an easy and quick recipe to make with different variations. This recipe is the one I have been making for years and the one that takes me back to my hometown. It brings back memories of late-night snacking on the street.
Recipe Ingredients
Trust me when I say that cooking these puff puffs is as mesmerizing as it is tasty. The best part about this treat is that it only needs a handful of ingredients. You might already have these in your pantry:
- Flour – This pantry must-have isn’t just for baking. It’s also great for many savory dishes.
- Yeast – This is basically the life of the recipe as it makes the dough rise for an airy, fluffy texture.
- Warm Water – An essential part of making any dough. It’s the basis for forming our treat. It’s important to have just the right warmth. If the water is too hot, it kills the yeast. If too cold, the yeast has a hard time rising.
- Sugar – Common table sugar you can easily find in any grocery store gives this recipe a slight sweetness and feeds the yeast for a good rise.
- Cooking Oil – The necessary ingredient for deep frying the puff puffs.
How to Make Puff Puff
- Activate the yeast: Mix salt, water, sugar, and yeast. Set it aside for 5 minutes (Photo 1)
- Make the dough: Add flour and mix (Photo 2)
- Rest and Rise: Let the mixture rise for approximately 1-2 hours (Photos 3-5)
- Pre-heat the oil: In a large saucepan, pour vegetable oil into a pot until it’s about 3 inches (or 5 centimeters ) high (too little will result into flatter balls), and place in low heat
- Check the heat: Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the batter will stay at the bottom instead of rising to the top.
- Fry the puff puff:
- Hand Method: Using your hands, grab a little bit of mixture at a time and drop it into the oil. (See photo 6)
- Spoon Method: When the oil is hot enough, use a spoon to dish up the batter and another spoon or spatula to drop it in the oil. Sort of in the shape of a ball.
- Check the doneness: Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown (Photo 7)
- Flip the puff puff: Turn the ball over for a few minutes until the underside is golden brown. (Photo 8)
- Remove from oil: Use a large spoon or a slotted spoon to take it out of the oil. I usually place them on napkins right away to soak up some of the excess oil.
- Coat the puff puff: If desired, you can roll up the finished products in table sugar or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Serving Suggestions
Puff-puff is usually eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish. Regardless of when you eat them, they are enjoyable with or without a side dish. A must-have for me – pepper sauce.
The beauty of puff puffs is that you can eat them sweet or savory. They’re a great snack, appetizer, or dessert. I often eat it as a snack or appetizer. My son definitely loves it as a simple dessert with just a bit of powdered sugar. Another great dessert/snack is homemade bon bons. Yum!
If you’re craving more, then these recipes from my list of African snacks and appetizers should help you feel satisfied.
Tips and Tricks for Making Puff Puff
- Soft puff puff: For a softer puff puff, add about 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find it a little bit hard after it stays out.
- Crunchy, not soggy: Do not overcrowd the frying pan; it will absorb excess oil and sometimes make it soggy.
- Hold the salt: You may cut back on the salt if you are watching your salt intake; about 1 teaspoon will do.
- Preheat the stove: If your house is too cold, turn on the stove for about 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the puff puff rise next to it. Or heat up the oven, turn it off when hot, and wait until it cools down. If you want it warm but not hot, then let it rise in the oven. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.
- Use a spoon instead to scoop the dough into the oil if you do not want to use your hands. It still tastes delicious!
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with additional tips.
Puff Puff
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (+1-2 tablespoons (475ml) warm water (See notes)
- 2¼ teaspoon (7g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3½ cups (420g) flour
- ½-¾ cup (100-150g) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (8-9g) salt
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix salt, sugar, water, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Add flour and mix.
- Let the mixture rise for approximately 1-2 hours.
- In a large saucepan, pour vegetable oil into a pot until it's at least 3 inches (about 5cm) deep and heat on low. Too little oil will result in flatter balls.
- Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If it is not hot enough, the batter stays at the pot's bottom rather than rising to the top.
- When the oil is hot enough, grab a little bit of the mixture with your hands or use a spoon to get a small ball of dough. Drop it carefully into the oil.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown.
- Turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Use a large spoon or something like that to take it out of the oil. I usually place them on napkins immediately to soak up the excess oil.
- If desired, you can roll the finished product in table sugar or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Tips & Notes:
- Soft puff puff: For a softer puff puff, add about 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find it a little bit hard after it stays out.
- Crunchy, not soggy: Do not overcrowd the frying pan, as the puff puffs will absorb excess oil and sometimes get soggy.
- Hold the salt: You may cut back on the salt if you are watching your salt intake. About 1 teaspoon of salt will do.
- Preheat the stove: If your house is too cold, turn on the stove for about 2-3 minutes until warm. Then turn it off and let the puff puff rise next to it. Or place your dough in the cold oven and put a pan full of hot water under it. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Regualr says
Thanks for this easy and perfect recipe.
Please how can I safe batter for the next day
Amina says
Hi Regualr,
Yes, you should be able to save batter for a couple of days in the fridge. Though it may not have quite the same texture.
Stay tuned and let me know if you need to know anything else.
Chiamaka Nwoye says
This recipe was absolutely AMAZING. I’m Nigerian and grew up on these so being able to recreate this has me feeling so great. On top of that all my fiends loved this as well! The recipe is so easy to follow
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Chiamaka! Love to hear that!
Ross Thompson says
Made this for breakfast this morning. ½ batch was a generous breakfast for two, delicious with coffee. My internet searching suggested that 360°F would be a good oil temperature, and that seemed to work pretty well.
ImmaculateBites says
This is always a hit here in our house! Glad you liked it!
Sarah says
I have eaten these made by others before, yesterday i was really craving them and decided to look for a receipt. This is the first one I came across. Read all the reviews and tips and i must agree. The best ever.not oily at all, risen well and perfect texture. Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
You’re welcome! This is also one of the favorites! Always a hit!
Priscilla Okike says
I tried this repcipe and i love it and have continued to make the deep fried doughnuts using this recipee
Yewande says
Hi! I’m planning on making this with gluten-free flour. Is there anything different I should do? I’ve only ever made it with regular flour. Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
You can use gluten free flour the same way as the all purpose flour, Yewande. 🙂
Zak says
I like this recipe a lot. Have been using it ever since my first attempt. Absolutely delicious!
Ann w says
Why does mine comes out uncooked soggy inside??
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Ann! It became soggy because it absorbed the oil during frying. This happens when you overcrowd the frying pan with the puff puff dough, the thing is you need to keep the frying oil hot to properly cook the puff puff, and cooking them all at once cool down the oil’s temperature and resulted in a soggy puff puff. Try to fry them in batches the next time you make it. 🙂
linda says
thank you
Grace says
Pls do you have YouTube channel ? Lovely recipe.
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Grace! Here is my YT Channel – Immaculate Bites
Michael says
Made this for wife, and she loved it so much. Easy to follow recipe and simple to prepare. It was my first time, the results were astonishing. I’m making this again as I type this review.
Thanks Immaculate Bites
Next up: African Pepper Sauce
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Michael. I’m happy to know your wife loved it. Regards to you and your wife. Enjoy my other recipes! 🙂
Naomi says
Delicious!
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Naomi! 🙂
Tee says
How do l keep them fresh after a day?
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Tee! You can keep them up to a month Frozen. Place in a single layer on parchment paper and freeze . Once puff puff is firm remove and place in sealable or Ziploc bags .
When ready to eat remove place on linked cook sheet or aluminum foil paper and reheat at 300 degrees F , until puff puff is heated through . Remove and serve immediately.
Elodie says
À la fin de la vidéo, vous les mangez avec de la sauce tomate pimentée ? Ça se mange soit version salée en accompagnement (comme des beignets de pommes de terre), soit sucré en dessert ou goûter (comme des beignets au sucre), c’est ça ? Merci.
Immaculate Bites says
You are right, Elodie 🙂 Either way is okay. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!
Mawah Bryant says
My son loves this puff puff so much. Thank you.
Immaculate Bites says
Yay! Thank you!