How to Make Moin Moin: Nigerian Moi Moi Recipe (2024)

Moin moin is a Nigerian steamed bean pudding that’s both filling and full of flavor. Try this easy recipe and learn how to make moi moi/moin moin at home!

Moin moin/moi moi is a delicious steamed bean pudding made from blending peas, red peppers, onions, and various add-ins of choice.

This blended perfection came all the way from Nigeria, where it’s commonly served on special occasions. But thanks to this easy moin moin recipe, you can now enjoy this delicious Nigerian food wherever you are.

Enjoy it as a meal alongside other Nigerian classics (more on this later), or eat it as a snack on its own.

We’ll go the traditional route and use banana leaves for this Nigerian moi moi recipe, but you can also use ramekins. You have zero excuses not to make this!

What Is Moin Moin?

Moin moin/moi moi is a Nigerian steamed pudding made from ground beans, peppers, onions, different proteins of choice, and various seasonings.

Blend all these in a countertop blender or food processor, pour the batter with eggs and fish into your containers, set them in the pot or oven, and you’ll be rewarded with a soft, spongy delight packed with flavor in every bite.

Do not be intimidated if you don’t know how to make Nigerian moi moi.

If this is your first time cooking moin moin, you have one thing to remember, and you won’t need to worry that your pudding will come out too lumpy or soft.

Ready?

Prepare your beans properly.

That’s it.

Whether you’ll use brown beans or black-eyed peas (not the band 😂), you should soak them for at least an hour. This will make it easier to remove their skins, but don’t try to rush the process and use hot water.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy: You’ll love learning how to make moin moin because it’s both fun and easy! Once you’ve tackled the skins and blended the mixture smoothly, you can get creative on where you want to cook your moi moi.
• Satisfying: With just a few ingredients and simple steps, you can treat yourself and your loved ones with a filling dish that does not fall short on flavor.
• Versatile: Enjoy your moin moin as a snack or meal! Pair it with rice, salad, or enjoy your leftover pudding the next day for a quick and easy breakfast with pap.

What Does Moi Moi Taste Like?

Nigerian moi moi is deliciously savory and easily fits the definition of the term “comfort food.” It’s moist and fluffy but still firm enough to hold its shape.

If you’ve also tried the crunchy akara, another Nigerian dish made with beans, you can think of moin moin as its softer sibling.

This simple moin moin recipe uses eggs and fish, but you can also make your moi moi with any add-ins like sardines or carrots, just to name a few.

Want a sample meal with this Nigerian pudding cake? Try it with jollof rice, fried plantain, or akamu!

Ingredients For Moi Moi

• Ewa oloyin – We’ll use Ewa oloyin for this moin moin recipe. Scroll down to know what other beans you can use to make moi moi.
• Red bell pepper – For an extra tasty pudding cake, we’ll add red bell pepper as well.
• Scotch Bonnet pepper – This added heat complements the savory flavor of moi moi deliciously.
• Onion – Add this umami ingredient to your bean mixture for a more well-rounded flavor.
• Crayfish – A staple in Nigerian dishes, and for a good reason! Crayfish’s sweet and salty taste makes it more like a seasoning.
• Vegetable oil – This neutral oil helps keep the moi moi moist.
• Cooked fish – Feel free to add any protein you like, but we’ll use cooked fish for this recipe.
• Hard-boiled eggs – You can prepare your moin moin with whole or sliced eggs inside.
• Seasoning powder – You can also use bouillon cubes to season your bean pudding cake.

Tools Needed To Prepare Nigerian Moi Moi

• Blender for peeling the beans and blending the ingredients
• Sieve for removing the peeled beans from their skins
• Bowl for mixing the ingredients
• Foil for covering the moi moi containers
• Pot for steaming the moin moin
• Ramekins for cooking moi moi if not using banana leaves

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Moin Moin

Pepper substitute

Can’t get your hands on Scotch Bonnet pepper? Use ata rodo for a hot and spicy kick on your moin moin.

Fish substitute

We used minced fish in this moi moi, but you can also replace it with rich bone marrow.

