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4.7 from 59 votes

Mandazi, African Donuts

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By: Joanna Cismaru •5/19/22 34 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

a plate of mandazi african donuts dusted with powdered sugar

Mandazi, African Donuts – light, fluffy and incredibly tasty.

Close up shot of Mandazi, African Donuts stacked on a plate, dusted with powdered sugar

Easy Mandazi Recipe

I’ve been really sick this weekend with a sore throat and the last thing I wanted to do is cook.

But I was in the mood for some donuts. 🙂 I wanted something different though, and surfing through the web I came across this African donuts recipe. I was delighted. Don’t get me wrong, most donuts recipes are pretty similar but these donuts are with coconut milk which is what I think makes them special.

They were wonderful, so tasty, light and fluffy, not too sweet, so I sprinkled some powdered sugar over them, just fabulous.

So give it a try, it’s a wonderful treat for a weekend. This recipe will make lots of donuts, didn’t count them all, but I had 1 large bowl full of donuts, plenty to share with friends.

Close up shot of Mandazi, African Donuts stacked on a plate, dusted with powdered sugar

More Delicious Donuts To Try

  • Beignets
  • Cinnamon Sugar Donut Twists
  • Glazed Donuts
  • Apple Cider Donuts
  • Paczki (Polish Donuts)
  • Cherry Jam Filled Sour Cream Donuts

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

a plate of mandazi african donuts dusted with powdered sugar
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4.72 from 59 votes

Mandazi, African Donuts

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Rate Recipe
Mandazi, African Donuts – light, fluffy and incredibly tasty.
40

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • ½ cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • vegetable oil for frying donuts

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl mix the yeast and warm water and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast dissolves.
  • In the bowl of your mixer, add flour, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon and mix. Add vegetable oil, egg, coconut milk, sugar and yeast mixture.
  • Using the hook attachment mix everything until the dough is not too sticky and it does no longer stick to the side of the bowl, add additional flour as needed.
  • Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for about an hour until the dough rises a bit.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan, or a wok works well for this.
  • Cut the dough in about 6 pieces to make it easier to roll and cut. Roll each piece so that the dough is about 1 cm (less than 1/2 inch) in thickness. Cut into triangles and place in hot oil. Fry on both sides. Place donuts on paper towels to soak up the oil. Repeat with remaining dough.
  • Sprinkle with powder sugar and enjoy.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1donutCalories: 64kcal (3%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 2g (3%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mg (1%)Sodium: 32mg (1%)Potassium: 21mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 3mgIron: 1mg (6%)
© Author Jo

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

a plate of mandazi african donuts dusted with powdered sugar

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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34 Comments
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Mandazi
Mandazi
Posted: 2 years ago

this was amazing

0
Reply
Kim
Kim
Posted: 2 years ago

I love Mandazi (that is the Kiswahili word for the donuts and what they are called in the East African countries that they originate from). Sorry but these countries are not francophone but are English speaking. Just had to make that correction.

Thanks Jo for sharing the delicious recipe.

0
Reply
Irie Dorsey
Irie Dorsey
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I loved this recipe so much!

0
Reply
Kassie
Kassie
Posted: 2 years ago

Can you do this without cardamom? Also, would it be possible to bake these instead of frying? Looks like a great recipe! Excited to try!

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Kassie
Posted: 2 years ago

Yes you can leave the cardamom out! We haven’t tried them baked but you’re more than welcome.

0
Reply
Refilwe Chilisa
Refilwe Chilisa
Posted: 2 years ago

I love all your recipes but I would really appreciate it more if you could include metrics measurements as well, it will make my life a lot easier to replicate them yeah! Tia, keep sharing!!

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Refilwe Chilisa
Posted: 2 years ago

We do include metric measurements! At the bottom of the list of ingredients we have options to toggle between US Customary and Metric.

1
Reply
Kelli
Kelli
Posted: 2 years ago

Do you think they will bake well instead of frying?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Kelli
Posted: 2 years ago

Yes you can give that a try! They won’t puff up quite as much, but they’ll still be good. Let them bake until they turn golden brown.

0
Reply
Esther
Esther
Reply to  Kelli
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I followed the recipe exactly, and it was delicious! Even the picky kids loved it. Thank you!

