Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Ghanaian · West African

Fufu (cassava and plantain)

Vegetarian

Boiled cassava and green plantain pounded together into a smooth, springy dough. Ghana's beloved swallow, served in a pool of light soup, palm-nut soup or groundnut soup.

Fufu (cassava and plantain) is a Ghanaian side dish, ready in about 45 minutes and made with cassava and plantain. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
390

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Boil the cassava (opens in a new tab) and plantain (opens in a new tab) in the water until completely tender, about 25 minutes. Drain.

    Food safety: Cassava must be peeled and fully cooked; never eat it raw.

  2. Step 2

    Pound the plantain (opens in a new tab) first in a large mortar (or food processor (opens in a new tab)) until smooth, then add the cassava (opens in a new tab) a little at a time, pounding and turning, until the mixture is smooth and elastic.

    Dip the pestle in water now and then to stop sticking.

  3. Step 3

    Shape into smooth balls with wet hands and serve in bowls of soup.

    • 3 min

About this dish

Origin
Ghana · Commonly attributedPounded starchy staples called fufu are eaten across West and Central Africa; this cassava–plantain style is characteristically Ghanaian (Akan).Also popular in Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, NigeriaMore food from Ghana
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
mild, earthy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Cassava · Plantain
Techniques
Boiling

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

390 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 288 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 4%
  • Carbohydrate 95%
  • Fat 2%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy390 kcal136 kcal
Protein3.6 g1.2 g
Carbohydrate95.3 g33.1 g
Net carbohydrate90.6 g31.5 g
Sugars18.7 g6.5 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.7 g1.6 g
Fat0.8 g0.3 g
Saturated fat0.1 g0 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium38 mg13 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
913 mg
Calcium
81 mg
Iron
1 mg
Magnesium
79 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
52 µg
Vitamin C
53 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
67 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Pound in short bursts and turn the dough with wet hands between strokes; work fast while it is hot.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving fibres from the cassava core in — they make the fufu stringy.

Serve with

  • Serve with light soup, palm nut soup (abenkwan) or groundnut soup.

Storage

  • Best fresh; wrap tightly and use the same day.

Reheating

  • Steam or microwave wrapped until soft.

Variations

  • Fufu from flour: Instant fufu flour (cassava/plantain) is stirred with hot water over heat into a dough — common outside West Africa.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Cassava, peeled, woody core removed, chunks700 g
  • Plantain, green (unripe), peeled, chunks2 piece · 360 g
Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like