Nutmeg

Customize your moi moi with your favorite spices! Nutmeg makes the pudding taste like the ones served at parties.

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How To Make Moin Moin With Leaves

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Ewa oloyin or black-eyed peas
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper or Tatashe pepper
• 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper
• ¾ cup diced onion
• 2 tbsp crayfish
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup cooked fish, minced
• 4 pcs hard-boiled eggs
• Seasoning powder to taste

Tools you need:

• Blender
• Sieve
• Bowl
• Foil
• Pot
• Ramekins for cooking moi moi if not using banana leaves

Instructions:

STEP 1: Gather the ingredients for your moin moin.

STEP 2: Soak the beans for an hour, more or less, depending on the type of beans you use or how dry they are.

STEP 3: Pour the beans into a blender. Add twice as much water as the beans.

STEP 4: Blend 3 to 4 times at 3 to 4-second intervals just to peel the beans. We are not blending the beans!

STEP 5: Pour the beans into a large bowl and add enough water to cover them. Agitate the beans with your fingers so their skins will float.

STEP 6: Pour the beans through a sieve to separate the peeled beans.

STEP 7: Add the peeled beans, red bell pepper, Scotch Bonnet pepper, and diced onion into a blender. Blend until smooth.

STEP 8: Add the crayfish, vegetable oil, seasoning powder, and minced fish to the bean mixture and combine.

STEP 9: Pour water into a large pot, then place the banana leaves in the water. You can also cook your moin moin in greased ramekins if you don’t have banana leaves.

STEP 10: Roll a leaf into a cone and pour your moin moin into it.

STEP 11: Add a slice of boiled egg and fish, then fold the leaf cone to secure everything in place. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and leaves.

STEP 11: Place the cones inside the pot. Cover and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour over medium heat. You can check the pudding’s doneness with a toothpick.

What To Eat With Moi Moi

Now that you know how to make moin moin, what should you eat with it for the best experience?

Enjoy it alongside Nigerian rice dishes like Jollof rice and fried rice or maybe with a hearty stew. Nigerian salad, pap, and bread are also delicious if you find rice too heavy.

For an afternoon snack, serve moi moi with your favorite beverage! Try it with soft drinks, milo, or drinking garri.

Tips About Making This Moin Moin Recipe

• If your moi moi ends up grainy, the beans might not be soft enough after peeling. If you soak them for only a short time, it’ll be more challenging to blend them smoothly.
• Always check your water level when cooking moin moin because it can dry up. However, add just enough water not to submerge the moi moi.
• Be careful when adding tomatoes or any tomato product in moin moin. The pudding may not set.

How To Store Moi Moi

• Fridge: You can keep your leftover moi moi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• Freezer: For longer storage, freeze your moin moin in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
• Reheating: To reheat your moi moi, steam the puddings in their containers until warmed through. If frozen, thaw your moi moi in the fridge before reheating. You can also microwave the moin moin inside their leaves.

What Makes Moi Moi Soft?

When making moi moi, we all know that it’s important to soak the beans in water for easier removal of their skins. However, don’t soak them for too long.

If the beans absorb too much water, your moin moin might turn out mushy.

The moisture content of tomatoes and tomato products can also make the batter too watery, so it’s best not to use them when making moi moi.

But if you’ve been craving tomatoes, Nigeria has a really amazing tomato stew!

How To Fix Watery Moi Moi?

Is your moi moi watery? It might be undercooked and needs more time to set!

You can confirm if it’s done by inserting a knife or toothpick through it. The knife should only have a bit of moi moi on it when you take it out.

Oh, and when adding water while cooking moi moi, be careful not to add too much. It can get into the containers and make your moin moin watery!

But what if your moin moi ends up hard instead of fluffy?

If the water dries up while baking the pudding, your moi moi can become a bit hard.

Take it from me: when baking moin moin at 350°F, do it in 10-minute intervals for the best texture.

What Are The Best Type Of Beans For Moi Moi?

The best type of bean for Nigerian moin moin is either Ewa oloyin or black eyed peas.

Either of these two will be delicious for the Nigerian pudding cake.

