Pumpkin Pone (Guyana)

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

Jump to:

• What is pone?
• Ingredients you will need
• The texture of the pone
• The steps
• Notes and tips
• More Caribbean recipes to try
• Pumpkin Pone (Guyana)

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.

What is pone?

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 -, 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.

Ingredients you will need

• Pumpkin puree - Use pumpkin PUREE not PUMPKIN PIE FILLING as the latter has sweetener and other filler ingredients.
• Cornmeal - You will need to use the finest texture of cornmeal, this is sometimes referred to as cornflour in the US.
• Grated coconut - Grated coconut especially when fresh is better for optimising the overall taste.
• Coconut milk - Full fat coconut milk helps to give the pone a velvety smooth texture.
• Raw cane sugar and erythritol - Using erythritol alone leaves a slight after taste so I combine it with a small amount of raw cane sugar.
• Cinnamon/ nutmeg/ ginger - These are my go to typical Caribbean spices.
• Pink salt/vanilla - To enhance the taste.
• Vegan butter - Helps with mixing the dry ingredients.

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 Vegan Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

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.

The texture of the pone

 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 ½ cup of coconut milk 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.

The steps

• Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.
• Line and grease an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, place the pumpkin puree in a large bowl.
• Pour in the coconut milk along with the vanilla extract and then the vegan butter.
• Use a whisk to mix everything together to combine.

• Add the grated coconut and thoroughly mix into the wet ingredients.
• Add the erythritol and raw cane sugar along with the spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pink salt.
• Mix everything together until the mixture is completely smooth.
• Carefully pour the mixture into the baking pan.

• Bake until the pone is golden brown, this should take anything from 45 minutes - 1 hr and 30 minutes so keep an eye on your pone.
• Test the readiness by inserting a skewer, it should come out clean when it is done, if not bake for a further 10-15 minutes and check again.
• Allow to cool down before slicing and serving.

Notes and tips

• This is the recipe that you will need to make Pumpkin Puree.
• Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• If you don't have any pumpkin puree to hand you can make your own by steaming  some pumpkin and then blitzing it in the blender or food processor.
• The texture of your pone should be moist, dense with a slight chew to it, it shouldn't have a cake texture to it.
• It is crucial that you let the pone cool down completely before slicing into it because it will be sticky.
• The batter should be thick and stick to the back of the spoon, and not runny. If it is too runny you will have to add more cornmeal, one tablespoon at a time to correct this.
• Fresh coconut can sometimes be difficult to obtain, if that case simply use unsweetned shredded coconut or frozen coconut to make sure the texture is fine.

More Caribbean recipes to try

**Please comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Support my website by leaving a donation through Buying Me a Coffee. A site to show your appreciation of my hardwork over the years.  Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="7sXRXUKw" upload-date="2025-10-18T22:36:13+00:00" name="Pumpkin Pone .mp4" description="Learn how to make some delicious Guyanese style Pumpkin pone that's perfect for the fall/autumnal season." player-type="default" override-embed="default"]