Food and drink. Updated November 2026. 4 min read.
Every Kenyan morning has a mandazi in it somewhere: in a glass case at the kiosk by the bus stop, in a paper bag on the dashboard of a matatu, beside a mug of milky chai in an office at 10 o'clock. It is fried dough, lightly sweet, usually scented with cardamom and sometimes with coconut, and it costs very little. On the coast its cousin, the mahamri, is softer, puffier and served with a bowl of pigeon peas in coconut milk for one of the best breakfasts in East Africa.
If you are wondering whether they are doughnuts: almost. There is no hole, no glaze and no filling, and they are less sweet than an American doughnut, which is why Kenyans eat them with savory food as easily as with tea. Mandazi is the everyday, everywhere version. Mahamri is the Swahili coast version, raised with yeast and made with coconut milk.
Mandazi and mahamri: the difference
| Mandazi | Mahamri | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | All over Kenya | The Swahili coast: Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi |
| Raised with | Usually baking powder; some cooks use yeast | Yeast, with a slow rise |
| Liquid | Milk or water, sometimes coconut milk | Coconut milk |
| Flavor | Sugar, cardamom, sometimes lemon zest | Cardamom and coconut, a little sweeter and richer |
| Shape | Triangles, squares or rounds, dense and chewy | Triangles cut from a round, light and hollow inside |
| Eaten with | Chai, anytime | Chai and mbaazi za nazi, mostly at breakfast |
Where and when Kenyans eat them
Upcountry, mandazi is grab-and-go food. Kiosks and small shops fry a batch before dawn and sell out by mid-morning to commuters, schoolchildren and construction workers. Offices and churches serve them at tea break and after the service. A mandazi and a cup of chai is the cheapest decent breakfast in the country, and for many families it is breakfast most days.
On the coast, mahamri is a sit-down meal. In Mombasa's Old Town and in Lamu, small cafes open early with trays of fresh mahamri, a pot of mbaazi za nazi, sometimes fried liver or beans, and spiced chai. Families make them at home on weekend mornings. During Ramadan, mahamri and other fried snacks appear on the table when the fast breaks at sunset. The rest of the coast's sweet kitchen, vitumbua (rice and coconut pancakes) and kaimati (syrup-soaked dumplings), is in our Swahili cooking guide.
Where a visitor finds a good one
- Nairobi: the kiosks and hotelis around bus stops and in the CBD fry fresh every morning; buy them early and warm, and skip a tray that has sat all day
- The coast: an early breakfast in a Mombasa Old Town or Lamu cafe, mahamri with mbaazi and chai, is the one to plan for
- Upcountry: roadside cafes on safari routes sell mandazi with tea; your driver-guide will know a clean one
- Lodges and camps: many put mandazi on the breakfast buffet or the afternoon tea table, and coast hotels often serve mahamri if you ask
Recipe: coast mahamri with coconut milk
Makes about 16. Canned coconut milk works well; shake the can first. Fry in a deep, heavy pan and keep the oil at about 350°F.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or the seeds of 8 pods, crushed)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (one packet)
- A pinch of salt
- About 1 cup warm coconut milk, plus a splash of warm water if needed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- Mix the flour, sugar, cardamom, yeast and salt. Add the oil and the warm coconut milk and knead for 8 to 10 minutes into a soft, smooth dough
- Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled
- Divide into 4 balls. Roll each into a circle about 1/4 inch thick and cut into 4 triangles
- Rest the triangles under a towel for 15 minutes
- Fry a few at a time at about 350°F, turning, until puffed and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels
Mbaazi za nazi: pigeon peas in coconut
In U.S. stores, look for canned or dried pigeon peas, often labeled gandules in the Latin American aisle. For four people: drain two 15-ounce cans of pigeon peas. Soften 1 chopped onion in a little oil, add 1 chopped tomato and a pinch of turmeric, then the peas and one 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until creamy, season with salt and a squeeze of lemon, and add a sliced green chili if you like heat.
Quick upcountry mandazi
For mandazi without the wait, mix 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cardamom and a pinch of salt. Beat 1 egg into 1 cup warm milk with 2 tablespoons melted butter, mix into the flour and knead into a soft dough. Rest 20 minutes, roll 1/3 inch thick, cut into triangles or squares and fry at 350°F until golden. They are denser than mahamri, as they should be.
Kiswahili at the table
| Kiswahili | English |
|---|---|
| Maandazi matatu | Three mandazi |
| Chai ya maziwa | Tea with milk |
| Mbaazi | Pigeon peas |
| Iliki | Cardamom |
| Tui la nazi | Coconut milk |
