Beignets de Banane — Print Recipe

Ripe bananas mashed and folded into a light batter, then deep-fried until golden and crispy outside, soft and sweet inside. A popular Congolese street snack loved by children and adults alike.

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1 Mash ripe bananas with a fork in a mixing bowl until mostly smooth with a few small chunks remaining for texture in the finished fritters.
2 Add flour, sugar, egg, water, vanilla extract, salt, and nutmeg. Mix until just combined into a thick, scoopable batter. Do not overmix.
3 Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot to 170C. Test readiness by dropping a small bit of batter in. It should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately.
4 Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. Fry for three to four minutes, turning once, until the fritters are golden brown and cooked through.
5 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. The fritters should be crispy on the outside and soft and banana-sweet on the inside.
6 Dust generously with powdered sugar while still warm and serve immediately. Best enjoyed with a cup of strong Congolese coffee.

Did You Know?

Congolese banana fritter vendors time their frying perfectly so the beignets are always served piping hot, as they believe cold beignets bring bad luck.