Sweet Potato Pudding (Dairy-Free)
Grated sweet potato cooked down with coconut milk, warm spices and sugar into a thick, custardy pudding — a dairy-free take on a Nigerian home-kitchen favorite.
About this dish
Sweet potato pudding is a staple of Nigerian home cooking, traditionally bound with evaporated or dairy milk into something between a cake and a custard. This version swaps that milk for coconut milk, which carries the same richness and a faint sweetness of its own, while keeping the grated sweet potato, ginger and nutmeg that give the dish its character.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Lactose-free
Ingredients
- 900gKumara (Māori sweet potato)
- 400mlFull-fat coconut milk
- 100gCaster sugar
- 2gNutmeg
- 1pieceGround cinnamon
- 10gFresh ginger
- 1tspVanilla extract
Instructions
Peel and coarsely grate the sweet potato.
10 minTip: Grating rather than cubing means the starch releases as it cooks, which is what thickens the pudding into a custard instead of leaving it as chunks in syrup.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, grated ginger and vanilla extract.
5 minTip: Mixing the spices into the liquid first spreads them evenly through the pudding rather than leaving pockets of nutmeg in some bites and none in others.
Combine the grated sweet potato with the spiced coconut milk in a heavy pot and cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 35 minutes until thick and glossy.
35 minTip: Low heat and frequent stirring matter here — sweet potato starch thickens fast near the end, and a hot pan or a few unstirred minutes will catch and scorch the bottom.
Remove the cinnamon stick, spoon into bowls and let the pudding firm up for 10 minutes before serving.
10 minTip: It looks looser than it should straight off the heat; resting lets the starch finish setting so it holds its shape when spooned.