Mandazi, African Donuts
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Mandazi, African Donuts – light, fluffy and incredibly tasty.
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.
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Mandazi, African Donuts
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- vegetable oil for frying donuts
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.
Kim says
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.
Irie Dorsey says
I loved this recipe so much!
Kassie says
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!
Jo Cooks Team says
Yes you can leave the cardamom out! We haven’t tried them baked but you’re more than welcome.
Refilwe Chilisa says
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!!
Jo Cooks Team says
We do include metric measurements! At the bottom of the list of ingredients we have options to toggle between US Customary and Metric.
Kelli says
Do you think they will bake well instead of frying?
Jo Cooks Team says
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.
Esther says
I followed the recipe exactly, and it was delicious! Even the picky kids loved it. Thank you!
Jessica McGeorge says
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?
Jo Cooks Team says
You can! Make sure to store them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.
Drena says
Question: How well would these do in a deep fryer?
Jo Cooks Team says
That would work just fine!
Chris says
How long do you cook the donuts in the oil? It says cook time is 30 min. That can’t be right can it!?
Joanna Cismaru says
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.
Wien Sillevis Smitt says
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
Nicole Beaulieu says
That’s amazing, what a great teacher you are! So glad you love the recipe 🙂
Carrie says
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.
Fenne Kieken says
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.
Brittany says
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?
Joanna Cismaru says
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.
Brittany says
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?
Joanna Cismaru says
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. 🙂
Naz says
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
Frank spank says
That’s crazy I’m making these for a school project too and I was wondering the same thing
Nicole says
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!
jo says
You’re right Nicole, I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks!
Julia says
Very interesting and unusual! Beautiful photo!
Javelin Warrior says
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…
jo says
Thanks Javelin. I’ll be sure to check it out. 🙂
what katie's baking says
these look so good! i need to try these!
inessa says
looks Yumm
Kelly at Flavours of Africa says
These look delicious, can’t wait to give the recipe a try!