Here’s another tip: soak your beans for at least 1 to 3 hours. You can always rub them between your hands, and if the skin separates effortlessly, they’re ready for peeling.

If you use black eyed peas, you can save some and also make akara!

What Is The Best Container For Moi Moi?

You can make your moin moin in banana leaves like what we did in this recipe or oven-friendly containers like ramekins.

You can also prepare moi moi in foil paper, plastic bags, and plastic bowls. However, I suggest that you use something that’s not made of plastic.

If the water dries up and you fail to check it, prepare to bid goodbye to your favorite plastic bowl! 😅

How to wrap moi moi with foil?

Don’t have bowls or banana leaves for your moi moi? Wrap the mixture in aluminum foil instead!

Cut several pieces of foil and fold their edges except one side for the opening. The size will depend on how big you want your moin moin to be. Additionally, use two foils for each “bag.”

Then, scoop your bean paste into the bag to fill half of it. Do not overfill, or you’ll end with a mess!

Fold the opening to close the bag.

Next, arrange the moin moin foil bags inside a padded pot with boiling water and cook them until they set.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moi Moi

Nigerian Moin Moin (Moi Moi)

Yield: 5-7 moin moin

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Moin moin is a Nigerian steamed bean pudding that’s both filling and full of flavor. Try this easy recipe and learn how to make moi moi/moin moin at home!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Ewa oloyin or black-eyed peas
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper or Tatashe pepper
• 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper
• ¾ cup diced onion
• 2 tbsp crayfish
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup cooked fish, minced
• 4 pcs hard-boiled eggs
• Seasoning powder to taste

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients for your moin moin.
2. Soak the beans for an hour, more or less, depending on the type of beans you use or how dry they are.
3. Pour the beans into a blender. Add twice as much water as the beans.
4. Blend 3 to 4 times at 3 to 4-second intervals just to peel the beans. We are not blending the beans!
5. Pour the beans into a large bowl and add enough water to cover them. Agitate the beans with your fingers so their skins will float.
6. Pour the beans through a sieve to separate the peeled beans.
7. Add the peeled beans, red bell pepper, Scotch Bonnet pepper, and diced onion into a blender. Blend until smooth.
8. Add the crayfish, vegetable oil, seasoning powder, and minced fish to the mixture and combine.
9. Pour water into a large pot, then place the banana leaves in the water. You can also cook your moin moin in greased ramekins if you don't have banana leaves.
10. Roll a leaf into a cone and pour your moin moin into it.
11. Add a slice of boiled egg and fish, then fold the leaf to secure everything in place. Repeat with the rest of the mixture and leaves.
12. Place the cones inside the pot. Cover and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour over medium heat. You can check the pudding's doneness with a toothpick.

Notes

• Is your moin moin grainy? The beans might not be soft enough after peeling! Soak the beans longer so they’ll be easier to blend.
• Check the water level every so often when cooking your moin moin. It shouldn’t dry up, but add just enough water not to submerge the moi moi.
• Avoid adding tomatoes or any tomato product in moin moin, or the pudding may not set.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 7Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 56Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 17mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for the most accurate results.

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Updated in October 2023 with new photos and minor recipe adjustments for improved quality. Enjoy!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You just learned how to make fluffy moin moin with leaves!

Making moin moin/moi moi can seem intimidating at first, but I can guarantee that it’s an enjoyable experience. You can even try it with different containers!

Enjoy moist and fluffy Nigerian bean pudding on its own or with other Nigerian side dishes. Just remember my tip on not soaking the beans for too long or too short, and blend everything until you get a smooth paste.

I hope you found this moin moin (moi moi) recipe helpful. For more African food ideas, check out our Nigerian recipes and find everything from savory to sweet, like these African faves:

• The Best Nigerian Chicken Stew Recipe
• Nigerian Bitter Leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)
• Easy Asaro Recipe (Nigerian Yam Porridge)
• How To Make Crunchy Nigerian Coconut Candy
• Nigerian Chapman co*cktail: Nigeria’s National Drink

PIN FOR LATER!

You may have also seen some of our previous photos. Here is our moin moin cooked in ramekins: