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
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.
Clara says
ABSOULUTELY DELICIOUS! Hands down the best puff puff EVER!! Slightly crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Made it to for a party ( tripled the recipe ) AND it was gone in minutes. Everyone kept asking for more. Thanks for sharing!!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Clara, you are making me hungry. Would definitely love some puff puff right now! Thank you for the RAVE reviews- I really appreciate it!
Jacqui says
I am attempting to make this now and I am so glad that I have stumbled across your site it is so refreshing and well thought out. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
THank you Jacqui! That is so nice of you to say about my blog. Always let me know what you make – I love hearing about it.
eyi juliana taku says
oh yes, you are fantastic, you are the best food and nutritionist, i made my own puff-puff following you recipe it was great. more grace to your talent.
happy new year and prosperous years to come
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks oh! And Happy New Year to you too!!!
Mosun says
Hi, just want to say this recipe is the best. Tried so many before and decided to try a different one and am I glad I did or what. Thanks so much puffpuff came out perfect !!! All gone within few minutes. Always used to have leftovers but not this batch perfect making tomorrow again for our next visitors 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Mosun, Perfect? Wow! Thanks for the feedback. Glad your family enjoyed it as much as mine do. Happy Holidays!
Essodonda says
so can you instant yeast or would that not work
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, you can use instant yeast.
Fatima says
I have tried recipes from other food blogs and this one heats the spot- DELICIOUS. Thanks for such a great recipe . Keep up the good work.
Naome Abu says
Hi I visited a Nigerian friend and I ate puff puff I loved them. I asked for the recipe and she told but she was in a hurry. So I searched and came to or website I want to try and see because I tried and it came out hard I don’t know why? Again I didn’t use yeast instead I used baking powder so I don’t know if it was the cause? Plse let me know if its not right.
ImmaculateBites says
Naome, I think the problem is the baking powder. If you want puff puff without yeast check out this recipe here. If not, you would have to use yeast and let it rise in order for your puff puff to be tender.
MissT1806 says
Omg!!! Since discovering this recipe I have made it 3times … It’s been a success each time! I’m on Instagram and posted and so many people wanted the recipe! Wish you had an Instagram acct to link to! With all your pictures people will go crazy lol (just a thought
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the feedback. I need to really get going with Instagram…good to hear this is a hit with you. Thanks again for spreading the word.
BamendaGirl says
mg…Perfect recipe. Thank u so much.!!! I’ve had numerous failed attempts at making puff puff, until now. They came out perfectly.
Grace says
Me too It’s never too late to learn
Nullacia says
Do you think it would work with whole wheat flour and splenda for a slightly healthier version?
ImmaculateBites says
I have used splenda before but used only half the amount.Using 100% whole wheat flour will make it dense. But it will definitely work. Let me know how it works for you. THanks.
kwame says
so u think splendia would work on a blessed african food ok thx
Ego says
Thanks Imma for your great recipes. I used half whole wheat and half all purpose flour and it worked perfectly. You could not tell the difference. BTW, this the best puff puff recipe ever.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you so much Ego. I don’t take this comment lightly -so appreciate the feedback!
Jane says
Have a question, I want to make the puf pufs, but have seen two different versons on making them,, one called for bread flour, and your calls for plain flour, what would the differenc in the out come of the puff puffs be. between plain flour and bread flour
ImmaculateBites says
Jane , I have tried it with bread flour and it is a little chewy and doughy.Some people like it that way-I prefer plain flour.Others say, there is hardly any difference between the two. Personal preference I guess.Let me know which one you like best. Thanks!
Maria says
Hi Immaculate,
If I wanted to triple the recipe would I leave it to rise for 1-2 hours or would I need to triple the time? Also, same goes for the quantity of yeast?
ImmaculateBites says
Maria, triple all the ingredients. However, you have to adjust for thickness with more liquid or flour. The rising time stays the same.
kwame says
plz tell me what kind of flour?
Sarah says
I used unbleached all purpose flour
seye says
I really like your site , really helpful. Pls I want to know the estimated amount a 50kg bag of flour can make
ImmaculateBites says
Seye , I have never made puff puff with 50kg bag of flour so I can’t really give you an accurate estimate.
Sonia says
I meant to tap the 5 star button but instead tapped 2. Definitely a 5 star recipe.