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READY IN 40 mins

Samoan Panikeke

Read Reviews (19)

"My brothers and I used to eat this when we were younger. They're a lot like doughnuts but with the added fun of topping them with your favorite toppings. After a while of not having these, I started making them on my own for my family, and I enjoy them as much today as I did back then!" — Koki

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 24 panikekes Change Servings

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups water
6 cups vegetable oil for frying

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Directions

Combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl until thoroughly mixed, and stir in the bananas, vanilla extract, and water to make a smooth, sticky dough.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The oil should be deep enough to completely cover the panikekes while frying, or at last 3 inches deep.
Scoop up a scant 1/4 cup of batter with a large spoon, and use another spoon to push it off into the oil. Fry in small batches of 4 or 5 until they float to the top and turn golden brown, about 3 minutes, then flip them to fry the other side. Remove from the fryer and let drain on paper towels.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 40 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note
Although very good plain, these panikekes go really well with jams, butter, Nutella, powdered sugar and even ice cream.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Feb 03, 2011

LOVE this recipe! My husband is Samoan, and he loves it too. However, I tried making them like regular pancakes once (in a frying pan just coated with veg. oil) and they turned out AMAZING! Crispy on the outside, perfectly melt in your mouth in the middle. They are hard to flip, but if you can master that, they will be the best pancakes you've ever had! We serve them with melted butter, strawberries, and powdered sugar.

—ktua

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 28, 2010

Not what I expected. I followed the recipe, usuing 2 large very ripe bananas, but all I wound up with were balls of grease-saturated dough with only a slight banana flavor. I was so disappointed. I stopped after frying half of the batter and dumped it in my waffle iron. The outcome was still pretty flavorless, but a lot less greasy.

—Kim

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23 Ratings

Feb 17, 2010

I can't thank you enough for this recipe. My five year old grandson is allergic to milk products, eggs, corn and chicken. We live in a very rural community without the luxury of large supermarkets or health food stores. We have to be very careful with reading ingredients and substituting in recipes. Finding "treat" recipes for him that acutally taste good and don't have a weird texture has not been easy. So until I tried these, he had never had a doughnut. And these are terrific. Even his cousins who usually turn their noses at "Parker proof" treats, loved these sprinkled with a little powdered sugar. The second time I made them, we added a little cinnamon to the batter and they are like a banana bread donut. I plan on trying other fruits like applesauce and pumpkin in the future. Thank you so very much for sharing.

—Robin

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Apr 16, 2010

These are great! The first time I made them, I went exactly by the recipe, but I thought that they needed a little more banana flavor. I added a third banana in the second batch, and cut the water down a little bit. I didn't have any problem with them coming out raw. I followed the directions and made sure that the oil was approximately 350 degrees (I used a candy thermometer), and dropped the batter in by slightly less than 1/4 cup fulls. I cooked the first side for 3 minutes, turned them over, and cooked for 2 more minutes (I used a timer.) Some of the panikekes wanted to turn themselves over prematurely, so I had to hold them under the oil with tongs. I sprinkled these with confectioners sugar, and they came out perfect! They are also fun to make!

—sideshowoddity

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Nov 30, 2011

I have never made any sort of fried dough and found this recipe to try. It was amazingly easy and beyond delicious! I posted photos to my facebook of them and several ppl asked for the recipe based on looks alone! If they only knew how tasty it is!! You do not need 6 cups of oil. I used a large frying pan and filled it about half way...that was plenty...just flip them over when they appeared to be golden. I sprinkled mine with cinnamon sugar when they came out mmm TIP: don't cover them up until they have completely cooled! Otherwise, they just become soggy.

—Cass

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May 20, 2012

This is delicious! Found it to be a bit time consuming but worth it! I waited to heat the oil once the dough was ready, next time I'll heat the oil while preparing the dough. I used a sauce pan with 6 cups of oil, but they kept sticking to the bottom. We just lifted them up gently and that was fine, but wondering if that is normal or if there is a way to prevent that! Thanks for the recipe! AWESOME flavor!

—Sally in NH

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Sep 05, 2011

My family loved these. My mother didn't put banana in mine as a child, so this was a fun change! The banana flavor isn't overwhelming. Definitely don't make these a scant 1/4 cup, they will never cook in the middle before the outside burns. A TBS or scant TBS is better -- you'll get 35 to 40 almost golf-ball sized panikeke. That was too much for my family of 5, and they aren't as good the next day so I would keep that in mind and reduce your recipe if you need to. Thanks for the recipe!

—Islander

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Dec 14, 2009

These were super yummy. Definitely drop the dough in smaller portions. They won't cook through otherwise. I used about a half a tablespoon of dough. They are ready to flip when the edges get hard, like a pancake. I didn't have any vanilla extract so I used almond. Make sure the oil temp is just below 350.

—dmf

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Nutrition

Calories
337 kcal
17%

Carbohydrates
54.9 g
18%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
11.4 g
18%

Fiber
1.5 g
6%

Protein
4 g
8%

Sodium
83 mg
3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Samoan Panikeke

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 337
Calories from Fat: 103

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11.4g 18 %
Saturated Fat 1.5g 7 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 83mg 3 %
Potassium 112mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrates 54.9g 18 %
Dietary Fiber 1.5g 6 %
Protein 4g 8 %
** Sugars 24.8g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C 3 %
Calcium 7 %
Iron 18 %
Thiamin 30 %
Niacin 24 %
Vitamin B6 6 %
Magnesium 5 %
Folate 39 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.