Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (2024)

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by Relle

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Haupia, also known as Hawaiian coconut pudding, is a sweet, cool, refreshing treat. This easy recipe only uses 4 ingredients and is perfect for the home cook to share with family and friends.

Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (1)

Growing up in Hawai’i meant many, many family get togethers. Whether it be for a baby lūʻau, graduation party, wedding, birthday party, or just because it’s the weekend we always found a reason to spend time with family and friends. And if there was a party that meant ‘ono food!

Hawaiian foods are a popular cuisine at parties and one of the most iconic Hawaiian desserts is haupia. Hau meaning cool and pia is the Hawaiian word for arrowroot.

Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (2)

Traditionally this dessert was made of arrowroot and coconut cream. Today’s recipe has been adapted and uses coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, and water.

If you are at a party or Hawaiian restaurant, you can bet they will be serving haupia. Haupia goes well with laulau, luau stew, kalua pig, chicken long rice, pohole salad, and lomi salmon.

Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (3)

Many people call haupia Hawaiian coconut pudding, however its consistency is more like that of gelatin desserts.

What are the ingredients in haupia?

  • There are only 4:
  • 1 can (13 oz) coconut milk
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (4)

How is haupia eaten?

Haupia can be eaten plain straight out of the pan. It is also used as a topping on dessert bars or cakes. McDonald’s has also popularized haupia pie.

Does haupia need to be refrigerated?

Yes. This dessert is best kept chilled.

Common mistakes

Haupia not setting right. Is your haupia too soft and more like a pudding consistency? Unfortunately, that often means it was not cooked down long enough to create that firm texture.

You could totally use this as a topping to other desserts, like cakes or bars, or eat in a bowl like pudding. If you are looking for firm set haupia it may be best to start back from scratch.

How to make haupia?

Lightly grease an 8×8 pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl add water, cornstarch, and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

Add coconut milk to a medium sized pan over medium high heat and heat until the liquid just starts to bubble. Stirring frequently so the milk does not burn.

Then add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and continue to stir. Heat until the mixture starts to thicken and resembles pudding. Remove from heat.

Pour the haupia into the prepared 8×8 pan and allow to cool. Then place pan in the refrigerator until set, about 2 hours or you can leave it overnight.

Cut into squares and ENJOY!

Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (5)

Easy Haupia Recipe

Relle Lum

Haupia, also known as Hawaiian coconut pudding, is a sweet, cool, refreshing treat. This easy recipe only uses 4 ingredients and is perfect for the home cook to share with family and friends.

4.73 from 139 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Additional Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Hawaiian

Servings 16 squares

Calories 29 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Lightly grease an 8×8 pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

  • In a medium mixing bowl add water, cornstarch, and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

  • Add coconut milk to a medium sized pan over medium high heat and heat until the liquid just starts to bubble. Stirring frequently so the milk does not burn.

  • Then add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and continue to stir. Heat until the mixture starts to thicken and resembles pudding. Remove from heat.

  • Pour the haupia into the prepared 8×8 pan and allow to cool. Then place pan in the refrigerator until set, about 2 hours or you can leave it overnight.

  • Cut into squares and ENJOY!

Notes

* You can add more sugar if you like a sweeter taste.

*Using less water will create a more firm consistency or if you like it more of a pudding consistency use a little more water (about 1 cup total water).

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 29kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 9mgSugar: 3g

Keyword coconut desserts, coconut pudding, easy haupia, haupia, Hawaii food, hawaiian coconut pudding, hawaiian desserts, Hawaiian food, keeping it relle

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© Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!

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Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (6)

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By Relle on March 9th, 2020

Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (7)

About Relle

Aloha, my name is Relle and welcome to my little home on the internet where I like to share all my favorite Hawaiian recipes (and local ones too).

I am a wife, mom of two, and nurse practitioner here in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I was born and raised in Hawai’i and I am of native Hawaiian descent. In my spare time I love to cook and bake and I have compiled many of my favorite recipes here for you to enjoy.

More posts by this author.

38 thoughts on “Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding”

  1. Thanks for your video! It is a simple and tasty recipe. My family enjoyed and I look forward to making some of your other recipes as well.

    Reply

    • Awesome. Thanks for much for sharing! Have a great day.

