Simply put: I love coconut–everything from the coconut cakes and pies my southern grandparents brought me up with to the toasted coconut ice cream and Filipino Biko my friend Erika introduced me to. I love the savory almost as much as the sweet. My favorite appetizer is Mom’s famous coconut shrimp without which Christmas would not be complete. I love the coconut soups and curries I once only ordered at restaurants and then learned to make. And then there are the coconut cocktails and liqueurs we enjoy when we vacation at the beach.
I thought I had made it all until I realized we didn’t have a recipe for coconut pudding here on ThreeManyCooks! So Mom and I modified her tried and tested pudding recipe to make it not just single coconut, but double coconut. It says, “Serves 8” but if you’re like me, it actually makes two servings–one for all the licks and spoonfuls along the way (to make sure it’s good) and then another for dessert.
Speaking of double, you might want to double the recipe.
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) regular coconut milk
- 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
- ⅔ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted (see step below)
- Toast coconut in a 9-inch baking pan in a 300-degree oven, stirring once or twice, until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Just before adding milks, whisk in egg yolks, and then turn heat to medium and whisk in milks. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally at first and then constantly as pudding starts to thicken, until mixture comes to a full simmer. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup of the coconut.
- Pour into an airtight container or 8 custard cups with a sheet of plastic over the surface to keep a skin from forming (Can be refrigerated up to 5 days).
That sounds phenomenal! I absolutely love coconut too.
That looks delicious! I really love coconut.
Give me a spoon!
I, too, love all things coconut. My better half would go crazy for this. It would be so good topped with some fresh berries, I love it!
This looks so yummy! I have all these ingredients right now. I may just whip up some double coconut pudding right away. Thanks for the recipe!
I made macaroons on the weekend and I had exactly 3 egg yolks leftover!!! With my last batch of egg yolks I made lemon curd which was not well received by my family. Thanks for this coconut pudding recipe. My family loves coconut and I hope that I can file this recipe with my macaroon recipe so that I don’t waste any of my eggs!!! Thanks!
I took a taste of this coconut pudding a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I adore this recipe!!!!!
I made it last night. Not only is it delicious but it was easy!!! Thanks for this recipe.
Oh my….. going to go check the pantry for the ingredients…..
Is there any way to make this recipe dairy free?
Hey Gillian,
I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t substitute one of the non-dairy milks for the evaporated milk. If you try it, let us know how it turns out.
I assume from the photos that you use the remaining toasted coconut to garnish the pudding?
That’s correct–garnish, if you like, with a little toasted coconut!
Can I use this recipe to make a pie. I want to make a coconut pudding & chocolate pudding layered pie.
To turn this pudding into pie filling, I think I’d want it a little thicker, so increase the cornstarch from 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup and the egg yolks from 3 to 5. Good luck and let me know how your pie turned out!
I made this today for my friend who just had her baby. It was so simple and it was incredibly delicious. I didn’t even add the toasted coconut which I’m sure would take this pudding to a whole new level of goodness!