Coconut Pudding with Dragon Fruit

by Dorothy Reinhold on March 20, 2022


Print This Post Print This Post Coconut Pudding in a glass goblet with 4 pieces of white dragon fruit on top, a spoon alongside, on a white marble countertop

Easy Coconut Pudding is for coconut lovers. The coconutty goodness is deeply comforting and satisfying. Garnish with dragon fruit, banana, pineapple, papaya or another tropical fruit, for an island feel. 

Coconut seems to be one of those foods people either love or hate. I love it. Many of my relatives and friends profoundly hate it. So I have to be careful when I make dessert for them. 

So I’ve resorted to hiding my bag of coconut and snitching pinches of it when my craving strikes. But once I made this Coconut Pudding — just for myself! — I stumbled upon the thing that transcends all coconutty goodness.

PLUS: It makes enough for 4, so even if you happen to be the only coconut lover at your house, the amount is still small enough to be manageable.

How to make Coconut Pudding

Ingredients for Coconut Pudding arrayed on a white marble countertop

First, gather your ingredients. For this easy Coconut Pudding, you’ll need

  • milk
  • coconut
  • sugar
  • cornstarch
  • salt
  • egg
  • vanilla extract
  • dragon fruit
  • limes, optional

A pot with milk in it sits next to a small blender with a white mixture in it, in front of a wooden backgroundSteep the coconut in hot milk, and then puree it in a blender. I did it in several batches in my mini blender.

An egg in a small white bowl is being poured into a pan with milk and a whisk in itReturn the coconut-milk mixture to the stove, and whisk in the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg. 

A colorful spatula has white coconut pudding on it held above a pot of the pudding on ShockinglyDelicious.comBoil until it thickens. You can draw your finger across the spoon or spatula and see how thick it is.

Left photo shows hand holding small lime being zested with a metal tool. Right photo is lime zest added to coconut pudding. Zest a couple of key limes with a microplane zester, and stir most of it into the pudding, if you like. I like!

2 photos with a hand and a knife showing how to peel yellow skin off a white dragon fruitPeel the skin off the dragon fruit. Cut a slim slice off both ends, then a vertical shallow slit in the skin, and then peel off the skin in one piece.

2 photos showing white dragon fruit cut into halves and quarters, with yellow skin alongsideYou can slice the dragon fruit in round slices, chunks, or however you want it. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?I chose to cut it into cubes to top the Coconut Pudding. I didn’t want it to disappear into the pudding.

Coconut Pudding in a glass cup with a strawberry perched on the edge, on a white marble counterYou can top the pudding with any other fruit you’d like. How about…

  • strawberries
  • sliced banana
  • sliced mango
  • sliced papaya
  • pineapple chunks
  • kiwi slices or any other fruit that appeals to you!

This isn’t going to convert anyone who detests coconut, but it makes life a lot sweeter for those of us who hold the correct opinion.

Print
Coconut Pudding

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

Coconut Pudding

Easy Coconut Pudding is for coconut lovers. The coconutty goodness is deeply comforting and satisfying. Garnish with dragon fruit, banana, pineapple, papaya or another tropical fruit, for an island feel. 

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups milk (regular, low-fat or non-fat is fine, as is plant-based milk)
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 key limes, zested (optional but recommended)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Garnish: Slices of dragon fruit, or other tropical fruit such as banana, pineapple or papaya

Directions

  1. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Add coconut, remove from heat, cover pan and allow coconut to steep for 20 minutes. Puree in blender in batches, until relatively smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Do this in batches if you have a small blender. Return coconut mixture to saucepan.
  2. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually pour sugar mixture into coconut mixture in pan, whisking constantly to combine. Whisk in egg. Turn heat on to medium and stir pudding over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, about 5 or so minutes. Stir in lime zest, if you are using it (save a bit to fling on the top if you like).
  3. Remove pan from heat, cool it for 10-15 minutes and stir in vanilla. Cool pudding completely and refrigerate.
  4. If I know I am making it for a dinner, I will pour the pudding into individual little bowls or glasses, for a pretty serving idea. Or leave it in one bigger bowl for family-style serving. Refrigerate.
  5. When it is time to serve the pudding, garnish with slices or chunks of dragon fruit (or your choice of topping). This is the time to fling on extra lime zest if you want.
  6. To cut a dragon fruit, slice each end off (horizontally), then make a shallow cut vertically. Peel off the skin in one piece, and slice or chunk the dragon fruit as you like.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/coconut-pudding/

pin this please!Pin the Coconut Pudding image below to your Pinterest board to save this recipe

Coconut Pudding in a glass goblet with pieces of white dragon fruit on top, a spoon alongside, on a white marble counter

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Tagged as: coconut, dessert, key limes, pudding

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