Top Nigerian Desserts

Nigeria boasts many delicious desserts that showcase its diverse cultural influences, from savory sweet treats made of healthy ingredients and natural sweeteners, to those made with sweet ingredients like honey or sugar cane syrups.

Ukwa, made with the seeds of African breadfruit, is an extremely popular Nigerian dessert. As it offers an alternative to more indulgent sweets and is widely enjoyed among both young and old people alike.

Chin-chin

Chin-chin is a deliciously crunchy treat that can either be deep-fried or oven baked. Size and shape depend on personal taste, with ingredients being tailored specifically to individual preferences - typically including beans, flour and sugar as the core components; other optional additions may include eggs, baking powder or even nutmeg!

Nigerian desserts such as Kpekere are another delicious treat that are enjoyed by all members of the family, such as groundnuts or cashew nuts which contain essential heart-healthy nutrients. Kpekere can also be made using plantain that has been lightly crushed before being mixed with pepper, onion, and salt before being deep-fried until golden brown for an irresistibly satisfying sweet snack! Groundnuts and cashew nuts are popular nuts that provide essential heart-protecting nutrition - this treat should definitely not be missed out!

Akara

Akara is a traditional Nigerian dessert made of bean flour that's usually spiced up with onion, pepper and crayfish for extra flavor. Shaped into balls before deep-frying before being served up as snacks or light meals alongside other Nigerian desserts like pap, custard or even plantain.

Read: Healthy Nutrition in Nigerian Cooking - Ijabe Cooking.

To prepare this dish, begin by soaking beans in water to soften and help remove their skins. Next, blend the beans with water and salt until smooth before adding a hot pepper like scotch bonnet or habanero for some spice!

This dish is also full of beneficial dietary fibre, making it great for keeping blood sugar levels down - something especially helpful for people living with diabetes.

Puff-puff

Puff puff is an easy and delicious snack made with yeast-based dough that's deep-fried until its outer layer becomes crispy while its interior remains fluffy and light. Puff puff is popular across West Africa as a street food option and at parties and other events alike.

Make delicious and versatile bread at home using flour, sugar, yeast and nutmeg to create this classic treat. Add different spices or flavors for even greater variety and deliciousness! A perfect treat to celebrate any special occasion at any time of day or year with only minimal ingredients required!

Before beginning to fry the batter, ensure it has doubled in volume and tested your oil by dropping some batter in it; if it rises as expected then your oil is ready to use and the batter can be cooked in either a saucepan or deep fryer.

Coconut Balls

Coconut balls are a Nigerian dessert made of a combination of coconut and peanuts combined into dough balls that are then covered with grated coconut for an easy no bake snack to be enjoyed at any time of the day.

Maize is another staple ingredient in Nigerian desserts, often being prepared either boiled or roasted before mixing with small pears for a delicious treat that's rich in fiber. Nuts are also a common treat choice that provide essential heart-healthy nutrients.

To create this easy recipe, mix all the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly mixed, before using your hands to roll 1 tbsp-sized balls from the mixture and coat them in shredded coconut.

Donkwa

Donkwa (Tanfiri or Adaakwa), is a delicious yet simple-to-make Nigerian snack, featuring groundnuts roasted until powdery and mixed with other ingredients to produce different textures and flavours. Donkwa can be enjoyed alone or mixed in different ways for added variety, and often seen served at weddings or cultural festivals.

At restaurants, this snack is often enjoyed alongside drinks like kunu or zobo for an unforgettable taste experience. When combined with these beverages' refreshing tastes, the combination creates an intoxicating balance that pairs the spiciness of the snack with refreshing beverages like these. Fruit such as apples and bananas add sweet notes that add sweetness to this savoury bite, making this an excellent diet-friendly snack option with high levels of Vitamin B3. You can make this tasty treat at home simply by mixing together corn powder and groundnuts until combined in blender until everything turns into smooth powdered powder form.

Grilled Beef

This classic dessert features beef marinated in an exclusive Nigerian spice mix and then grilled over an open fire, creating an irresistibly juicy and tender dish beloved by Hausa people in northern Nigeria.

At first glance, Nigerian egg rolls may resemble scotch eggs; however, they're so much more! Egg rolls are created by wrapping hard-boiled eggs in dough before deep frying. Perfect as both an end-of-meal treat or light snack option!

Nigeria's delicious dessert of choice, Nkwobi is made by simply mixing milk with sweeteners or other ingredients to produce a thick and creamy mixture that can be eaten alongside bread, boli (roasted plantain), garden eggs or cucumber.

Plantain

Plantains, an offshoot of bananas, are versatile fruits that can be used to craft delicious desserts. Like all fruits, plantains are rich sources of vitamin C and dietary fiber - great additions to any fruit basket!

As opposed to desserts in other countries, which tend to be sweet foods, Nigerian deserts tend to be savory due to an ancient tradition of forgoing sweet food in favor of bitter roots and herbs that provide health benefits.

This popular Nigerian dessert can be made using either ripe or unripe plantain. Its simple preparation requires only three ingredients: 120g of coconut chaff, 30g of caster sugar, and breadcumbs.