A while back, I shared my puff puff recipe and while I raved about my love for those drop donuts, I have a new fried love: Nigerian buns. It might be because there is no wait time for the mixture to rise, or that I prefer the texture in general, but I currently prefer Nigerian buns over puff puff any day. Now, this love is kind of complicated because I generally do not like the way buns is prepared sometimes. I like the simple and easy version of buns, no milk, no eggs. Eggs change the texture of buns to one I find undesirable, and milk gives it an odd flavor that I personally do not prefer. This recipe shows how to make Nigerian buns without dairy, eggs or any fuss and yet still get that fluffy texture and great taste!
Here is my recipe for what I consider to be the simplest, least complicated, yet perfectly textured Nigerian buns. Once you get the texture down, you are free to customize the flavors to suit your preference. In my case, I used a bit of cayenne pepper and nutmeg, but you can omit those spices and keep it plain, or be creative and experiment with something else… cinnamon, maybe. Feel free to experiment and let me know if you decide to try something different.
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How to Make Nigerian Buns
Ingredients
- 400 grams All purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 175 grams sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 - 1.5 cups water
- Oil for deep frying
- Optional: 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a deep pan or pot just before you start prepping the batter.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Pour in the water about ¼th cup at a time, mixing lightly each time, until the consistency of the batter is like thick muffin batter. Depending on your flour, you might need more or less than 1- 1 ½ cups of water. Be careful not to overmix as this might make the buns hard.
- The oil should be about 350-355ºF, and on medium heat before you start frying
- Using an ice cream scoop, or your hands if you are so skilled, drop the batter into the hot oil without overcrowding the pan.
- Once one side of the buns is lightly browned, turn and continue to fry until the buns are done. The whole frying process for each batch took about 5 minutes.
- Be careful not to fry the buns in oil that is too hot. It will brown the outside of the buns while keeping the inside raw. If you find that your oil is too hot in the middle of frying, just add a little bit of room temperature oil to the hot oil to bring down the temperature.
- Serve warm!
Notes
57 Comments
cakespy
May 1, 2017 at 9:02 amWow, I can’t believe these have no milk or egg! They look so fluffy! I’m intrigued!
Ms. Yum
May 1, 2017 at 9:57 amI know right! Sometimes the simplest ingredients can produce the best outcomes.
Nike
January 3, 2018 at 6:06 amI made it, it came out perfect, well rounded, smooth and fluffy like yours. Thanks for sharing
Lois
January 3, 2018 at 9:36 amThat is awesome to hear Nike! I am glad it worked out
Qomfort
February 13, 2019 at 8:26 amI just made it and i am eating it right now. Perfect!
It didn’t get drenched in oil and its round and tastie
Lois
February 15, 2019 at 7:13 amYay!!!! I am so happy to heart that Qomfort!
Beatrice Ugorji
September 17, 2018 at 1:01 amNice one
chioma
March 19, 2018 at 10:25 amso nice thanks for sharing
Lois
March 19, 2018 at 2:32 pmNo problem Chioma, I am glad you like it!
Debby
April 17, 2018 at 11:18 amLooks yummy, will definately try this
Lois. O
April 17, 2018 at 12:40 pmLet me know how you like it when you do!
Abubakar Aliyah
June 26, 2018 at 10:01 amHello,can you please help me with measurements in cups? I.e for the flour and sugar. Thanks
Lois. O
July 6, 2018 at 8:57 amHey Abubakar! Unfortunately I do not currently have an exact cup measurement conversion for the sugar and flour. The weight measurements are actually more accurate and standardized, but if I were to give a rough estimate, I would say 400g of flour is about 2.5 cups, and 175g of sugar is a little over 3/4 cup. I hope that helps!
Dami
September 15, 2018 at 3:02 pmYes that helps thanks… How many scoops of bun should that make ma
Lois
September 19, 2018 at 9:03 amI am not absolutely sure, it depends on how big or small you scoop it. I encourage you to experiment first and see how much you get from the size of scoops you are comfortable making.
Rosphy
June 28, 2018 at 7:00 amWow, I gonna try it today. Thanks for sharing
Lois. O
July 6, 2018 at 8:49 amNo problem!
sarah
July 17, 2018 at 3:13 pmThis was helpful thanks
Lois
July 18, 2018 at 2:24 amYou are very welcome Sarah!
ifeoma
July 21, 2018 at 4:57 pmwow! perfect. I enjoyed it. never no u can make buns with out butter.
