Make delicious haupia pudding even better with a garnish of fresh fruit and a bottom layer of smashed raspberries. Fruit-layered haupia pudding is easy, refreshing, gluten-and-dairy-free.
I love haupia, that simple concoction of only four ingredients: coconut milk, a sweetener, water and a thickener. I most often pour the haupia into a baking pan, let it cool and cut it into squares. But it's delicious with fruit and I love this presentation of it.
For a little extra flavor you can add vanilla, but it's optional, especially if you sweeten yours with coconut sugar, which already has a caramel flavor. With coconut sugar, this is a Paleo recipe.
What is the best coconut milk to use?
Whereas I long thought that you could only make haupia from frozen coconut milk, I have learned that canned coconut milk will do just fine. You can replicate the taste and texture of frozen coconut milk by freezing your canned coconut milk (put it into another container first) and then allowing it to thaw before you cook with it.
I look for organic coconut milk and find that full-fat coconut milk from Natural Grocers, Trader Joes,
Sprouts and Aroy all work well. I no longer buy Chaokoh coconut milk because of reports that they force chained monkeys to harvest the coconuts to cut down on costs.
How do you sweeten haupia?
The sweetener you choose depends on how you want your haupia to look and taste. White sugar will not change the white color of the coconut milk. Coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup will change it a little. Organic sugar is a good in-between, plus the fact that it’s organic. But with coconut sugar, this recipe is Paleo.
In any case, the amount of sweetener in this recipe is about half the typical amount, and you need less since you are garnishing the pudding with fruit. If your fruit is very sour, you may increase it a bit.
How do you thicken the haupia?
When first I learned to make haupia the recommended thickener was corn starch. Corn starch is inexpensive and a common pantry staple. If you prefer a grain-free version, tapioca starch works just as well and gives an equally smooth texture.
You can also use arrowroot, which is grain-free (it is made from the roots of arrowroot plants). But be aware that arrowroot, according to Bob’s Red Mill, “is best used at the end of your cooking just before boiling, as continued heating will cause it to lose its thickening ability”.
The most important step in this recipe is adding the starch to cold water to make a slurry before stirring that into the coconut milk-sugar mixture. If you add the starch to a hot solution it will thicken unevenly and give you lumps of starch paste.
What fruits are good with haupia?
Use the fruits that you enjoy! I chose what looked good and what my grandson likes, which is raspberries and strawberries. Blueberries are also delicious. For a tropical flavor, pineapple, mango and papaya would be great. The mint is optional but refreshing and aromatic.
We haven't found that apples or large oranges are so good - the firmer texture doesn't suit our taste - but if you have good fruit, that's what's important. Small, sweeter mandarins or Cuties are good with the other fruit.
What can I serve this fruit-layered haupia pudding in?
Small mason jars are heat-proof if you are concerned about pouring hot liquid into them. Also, they are easy to cover. But you can use beverage glasses as long as the glass isn't cold when you pour the haupia into it, and the haupia has cooled for a few minutes after the heating step.
Here I've used small drinking glasses that showed off the bottom raspberry layer. At other times I've served it in small ceramic ramekins, and then the raspberries at the bottom are a surprise.
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Other recipes you may like
Haupia Pumpkin Pie; Gluten-and-dairy-free
Easy Coconut Milk Tapioca Dessert
Quinoa Chia Breakfast Pudding with Mango, Banana and Yogurt
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #amealinmind on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thank you so much!!
Beth Allingham
Fruit-Layered Haupia Pudding
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Serving glasses or jars
- A good, sharp knife
Ingredients
Haupia Pudding:
- 1 13.5 oz can full-fat Coconut Milk about 1⅔ cup
- 1½ tablespoons Organic Sugar see note, but coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey will also work
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch for grain-free, or corn starch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- pinch of salt optional
- fresh chopped fruit of choice
- mint leaves to garnish
Fruit Topping and Bottom Layer
- ½ cup raspberries mashed to a jam, for bottoms of glasses
- 4-5 strawberries hulled and chopped
- ⅓ cup raspberries
- 1-2 mandarin oranges peeled and chopped
- Other fruit to taste: kiwis blueberries, etc.
- 3-4 mint leaves plus more for garnish
Instructions
Raspberry Layer
- Place the ½ cup of raspberries into a shallow bowl. Mash them coarsely with a fork. Use a spoon to press one-fourth of the mashed berries into the bottom and partway up one side of each of four, 4-ounce serving glasses.
