Nigerian Buns

A hearty vegetarian built around plain flour, granulated sugar and baking powder — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg until evenly combined.
- Stir in the evaporated milk, then gradually add the warm water a little at a time, mixing with your hand or a spoon until you have a thick, stiff, slightly sticky dough that holds its shape.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes so the flour fully hydrates and the buns fry up tender inside.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy saucepan to a depth of at least 5 cm and heat over medium heat to about 160 to 170 C; test by dropping in a small piece of dough, which should sink then steadily rise with gentle bubbling.
- With lightly oiled hands or two spoons, scoop walnut-sized portions of dough and carefully lower them into the oil, frying in batches without crowding the pan.
- Fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning often, so the buns cook through to the centre and turn deep golden brown all over; keep the heat moderate, as oil that is too hot will brown the outside before the inside is done.
- Lift the buns out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels, then serve warm.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Saucepan · Pan · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Nigerian Buns take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Nigerian Buns vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Nigerian Buns is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Fried buns on fire.jpg by Sunday Glory, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.







