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Nigerian Puff Puff: Your Questions Answered

In the video below, I try to answer all the questions I have been getting about making Nigerian Puff Puff. It also serves as an update to the Puff Puff video.

If you have more questions, please leave them below in the comments. Find the written recipe here.

Click here for more Nigerian Snacks recipes.

Enjoy!


Comments

  1. u are also promoting cooking of Nigerian foods

  2. Mrs Dorothy Gonsalves says

    Thank you very much for showing us how to cook Puff Puff which my-children enjoyed eating when we lived in Lagos, Nigeria for 13 years and bought the Puff Puff from a woman who used to pass by our house. We also used to enjoy the Meat stew, Okra and Egusi with Yam and Gari, chicken and fish stews and plantain

    Could you please send us some of your Nigerian food and tell us where we can go to your Restaurant or a Nigerian Restaurant close to our address: …

    Dorothy

    • Awww Dorothy, I’m glad you have great food memories of Nigerian food! I do not have a Nigerian restaurant anywhere but I share how I prepare these meals right here on my website and on my Nigerian food channel on Youtube so you can watch me prepare these. Use the links on the left to view written recipes by category.
      You can make all these delicious meals in the comfort of your home and Nigerian food ingredients are quite easy to find in the UK.
      Enjoy!

      *I edited out your address for your protection. πŸ™‚

  3. Prince Audu says

    Good day Sir/Ma,
    I by name Prince Audu from Kogi state of Nigerian, iam very greatful for your initiative which has help many young guys even some couple to greater level of coocking may God bless you.
    I want to use this medium to request of your help that apart from this vidio can you please show us those steps so that we can use our phone to learn them. If possible send me some of those steps like stew, spagheti, jollof, egusi, ogbono, puff puff, bounse etc i am very very greatful as you do so.

    Thanks yours
    Prince Audu.

  4. u guys are doing a great job, well done

  5. afrochic says

    Hey Flo. Looove ur website. Big thumbs up! I tried the Ukpo Ogede (plantain moi-moi-) recipe. It din’t come out good. It came out horrible. I ended up wasting my precious plantains and ingredients. Worse still, the whole house went to bed without dinner that night. I did follow the instructions exactly, but something must have been wrong. What tips do you have for me as i’d like to try it out soon again. Pls reply. Thanks and keep posting authentic naija recipes for us amateur chefs.

    • Afrochic I’m so sad to read about your experience with Plantain Moi Moi. When you say horrible, are you referring to the taste or the texture?

      If your Plantain Moi Moi was too soft, it means you did not add some flour to it. You must add plantain flour to it to give the overripe plantains some weight. If you added flour, which flour did you use? Plantain flour is the best flour to use but as a last resort, you can add corn flour (the one used in making alibo).

      If it was the taste, what exactly did it taste like?

      I am happy you are ready to try again, please do so with a small quantity of overripe plantains till you are happy with the outcome. πŸ™‚

  6. flo wat country do u recise

  7. Good Morning My name is Flo as well..lol

    I had puff [puff for the first time today one of our doctors is from Nigeria and a family friend made it for the children and there so much left over he brought it to work…lol…I am so glad that he did…I am not officially hooked…

    It accomanied by a red sauce that was alittle spicy but not overly..he did not know what the sauce was he just called it dip…can you tell me what the sauce is and how to make it…

    • Awww hey Flo! πŸ˜‰

      Slightly spicy red sauce? We don’t normally eat Puff Puff with a sauce, just a chilled drink and/or tiny fried fish. That may be any red sauce that goes well with doughnuts. Was it possible to tell the ingredients that the sauce was made with? This will help me guess which sauce it is, if it is Nigerian.

      Don’t worry, by the time you eat Puff Puff a second time, you will be hooked! I’ll be here waiting for your confession. :)xx

      • I am now totally hooked is what I meant to say…lol Total typo…lol

        I am not sure what it is made of honestly…it could be tomato based due to the color..it was red smooth like if you bleneded salsa and it was slightly spicy, when it was heated some oil did come out of it while it was warmed..i can not identify anyting other than that…sorry…i guess i will never know…her friend will not share the recipe with her either…lol

        • Hehe Flo, so you’ve not even eaten it a second time and the confession is already here?? πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€ I’ve been there many times namesake, when just one letter completely changes the game!

