My gran’s pumpkin fritters | Pampoen koekies
Light and fluffy pumpkin fritters (pampoen koekies) with caramel sauce. This recipe handed down to me by my grandmother is nostalgia on a plate and will become a family favorite in no time.
Whenever my Ouma (Afrikaans for grandmother) brought a tray of these delicious pumpkin fritters out after lunch, I jumped up and down like only a little girl in love with her gran’s cooking could. I was obsessed with the light and fluffy fritters covered in rich caramel sauce. And now, years later, I feel no different.
These phenomenal pumpkin fritters (or as we call them in Afrikaans, Pampoen koekies), really are all they are hyped up to be. I once cooked a fellow food blogger friend a batch and he proceeded to eat close to 20. In one sitting. They are rich, sticky, buttery and absolutely drool-worthy.
My gran used to serve these fritters with this caramel sauce and I remember it being a light coloured but incredibly rich sauce. I also added a pinch of salt flakes as the salty caramel works so well with the pumpkin. These fritters are an absolute crowd pleaser and you’re guaranteed to love them.
Ingredients needed
- Pumpkin. I make my own pumpkin puree but canned pumpkin will also work.
- Flour.
- Baking powder.
- Sugar.
- Salt.
- Eggs.
- Milk. Coconut or almond milk can be substituted.
For the caramel sauce
The fritters can be served covered in cinnamon sugar but this caramel sauce is what my gran always served them with.
- Sugar.
- Butter.
- Cream.
- Vanilla extract.
- Golden syrup. Honey or maple syrup can be substituted.
- Salt.
How do you make pumpkin fritters?
The batter is incredibly simple and very much the same as a pancake batter. Flour (you can use 1:1 gluten free flour if you wish), sugar and baking powder are mixed with pumpkin puree, egg and milk to form a smooth, thick batter. Spoonfuls of the batter are fried until golden and crisp before being drenched in delicious caramel sauce.
Can you freeze pumpkin fritters?
The fritters will lose their texture when frozen so its not recommended. They are best served fresh and warm but you can make them a few hours ahead and keep them covered, in a low-heated oven for up to 2/3 hours. You can also pour over the caramel sauce ahead of time to allow the fritters to soak up the sauce. You can also refrigerate the fritter batter covered for up to 2 days ahead of time.
Pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin sheet cake with Chantilly cream
- Soft Pumpkin Dinner Rolls with Sage Butter
- Spicy Miso Coconut Pumpkin Soup
My gran's pumpkin fritters | Pampoen koekies
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 1 cup pumpkin cooked and pureed
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- pinch of salt
- oil for deep frying
For the Caramel Sauce
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ cup golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
Instructions
For the fritters
- Combine all the ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and fry spoonfuls of the batter until golden brown and cooked throughout, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the oil and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
- Continue until all the fritters are cooked.
For the Caramel Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and allow to cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Pour the syrup over the fritters and serve.
Nutrition
Table of Contents
Family and friends love this! They will be requesting pumpkin fritters for every gathering for the next 20 years!
Thanks Jenny, I’m so happy to hear that.
Best pumpkin fritters ever. The sauce can be used to pour over ice cream etc.
So happy you loved it. That sauce is SO good!
Loved reading your story, brought back memories to my childhood.
Thanks so much.
So yum!
🙂
These look soooo delicious Alida! I’d have a hard time resisting just my share!
Thanks so much Mary Ann! 🙂 They are such a treat.
Thank you soo much for the lovely recipe it was a hit I made it for our iftari at the time of breaking our fast the best recipe thank you
So glad to hear that!
Alida, I read the recipe of the Pumpkin Fritters. I make Ricotta Fritters, I like anything that’s a fritter. My question is would I be able to make these like one or two days in advance. Your Grandmother’s Fritters sound delicious, you know anything our Grandparents made is always good!!!! Thanks for giving this recipe!!
I’ve never made them so far in advance but you could definitely try. Perhaps just re-heat slowly in the oven, covered, to make sure they are thoroughly heated.
Oh my pumpkin goodness! Just joined a catamaran in the caribbean and was looking for yummy dessert ideas and came across this recipe from South Africa 🙂 Just made it for the boys to see their reactions and they were fighting over the last few with caramel sauce dripping all over the place! This is by far the best pampoen koekie recipe I have ever tasted. Mmmm felt like I was home for a while 🙂 thank you for sharing
So glad you liked them! 🙂
These look beyond amazing! Pumpkin and caramel together!? Sign me up!
Glad you like the look of them! 🙂 They really are too good to be true.
You could use corn syrup or honey. Golden syrup is often sold in little cans, so if you can find it, that would be great as that will give the authentic flavour you’re looking for.
What would you substitute for the golden syrup, as I don’t think we have that in the US?
What a lovely idea!
can i add chocolate chips? maybe the small ones? Or would that mess them up when frying.
I’m sure you could, I’ve never done that before so not sure how they would turn out once fried, but maybe give them a go and see?
The caramel sauce is amazing, but if you want something not quite as sweet, try these fritters with apple butter or pumpkin butter. Delicious!
I have made these several times and they are so delicious and addicting. I’d like to make them for a party, wondering if the batter can be mixed ahead of time and chilled until ready to fry?
Thanks Holly.
You know, I’m sure you could. Just watch out for the baking powder as it gets activated the moment the wet ingredients are added. My gran used to make this and keep it warm in huge trays covered with foil before hand.
What kind of pumpkin do you use? Butternut squash my boyfriend is from South Africa and we would love to make these.
Butternut squash is perfect in this!
I was wondering if you could just use the pumpkin in a can? These look and sound delish!! Thank you
Allison, I’ve never used pumpkin from a can but I’m sure it should be fine as long as it’s not too wet.
Castor sugar is also known as superfine sugar and golden syrup is similar to honey except it’s different in flavour.
And made from corn
What is castor sugar and what is golden syrup
Hi, don’t be sad for Ouma, be happy with your memories of her as she is not sad.
Any chance of a Vegan equivalent? I have just been given a half Pampoen and although I have been in S.A. for 40 years I have not eaten it since the first time 40 years ago,
I lost so many kilo’s through “durchfallen” that today i am still as skinny as a rake..
durchfallen: German. through fall: English literal translation. durchfallen is a much more descriptive word.