There are few things more quintessentially Caribbean than a plate of Jamaican sweet potato pudding.
The pudding originates from Jamaica, where it’s traditionally served on special occasions like birthdays or Christmas.
The pudding has become so popular that many restaurants serve their own versions of this delicious treat.
However, if you want something truly authentic, you should try making your own at home!
Do You Need A Food Processor To Make Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding?
Jamaican sweet potato pudding isn’t just one thing — there’s actually several different types of puddings that have been adapted over time.
While some recipes use coconut milk in place of regular milk, others call for nutmeg as an ingredient.
One version uses pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes, while another includes raisins, nuts, and dates.
Whatever type of pudding you choose to cook up, whether it’s sweet potato pudding or another variation, you will definitely need a food processor to get all those ingredients mixed together into a smooth consistency.
If you don’t have a food processor, you could also consider using a blender or hand mixer instead.
You may wonder why we say “food processor” rather than “blender” or “hand mixer” when talking about mixing these ingredients together, since they both work well enough to create a creamy mixture.
But there’s a big difference between what each machine does best.
- Food processors are designed specifically for chopping, slicing, dicing, blending, and crushing ingredients with minimal effort. They usually come equipped with sharp blades, which makes them great for cutting through tough foods such as carrots, onions, apples, etc.
- Blenders only chop and blend ingredients. Because they lack sharp blades, blenders often take longer to finish their job because they must grind up softer ingredients. For example, you won’t find a blender capable of grinding dried fruits like dates, raisins, and chocolate chips.
- Hand mixers are similar to blenders except they aren’t powered by electricity. Instead, they rely on manual force provided by a person turning a handle. Hand mixers are good for whipping cream and creating stiff meringue, but not much else.
Why do people prefer food processors over other appliances?
One reason people love food processors so much is because they make preparing certain dishes easy and quick.
When you go grocery shopping, you probably notice that most of the products sold at supermarkets are already cut and sliced.
This makes it easier to prepare meals because you no longer have to chop vegetables yourself.
If you don’t have access to a food processor, you might worry that doing everything manually would be too tedious.
Fortunately, this is far from the case.
You can still enjoy homemade Jamaican sweet potato pudding without having to spend hours slaving away over a hot stovetop trying to mix every single component together.
Instead, you can simply turn on your food processor and let it do the hard work for you.
As long as you follow the instructions carefully, you shouldn’t run out of ideas how to put this tasty dessert together.
Just remember to buy whatever ingredients your recipe calls for first before getting started.
What Kind Of Milk Do You Need For The Recipe?
Jamaican sweet potato pudding is usually prepared using evaporated milk as its base, which is then mixed with other ingredients such as coconut cream, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and ginger.
Evaporated milk contains around 10% less water than whole milk, so it works well in recipes that call for liquid ingredients.
If you don’t have access to evaporated milk, you can use whole milk instead, although some people prefer not to use dairy products at all.
If you choose to go dairy-free, you will still be able to enjoy this pudding, as there are plenty of alternatives available on the market.
What Is The Best Way To Cook The Sweet Potatoes For The Pudding?
Before we get started, let’s talk about how to prepare your sweet potatoes.
You will need to start by peeling away the skin.
To do this, cut off the ends of the potato and then use a knife to slice the potato in half lengthwise.
Next, take one piece of potato and use a spoon to scoop out most of the flesh (you don’t have to remove all the flesh).
Then, place the hollowed-out section back onto its original position, and repeat until you have removed all the skin from both sides of the potato.
If you would rather not use a knife, simply boil the sweet potatoes whole and drain when they turn tender.
Next, let’s discuss what you put into your sweet potato pudding.
You will need some butter, flour, vanilla extract or powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar.
These ingredients are usually combined together and baked with the sweet potatoes.
In order to make sure everything cooks evenly, you may wish to bake two batches of the pudding separately.
Once cooked, you can combine the puddings and enjoy!
Do You Need To Peel The Sweet Potatoes Before Cooking Them?
No matter how fancy your kitchen is, there will always be some part of the preparation process that requires peeling vegetables.
In this case, however, we’re talking about one of the most important steps in preparing the pudding.
Sweet potatoes have an especially tough skin that needs to be removed before they can be used in recipes.
If left intact, the skins will cause the sweet potatoes to break down into mushy pieces when cooked.
If you don’t mind doing this step yourself, you can use either a vegetable peeler or a knife.
Just remember to remove only as much of the skin as necessary to get rid of the thick layer covering each piece of sweet potato.
You won’t need to go too far under the skins to do this – just enough to get past the outermost layers.
Once all of the potato chunks are peeled, cut them up into cubes.
The cubes will then be added to a pot along with other ingredients such as milk, butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract, and eggs.
Once everything is combined, the mixture is heated until it begins to boil over medium heat.
Then, it is allowed to simmer while stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
After five minutes, turn off the stove and let it sit for another 10-15 minutes.
Now, you can start prepping your dessert plates by placing a couple tablespoons of the hot mixture onto each serving tray, followed by a layer of cubed sweet potatoes.
Repeat this process until all of the mixture has been poured into each individual bowl.
