Puff-puff
Nigerian yeasted dough balls, deep-fried until golden and chewy, sold hot in paper bags on every corner.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 35 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Puff-puff is a loose yeast batter of flour, sugar, water and a little nutmeg, left to rise until bubbly, then scooped by hand into hot oil. The balls puff, roll themselves over, and come out golden outside and stretchy inside. There is no kneading and no shaping. The batter should be thicker than pancake batter and looser than bread dough, so that a handful squeezed through your fist drops cleanly. They are eaten plain, dusted with sugar, or dipped in pepper sauce.
What you'll need
7 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Wheat flour, plain500 g
- Yeast, fast-action dried7 g
- Sugar100 g
- Salt4.9 ml
- Nutmeg, freshly grated2½ ml
- Water, lukewarm450 ml
- Neutral oil, for deep-frying1 l
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Pour in the lukewarm water and stir with your hand or a spoon into a smooth, thick, sticky batter with no dry lumps.
5 min
Step 2
Cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled and full of bubbles, about an hour.
60 min
Tip: On a cold day, put the bowl in the oven with just the light on.
Step 3
Heat 6 cm of oil in a deep pot to 170 °C. A pea of batter should sizzle and rise in a couple of seconds without browning instantly.
8 min170°C
Step 4
Wet your hand. Grab a handful of batter and squeeze it up through your fist so a ball the size of a walnut forms between thumb and forefinger. Scrape it off with your thumb into the oil. Repeat, 8 or so at a time.
3 min
Watch: Keep your hand close to the oil surface so the batter drops rather than splashes.
Step 5
Fry, turning with a spider, until deep golden all over, about 4 minutes per batch. They often flip themselves. Drain on paper.
15 min
Step 6
Eat warm, plain or rolled in sugar. They go flat and chewy within a few hours, so make what you will eat.
1 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 208 kcal
- Protein
- 1.8 g
- Carbs
- 16.2 g
- Fat
- 15.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fibre
- 0.5 g
- Sugar
- 3.4 g
- Sodium
- 95 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Water → Half water, half warm milk
Softer crumb, browner crust. Not vegan.
Tips
- If the balls come out raw inside and dark outside, the oil is too hot. Drop it 10 degrees.
- A small ice cream scoop gives neater balls than the fist method, but the fist is traditional and faster once you have the knack.
History & culture
Puff-puff is sold from street stalls and bus stops morning and evening, scooped into paper bags for a few naira, and appears on every Nigerian party table as a small chop alongside chin-chin, samosas and spring rolls. Children learn to make it before anything else. It is cheap, fast and feeds a crowd, which is why it never goes out of fashion.
Fried yeast doughs exist across West Africa under different names: bofrot in Ghana, mikate in Congo, beignets in Cameroon and Senegal. The Nigerian name is English and the dish spread with the trading towns of the early twentieth century, when imported wheat flour became an everyday ingredient in coastal cities.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Puff-puff take?
1 hr 35 min all in — 10 min prep, 25 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 30 pieces. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Dutch oven, Spider or strainer.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much sugar?
100 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Water → Half water, half warm milk. Softer crumb, browner crust. Not vegan.
What should I watch for?
Keep your hand close to the oil surface so the batter drops rather than splashes.
Any tips from this recipe?
If the balls come out raw inside and dark outside, the oil is too hot. Drop it 10 degrees. A small ice cream scoop gives neater balls than the fist method, but the fist is traditional and faster once you have the knack.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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