Caribbean Fufu Recipe

By
Hector Rodriguez
Hector Rodriguez
A Puerto Rico native and former food service professional, Hector Rodriguez develops recipes inspired by the Caribbean and Latin America.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 10/7/22
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer and product tester at Food Network. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Off-white round fufu dumplings in a white bowl

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Cool: 15 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 8 (3-inch) balls
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
207 Calories
1g Fat
46g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 207
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 203mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 7g 25%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 5mg 27%
Calcium 71mg 5%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 773mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Fufu, an essential food in most of West Africa, refers to a dough made from boiled and pounded starchy ground provisions like plantains, cassava, or malanga—or a combination of two or more. It was brought to the Americas by enslaved populations who adapted it to Caribbean cuisines according to what was available. The word "fufu" comes from the Twi language, spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast. It means "mash" or "mix." It's sometimes spelled foo-foo or fou-fou.

There are many versions of fufu, with each West African country featuring its own favorite recipe. Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico have their versions, too, with sweet plantains and added animal fats such as butter, bacon, or lard.

In African tradition, fufu is served family style in a big round doughlike form. The dough is hand-pulled by each guest who uses it to soak up the juices in stews or soupy preparations. Thus, it's customary to eat fufu with clean hands as this is finger food in the truest sense of the term. By pulling off a pinch of dough about the size of a quarter, rolling it into a ball in your hand, and then making an indentation in the ball with your thumb, you can then scoop up some stew or sauce and enjoy the whole bite.

The traditional recipe for fufu uses true yams, which are boiled and then pounded in a wooden mortar and pestle until they're smooth and sticky like dough. The tart and sour flavor of pounded starches pairs really well with full-bodied and well-seasoned meat and vegetable dishes. For this recipe, we set aside the traditional mortar and pestle and use a food processor instead, which cuts down on the amount of work and time needed.

“I’ve always wanted to try making fufu, so I jumped at the chance to test this recipe. The fufu was extremely easy to make. It was amazing to see the yam transform into the elastic, springy mixture the author describes. Be sure to select true yams: the starchy kind with skin that looks a bit like bark.” —Diana Andrews

Caribbean Fufu Recipe/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds yams

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for fufu recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  2. Carefully peel the yams; their slippery quality can make them hard to peel.

    Slicing peeled yams with a large knife on a wooden cutting board

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  3. Cut the peeled yams into 2-inch chunks and place them in a large pot of well salted water. The water should cover the yams by about 2-inches.

    Yam chunks in a pot covered with water

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  4. Bring the yams to a boil over high heat. Keep a rapid boil until the yams are just turning soft, about 20 minutes. 

    Yam chunks boiling in foaming water in a pot

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  5. Drain the yams, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. Allow the yams to cool.

    Yam chunks draining in a metal colander

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  6. Place the cooled yams in a large bowl along with salt and pepper to taste, and the olive oil.

    Cooked yam chunks in a bowl with salt, pepper, and olive oil

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  7. Mash and mix the ingredients using a potato masher. The mixture will be uneven and lumpy.

    Yams being coarsely mashed in a bowl with a potato masher

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  8. Place the fufu mixture in a food processor or blender. Pulse briefly at low speed to remove any lumps but do not puree.

    Yams processed to a fine consistency in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  9. Place the yam mixture back in the bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon until it becomes smooth. The mixture should become sticky and slightly elastic. It's perfectly fine to use your hands to get it to the desired texture. Add some of the reserved water, starting with 1/4 cup, and work the dough. You might need to add more water, but it depends on how moist the yams were to begin with. Keep working and adding water until you have a springy dough that comes away from the bowl, is pliable, and is easily shaped.

    Smooth yam mixture being beaten with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  10. Shape the fufu into balls of equal size and serve as an accompaniment to your favorite soup or stew.

    Evenly shaped balls of the yam mixture on a shallow serving plate

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

How to Serve Fufu

Because fufu is a way to bring bites of juicy foods into your mouth, any stew or soup preparation is a great dish to serve with fufu.


Fufu is especially good served with a Caribbean soup or stew. Think of West African palaver or peanut butter soup. Or try serving it with non-traditional soup or stew pairings, such as osso buco, lamb, or chicken.

How to Store Fufu

Any leftover fufu can be kept in the refrigerator for four to five days as long as it's very tightly wrapped in plastic. Let it come to room temperature before eating or reheat gently in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels.

What is a true yam?

The yam tuber has brown or black scaly skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America and the Caribbean, as well as Africa, where they originated. In Spanish, they are referred to as batata, boniato, and ñame.