You may also add some fresh fruit or whipped cream to these bowls before eating.
If you would rather not whip up extra servings, you can simply place a scoop of ice cream (or whatever frozen topping you prefer) directly on top of each portion of pudding.
Doing this allows the flavors to permeate throughout the entire dish without having to wait for it to cool first.
How Long Does It Take To Make The Pudding?
Pudding takes about an hour and 15 minutes to prepare, including soaking the ingredients overnight.
When you have all of your ingredients assembled, it will then take another 30-40 minutes for the pudding to cook completely.
That means that it could take anywhere between 1.5 hours and two hours in total to complete the process.
As far as how much work goes into each individual step, there isn’t too much involved here.
You just need to soak the sweet potatoes overnight (which only requires 10 minutes), combine everything together, and let the mixture rest until thickened enough to pour out of the pan.
Soaking the ingredients overnight will ensure that they don’t dry out when cooked later.
If you prefer not to wait the night before, you can always use store bought canned sweet potatoes instead.
Just drain off some of the liquid before combining everything together.
What Is The Pudding Usually Served With?
Jamaican sweet potato pudding is typically eaten as dessert, although it can also be paired with meat dishes for an added kick.
Some people prefer to eat the pudding plain while others enjoy it topped with whipped cream, butter sauce, or even crème fraiche cheese.
When choosing between these options for toppings, remember that some desserts require refrigeration in order to preserve freshness.
If you choose to go with a topping such as whipped cream or custard, then keep in mind that they won’t work well after several hours have passed.
If you want to avoid wasting ingredients, opt instead for one of the following toppings, which will still provide plenty of flavor without requiring additional preparation.
- Butter sauce – A thick and flavorful sauce made with melted butter, salt, and pepper. Serve over top of pudding.
- Crème fraîche – Creamy sour milk that adds tanginess to the pudding. Add a dollop of crème fraîche before serving.
- Coconut ice cream – Top with a scoop of coconut-flavored ice cream. Coconut is often used in puddings because its sweetness complements the spicier flavors found in the stewed fruit, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Is The Pudding Glutenfree?
In general, all puddings are gluten-free, as they do not contain flour.
However, some puddings may have added ingredients such as cornstarch or other starches, which are often derived from wheat or other grains.
If these ingredients are used in the pudding, then it cannot be considered completely gluten-free.
If you would prefer to make sure that your pudding is free of gluten, there are plenty of ways for you to achieve this goal.
You could buy a brand of gluten-free flour blend instead of using regular flour, or you could use an all-purpose flour that is specifically labeled “gluten-free.” Some brands also offer flours that are suitable for baking breads, muffins, pastries, and cakes.
If you don’t mind being slightly less authentic when you’re eating your favorite dessert, you might consider purchasing a readymade version of Jamaican sweet potato pudding.
Many grocery stores sell these pre-packaged desserts, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Safeway, Target, Walmart, Wegmans, Costco, and Amazon.
Is The Pudding Dairyfree?
Jamaican sweet potato pudding contains dairy products such as milk, butter, or cream cheese.
While these ingredients may seem appealing to some people, they aren’t necessary for a perfect dessert.
If you follow an anti-dairy diet, you can easily make this classic dish without them.
If you don’t have access to dairy products in your area, you can substitute vegetable shortening.
Simply use two tablespoons of shortening instead of one tablespoon of butter or one cup of heavy whipping cream.
You will still get the same fluffy texture in the finished product.
Can The Pudding Be Made Ahead Of Time?
If you have some time to spare before the big day, then there are no limits on how much preparation you can do.
In fact, you could even make the pudding in advance and keep it chilled until you need it.
You won’t notice too much difference between pre-made and freshly prepared desserts.
They will both taste great, although fresh puddings are always preferred as they tend to be slightly less dense.
As long as you don’t plan on serving them straight away, you shouldn’t experience any issues with keeping your dessert cool for longer periods of time.
As soon as you open up your fridge (or freezer), however, you might find yourself running out of room.
Don’t worry about storing the pudding in an airtight container though.
All you really need to do is cover it with plastic wrap or foil, which will prevent oxygen from getting into the pudding while still allowing steam to escape.
How Should The Pudding Be Stored?
If you plan to make the pudding ahead of serving time, then storing it in an airtight container will keep it fresh for up to 2 days.
If you don’t have an airtight container, then cover the top with plastic wrap before refrigerating the pudding, as moisture will condense inside plastic containers over time.
You may also freeze the pudding if needed – just remember to remove it from the freezer about 15 minutes prior to serving.
Then simply let thaw completely before reheating it in the microwave or by placing it back into its original dish and heating it in the oven until warmed through.
Equipment
- Pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potato
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups dried fruits
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon margarine
Instructions
- Potatoes should be washed and their skins removed.
- Rewash, then grate.
- Grate the coconut, add the water, and sieve the juice.
- Salt, nutmeg, and flour should all be combined.
- Mix well before adding the grated potatoes to the mixture.
- Mix in the fruit, coconut milk, and sugar. Mix well.
- Grease pan, add batter, and bake for 40–60 minutes, or until done, at 350 degrees F.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.