How to Make Nigerian Donuts (That are Super Scrumptious)

How many of us love sugar-flavored ANYTHING? I’m definitely a huge fan. One thing I love about Nigerian donuts is that they are not too difficult to make and they are DELICIOUS. If you’re interested in learning more, read further down to learn how to make Nigerian doughnuts. But first, a little about Nigerian cuisine to give you some useful background information.

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All About Nigerian Cuisine

What makes Nigerian cuisine unique is its use of spices, hot peppers, herbs, and groundnut oil (or palm oil) for cooking.

Also, similar to other tropical countries, Nigerians consume a lot of fruits such as pineapples, coconuts, and bananas.

In addition, similar to other cuisines worldwide, many of Nigeria’s dishes are fried or cooked in a barbeque.

Speaking of fried foods, this may be why Nigerian donuts are so famous!

Now, scroll down to get into the specifics of how to make Nigerian doughnuts.

Ingredients for Nigerian Donuts (Doughnuts)

These are some of the most basic ingredients that many Nigerian donut recipes require:

All-purpose flour
Yeast
Eggs
Margarine or butter (room temperature)
Salt
Sugar
Nutmeg (optional)
Water (room temperature)
Milk (room temperature)
Oil for frying

How to Make Nigerian Donuts at Home

These are the basic steps for making a Nigerian donut recipe at home:

Pour all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg into a large bowl.
Mix.
In another bowl, add yeast and warm water.
Let the yeast and water mixture react (bubbles will form on top).
Then, make a well in your dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture, egg, melted butter, and milk.
Mix for about 10 minutes.
Then, place the dough mixture into a greased bowl and cover with a towel until it doubles in size.
Next, uncover the dough and punch the dough in the middle to release any excess air.
Then, knead the dough and roll it out flat on a very lightly floured surface.
Using the outer lip of a cup, cut out circular shapes into the dough, and then use a bottle cap (or something similar) to cut out the donut hole in the center of each circular shape.
Then, cover the dough pieces and let them sit for about 20 minutes or until they double in size.
Next, heat your frying oil in a large pot.
Carefully drop the donut-shaped dough pieces one by one and fry them on each side until golden brown (about 1 minute).
Then, remove the donuts from the frying oil and let the excess oil drip onto paper towels.
Afterward, sprinkle with some sugar.

However, I would HIGHLY recommend that you take a look at the video below by LifeWithRozy before you begin to make your delicious Nigerian doughnuts.

P.S. If you don’t want to use a cup and bottle cap, you can use this handy dandy donut cutter I found on Amazon.

Jelly-Filled Nigerian Donut Recipe To Try

See how easy it is to make a Nigerian donut snack?

Now, if you’d like to see how to make a jelly-filled Nigerian donut recipe, you can take a look at this one by Sisi Jemimah’s Recipes:

FYI, these are the listed ingredients on Sisi Jemimah’s Recipes’ YouTube page:

300 grams of plain all-purpose flour
30 grams of melted butter
1 egg
120 grams of milk at room temperature
45 grams of sugar
7 grams of fast action yeast
½ teaspoon of salt

However, if you prefer to view and print out this recipe, I recommend you try Sisi Jemimah’s recipe that’s located on her blog page.

What To Serve With Nigerian Donuts

Nigerian donuts go well with the following drinks:

Soft drinks
Nigerian zoborodo or zobo (made from dried Hibiscus plant flowers)
Tea
Coffee
Milo
Kunu (made from millet or corn)
Fruit juices

FYI, if you’re interested in learning more about beverages in Nigeria, check out this page by Info Guide Nigeria.

5 Important Notes to Remember When Making Doughnut Recipe From Nigeria

Don’t overuse flour when you’re kneading! It will compromise the quality of your dough.
Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
Don’t try to fry too many donuts at once. This will cause the oil’s temperature to drop resulting in soggy donuts.
Test that your yeast is active before using it. Dissolve it in warm milk or warm water and sugar and look for the foam to appear (this means the yeast is active).
For even cooking, be sure to flip the donuts onto the other side once one side is done frying.

Nigerian Donut FAQs

Now, here are some answers to some frequently asked questions regarding Nigerian donuts.

Can doughnut dough be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze the doughnut dough after it has been proofed and after you have cut out the donut rings. Simply wrap the doughnut dough pieces in double plastic wrap and put them in a freezer-safe gallon bag. These frozen doughnut doughs can be frozen for 1 to 2 months.

What country do doughnuts come from?

The original doughnuts came from Germany. However, they were originally savory (not sweet) and filled with meat or mushrooms.

Can jam doughnuts be frozen?

Yes, jam doughnuts (donuts) CAN be frozen! You’ll just have to wrap each donut with saran wrap or parchment paper and put them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or container. They’ll be good for up to 3 months.

Final Thoughts On Nigerian Donuts

I seriously hope you consider baking these AMAZING Nigerian donuts. They are seriously something you MUST try sometime in your life.

Have you ever had a Nigerian doughnut recipe? Please let me know below!