0
Reply
Jessica McGeorge
Jessica McGeorge
Posted: 3 years ago

Can you cook these the day before? My son has a presentation at school and I was wondering if I could make these the night prior?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Jessica McGeorge
Posted: 3 years ago

You can! Make sure to store them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

0
Reply
Drena
Drena
Posted: 3 years ago

Question: How well would these do in a deep fryer?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Drena
Posted: 3 years ago

That would work just fine!

0
Reply
Chris
Chris
Posted: 3 years ago

How long do you cook the donuts in the oil? It says cook time is 30 min. That can’t be right can it!?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Chris
Posted: 3 years ago

That’s total cooking time, since you’re only frying 2 or 3 at a time. You fry them for about 3 minutes, flipping them over half way through, or until they are golden brown.

0
Reply
Wien Sillevis Smitt
Wien Sillevis Smitt
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
I made these for my french class for a project about Francophone countries as most countries in East Africa are Francophone. This recipe was extremely easy to follow and turned out very well! The finished product was denser than I expected, but I still got only positive feedback from classmates and those who tried the leftovers! I made them the night before and found that they were better served fresh (as expected), but if you reheat them in the oven for about 5-10 minutes around 350, they almost taste exactly like the freshly made ones! Excellent recipe

0
Reply
Nicole Beaulieu
Nicole Beaulieu
Reply to  Wien Sillevis Smitt
Posted: 4 years ago

That’s amazing, what a great teacher you are! So glad you love the recipe 🙂

0
Reply
Carrie
Carrie
Posted: 6 years ago

Just wondering, how can the total time be 45 minutes when the rise time alone is 1 hour? Regardless, going to give this recipe a try to add a little twist to Thanksgiving. Mandazi is my favorite thing to eat when I travel to Kenya but I’ve not made it myself. Thanks for the recipe.

0
Reply
Fenne Kieken
Fenne Kieken
Reply to  Carrie
Posted: 6 years ago

We noted total time of mixing and baking as when its rising you don’t really have to stay and work on the recipe. Thanks for sharing your comment though, it is something perhaps we could change on another recipe which has rise time. Enjoy it this Thanksgiving.

0
Reply
Brittany
Brittany
Posted: 6 years ago

Do you know about how many they made? I am making them for a school project and I need about 35, will it make that much?? Or would I need to double it?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Brittany
Posted: 6 years ago

Oh dear, I made this recipe a long time ago, I know it made a lot but I never counted them, but I think you should be able to get 35 out of this recipe, if anything just make them a big smaller. You could cut the entire dough in 7 pieces and then each piece in 5 then you’ll end up with 35.

0
Reply
Brittany
Brittany
Reply to  Joanna Cismaru
Posted: 6 years ago

Awesome thanks! I was also wondering how long they stay fresh? If I make them a day before and put them in a container, when I bring them to my class will they still taste fresh? Or would it be better to fry them the day of?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Brittany
Posted: 6 years ago

Brittany, I think they would be best if they were fried the day of the event, because then they’ll be nice and crispy and fresh. However, they will still be good the next day, yeah you could store them in an airtight container in the fridge and maybe the day of you could sprinkle some powdered sugar over them or something. 🙂

0
Reply
Naz
Naz
Reply to  Brittany
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
You can even freeze these and when you get them out of the freezer..put them in a hot oven to freshen them up. Lovely to serve guests alongside a nice cardamom tea

0
Reply
Frank spank
Frank spank
Reply to  Brittany
Posted: 5 years ago

That’s crazy I’m making these for a school project too and I was wondering the same thing

0
Reply
Nicole
Nicole
Posted: 9 years ago

Just didn’t say when to add the sugar (which I assumed was when mixing the dry ingredients), tho my son was putting together for a class project and he didn’t catch it and they weren’t so good without the sugar. Remade dough with my help and they are delish…. Thank you!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Nicole
Posted: 9 years ago

You’re right Nicole, I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks!

0
Reply
Julia
Julia
Posted: 10 years ago

5 stars
Very interesting and unusual! Beautiful photo!

0
Reply
Javelin Warrior
Javelin Warrior
Posted: 10 years ago

I’ve never heard of African donuts, but I’d definitely give this a try. They look so soft and delicious! I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution as always). Thanks for always inspiring me with your creations…

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Javelin Warrior
Posted: 10 years ago

Thanks Javelin. I’ll be sure to check it out. 🙂

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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