          If it’s tomato sauce and spicy, it’s probably our red stew with beef and/or chicken. It’s the only sauce that will generate that amount of oil when hot. If yes, then this would be the first time I’ve heard about someone eating Puff Puff with it. But if you enjoyed it, why not?
          Here’s the recipe: https://www.allnigerianrecipes.com/stews/beef-and-chicken-stew.html

        • Hi,

          My mom makes a red sauce with her puff puff, she learned it from a friend in cameroon. The ingredients are fresh tomatoes, tatashe, ginger (enough so you can taste), onion, habenero peppers, maggi and a little sugar so its slightly sweet. Its really delicious, its made like stew.

  8. ok

  9. pls like my page on facebook succygold facts about african food

  10. i like it okay my baby

  11. Hi
    I just want to say a big thank you.i just got married and never been enjoy cooking cause I was always flying around the world. Just moved over to the states and with your website I’m enjoy all the new meals I make.thank you and God bless

    • You are welcome Emy. God bless you too!

      • Aunty Flo… I tried to do buns and it was a mess, the outside burnt and the inside was still wet. Please help.

        Eeehhmm, I wanted to ask, is it a must to use butter, egg and milk to do buns.?
        Same question applies to chin chin.

        Because you see different recipes with different ingredients, some will skip a particular ingredient entirely. Your friends will be like why didn’t you add this or why did you use this.

        Are those one’s optional?

        Again, aside baking powder, Is there any other ingredient that’s mandatory to use in making buns.
        Biko I need help.πŸ˜•πŸ˜•πŸ˜”πŸ˜”πŸ˜”πŸ™πŸ™
        Thanks in addy. *Winks*

        • The heat was too high that’s why the outside burnt and the inside was still raw. Here’s my buns recipe: https://www.allnigerianrecipes.com/snacks/nigerian-buns/ You’ll see the ingredients I use there. The most important thing is to at the end of the day, get tasty buns (or anything you are making). If you can make tasty buns with two ingredients, go ahead. Don’t worry about those that ask such questions because your tasty results will be proof that it works.

  12. showunmi Abiola says

    Dear sir/ ma,
    pls in ur puff puff recipe u wrote 250gramms nd lukewarm water. pls i need the actual cups. I mean the 250gram equals hw many cups nd pls i neef a specified cup of water to use.
    lastly ma/ sir, the yeast does it make d puff puff fluffy inside

    • Showunmi yes, yeast is what makes the puff puff fluffy inside, without it, the snack will not be Puff Puff.

      Whenever you see a measurement in grams or kilograms, you can use Google to convert it to cups. In this case, just go to Google and type “250g in cups”, press enter/search and Google will give you the answer. I don’t state the measurements in cups in my recipes because it is confusing for those who live in Nigeria as we use different types of measuring cups (cigar cups and de rica cups) in Nigeria.

      Add about 300 milliliters (Google for conversions) of lukewarm water. Also, watch the video to see the consistency of my puff puff mix and use it as a guide.

      Hope these help.

  13. I am so proud of you, sharing God’s given gift with us. I enjoy every bit of it. I made pizza yesterday, though it didn’t turn out perfect but i know practice brings about perfection. God bless you and yours.

  14. Hi

    I’ve cooked a few of your recipes and enjoyed it. I am also promoting a more positive Africa to young people in the UK. Is it ok to add stuff from your website unto my website so people can have access to more resources

    Well done Sis

    Cheers

    Ral

  15. Hi sis flo.d last puff puff I made has the shape of akara even though I bliev the oil was enough. Wat could have gone wrong? Please really need to know cos I love puff puff a lot.winks

    • Hope, it is the yeast that makes the puff puff rise/expand to make a near perfect ball during frying. So make sure your yeast is active, ok? To check if it is active, mix a small quantity of the yeast with a small quantity of hot water. If it foams, then it is active.
      Try again and let me know how it goes. I love Puff Puff too. *wink!

