I’ve been sharing a lot of my father’s Puerto Rican recipes lately. Food is such an important part of holiday celebrations for Puerto Ricans, and with Christmas approaching, it’s made me nostalgic for a Puerto Rican feast. A recipe that everyone loves is tembleque. Tembleque (which means “wiggly” or “to shake”) is a Puerto Rican coconut dessert (a Puerto Rican coconut pudding) that’s really popular during Christmas, but you can enjoy it any time of year. My dad’s tembleque recipe is SO good (I’ve had many friends request the recipe after he’s made it for them), yet surprisingly easy to make! If you’re wondering how to make tembleque, this method is tried, true, and muy delicioso! You can make this Puerto Rican tembleque recipe in a large size (to cut and share) or in individual portions (as pictured in today’s post). I’ve got tips for both in the recipe I’m sharing.
What you need to make this Puerto Rican tembleque recipe
To make this Puerto Rican coconut pudding, you’ll need the following:
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- 10-inch mold or individual dessert cups. I get 8 servings using 3-inch (3-ounce capacity) fluted molds (affiliate link) or a similarly sized 3-ounce ramekin. You can also do 6 slightly larger servings if you use 4-ounce ramekins.
- Plastic wrap
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups coconut milk (2 13.5-ounce cans, shaken well)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
- Optional: Shredded coconut
How to make tembleque
To make my father’s Puerto Rican tembleque recipe, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the coconut milk until incorporated. Turn the burner to medium heat and add the vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon to the coconut milk mixture in the saucepan. Whisk continuously until the mixture begins to boil. Continue to boil while whisking constantly (but not too vigorously; you don’t want to whip it and add too much air) for a few more minutes until the mixture becomes very thick.
Remove from heat and pour into a 10-inch mold or individual dessert cups. I get 8 servings of this Puerto Rican coconut dessert using 3-inch (3-ounce capacity) fluted molds (affiliate link). It would also work in a similarly-sized ramekin. Or, you can get 6 slightly larger servings of tembleque if you use 4-ounce ramekins.
Shake the mold(s) and lightly drop them on the counter to release any air bubbles and allow the mixture to settle evenly. Allow the tembleque to cool to room temperature on the counter, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours (or until set – depending on the size of your molds it could be set in 3 hours or less).
Remove the Puerto Rican coconut pudding from the mold(s) by running a butter knife around the edge and inverting onto a serving dish. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (and shredded coconut, if desired).
Here’s our family’s Puerto Rican tembleque recipe! Let me know what you think of this easy Puerto Rican coconut pudding.
Tembleque (Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding)
Tembleque (which means "wiggly" or "to shake") is a Puerto Rican coconut dessert that's really popular during Christmas, but you can enjoy it any time of year. My dad's tembleque recipe (Puerto Rican coconut pudding) is so good, yet surprisingly easy to make!
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
- Optional: Shredded coconut, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the coconut milk until incorporated.
- Turn the burner to medium heat. Add the vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon to the coconut milk mixture in the saucepan. Whisk continuously until the mixture begins to boil. Continue to boil while whisking constantly (but not too vigorously; you don't want to whip it and add too much air) for a few more minutes until the mixture becomes very thick.
- Remove from heat and pour into individual dessert cups* or one 10-inch mold. Shake the mold(s) and lightly drop them on the counter to release any air bubbles and allow the mixture to settle evenly.
- Allow to cool to room temperature on the counter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours (or until set - depending on the size of your molds it could be set in 3 hours or less).
- Remove from the mold(s) by running a butter knife around the edge and inverting onto a serving dish. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (and shredded coconut, if desired).
Notes
*I get 8 servings using 3-inch (3-ounce capacity) fluted molds (it would also work in a similarly-sized ramekin). You can also get 6 slightly larger servings if made in 4-ounce ramekins.
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More Puerto Rican recipes like this Puerto Rican coconut pudding
- How to Make Homemade Puerto Rican Sofrito
- Puerto Rican Christmas dinner menu (traditional Nochebuena food)
- Air Fryer Tostones (Fried Green Plantain Chips)
- Pinchos de Pollo (Grilled Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers)
- Puerto Rican Bacalaitos (Salt Cod Fritters)
- Shortcut Puerto Rican Picadillo Empanadas Recipe
- Easy Puerto Rican-Style Vegetarian Empanada Recipe
- Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork Roast)
- Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)
- Instant Pot Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo
- Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto Rican-Style Beans)
- Instant Pot Estofado de Pollo (or Pollo Guisado, Puerto Rican-Style Chicken Stew) Recipe
- Instant Pot Asopao de Pollo (Puerto Rican-Style Chicken and Rice Stew
- Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican-Style Rice Pudding)
- Tembleque (Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding)
- Papa Cruz’s Flan de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Flan Recipe)
- Instant Pot Coconut Flan Recipe (Flan de Coco)
- Flan de Chocolate (Chocolate Flan Recipe)
- Coquito Balls (Caribbean-Style Coconut Rum Balls)
- The Best Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog) Recipe
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