Haupia Pudding
- Place coconut milk and sweetener into a medium saucepan. Mix together 2 tablespoons of water with 2 tablespoons of tapioca or cornstarch and add that to the saucepan. Add the optional vanilla and salt to the saucepan and stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. When ready, it should be the consistency of a thick gravy (thick but pourable).
- Let the pudding cool for about 5 minutes.
- Then, pour the pudding slowly into your berry-coated serving glasses.
- Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until chilled.
Fruit Topping
- Combine chopped fruit in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Do this just before serving so that the berries don’t get mushy.
- To serve, top pudding with several spoonfuls of mixed fruit, and garnish with mint leaves.
Notes
Please pin for later!
Gloria
Who says you can't have dessert for breakfast? I would certainly eat this for breakfast...and dessert. What a great recipe for both.
Beth
Haha, you are so right, Gloria. I often make a double batch for that very reason!
Tracy
This is soooo good! Thank you! The whole family loved this so much, thank you!
Beth
That's so great to hear, Tracy! Thanks for letting me know.
Addison
Nothing better than fresh fruit! I love these fresh flavors and fun layers!
Beth
Thank you so much Addison, the great thing about haupia is it doesn't overcome the fruit flavors.
Lauren Vavala
This looks so good! I love fresh fruit in desserts. My kids will enjoy this too - win win!
Beth
Lauren, it's definitely a kid-friendly dessert, my grandson can tell you.
Candice
This haupia pudding is so good! And layered with the fresh fruit just makes it even better. What a recipe... will be making this easy one again!
Beth
Yay, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Candice!
Neha
I absolutely love how pretty these pudding cups with fruit layers look! Also these clicks are so vibrant, I totally feel like grabbing one off of my screen!
Beth
Thanks, Neha, the haupia is almost like a canvas to show off the fruit, isn't it?
Farrukh Aziz
This pudding turned out to be so good! And, the layer of fruits made it even more delicious! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe!
Beth
Thank you so much, Farrukh. Haupia is a special treat in our house no matter how often I make it. I'm so glad you liked it too.
Debbie
This Fruit-Layered Haupia Pudding is such a light and refreshing dessert . My whole family loved this , even the picky eaters. The great thing is it is just as beautiful as it taste!
Beth
We absolutely love this pudding, too, Debbie. I'm so happy to hear that the family loved it.
Amanda
This was such a decadent treat! The pudding had the perfect creamy consistency, and it made me feel like I was on a tropical island.. Super easy too!
Beth
I appreciate that feedback, Amanda. Always happy to share a recipe that's so typical of the islands and glad you liked it.
Moop Brown
This pudding looks so colorful and yummy. Makes for a perfect little treat to start the day with.
Beth
Thanks, Moop, haupia pudding really is a perfect treat for any time of day.
Nisha
What a lovely share Beth! I'm in love with this drink, it uses my favorite coconut milk in it. I have had a similar Thai drink called "Che Thai "and that uses fruit jelly along with some tropical fruits. Your recipe has a pudding style consistency and sounds delicious as well. Hope to try it sometime.
Beth
Thank you so much, Nisha. I will have to check out the Che Thai, as coconut milk is one of my favorites too. This pudding has become a family favorite as it's not fancy but is more than "just fruit".
Dominique
I followed the recipe exactly but my pudding came out grainy, could that be because of the coconut milk? The coconut milk had a huge amount of oil in the can that was hard at the top. Maybe after cooking and then cooling it’s causing the grainy texture? Also it wasn’t as thick as pudding usually is, I think I might’ve needed an extra tablespoon of tapioca starch? What should I do? Try a different brand of coconut milk? I used the Thai Kitchen unsweetened coconut milk. Thank you!!
Beth
Hi, Dominique, this is a less-thick version of haupia pudding than you might be used to because it's meant to be eaten with a spoon. To make it thicker, you would add more tapioca starch, as you suggested. A typical recipe for haupia will have 5 tablespoons or so of tapioca starch per can of coconut milk and that ratio will make it come out firm, but jiggly. As far as the coconut milk, Thai Kitchen is one of my favorites - a great choice - and it's typical for the oil-rich part to be solid at the top if the coconut milk has been at 70 degrees F or cooler. The most likely cause of the grainy texture is undissolved tapioca starch. The best fix for that is to make sure you are stirring constantly the minute the pudding begins to thicken in the pan, which should keep you from having uncooked starch in the mix. It also helps if the saucepan you are using is the same size as the stove burner. I hope that helps!