Joyce
August 1, 2018 at 3:02 pmMine was too hard😟
Lois. O
August 6, 2018 at 2:48 pmHey Joyce! I am so sorry to hear that it turned out hard for you. Did you use weight measurements when measuring the flour? Also I updated the recipe instructions to include tips that make for more tender buns. Thanks for sharing your experience with me!
Uzoma success
October 11, 2019 at 12:30 amCan u make the buns without sugar
Lois
December 1, 2019 at 7:38 pmHI Uzoma! You can certainly try, but I am not sure what the outcome will be. Why no start by using half of the sugar called for in the recipe and gradually reduce the amount of sugar you use each time until you have not more sugar. Let me know how it works out.
Grace
August 6, 2018 at 6:41 amHi dear,
Thanks so much for your buns recipe. I tried it and viola it turned out perfect! Just the way i like it. Everybody around me enjoyed it and kept asking for more. More grease to your elbow! Cheers
Lois. O
August 6, 2018 at 2:56 pmThanks Grace! I am so happy to hear it worked out well for you.
Gloria
September 28, 2018 at 2:34 pmWow! Its too yummy . It makes me to fry buns almost everyday. Tnks
chiamaka monday
October 5, 2018 at 11:18 amthanks, I tried your recipe it worked out fine but the outside was brown and the inside was still uncooked what could be the cause?
Lois
October 20, 2018 at 2:09 pmHey Chiamaka! That happens when your heat is too high. Try heating the oil on medium- low heat and it should work out fine.
Adebola
November 8, 2018 at 12:08 pmThank you for this recipe. I tried it, and it came out well.
Lois
November 12, 2018 at 11:43 amThat is awesome to hear Adebola! I am glad you like it!
chioma
January 14, 2019 at 5:40 amplease my buns came out so hard,what could be the problem.thanks
Lois
January 24, 2019 at 10:30 pmHey Chioma! I am so sorry to hear that, try letting the mixture rest for 10 minutes before frying it. That may help relax the gluten, and prevent it from getting hard. It might also be a result of the type of flour you are using. If you use a high gluten flour, your buns may come out harder or denser than usual. I hope this helps.
Ayo-Ajakaiye Oluwadamilola
January 22, 2019 at 11:05 amI tried it using cinnamon. But I appears that my cinnamon was a little too much and it was hard also.
Lois
January 24, 2019 at 10:25 pmHey Ayo! I would advise that you use the cinnamon a little at a time, try using 1/2 a tsp for each batch. Also with the texture, try letting the mixture rest for 10 minutes before frying it. That may help relax the gluten, and prevent it from getting hard. It might also be a result of the type of flour you are using. If you use a high gluten flour, your buns may come out harder or denser than usual. I hope this helps.
Elvina
March 10, 2019 at 9:40 amPls d video would be more better thanks
Nike
May 13, 2019 at 6:39 amI tried it but it was flat,pls wot went wrong?
Lois
May 28, 2019 at 12:30 pmHey Nike! Maybe your baking powder was not working. Try it with new baking powder and it should workout fine
cleandivine
July 12, 2019 at 6:25 amI tried it out. The taste was perfect but the consistency was drawing (like that of puff puff).
What could I have done wrong?
Lois
August 5, 2019 at 7:17 amI think you might need to add a little more flour. Sometimes, different flour brands have different gluten contents, so it is difficult to get the exact texture.I also like my buns light and fluffy, so if you want dense puff puff try adding more flour. Hope that helps!
Aramide
October 3, 2019 at 2:25 pmDelicious….
Came out great. Followed the recipe, just adding freshly squeezed juice from half a small lime to the batter.
Took it to departmental meeting. It was a hit!
Thanks yummy medley.😋
Lois
December 1, 2019 at 7:39 pmThat is awesome to hear Aramide!
Omolara
October 29, 2019 at 2:23 pmLooks fluffy. I will try it out.
What brand of flour do you advice?
Lois
December 1, 2019 at 7:31 pmI do not have a specific brand of flour I am loyal to. Right now I just use a brand of flour I get from Costco that is labeled “hotel flour”. It has a really good consistency and tends to come out well for baked goods.
Preshus
February 11, 2020 at 7:12 pmAm preggy amd am having cravings this is nice cos i cant stand eggs thanks