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    BLANK » Recipe Index » Caribbean Dishes

    Pumpkin Pone (Guyana)

    Last Updated December 26, 2022. Published November 29, 2015 By Charla 8 Comments

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    A Caribbean vegan dessert hailing from Guyana that's a dense pudding made from grated pumpkin, coconut, cornmeal and packed with flavour from spices.

    Stacked pone

    Guyanese-pumpkin-pone

    I'm back with another Caribbean recipe for you all to dig into, this time I decided to head over to Guyana.

    Although Guyana is located in south America, it shares so many cultural similarities to its neighbouring island that it forms part of the Caribbean.

    If you're from the Caribbean you'll probably be familiar with the word 'pone' and would have most likely eaten it as some point in your life.

    Speaking of Guyana, be sure to check out my infamous Guyanese Chow Mein (it's low in carbs and a wheat free alternative)

    My family used to make a very good pone on Sundays, we used to reserve making pone for Sundays as this was considered family time.

    My family would prepare copious amounts of fancy food to go with the pone - macaroni pie, brown stew chicken, potato salad, plantain etc.. it was like a feast, that's the only way I can describe it.

    In case you're wondering what exactly is pone, it's slightly different from the stateside pone which is a bread made from maize.

    The definition of pone is a pudding. As with any pudding, this island style delicacy is very thick in terms of texture.

    The common ingredients in pone are as followed - flour, sugar, water, spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg), cornmeal  along with one or more root vegetables - cassava, coco (taro), pumpkin or sweet potato.

    It all depends on the recipe at hand or each islands method of baking pone, so there's no right or wrong way in theory.

    This pone reminds me of Cassava Pone and Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding, albeit not the same, it does have some similarities for sure.

    Not only is this pumpkin pone but very much a contemporary dessert with it being pumpkin season. You can always embrace this wonderful treat any time of year by replacing the pumpkin with squash. - I won't tell if you don't!

    I do this all the time especially if I am making Vegan Pumpkin Parfait, Pumpkin Rice or Pumpkin Spice Drink 

    There some footnotes to go along with this recipe which I will go into detail about right now.

    I found it tastes SO much better (no coarse,gritty texture) when the cornmeal is ultra fine along with the shredded coconut and coconut sugar.

    four stacked pone

    I know there's some controversy surrounding the use of cornmeal, to be honest I seldom eat cornmeal these days because I'm consuming large amounts of protein to carbohydrates to supplement my current exercise routine.

    Also the pumpkin pone batter should be more on the thick side, definitely not watery at all.

    If the mixture is too thin, no worries simply add some more cornmeal as this will balance out the texture again.

    In total I  used ¾ cup of water, you really shouldn't need more than one cup of water but this will depend on the moisture from the pumpkin.

    Another thing, how long the pone takes to bake will vary from 45 minutes to 1 hour, check the pone throughout baking, although I suggest increasing checks after 45 minutes if the pone is not entirely cooked.

    You can determine its readiness by inserting a skewer or even a knife, if it comes out clean then it's ready.

    Pone on a black tray

    Other Caribbean desserts to try

    • Jamaican Toto (Coconut Cake)
    • Cornmeal Pudding
    • Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding
    • Grilled Pineapple Slices
    • Tamarind Balls
    • Coconut Drops
    • Grater Cake

    **Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

    Pone on a tray

    Pumpkin Pone (Guyana)

    Vegan, dairy free, gluten free cornbread that's so delicious
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Guyanese
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 416kcal
    Author: Charla

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups of grated pumpkin
    • 2 cups of ultra fine shredded coconut see post
    • 1 cup of non GMO cornmeal ultra fine see post
    • 4 tablespoon of dairy free butter
    • ⅓ cup of coconut sugar see post
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon himalayan pink salt
    • up to 1 cup of warm water

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
    • Line a glass square baking dish with parchment paper.
    • Add the cornmeal and dairy free butter to a large bowl and rub into a medium sized breadcrumbs.
    • Use a wooden spoon to combine the grated pumpkin, shredded coconut and coconut sugar into the cornmeal buttery mixture.
    • Mix in the spices, pink salt, vanilla then gradually add the warm water. I used ¾ cup remember the consistency should be dense not watery (the amount of water used will depend on the moisture from the pumpkin).
    • Once the desired texture is achieved, spoon the batter evenly into the baking dish.
    • Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour - the top should be golden. Don't forget to determine the readiness by inserting a skewer, if it comes out clean then the pone has cooked.
    • Allow to cool before serving.
    • Once cool store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3292IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!

    « Crema de Malanga (Taro Soup)(Vegan)
    Vegan Paella (Caribbean Paella) »
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    About Charla

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Raj R

      May 06, 2018 at 2:19 am

      I tried this recipe, 2 hours still not baked. I think it's missing flour.

      Reply
      • Charla

        May 06, 2018 at 5:23 am

        Pone is a pudding which is dense and soft, Caribbean people do not add flour as it is not needed that would turn it into a cake. It may appear not baked to you but it actually is. Allow the pone to cool and it should firm up a little.

        Reply
    2. Shirley

      December 13, 2017 at 11:13 am

      Hi. Can I use corn flour instead of cornmeal in this recipe.
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Charla

        December 13, 2017 at 11:29 pm

        Hi Shirley. Yes cornflour should work just fine.

        Reply
    3. Rita Dean

      March 29, 2017 at 5:45 pm

      My granddaughter and I are attempting to cook this pumpkin pine for a school project. Ive never worked with pumpkins so I'm wondering if we could substitute canned pumpkin for the grated pumpkin? Thanks

      Reply
      • Charla

        March 30, 2017 at 11:51 pm

        Hi Rita, yes that should be fine as the texture of the grated to the canned pumpkin aren't too different.

        Reply
    4. Carmen L.

      January 24, 2016 at 12:33 am

      5 stars
      This looks good and I am a any pone lover,must try!

      Reply
      • Charla

        January 24, 2016 at 12:04 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply

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    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes. Learn more about me

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