Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia)

That Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Chicken recipe I just made was such a terrific introduction to Hawaiian cuisine that I wanted to try more. A quick scan of my Pinterest boards, and I found my next Hawaiian recipe: Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia). I love love love coconut! That alone was enough to pique my interest, but there’s more. This recipe has only 4 ingredients and takes 17 minutes to make. How can I not give this easy coconut dessert recipe a try? I simply must!

Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia) is a Hawaiian dessert almost similar to a gelatin. It consists of 4 simple ingredients: water, sugar, cornstarch and coconut milk.

Recipe Author: Lisa at Foodie Luv
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The Ingredients

So haupia has 4 ingredients, and I found 3 of them during my pre-shopping check through my kitchen. Cornstarch and sugar are always in my pantry, and it’s not unusual for me to have coconut milk too. This week I was out, so I added that to my shopping list and found it at my usual grocery store.

The recipe doesn’t say what type of coconut milk to use. I chose full-fat unsweetened for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of sugar, so I assumed that would provide plenty of sweetness.

Second, the haupia has to set in the refrigerator so it can be cut into squares for serving. When you open a can of full-fat coconut milk you find chunks of fat floating in the liquid. That fat melts into a liquid when heated and returns to its solid form when cooled, and that’s exactly what this recipe needs to hold together.

Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia) Ingredients
Water, sugar, coconut milk, and cornstarch

The Process

Making this recipe was as easy as I thought it would be. The instructions are written clearly, and I didn’t have any trouble working through the steps.

I began by heating the coconut milk and sugar in a 3.3-quart pan (it had plenty of room, and I could have gone a little smaller). While it came to a boil, I mixed the cornstarch and water together, then I slowly stirred it into the coconut mixture once it came to a boil.

My only problem was I didn’t have an 8″x8″ pan. I tried pouring the pudding into a 9″x9″ baking dish, but it was very shallow. It just wouldn’t have produced the nice squares shown in the recipe.

A quick check through my cabinets and I found the perfect solution. I had a set of ceramic baking dishes, and the medium-sized dish was perfect. It’s 8.7″L x 6.3″W x 2.1″H, so the haupia was deep enough to cut into squares once it set.

I did briefly consider spraying the dish with canola oil, but I decided not to since the coconut milk had plenty of fat. I bet that would ensure easy removal from the pan, and it did.

The set haupia cut into 12 pieces
The set haupia cut into 12 pieces

The pudding did have some cracks on the surface when I removed it from the refrigerator the next day. That didn’t seem to affect it, though. I ran a paring knife around the edges to loosen it, cut it into squares, and tipped the pan onto a cutting board to remove the pudding. And nothing happened.

I ended up using a cake server to remove the pieces of pudding. The tapered end helped to get the haupia squares out intact, though the bottom was softer than the surface so they tilted a little when I plated them. I’m guessing the coconut fat floated to the top as the pudding cooled causing the top to be a bit firmer than the bottom.

Timing

This recipe lists 10 minutes to prep, 7 minutes to cook, and 17 minutes in total. I came in well under that with a total time of 9 minutes.

Neither time includes setting in the refrigerator, nor do the instructions list a time. I let my haupia set overnight.

So how was it?

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This recipe for Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia) was everything I hoped and more. There's so much smooth and creamy coconut taste in those little squares! Making this recipe took 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes. Refrigerating overnight made it firm enough to be cut into squares, but it had that pudding texture. Being the coconut lover that I am, this recipe was a real treat, and I will be making it again!
The Hungry Pinner
The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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This recipe for Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia) was everything I hoped and more. There's so much smooth and creamy coconut taste in those little squares! Making this recipe took 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes. Refrigerating overnight made it firm enough to be cut into squares, but it had that pudding texture. Being the coconut lover that I am, this recipe was a real treat, and I will be making it again!Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (Haupia)