Jamaican Dessert

Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding

Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding is a dense Jamaican baked pudding of grated sweet potato, coconut milk, warm spice and dark sugar with a caramelised top. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

Jump to recipe More Jamaican food
35 minsPrep time
1 hr 40 minsCook time
Serves 12Servings
MediumDifficulty
Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding
About this dish

Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding: the story on the plate

Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding is a Jamaican dessert with a clear sense of place. Sweet potato pudding is an iconic Jamaican baked dessert traditionally associated with coal-pot and outdoor baking methods, summed up in the old phrase about fire above and below. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Sweet potato pudding is an iconic Jamaican baked dessert traditionally associated with coal-pot and outdoor baking methods, summed up in the old phrase about fire above and below.

Why it is famous

It is deeply nostalgic home and bakery food, with coconut, spice and root crop character rather than a light cake texture.

Cultural significance

It is deeply nostalgic home and bakery food, with coconut, spice and root crop character rather than a light cake texture.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

410Calories
5gProtein
70gCarbs
13gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 1200 white-fleshed or orange sweet potato, peeled and finely grated
  • 600 coconut milk
  • 300 dark brown sugar
  • 150 plain flour
  • 1.5 ground cinnamon
  • 1 ground nutmeg
  • 1 ground ginger
  • 2 vanilla
  • 0.5 fine salt
  • 100 Raisins, optional
  • 30 butter, for tin and topping
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Grate the sweet potato finely so it can soften fully during baking. Heat the oven to 175°C and butter a deep 23 cm tin or baking dish.
  2. Mix coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and salt until the sugar begins to dissolve.
  3. Combine grated sweet potato with flour, then pour in the spiced coconut mixture and optional raisins. Stir very thoroughly so no pockets of dry flour remain.
  4. Pour into the dish, dot with butter and bake 70 minutes. The top should darken and the centre should become firm but still moist.
  5. For a darker custard-like top, spoon a few tablespoons of sweetened coconut milk over the surface and bake another 20–30 minutes until deeply burnished.
  6. Cool at least 45 minutes before slicing. The pudding firms significantly as it rests and is often best warm rather than piping hot.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Use whole allspice when you can, fresh thyme, real Scotch bonnet and good coconut milk. For ackee, use reputable canned ackee unless you are experienced with properly ripened fresh fruit. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of white-fleshed or orange sweet potato, coconut milk, dark brown sugar, plain flour; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Coarse grating leaves raw strands, too much flour makes it cakey and cutting hot causes the pudding to slump.

Chef’s tips

Grate finely and give it a long cooling rest. The desired texture is closer to a dense pudding than a fluffy sponge.

How to know it is cooked

Centre is set with no wet batter, top is dark and slightly sticky, and a slice holds cleanly after resting.

Plating advice

Cut into thick squares and show the dark top against the moist orange-brown centre.

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