Homemade plantain puff puff are delectable treats that taste slightly sweet with a hint of warm spice--and you only need a few simple ingredients! Learn how to make Nigerian style drop donut for your new favorite dessert, appetizer or snack.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my Nigerian fried plantain and southern banana fritters recipe, too!
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What is puff puff?
Puff puff is the Nigerian name for a fried doughnut type street food popular across West Africa. Each country has their own variation and different versions of puff puff actually exist in different regions of the continent beyond the west. Yeast or baking powder are used to make these delightful dough balls "puff" up similar to a beignet and they can be sweet, neutral or even savory.
Puff puff is a pastry street food but also a popular appetizer at gatherings, where it's often served alongside Nigerian scotch eggs, meat pies, and chin chin.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple Ingredients -With just eight every day ingredients you can make plantain puff puff at home anytime.
Customizable - Take this recipe for plantain puff puff and add different sweeteners and spices to make it your own! This version is just right for snacking, in my opinion.
You can also serve puff puff sweet or savory sauce or go spicy with pepper sauce.
As a Nigerian-American (omo Yoruba), I LOVE making my cultural recipes at home like spaghetti jollof, ewa riro, and efo elegusi. And don't forget ofio drink or zobo tea to wash everything down!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Overripe Plantain is ideal for making naturally sweet puff puff because of the concentrated sugar content--similar to using up bananas you forgot about for banana bread! Look for plantains with lots of black spots and skin that is thin and dry feeling.
These nearly spoilt plantain are also just right for making dodo! This post also has all my tips for picking the perfect plantain to fry from the supermarket.
Instant Yeast makes this a relatively quick recipe to execute and you will only need warm water to activate it.
Sea Salt and Nutmeg help round out the flavor profile. I recommend fine sea salt for the best results.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Oil - Grape seed oil or avocado oil are my go-tos for frying puff puff but they are definitely pricier than vegetable oil, which is more commonly used. Whatever you opt for, make sure to use an oil with a smoke point of at least 370 degrees.
Sweetener - Coconut sugar is great in this recipe because it's just sweet enough to complement the sugar in the plantains without overdoing it. Feel free to use whichever sweetener you like in this recipe, including granulated and liquid options. Just note that liquid sweetener should be blended in with the plantain in the steps below rather than the flour.
Plantain - I developed this recipe using very ripe/overripe plantain, however you can use less ripe plantain if you want a more neutral or savory tasting puff puff. Note that you'll likely need to add use more liquid to create the plantain puree.
How to Prepare Plantain Puff Puff
Step One: Add the yeast to warm water to activate it and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, and coconut sugar. (Photos 1 and 2)
Step Two: Peel the plantains and grind the fruit in a blender or food processor until a smooth puree forms. (Photo 3)
Step Three: Pour the plantain puree into the yeast and water mixture and stir until just combined. (Photo 4)
Step Four: Add the flour mixture to the plantain mixture and stir until combined. (Photo 5)
Step Five: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let sit for about one hour or until in roughly doubles in size. (Photo 6)
Pro Tip #1: The plantain puree should have the consistency of a thick juice (like mango juice) or a thin syrup. Add a splash of water to the puree to thin it out, if needed.
Pro Tip #2: Add the flour mix to the plantain and yeast about half a cup at a time, stirring well between each addition.
Step Six: Heat oil in a medium size pan to 350 degrees. I use and recommend this three quart fry pan for even cooking without having to use too much oil. (Photo 7)
Step Seven: Gently press the air out of the puff puff dough then scoop out a piece of dough and carefully drop into the oil to fry. Repeat about five times per batch. (Photo 8)
Step Eight: Fry the puff puff for about three minutes per side or until golden brown all around. Place on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil. (Photos 9 and 10)
Pro Tip #3: When ready for frying, the oil will have a shimmering appearance at the surface, as if it's moving slightly. Use a food thermometer for the most accuracy in measuring the oil's temperature.
Pro Tip #4: With time, you can master scooping puff puff dough with your hands and squeezing out perfectly round balls but it's also OK to use a spoon when first starting out! As you can see, my puff puff are not perfect yet BUT they taste fantastic.
Pro Tip #5: I recommend using tongs or a slotted spoon to easily flip the puff puff when it's time to fry the other side and to remove from the pan when done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Puff puff is really the best on the first day but can be kept overnight at room temperature and reheated the next day.
Store fried puff puff in an airtight container in the refrigerator for five to seven days.
To freeze puff puff, spread them out on a parchment lined pan and stick in the freezer for about three hours or until frozen through. This keeps them from sticking together in a big block. Transfer to an airtight container or zipper seal bag and store in freezer for up to one month.
More Favorite Nigerian Recipes
Now that you know how to make overripe plantain puff puff, I hope you'll enjoy soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this easy African donut recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Ripe Plantain Puff Puff
Equipment
- 1 kitchen spoon or silicone spatula
- 1 Blender or food processor
- 1 fry pan
- 1 slotted spoon or tongs
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- ¾ cup warm water divided
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 overripe plantains
- 32 ounces grape seed oil
Instructions
- Line a dish with paper towel and set aside. Add instant yeast to ½ cup warm water and set aside.
- Whisk together flour, coconut sugar, fine sea salt, and nutmeg.
- Peel plantains and add to blender then pulse until a smooth puree forms. Add remaining ¼ cup warm water, if needed, to thin it out.
- Pour plantain puree into yeast and water mixture and stir until just combined.
- Add flour mixture to plantain and yeast mixture about ½ cup at a time, stirring well between each addition, to form a sticky dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about one hour or until the dough doubles in size.
- Fill saucepan about three inches deep with grape seed oil and heat to 350 degrees farenheit over medium flame. The surface of the oil should have a shimmering appearance like it's moving slightly.
- Press air out of puff puff dough then scoop out about ¼ cup of batter and gently drop into the heated oil. Add three to four more balls into the oil and fry until golden brown (about three minutes per side).
- Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the fried puff puff from the pan to the paper towel lined dish to absorb excess oil. Repeat frying process until all dough is used.
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