  16. Good day sis floor.just finished making my puff puff and to tell you the truth, I was wowed! It came out perfectly. My kids are already giving themselves a treat. I'm happy thanks to you. GOD BLESS YOU.

    • I’m so glad to read this success story Hope! You went from flat Puff Puffs to perfect ones in 1 day. That’s a feat and you should be proud! Well done dear. God bless you too.

  17. Can i use self raising flour? My friend also suggested using an egg is this ok?

    • Doyinsola the only self raising flour you can use for Nigerian Puff Puff is pizza flour. When you use pizza flour, no need to add yeast because pizza flour already contains yeast. In fact when I use pizza flour, I mix it with plain flour to dilute the yeast because the yeast content of pizza flour can be overpowering.

      Eggs are not added to the classic Puff Puff, it is not necessary.

  18. Betty
    Thank you! I’m an American who’s enjoying cooking meat pie’s and puff puff! My friend is from lago’s, he was shocked that I were able to follow your teaching and instruction to the point! I, majored in food and nutrition. He can’t stop asking for more pie’s and puff’s!!

  19. Hello Flo
    I just tried your nigerian cake recipe and boy did it come out perfect. It was airy,moist and rose perfectly. I didnt even want to cut it cos it looked so lovely.my kids loved it. Jst wanted to say thanks.

  20. U re book z quite expensive

    • Expensive is relative. It costs money to make a book. And since I published the book myself it costs even more. Unless a publisher takes over the publishing of the book, the price will remain so. I will not sell at a loss dear.

  21. Is it a must that nutmeg be added. Wat if nutmeg is not available

    • Daniela for me, it is a must ooo because without nutmeg it will not taste like the classic Puff Puff. It will have a flat taste like plain dough. Some people say they add cinnamon but I have not tried that. I wonder where you live in that nutmeg is not available, it is the most common seasoning that is available all over the world.

  22. Hi Flo,not really happy wit my puff puff turnout. Nt smooth,jst like akara balls. Wot could b wrong?. Is it dt d oil s too hot? Shld i reduce heat wen fryin

    • mmh … Lilian I think the culprit here is the yeast. It is either you did not add enough or the one you used is no longer active or both. It is the job of the yeast to blow up the batter like balloon when it hits the hot oil thereby making the puff puff smooth. If you added enough and the yeast you used is active then it’s more likely the oil is NOT hot enough. If the heat is too high, the puff puff will be smooth but what will happen is that the outside will burn before the inside is done.

      Also, make sure your batter has the correct consistency. If it is too watery, the puff puff will deflate when it cools down. Did you take a photo of what it looks like so I will be more specific about what may be the cause?

      • Aunty Flo… I tried your recipe and it turn out great, it looks so smooth and sweet but when you want to pick it up and eat it flattens as if there’s air inside or something.., I really want it a bit hard to hold but soft to eat, like that one they sell at roadsides πŸ™„πŸ™„. Or is that the way puff puff is naturally??

        Also I tried egg roll, but it was too watery that I couldn’t even wrap the egg inside the dough. It was something πŸ˜’πŸ˜’πŸ˜’πŸ˜’

  23. Hi, madam Flo. pls i will like you to show us how to make. igbabu oka or moi moi oka (corn moi moi ) thanks and God bless.

  24. Good day Flo, I followed d puff puff recipe it was nice. But I don’t no what went wrong I found out dt my puff puff was too oily n my fire was OK. Pls advice me. My customers complained about it.

    • Adeola Puff Puff is an oily snack but if yours is too oily and you say that your heat was ok, then I honestly do not know what else went wrong. If the oil was hot enough, it will shock the batter once it hits the oil and prevent too much oil from penetrating.

  25. mrs eze favour says

    My Lovely sister I really appreciate what u are doing for us, I tried t akara&pap and it came out nice, in fact my hubby was so happy a big thank you. Pls keep up the good work.

