Watalappan

Name: Watalappan
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 3 h
Ingredients: 200 g jaggery / palm sugar, grated or chopped; 400 ml coconut milk; 5 eggs; 3 tbsp water; ½ tsp cardamom, ground; ¼ tsp nutmeg, grated; 1 pinch cinnamon (optional); 1 pinch salt; 20 g cashews, halved (optional)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

වටලප්පන් · Watalappan

A silky steamed coconut-milk custard sweetened with dark jaggery and spiced with cardamom and nutmeg, topped with cashews.

Watalappan is a Sri Lankan dessert, ready in about 3 hours and made with jaggery / palm sugar, coconut milk and egg. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Rest: 2 h
Total: 3 h
Serves: 6
Level: Easy
Calories: 316

Ingredients

6 servings

200 g Jaggery / palm sugar (opens in a new tab), grated or choppedKithul jaggery is traditional; palm sugar or dark muscovado work.
400 ml Coconut milk (opens in a new tab)
5 (250 g) Eggs (opens in a new tab)Contains eggs
3 tbsp (44 g) Water (opens in a new tab)
½ tsp (1 g) Cardamom (opens in a new tab), ground
¼ tsp (0.5 g) Nutmeg (opens in a new tab), grated
1 pinch (0 g) Cinnamon (opens in a new tab) (optional)
1 pinch (0.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
20 g Cashews (opens in a new tab), halved (optional)Contains tree nuts

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Melt the jaggery with the water over low heat until dissolved, then cool slightly.
- 5 min
- low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the eggs (opens in a new tab) gently (without making foam) and mix in the jaggery syrup, coconut milk (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), nutmeg (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and salt. Strain into a heatproof dish or individual cups.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
3
Step 3
Cover with foil and steam over gently simmering water for 40–45 minutes (20–25 minutes for cups) until set with a slight wobble. Scatter the cashews (opens in a new tab) over halfway through.
- 45 min
- low heat
- Steamer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: The custard must set fully so the eggs are cooked through.
4
Step 4
Cool, then chill at least 2 hours before serving.
- 120 min

About this dish

Origin: Sri Lanka · Commonly attributedAssociated with Sri Lanka's Muslim (Malay and Moor) communities and served especially at Eid.More food from Sri Lanka
Dish: Dessert · Desserts
Cooking method: Steamed
Taste: sweet, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Jaggery / palm sugar · Coconut milk · Egg · Cardamom · Nutmeg
Techniques: Simmering · Steaming

Allergens

Contains: Eggsfrom egg
Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom cashews

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

316 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 148 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 8%
Carbohydrate 43%
Fat 49%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	316 kcal	213 kcal
Protein	6.6 g	4.5 g
Carbohydrate	35 g	23.6 g
Net carbohydrate	—	—
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	32.3 g	21.8 g
Fibre	—	—
Fat	17.9 g	12.1 g
Saturated fat	13.7 g	9.2 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	155 mg	105 mg
Sodium	103 mg	70 mg
Salt equivalent	0.3 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 248 mg
Calcium: 64 mg
Iron: 3.1 mg
Magnesium: 39 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 67 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 0.8 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.4 µg
Folate (DFE): 29 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: cinnamon, cashews.
Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
“—” 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

Steam gently — fierce heat gives a pitted, bubbly texture (though some families like a few holes).

Common mistakes

Whisking the eggs to a foam — the air bubbles leave holes in the set custard.

Serve with

Serve chilled after a biryani or rice-and-curry feast.

Food safety

Contains eggs: steam until fully set and keep refrigerated.

Storage

Keeps 3 days covered in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Egg5 piece · 250 g

Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

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