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Dominican · Caribbean

Habichuelas con dulce

Vegetarian

A spiced, creamy dessert of puréed red beans cooked with coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweet potato and raisins, made across the Dominican Republic during Lent and Easter.

Habichuelas con dulce is a Dominican dessert from Dominican Republic, ready in about 1 hour 50 minutes and made with kidney beans (canned) and coconut milk. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 50 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
388

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the beans with the water until very smooth, then pass through a sieve into a saucepan (opens in a new tab) to remove the skins.

  2. Step 2

    Add the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), evaporated milk (opens in a new tab), sweet potato (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), ginger, nutmeg (opens in a new tab) and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

  3. Step 3

    Simmer, stirring often so it doesn't catch, until the sweet potato (opens in a new tab) is tender and the cream coats the back of a spoon, about 25 minutes. Stir in the raisins (opens in a new tab), butter (opens in a new tab) and vanilla (opens in a new tab) for the last 5 minutes.

    • 25 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Remove the cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and cloves (opens in a new tab) if you can find them. Serve warm or chilled, topped with the little cookies.

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Dominican Republic · Well documentedMore food from Dominican Republic
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Desserts
Cooking method
Blended, Simmered
Taste
sweet, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Kidney beans (canned) · Coconut milk · Evaporated milk · Sweet potato · Sugar · Cinnamon
Techniques
Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom evaporated milk, butter, saltine crackers
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom saltine crackers
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom saltine crackers
  • May contain: Soyfrom saltine crackers
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

388 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 315 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 54%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy388 kcal123 kcal
Protein9.8 g3.1 g
Carbohydrate54.5 g17.3 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars22.5 g7.2 g
Fibre——
Fat16.2 g5.2 g
Saturated fat12.5 g4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol18 mg6 mg
Sodium374 mg119 mg
Salt equivalent0.9 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
584 mg
Calcium
198 mg
Iron
3 mg
Magnesium
65 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0.9 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
31 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: saltine crackers.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • It thickens a lot as it cools; thin with milk if needed.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the straining — bean skins make it gritty.

Serve with

  • Traditionally shared with neighbours during Holy Week, served cold in cups.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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