With just four ingredients, you can have a taste of Hawaii!

Aloha, Rosies! This is such a fun recipe; it’s fun to make and fun to eat. Hell, it’s even fun to say! Haupia (pronounced how-pee-ah) is a traditional Hawaiian dessert that’s served at luaus, Christmas dinner, and many other occasions. It’s a delicious coconut pudding made from water, coconut milk, cornstarch (or arrow root), and sugar. That’s it! If you love coconut like me, you will LOVE this creamy dessert.

This would be lovely served with berries, kiwi, or mango, but I served it with toasted coconut (amazing) at my Mele Kalikimaka dinner. Hawaiians get super creative with Haupia, cutting into cubes to top pancakes (yes, pancakes!), using less cornstarch to turn it into a donut filling, topping chocolate pie with a layer of Haupia, and more.

Haupia is traditionally cut into squares and eaten with your hands, but you can also use less cornstarch and pour the mixture into jars for a coconut pudding  you eat with your spoon. You’ll definitely see that version of Haupia here on The Rose Table some day!

I really could not get over how good this is. I don’t even want to admit how many squares my mom and I ate in one sitting. Traditionally, Haupia is not very sweet so feel free to use less sugar but I like sweet desserts and think this amount of sweetness was spot-on. I hope you love this creamy taste of the islands as much as my mom and I do.

Haupia (Hawaiian Coconut Pudding)
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 13.5-oz can unsweetened coconut milk (full fat!)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (you can use less if you don’t want it as sweet)
Optional garnish: toasted coconut

1. In a measuring cup, whisk together water and cornstarch until cornstarch has completely dissolved.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then slowly whisk in the water-cornstarch.
3. Reduce heat to low and whisk until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon when it’s done.
4. Pour mixture into an 8” baking dish or loaf pan. Let cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
5. Cut into squares and serve cold.

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Aloha,

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