There is a reason this Nigerian buns recipe is popular on the blog! it works, it is absolutely delicious and more importantly easy to make. Come on, let me get you hooked to the buns thang too
I have been banned at home from making any more Nigerian buns, except if it’s going to be a gift or for business purposes. I make it a lot and I tell you, somebody’s waistline is not smiling at all. I’m sure you are thinking why am I starting this post with the negatives? I tell you what! These buns are very addictive and you have to be much disciplined to say no to eating them.
Nigerian bun is the brother of Nigerian puff puff. This Nigerian bun is rocky and crunchy outside and spongy when you break into it. It is very easy to make but can be quite tricky also if it isn’t done well or the dough overworked.
Nigerian buns are loved by all and you have a choice, if you don’t like it then you must love its brother puff puff. I’m yet to come across a Nigerian that doesn’t love both or one out of the two. I love both puff puff and buns but in terms of oil consumption, I prefer buns as it doesn’t soak up so much oil when frying.
It is one of the popular street snacks in Nigeria and it is best enjoyed with a very chilled drink. You can add milk to the ingredients listed below and you can also skip the egg part.
This recipe is easily adaptable and easy to make. Also, the recipe requires nutmeg but I didn’t have it when I made this hence the use of vanilla essence. Like I said earlier, you can get addicted to this snack so do eat in moderation. This recipe can be served as party snacks, picnic and it is also loved by the kids too.
Alright, my lovelies let’s get on to making the best Nigerian buns ever.
Ingredients
400g all-purpose flour
3tbsp of butter
1tbs baking powder
100g sugar, substitute with honey
1tsp salt
100-150ml water
1 egg
Vanilla extract (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying
How to make Nigerian Buns
Add all the dry ingredients with the butter in a bowl and mix to form crumble.
Add the egg and water and mix to form a thick stretchy batter, then add water to the flour in bits till you achieve the desired consistency. Do not overwork the batter
Place a shallow pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil and allow to heat up till hot
By dropping in a small batter, test the oil for readiness. If the batter floats atop, then it's ready.
Carefully drop the batter in the hot oil in batches but don’t overcrowd the oil.
Reduce the heat and fry the buns till golden brown and well done
Repeat this process until you have exhausted the whole batter mix.
Tip: reduce the heat each time you are frying a new batch then turn the heat back up to for even cooking. This way the buns doesn't turn brown quickly without cooking through. Thank me later lol
Use a slotted spoon and transfer the buns on a paper towel. Serve buns cool or cold with any chilled soft drinks of choice or iced water.
How to make Nigerian Buns
Ingredients
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 100 g sugar substitute with honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 100-150 ml water
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract optional
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Add all the dry ingredients with the butter in a bowl and mix to form crumble.
- Add the egg and water and mix to form a thick stretchy batter, then add water to the flour in bits till you achieve the desired consistency. Do not overwork the batter
- Place a shallow pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil and allow to heat up till hot (About 3 inches high)
- Drop little batter into the oil to test if it's hot enough for use. If the batter floats atop, then it's ready. You can fry this in a deep fryer at 180C
- Carefully drop the batter in the hot oil in batches but don’t overcrowd the oil.
- Reduce the heat and fry the buns till golden brown and well done
- Repeat this process until you have exhausted the whole batter mix.
Notes
Tip:
reduce the heat each time you are frying a new batch then turn the heat back up to for even cooking. This way the buns don't turn brown quickly without cooking through
See how easy this recipe is. If you would prefer softer buns then you should try this recipe here
If you made this recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest
Thank you for this recipe, I've always had issues with my buns it doesn't look crunchy on the outside, It used to be smooth but when i tried this recipe and it came out excellently 👍
Thank you so much
Thank you ma for the informations I'm guard ma
It is really an enjoyable and easy process
This is well detailed and it suits me but how many buns can we make with 400g flour
How can imake it last longer
Buns can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in a freezer bag. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer, or oven before consuming.
Thank you for this recipe! It made a satisfying breakfast for my family.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT B/W BAKING POWDER AND YEAST
This really helped, thank you 🤭 although I'm pretty sure I burnt the first batch😅😥
thank you for the recipe
I've been using yeast as a recipe buh since i followed up its been coming out great. Thank you so much ma'am. We love you!
By using yeast you are making puff- puff not buns
Am gonna try this,i would love to be reading how to prepare nigerian foods when reading this site thankyou very much.
It is really good. Thanks, i really enjoyed it.
Thank you so much good job well done. Can you please help us to transfer the kg measurements to cup for those of us that do not have scale. Thank you.
Dear sister Ajoke, is it really necessary to use nut meg or vanilla flavour in buns? What, if they are not used?
Hello, nutmegs or vanilla is added to flavour the buns, you can omit it if you want.
Thank you very much,,,I will try this one day
Ajoke thanks very much God bless you dear?
Thanks ma'm for the recipe, u made my day ,I'm a lover of snacks, I was able to work by ur recipe to produce my first HOMEMADE NIGERIAN PUFF PUFF. 😂😂
This is wonderful and very detailed! But I wanna know if a baking method can fit into it instead of frying
Many thanks Sis!
God bless you for this excellent post! I just had a really satisfying supper 😊
God bless you too and thanks for the feedback.
i and my sister just tried this out and trust me, it came out beautiful. did i mention it was our first time too?
