Nigerian Puff Puff with Pepper

Indulge in this delicious Nigerian Puff Puff with Pepper. They are pillowy soft, sweet with a hint of pepper. Make them with seven ingredients and serve as an appetizer or side.

This Nigerian Puff Puff with Pepper recipe is foolproof! Puff puffs are a popular Nigerian snack similar to doughnuts. They are fried balls of dough. They're a soft finger food with a golden crust and a sweet interior. This scrumptious snack is a popular favorite!

If you like this tasty African side you'll also enjoy this Nigerian Meat Pie Recipe, Easy Nigerian Puff Puff, Fried Yam with Pepper Sauce (Dundun) and Best Crème Brûlée Donuts.

Why This Recipe Works

• These puff puffs are a combination of sweet flavors from the nutmeg and sugar along with a soft and pillowy centre.
• These homemade, vegetarian, versatile, and utterly delicious puff puffs make great quick snacks for a busy day.
• Serve these puff puffs buffet-style with Easy Nigerian Jollof Rice, Oven-Baked Moin Moin, Authentic Nigerian Fried Rice and Nigerian Chicken Gizzard Stew.
• Double or triple the recipe to feed more people.

Ingredients

This recipe uses easy-to-find ingredients that can be bought from a local store if you don't already have them in your pantry. Read the Recipe Card for the measurements.

• Yeast: I have used dry active yeast that needs to be activated. You may use instant yeast as well. Make sure to activate it with warm water. Too much yeast may spoil the taste of puff puffs so be mindful. 
• Warm water: Adding warm water to yeast is an important step. Not hot water as it will not activate the yeast.
• Flour: You may use all-purpose flour, wheat flour or gf flour for making these puff puffs. The wheat and gf flour are usually denser than the APF and may need more water for a smooth batter.
• Ground chili pepper: is the star ingredient of this recipe. It adds an earthy, spicy and subtle flavor to puff puffs. You may add any chili powder as a substitute.
• Nutmeg: adds a nice aroma and nutty flavor. If you don't have nutmeg, you may add ground mace or Garam Masala.
• Sugar: is added to the yeast mixture and it adds a mildly sweet flavor to these savory snacks.
• Salt: Table salt works well for this recipe.
• Vegetable Oil: Any good vegetable oil or sunflower oil works well. Since I deep-fried the puff puff, I avoided using olive oil. 

Tips and Substitutions

• Fry: Deep frying ensures that the puff puff takes a round shape. Avoid frying the dough for too long as they will burn. Do not overcrowd the saucepan as the puff puff may stick together or undercook.
• Texture: If your puff puffs come out too hard or chewy, you may add a couple of tablespoons of water to the batter.
• Water: Ensure that the water used to activate the yeast is lukewarm and not hot. If the water is too hot the yeast will not be activated.
• Dough: Overmixing the dough may result in hard puff puffs. 
• Oil: Don't add the batter to cold or warm oil. If you do the puff puffs will scatter and not have a round shape. Make sure that the oil is heated enough. You may test it by adding a drop of batter first. If it rises to the top, the oil is heated sufficiently for deep frying.

How to Make Nigerian Puff Puff with Pepper

1. Start by adding warm water to a mixing bowl. Next, add salt, sugar, and active dry yeast and mix.

2. Then, whisk these ingredients together so the yeast is dissolved. Let everything sit for 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to activate. You should see some bubbles forming on the surface of the water. That's a good sign--your yeast is alive and hungry!

3. After you have activated the yeast, it's time to make the batter. First, add flour, a bit of nutmeg, and ground pepper to the mixing bowl. Stir everything together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough here, as it can result in tough puff puff, and no one wants that!

4. At this point, your puff puff batter should look a lot like pancake batter. Put the mixture aside to rest with a clean cloth over the top of the bowl. Then, let the batter rise for 1-2 hours. Keep it in a warm place for the most active rise.

Frying

5. Once the batter has risen, lay some paper towels in a bowl and set aside.

6. Next, heat up some vegetable oil in a deep pot. You should have enough oil to cover all of the puff puffs that you add to it.

7. Then, use one hand to scoop a ½ handful of the puff-puff batter mixture and squeeze it gently into the heated oil. You don't want to drop the dough ball from too far away, as it can cause the oil to splatter. Add only as many as will comfortably fit in the pot without sticking together or bumping into each other.

8. Next, fry the puff puff with pepper until brown on all sides, using a spoon to roll the balls around for even cooking. Finally, use a slotted spoon to remove the fried puff puff to a paper towel-lined bowl. Repeat with the remaining puff puff batter.

9. Enjoy this mouth-watering puff puff with pepper as a snack or appetizer.

Recipe FAQs

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