Tembleque - Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding

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Tembleque de Coco – coconut pudding dusted with cinnamon. This traditional Puerto Rican dessert is easy to make with only 5 ingredients!

The name comes from the Spanish word “to tremble” like the delightful wiggle, jiggle and shake of this dessert.

Technically it’s a pudding since it’s made with cornstarch to thicken.

But it reminds me of cream custard since it’s so beautifully silky and sets so perfectly in whatever mold you use!

This is the standard tembleque recipe and it is perfect.

I consulted my favorite Puerto Rican cookbooks (Puerto Rican Cuisine in America and Cocina Criolla) to see if they had any tips to make it better.

The only difference they offer is using fresh coconut milk from scratch.

I bet that ramps up the flavor, but not everyone has access to fresh coconuts, or the time and tools needed to shred, soak, etc!

But please check the ingredients on your canned coconut because some have all sorts of additives and thickeners.

Coconut milk–You will need 2 cans of coconut milk. You could also use 3 can and it will have a looser, pudding texture.
Cornstarch –This is the ingredient that will thicken the tembleque. This is a pretty firm tembleque. If you would like it creamier use half the amount.
Sugar –I recommend 2/3 cup, but you can always use more or less to adjust the sweetness to your liking.
Salt–Not enough to make it salty, just to enhance all the other flavors.
Cinnamon–There’s no cinnamon actually in the tembleque, but it’s dusted over top before serving.

Bonus: tembleque is naturally gluten-free (double check ingredients) and dairy-free (vegan).

Some people like to add a little extra sabor. This can include 1 of the following:

Dissolve the cornstarch in cold or room temperature coconut milk. If you add it to warm liquid it will be a lumpy mess. No bueno.
Bring the dissolved cornstarch, coconut milk, sugar and salt to a boil, then lower the heat and cook until the tembleque has thickened.
Pour into molds and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
After chilling, run a knife around the mold to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Dust liberally with cinnamon and enjoy!

Tembleque can be prepared in fancy molds or simple pans.

It can be prepared in personal pans or a large dish that’s cut into individual servings.

My grandmother has beautiful vintage copper molds like this one: Copper Heart Mold.

You could also use a square pan (cut into squares for serving) or a pie pan (cut into wedges).

Ingredients

Set out molds for tembleque (square pan, individual ramekins,
etc. See post for more details about molds).
Whisk the cornstarch with 1 can of coconut milk until completely dissolved and smooth.
Pour into saucepan along with remaining can of coconut milk, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until thick, about 1-3 minutes.
Pour mixture into mold(s) and let cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight, but may take only a few hours depending on the size of molds.
Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving and garnish with cinnamon sticks and shredded coconut (optional).

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