Yield: 8 servings
Tembleque
This authentic Tembleque recipe is a classic Puerto Rican dessert made with canned coconut milk, cornstarch and cinnamon. Super rich and creamy, this coconut pudding only takes 20 minutes of work, and the fridge does the rest!
Ingredients
- 2 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract, optional
- ground cinnamon, for garnish
- shredded coconut, or toasted coconut, optional garnish
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Instructions
- Spray individual mini silicone bundt cake molds or a traditional bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Add the coconut milk, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and salt to a medium size pot over medium heat and whisk to combine.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick. Remove from the heat and stir in extracts if using.
- Pour the mixture into the bundt pan or individual molds. It will be very thick, so use a spatula or back of a spoon to spread into an even layer.
- Let them cool for 1 hour on the counter, then cover and chill for 3 to 4 hours (or up to overnight) in the fridge.
- Once they have chilled completely and you are ready to serve, remove them from the fridge and turn the tembleques out onto a plate or a serving platter. Dust them with a bit of ground cinnamon and serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: Store leftover tembleque covered tightly in the refrigerator, for up to 7 days. It’s best stored in the mold, however, you can place plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to help prevent the outside of the custard from hardening.
Whisk, Whisk, Whisk: Make sure you are stirring the pudding constantly as it simmers, scraping all the way to the bottom and edges of the pot. If you don’t, you will end up with clumpy pudding.
Cinnamon: Usually the ground cinnamon is added as a garnish, but you can add up to 2 teaspoons directly to the pudding mixture as well.
Unmolding Tembleque: If you grease your pan well, or use silicone molds, it should unmold easily. If it doesn’t, dip the molds in hot water for a few seconds at a time. Be sure to not get water in the dessert, just warm the outside of the pan.
Extra Coconut: Serve tembleque topped with shredded coconut or toasted shredded coconut flakes. for added texture, you can also stir in 1 cup of shredded coconut into the pudding.
Orange: Add orange rind to the saucepan with all ingredients, then discard before pouring the pudding into the mold. For even more orange flavor, add 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 106kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 0.03g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.05g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.003g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.004g, Sodium: 146mg, Potassium: 3mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 0.4IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.1mg