Tembleque (Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding)

Tembleque is a traditional Puerto Rican dessert. This firm coconut and cinnamon infused pudding or custard is widely enjoyed at Christmas time, but it is found in restaurants and cafes throughout the year.

Tembleque, which means 'wiggly' in Spanish, is a dessert with a texture between jello and pudding. It's firm, velvety, and creamy.

It's sweet, but not too sweet. So you always end up eating more than one slice.

In addition to being widely served in Puerto Rico on any occasion, tembleque is popular in many other Latin American countries as well (for example Colombian Natilla (Cinnamon Milk Custard)).

You can even sometimes find it in Southeast Asian cuisine as well, where coconut milk is a popular ingredient.

Puerto Rican desserts

Sweets or desserts were created in Puerto Rico by a mixture of what was the Spanish conquest, slavery, and immigration traffic on the island.

After the exploitation of the island's resources, which included a large amount of gold, there was not much left on the island, but one thing was abundant in Puerto Rico and it was sugar, and with this great resource came the creativity and preparation of delicious delicacies.

Two of the most famous desserts from Puerto Rico are Tembleque and Arroz con Dulce.

These two come from the European Culture that abounded in the Island during the times of colonization due to the great traffic that existed between Puerto Rico and what at one time was called the Motherland Spain.

Christmas in Puerto Rico

If there's one thing Puerto Rico prides itself on, it's having the longest Christmas season in the world.

While in many countries of the world Christmas lasts just two or three weeks, Christmas in Puerto Rico lasts 45 days, starting on Thanksgiving Day, extending until the middle of January.

For these festivities, Puerto Ricans gather as a family to eat traditional Puerto Rican dishes, such as suckling pig with rice with gandules (legumes), pasteles (made with plantain or cassava), blood sausage, tembleque, and arroz dulce.

A great opportunity to gather the whole family and eat well!

Puerto Rican coconut pudding

Tembleque is a very simple dessert. With just a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes, you can have a delicious tropical treat.

The recipe for tembleque varies from house to house, like many recipes around the world.

Some recipes call for a mixture of coconut milk and coconut cream; other recipes use only coconut milk.

Some like to simmer the milk with some cinnamon and cloves; while others like to just sprinkle cinnamon on top before serving it.

How to make our tembleque recipe

For our recipe, I used a combination of coconut milk and coconut cream. These simmer on low with a cinnamon stick that is removed before adding a sugar and cornstarch mixture.

It's important to have all the ingredients measured and ready before you start.

Once the milk is done simmering and the sugar mixture is added, you need to whisk it or stir it constantly. It thickens quickly, and you need to be ready.

I find it easier to do this step in a wide pan, rather than a small pot.

Have your serving pan or bowl ready too, so that you can pour the mixture in once it reaches the right consistency.

Tembleque can be served in individual glasses, or made in a square or round pan. Once cold, turn it out and sprinkle some ground cinnamon over it before cutting into slices to serve.

Tembleque is a great dessert for the holidays. It can be made ahead of time and it keeps well in the refrigerator.