  26. You provided well-detailed recipe. And the comments here help too. I can’t wait to try.

  27. hello sis,
    please is it advisable to add egg and milk in making puff puff?
    thank you.

  28. Bodunde Mary says

    please ma what quantity of flour will I use to get two hundred pieces puff (big size)

    • Mary I get about 20 medium balls of Puff Puff from 200g of flour. For 200 pieces of that same size you will need 2kg of flour.
      I do not know how big you want yours but you need to be mindful of the size. If you make them too big, the inside will not be well done by the time the outside starts burning. Click here to see the size I am talking about.

  29. Olawunmi Hephzibah Fanegan says

    I just stumbled on your blog, while trying to Google on “Why my puff puff dough isn’t rising”. I am glad I really got some good reasons why the dough didn’t rise. I am so happy I discovered your blog, pls keep up the good work. Thanks and God bless!

  30. Can I use instant yeast for this recipe?

  31. Hi, please, I mistakenly used hot water for my puff puff instead of lukewarm water, any remedy please?

    • Hi Bola, I’m sorry I don’t know what it looks like after mixing with hot water. I would say cover it up and after 1 hour if it does not rise and have tiny bubbles that means it won’t puff when it hits the hot oil.

  32. Fantastic recipe!! Thanks so much. I followed the instructions and it came out perfect. My family loved it. I will definitely be making more.

  33. Thank God I stumbled on this post. I love puff-puff but whenever I try to make it, it turns out thick, even thicker than buns. My siblings call it ‘ROCKBUNS’. LOL. Now I know what to look out for most importantly, the yeast. Also, I noticed you were precise with the measurement. I will equally take note of that as well. Thanks so much.

  34. STEPHANIE says

    Pls Flo can you refrigerate an already mixed puff puff and fry the next day? Was ill suddenly and could not fry them… can they be fries the next day?

    • Stephanie refrigeration will dampen the effect of the yeast so it will not puff when you fry it. Yeast needs a warm place to be active. So sorry, get well soon.

  35. STEPHANIE says

    Pls Flo can you refrigerated an already mixed puff puff and fry the next day?

  36. Hello flo, my puff puff came out hard almost like bons, what could have gone wrong.

  37. What makes the back od puffpuff crispy? When i make mine and foiled it, it becomes soggy…can i add baking powder or corn flour ro make it crispy?

  38. Please, how many of this recipe will yield a full foil pan? Also which yeast did you use? Is it the instant or active dry? Thanks for all you do.

  39. Johnny Diakpomrere says

    This is amazing.
    I can’t believe following your recipe i was able to make my first puff puff…I’m Really glad to visit your site.
    You’ve helped me alot I must say.
    Thanks.
    Keep it up.

  40. Soft-Ajebo says

    My puffpuff was crispy and strong..
    I out enough yeast don’t know what went wrong

  41. Hello, my puff puff turned out really crispy instead of spongy. I followed the recipe to a T, used instant yeast and sifted my flour to make sure there’s no lumps. Do you know what could have caused it to turn out hard like that? Thanks and awaiting your reply

    • You probably did not use all purpose flour. Cake flour, gluten-free flour etc can cause the kind of crispiness you talk about.

  42. Hello Madam, my puff puff batter doesn’t ever rise, I’ve tried it lots of times, still the same result, please what could be the problem because it’s gotten really frustrating

  43. Please can I fry puff puff and leave overnight?

  44. Please my puff puff flattens when I put the batter in oil.what am i not doing well please help

  45. Okoyeuzu Gemma says

    I make a puff puff but didn’t turn out nice.
    First it has much oil
    Secondly I moulded it big after frying I noticed it was empty inside.
    Thirdly it wasn’t tasty.
    4. Please give you give me measurements to use for five 5 cups of flour.

  46. When frying puff puff, should I close the remaining batter

  47. Good evening maa….good job I must confess…I tried your recipe and it came out very nice… But I have some questions please
    The first attempt I made the puff was so strong and almost burnt
    The second came out very nice , round,taste nice, golden brown but i noticed the back of the Puff puff was crispy not soft at all and the inside of the Puff puff was very oily.please what could cause this? I want the normal soft Puff puff

    • Crisp not soft at all: did you use baking powder or yeast? Once you use yeast, the puff puff will be spongy. Also did you use the correct type of flour? If you live outside Nigeria, there are many types of flour and if you use the wrong one, the puff puff will not turn out well.
      Oily inside: the oil was not hot enough maybe?

