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Puerto Rican · Caribbean

Tembleque

Vegetarian

A silky, wobbly coconut-milk pudding set with cornstarch and dusted with cinnamon — a Puerto Rican Christmas favourite with only a handful of ingredients.

Tembleque is a Puerto Rican dessert from Puerto Rico, ready in about 4 hours 20 minutes and made with coconut milk and cornstarch. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
4 h
Total
4 h 20 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
270

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), cornstarch (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt in a cold saucepan (opens in a new tab) until there are no lumps.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and thickens to a heavy custard, 10–12 minutes. Keep whisking for 1 minute after it boils so the starch is fully cooked.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Lift the pan from the burner, stir in the vanilla (opens in a new tab) or orange blossom water (opens in a new tab) and pour at once, while still soft and pourable, into a lightly oiled mould or individual dishes.

    • 2 min

  4. Step 4

    Cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set. Turn out and dust with ground cinnamon (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Puerto Rico · Well documentedMore food from Puerto Rico
Dish
Dessert · Desserts
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sweet, creamy, mild
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Coconut milk · Cornstarch · Sugar · Cinnamon
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

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

270 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 118 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 3%
  • Carbohydrate 31%
  • Fat 66%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy270 kcal228 kcal
Protein2 g1.7 g
Carbohydrate22.2 g18.8 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars12.5 g10.6 g
Fibre——
Fat20.9 g17.7 g
Saturated fat18.5 g15.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium86 mg73 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
217 mg
Calcium
20 mg
Iron
3.3 mg
Magnesium
45 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
14 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: vanilla extract, orange blossom water.
  • “—” 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

  • Its name comes from 'temblar', to tremble — it should wobble but hold its shape.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the cornstarch to hot coconut milk, which makes lumps.

Storage

  • Refrigerate, covered, 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.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

  • Salt0.25 tsp · 1.5 g
  • Cinnamon, ground, for dusting0.5 tsp · 1.3 g
Used in steps 1, 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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