Last updated on August 8th, 2017 at 11:37 am
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.
Mandazi, African Donuts
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 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.
Chris says
February 25, 2019 at 3:26 pmHow 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
February 26, 2019 at 4:18 pmThat’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
May 24, 2018 at 5:27 pmI 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
May 25, 2018 at 11:55 amThat’s amazing, what a great teacher you are! So glad you love the recipe 🙂
Carrie says
November 10, 2016 at 1:00 pmJust 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
November 11, 2016 at 9:43 amWe 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
February 21, 2016 at 12:57 pmDo 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
February 21, 2016 at 2:46 pmOh 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
February 21, 2016 at 4:23 pmAwesome 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
February 21, 2016 at 6:03 pmBrittany, 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
August 24, 2018 at 1:41 amYou 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
January 12, 2018 at 3:57 pmThat’s crazy I’m making these for a school project too and I was wondering the same thing
Nicole says
December 19, 2013 at 2:06 pmJust 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
December 20, 2013 at 1:32 amYou’re right Nicole, I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks!
Julia says
September 16, 2012 at 7:55 amVery interesting and unusual! Beautiful photo!
Javelin Warrior says
September 14, 2012 at 2:41 pmI’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
September 14, 2012 at 2:56 pmThanks Javelin. I’ll be sure to check it out. 🙂
what katie's baking says
September 12, 2012 at 5:47 pmthese look so good! i need to try these!
inessa says
September 12, 2012 at 1:16 amlooks Yumm
Kelly at Flavours of Africa says
September 11, 2012 at 4:05 pmThese look delicious, can’t wait to give the recipe a try!