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This Jamaican sweet potato pudding recipe is a popular tasty Caribbean dessert that is typically enjoyed after dinner on Sundays.
When it comes to Caribbean dessert/sweet goods I think sweet potato pudding is a clear winner for me. I grow up eating this delightful pudding on Sunday after having some rice and peas. If you are a fan of sweet potatoes then this dessert is what you have been waiting for. It’s tasty, sweet with plenty of warming spices (cinnamon/nutmeg). It’s also a wheat/gluten free and vegan rendition of a Jamaican classic.
What is sweet potato pudding
Sweet potato pudding is a dish that is typically served after dinner. It consists of flour, sweet potatoes (usually white fleshed ones) coconut milk, spices (mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon) sugar, vanilla and raisins. The ingredients are combined and made into a pureed consistency before being baked in the oven.
In Jamaica, this dish was traditionally baked on a coal pit/pot with hot coals/wood/metal placed underneath and/or on top. This would then be described as “hell a top, ‘hell a bottom and hallelujah in the middle”.
Similar to my cornmeal pudding recipe some people prepare a soft custard topping for the pudding. However, my family didn’t do this, we just baked ours and left out the raisins.
Ultimately, it is all a matter of personal choice and what works for you and yours.
White sweet potatoes vs orange sweet potatoes
There are different variations of sweet potato out there white, yellow, orange and purple. In the Jamaican culture the sweet potato with the red skin and white flesh is used in recipes that call for it.
- The white flesh sweet potato is considered to be sweeter then the orange fleshed one.
- Orange sweet potato contain more beta carotene then the white sweet potato.
- In the US orange sweet potatoes are referred to as “yams” in order to distinguish between the two.
- Orange sweet potatoes are widely available in comparison to their white counterpart.
- There is slightly more nutritional value in the orange sweet potato compared to the white one.
Regardless of these key differences, both sweet potatoes can be used to make this recipe so fear not. If you cannot get hold of any white sweet potatoes then use orange ones, just note that the colour of the pudding will vary.
This recipe for Jamaican sweet potato pudding calls for
- Sweet potato
- Coconut sugar
- Coconut milk
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla
- Gluten free flour
- Himalayan pink salt
- Browning sauce
How to make Jamaican sweet potato pudding
- Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4 and grease a 9 inch spring form pan with dairy free butter
- Peel each of the sweet potatoes and wash them to remove any debris.
- Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut sugar into a bowl and stir
- Use a box grater (or food processor) the side with the protruding medium holes to grate each sweet potato in a medium sized bowl.
- Pour the coconut milk, vanilla and browning into the bowl with the sweet potato and stir
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir into a smooth batter.
- Pour into a spring form baking pan
- Bake the pudding for 1 hour and test the readiness by inserting a knife/skewer into the pudding. If it comes out clean, it’s ready, if not bake for another 10 minutes and check again.
- Allow the pudding to cool for at least an hour before cutting and serving.
Notes and tips
- Let the sweet potato pudding cool down and become more firm before cutting into it.
- For best results use gluten flour that is either brown rice or buckwheat flour
- If you are using orange sweet potatoes keep in mind that they hold more water so you may need to increase the amount of flour by 1/2 cup-1 cup.
- Browning sauce is not crucial this helps to yield a darker pudding. If you don’t have any to hand, just skip this ingredient.
- Use a large baking pan, preferably a spring form pan to accommodate the pudding. I used a 9 inch spring form pan.
- Use a box grater or food processor with a grater attachment to breakdown the potatoes. Try not to add any water to the potatoes when breaking them down as this may result in the batter doing too runny and the recipe won’t work.
Jamaican sweet potato pudding with cornmeal
Some recipes include cornmeal along with flour. If you want to include cornmeal use the extra fine texture and use 1/3 cup in place of GF flour.
Jamaican sweet potato pudding with soft top
To create a soft top you will need to combine 1 can of coconut milk with 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and simmer on the stove for 10 minutes. Then 15 minutes into baking the pudding, drizzle the coconut/sugar liquid over the top of the pudding and continue to bake for 45 minutes.
Other Caribbean desserts you may like
Besitos de coco (coconut macaroons)
Jamaican toto (Caribbean coconut cake)
Jamaican sweet potato pudding
Ingredients
- 2 lb sweet potato yields 4 cups grated
- 1 1/3 cup of gluten free flour 190g
- 1 cup of coconut sugar 188g
- 1 can of coconut milk 400ml
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
- 1 tbsp of browning sauce optional
- 1/3 cup raisins optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4 and grease a 9 inch spring form pan with dairy free butter
- Peel each of the sweet potatoes and wash them to remove any debris.
- Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut sugar and raisins (if using them) into a bowl and stir
- Use a box grater (or food processor) the side with the protruding medium holes to grate each sweet potato in a medium sized bowl.
- Pour the coconut milk into the bowl with the sweet potato and stir
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir into a smooth batter.
- Pour into a spring form baking pan
- Bake the pudding for 1 hour and test the readiness by inserting a knife/skewer into the pudding. If it comes out clean, it's ready, if not bake for another 10 minutes and check again.
- Allow the pudding to cool for at least an hour before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Let the sweet potato pudding cool down and become more firm before cutting into it.
- For best results use gluten flour that is either brown rice or buckwheat flour
- If you are using orange sweet potatoes keep in mind that they hold more water so you may need to increase the amount of flour by 1/2 cup-1 cup.
- Browning sauce is not crucial this helps to yield a darker pudding. If you don't have any to hand, just skip this ingredient.
- Use a large baking pan, preferably a spring form pan to accommodate the pudding. I used a 9 inch spring form pan.
- Use a box grater or food processor with a grater attachment to breakdown the potatoes. Try not to add any water to the potatoes when breaking them down as this may result in the batter doing too runny and the recipe won't work.
Nutrition
Thank you for the recipe. I made this and it turned out great. The only thing I did differently was I add a piece of yellow yam because I remember when my mother used to make it in Jamaica she would add that in.
No problem Eve. I’m glad you liked the recipe and added the yam according to how your mother would make it.
Hi Charla,
Thank you for this recipe. It brings me nostalgia and happiness of a simpler time in my life when my mom used to make this for us, just because.
Blessings to you.
Take care.
Hi Avy. I’m so glad this recipe evokes wonderful memories of your mother. Thanks for stopping by!