Thanks Ajoke🌼🌼
Nice recipe thanks ajoke i guess my kids will love them
Thanks ma I will try it
Thanks so much for dis recipe,but I want to ask a question can u use yeast to bake buns?
Hello Gloria, no, you do not need yeast in buns. You only you use yeast in puff puff, doughnuts etc but not buns
thanks so much for your time I will try my recipe tonight
Hi, thanks for this recipe I love it. will be trying it tomorrow.
I want to say a big thank you for this recipe on how to make buns.i will try mine today and get back to you.
I tried this and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe and procedure, pretty easy to make.
Yay! I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your feedback.
Thanks dear for your recipe, I just tried it and it turned out fine.
It was amazing wow, the vanilla just gave it an extra kick .
It was crispy outside ,soft inside and it melts in the mouth and I did it without the egg .
AMAZING
Thanks for your feedback, Azalor, as I've run out of eggs and was wondering how my buns would turn out. Now, I can go ahead with confidence.
Ajoke.
Thanks alots.
May I ask, why did my buns had a weak structure?
Every other things was fine but the whole buns had a very weak structure especially when it becomes cold?
Thanks for the puff puff recipe. So delicious 😋. God bless XX
Thank you for the feedback, I am glad you enjoyed it and God bless you too.
Wow! I’ve always wanted to try making buns. I found your recipe very simple and easy to understand. I did it todsy(Easter Sunday) and it turned out well. Everyone loved it. I made it in smaller sizes(like chops).
Thank you for this. They even want more!
Aww! thank you Sophia for the feedback.
I just tried your recipe now and it came out so nice. I can’t believe it was my first time making buns, it was just too perfect.
Thanks sis, God bless you.
Thanks dear for this recipe. Just want to ask, what could make buns soak so much oil? I made some tonight (have been making buns for my family's consumption) but the oil intake today was out of proportion. The buns was a little soft (consistency) though. Could it have been the reason? I also added small yeast...
Hi Chogozie, one of the reasons could be that the oil was not hot enough or you overcrowded the oil with the dough balls.
I tried this recipes and steps I wasn't disappointed. It came out so well...
yay! glad to hear that. Thank you
Recipe came out well. But I guess I was much in a hurry to get it over with(hunger).
Thanks ma’am
Thank you Kpezzy, I am happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Dear Ajoke
Thank you for your recipe. Easy to follow and the buns are delicious.
thanks Monika for the kind words
I tried d recipe but it didn't come out round. What could have gone wrong pls?
Please ma, what can I do to make the outer part of buns hard and inside still fluffy? I usually add powdered milk and milk flavor, my husband keeps complaining that it's not hard.
Hello, you might be adding too much liquid to the mix.
wow!! thanks so much ma for this recipe. I have been looking for a better recipe for buns
Thanks so much Ma'am. I am glad you love the recipe
I tried it and it came out really well...thanks
Thank you Steff for the feedback
Am new here please but I will try it this week. Thanks for ur idea and directions
I love the recipe
Hello Ajoke
Thank you so much for the recipe on buns. I looked at a few recipes online and noticed yours has butter in it. I tried it yesterday and it came out perfect to my taste, I cut down on the sugar though. unfortunately I didnt take any photos and made a few using only 200g of flour. It was yummy!!
Thanks so much
Hi Yinka, thank you so much for trying out my recipes and taking out the time to feedback.
Hello Ajoke
Thank you so much for the recipe on buns. I looked at a few recipes online and noticed yours has butter in it. I tried it yesterday and it came out perfect to my taste, I cut down on the sugar though. unfortunately I didnt take any photos and made a few using only 200g of flour. It was yummy!!
Thanks so much
It's a lovely recipe. Just tried it. It's the best I've ever made. Thank you.
Thanks for your this lovely recipe. I tried it but it doesn't come out like what is in the picture.
I followed each step by step but my comes out rough not as round as yours.
What did l did wrong?
Thanks, will try it... I'm a buns freak...
Hi, thanks for sharing this recipe, I always come here for help when cooking. Can you please share the quantity each recipe makes to guide anyone who might want to increase or reduce the quantity. Thanks
Thanks Joy, I will make a note on that and update accordingly.
Thanks my sister, all your recipes are keeper.
yay!!! Thanks Ronke.
So easy and yummy
Thank for making my work so easy
You are the best dear
Hi Ma'am, thank you so much for your feedback. I am glad you found the recipe helpful.
This is so yummy. Please can you convert into cups again. Am so bad with this grams. Thanks babes. Need to try this.
Ajoke, thank you for being so creative with our Nigerian food. I spend time looking at master chef, come dine with me and many more food programmes including pining a lot of recipes on pintrest. To now see creativity out of Nigerian food is impressive and am proud of you.
Keep it up. You have just taken me to another level in my kitchen, sooooo excited!
Thank you once again
Timi
Thank you so much Timi for your kind thoughts. I'm glad to be able to make your kitchen buzz with excitement.
Looks yummy to d eyes.
Thanks a lot Bukola
Thanks
Thanks, I will try it, quite easy to get
This is a nice recipe, I'll be trying it soon.
Thanks Dammy
Just made it now using your recipe. Although I used nutmeg instead of vanilla. It was an absolute hit! My family loved it. Thanks!
Thanks Anna for your feedback. Nutmeg is a good addition for flavour. I am glad you all enjoyed it.