  48. Hey flo!!! Please I dont know why my puff puff is crusty…I mean the back of the puff puff comes out hard anytime I fry it and its making all my hardwork in vain. What do i do??

    • Did you add baking powder instead of yeast? And did you use the correct flour for puff puff (all purpose flour or plain flour)? these are the two things that would make puff puff feel like buns.

  49. Pls I tried to make puff puff. I mixed the dough a bit early in the afternoon and placed it in my microwave. I was quite bush in the day and forgot about the puff mix. When I remembered the mix was very foamy, light and watery.. I had left it for about Y hrs or so..
    Pls what do I do

    • Microwave? I hope it is not turned on. Yes, you can put it in any enclosed space as long as it is not turned on. I guess you left it for too long and the yeast was too much for the quantity of flour that’s why it is very foamy and watery.

  50. Hello Ma… I tried making puff puff, it came out it a nice shape but it had a sour taste. Pls what could be the problem….. Also is there any easier method for scoping the batter into the oil lastly is there any problem if i leave the batter to sit for too long. Thanks☺️

  51. Can I mix my puff puff ingredients overnight and fry the next day?
    Is it also applicable for buns and egg roll??

    • Mix it at about midnight and fry early in the morning. At some point the yeast may deflate so it’s not good to leave it on for too long.

  52. Evelyn Karfe says

    I want to make puff puff for sell, the fear I have is, hope it won’t become hard (strong) after 3 days? And also what do I add to it to keep it soft? Thank you

    • You should not sell 2 days old not to talk of 3 days old Puff Puff, you’ll give people food poisoning. Fry only the quantity you can sell off in one day.

  53. very soon nigerias name will soon be heard everywhere for making delicious foods. WE ARE GOING THERE

  54. Oluwaseun Ohiokpehai says

    Hi flo,
    I noticed my puffpuff usually come house fine after frying. But as soon as it becomes cold… It is usually so dry. What can I do?

  55. Thanks for this!

    If I am supposed to make puff puff with 3kg of flour,what qty of yeast should I add.

  56. Hi can I put puff puff mix in the fridge and fry It in the morning

  57. Hi Flo,
    I enjoy all the meals you prepare. I have made a hobby of watching your videos on YouTube and I never get tired tthem. However, I have a problem. Made some puffpuff batter today and didn’t use it up. Wondering how to preserve the batter. Could you please recommend some tips? T for thanks.

  58. Thank you for the lectures on how to make and reserve snacks especially puff puff.

  59. What causes lumpy puff Bater cause I tried out mine for the first time and it was lumpy

  60. Can.puff Puff’s be made a day a head of time?

    • If you are selling it, no. But you can eat left over puff puff you made for yourself. It won’t look as good as freshly made ones though. It will look deflated and will be chewy.

  61. Emmanuella says

    Good day ma. Please I want to know why the puff I made got strong when it got cold

  62. mmmmmmmh says

    puff puff turns hard after cool down, i use all purpose flour and yeast
    can yeast be the problem

    • Maybe. Or the mix is too thick. Even at that, I have never seen puff puff become hard. It’s only when baking powder is used that the resulting snack is hard and that’s the one we call Nigerian buns.

  63. Cool recipe tried it and it came out very yummy

  64. Mosope Iwashokun says

    I really like this article. I think it will be a good help if i want to do snacks at home.

  65. Mosope Iwashokun says

    Hi Flo
    Can you do some other videos or write other articles on how to make different types of Nigerian snacks
    Please!!!! Thanks

  66. Ahh words can’t explain my satisfaction for this recipe I really appreciate. Although I added some pepper and onions to mine πŸ˜ƒ and since I added these semi dried ingredients I reduced the amount of water I poured into my mixture

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