By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 8
146 cal · 25 min
Special South African Koeksusters
Recipe GLPR189607911f411e
These delightful South African koeksusters are sweet, crispy-on-the-outside braided pastries with a tender crumb and syrup-soaked interior. The dough is mixed with milk and butter, rolled thin, cut into strips, and plaited before being deep-fried until golden brown. Each piece is then immediately plunged into ice-cold vanilla sugar syrup, which soaks in beautifully. These treats are perfect for afternoon tea or as an indulgent dessert.
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Ingredients
8⅜ oz cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
4.2 oz whole milk
2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
35 oz granulated sugar
2 cups water
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. Place over medium-high heat and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and allow the syrup to simmer gently for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully transfer the syrup to a metal bowl if available, or another heat-safe bowl.
Place the bowl containing the hot syrup into a larger container or kitchen sink filled with ice water. Stir occasionally until the syrup cools to room temperature. Once cool, transfer the syrup to a freezer bag or covered container and refrigerate or freeze until it is thoroughly chilled and cold to the touch.
While the syrup cools, prepare the dough. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large mixing bowl.
Cut the softened butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Pour the milk into the flour mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon until a soft dough begins to form. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. If the dough seems crumbly and dry, add a little more milk one teaspoon at a time. If it feels too sticky, dust lightly with additional flour.
Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the dough to a thickness of about 5mm. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into strips that are approximately 1.5 cm wide and 7 cm long, but do not separate them completely—leave them attached at the top.
Carefully divide each strip into three thinner strands (about 5mm wide each) while keeping them firmly joined at the top. Braid or plait the three strands together, pressing the strips together very firmly at both the top and bottom. This is critical; ensure the ends are well-sealed or the koeksusters will fall apart during frying.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pot or deep-fryer to 350°F (175°C). Working in small batches to avoid crowding, carefully place the plaited koeksusters into the hot oil.
Deep fry the koeksusters for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once halfway through, until they are deep golden brown. Do not shy away from achieving a rich, golden-brown color on all sides.
Remove the koeksusters from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place them briefly on paper towels to drain excess oil. Immediately and quickly dip each hot koeksuster into the ice-cold syrup, turning to coat all sides thoroughly. Leave them in the syrup to soak until ready to serve, allowing them to absorb the syrup fully.
Remove the koeksusters from the syrup just before serving, draining off any excess syrup. Serve while still warm.
Comments
Every ingredient is stocked at every major Charlotte chain—cake flour, baking powder, salt, butter, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, water, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract are basic pantry items with no special trips required. The cost per serving lands around $0.60–$0.75 when made at home, driven mainly by the oil and sugar for frying and coating. The stated 25 minutes is honest for hands-on time, but budget another 10–15 minutes for the dough to rest and chill before frying, so call it 35–40 minutes total from start to eating. These are a crispy-outside, syrupy-inside fried pastry that require attention while frying but rewarm beautifully in a low oven, making them ideal for batch cooking or next-day breakfast.
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