      Reply

    • You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

    • You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

  2. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (8)
    This recipe is Delicious (ono)! My husband grew up in HI & we have returned several times. We always like to get homemade haupia from somewhere that makes it from scratch. (You can tell when it’s made from a box & it’s nowhere near as good!) If you are not familiar with haupia or are accustomed to sweeter desserts this might not be what you are expecting. But if you are used to scratch made haupia this is an authentic & amazing recipe! The first time I made it I didn’t cook it down enough so it didn’t set. The second time I watched the video & corrected my mistake. Thank you! If I want to make a more
    Pudding like consistency for a pie how would I do that? Thank you Relle!

    Reply

  3. I’ve spent too much money at Helena’s buying coconut pudding. Thanks for this! Aloha

    Reply

    • You’re welcome. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  4. could you serve this with a mango topping

    Reply

    • The way this recipe makes it, it’s more of a jello consistency. If you cook it down a little less it could be more of a sauce consistency that could work as a topping.

      Reply

  5. Thanks for the simple recipe! It set perfectly!

    Reply

    • Awesome. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.

      Reply

  6. Delicious recipe!! Easy to make, tastes amazing. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Aloha Nicole. Yay, so great to hear. Mahalo for sharing.

      Reply

  7. Can I trade out the cornstarch for tapioca flour or arrowroot for someone w/allergy to corn?

    Reply

    • Aloha Carole. Arrowroot will work as well. Mahalo!

      Reply

  8. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (9)
    Great recipe and easy to follow instructions. Can’t wait to enjoy it with dinner tonight. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Aloha Kelli. So awesome to hear. Mahalo for sharing.

      Reply

  9. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (10)
    You totally hooked me at “four ingredients” but I love this recipe because it just comes out so creamy!

    Reply

    • Oh yes. Super easy and oh so yummy. Happy Holidays.

      Reply

  10. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (11)
    This is new to me and your recipe is super simple. Love the flavor of coconut in desserts and this was very tasty.

    Reply

    • Aloha Jere. It’s a classic traditional Hawaiian recipe. Hope you get a chance to try it. Happy Holidays!

      Reply

  11. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (12)
    What a beautiful recipe! I love eating this In Hawaii and enjoyed making and eating it at home. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Yes. It’s definitely a great Hawaiian recipe. Thank you.

      Reply

  12. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (13)
    Amazing! Such a flavorful and fantastic recipe.

    Reply

    • Yay. Happy to hear. Happy Holidays.

      Reply

  13. This is so simple to make. My family loved it and I cant wait to make some more.

    Reply

    • Aw so happy to hear. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

  14. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (14)
    Mahalo Relle for generously sharing your wonderful recipes. My family and friends know that you’re my “go to” when I want to bake or cook anything local (wether it’s a Hawaiian dish, Filipino dish, Portuguese dish, and on and on, lol!).
    For New Year’s I made your fabulous Pumpkin Mochi. And I just got done making Haupia. Even though it’s chilling in the fridge, I know it’s ono because my husband and I already had a small sample. Hahaha!
    Mahalo nui loa again! We are all so blessed to have you! Mahalo piha! Hauoli Makahiki hou!

    Reply

    • Aloha Malie. Aw thank you. So happy to hear. Mahalo!

      Reply

  15. Mahalo for sharing! I’ve always had trouble getting my Haupia to solidify, but your recipe worked perfectly! We had a big luau for King Kamehameha Day, and this was a hit!

    Reply

    • Aw yay. Great to hear. Mahalo for sharing.

      Reply

  16. So delicious! Quick question- how long will it last in the refrigerator?

    Reply

    • Aloha. It will last a few days to a week stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

      Reply

  17. Hello,

    Thinking about making this for scouts at summer camp as a treat on family day. How much do you think it’ll hold up in heat? More specifically…. It has a 2.5/3 hr travel time to get there on top of a 2 hr wait time for dinner? I’m thinking pack a cooler and put it on ice for the travel part and to hold it over. But just in case…. Does it hold up well in heat for a bit? Or does it “meltdown”? Thanks.

    Reply

    • Haupia should remain chilled until serving. Once taken out of the refrigerator it should be consumed. If serving, you can lay the pan in another pan filled with ice to keep chilled until ready to eat. Hope they enjoy!

      Reply

  18. Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (15)
    Ono recipe!

    Reply

    • Mahalo!

      Reply

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Easy Haupia Recipe aka Hawaiian Coconut Pudding (2024)

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