Coconut Candy, a delightfully sweet and tasty treat that is sure to please. Make ahead and store in air tight jars for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
With a long weekend coming up, I decided to make a sweet treat today. Back when I was growing up, this Coconut Candy was very popular. It is pretty easy to make and relatively inexpensive as it requires only a few ingredients which most people have (except for the coconut) in their pantries.
Coconut Candy Using Dried Grated Coconut
The recipe calls for freshly grated coconut but since that is not easily available here, I used unsweetened dried grated coconut for this recipe. I am really delighted with the way the candy turned out. The Ro-Ri boys loved it!
The first time I made this candy, I used only condensed milk but not regular milk. The dried coconut was able to clump together with just the condensed milk. This time round, I used a little more coconut for a thicker candy. The dried coconut appeared really dry. I had to add half a cup of full fat milk to rehydrate it so that it could clump together. Because of that the cooking time had to be increased from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
Similar Products Used in Making This Coconut Candy
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
• T-fal Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Anti-Warp Base Glass Lid Cookware, 12-Inch, Gray
• Pyrex Simply Store 3-Cup Rectangular Glass Food Storage Dish
• Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
• Unsweetened Coconut Shredded, Fine Shred, 8 oz (2 Pack)
A delightfully sweet and tasty treat that is sure to please. Make ahead and store in air tight jars for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
(Makes 24 cubes of coconut candy)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 2/3 cups unsweetened dried grated coconut (227g)
- ½ cup sugar (110g)
- ½ cup milk (120ml)
- ½ cup condensed milk (4 oz/160g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 to 10 drops food coloring
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Grease a 7-in x 5-in (18cm x 13cm) pan or rectangular container.
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Melt butter in a non-stick pan on low heat. Add coconut, sugar, milk, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and coconut clumps together, about 20 minutes.
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Transfer mixture to prepared container. Level the surface with a spatula. Press down firmly with wax paper or plastic wrap. Set candy aside to cool.
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After about 30 minutes, cut into cubes with a well greased knife. Allow candy to cool and set overnight.
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Remove cubes from pan and store in an air-tight jar.
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Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
If you prefer to use freshly grated coconut, please check out my Pandan Coconut Candy recipe.
NOTE: This post was updated on August 21st, 2012 with new pictures. Minor changes were made to the recipe. Video was added on April 28th, 2012.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Mother Rimmy says
January 16, 2010 at 3:17 pmI love coconut. These look like something I could make. I cook, but don't bake much. Love the pictures too!
pTsaldari says
January 16, 2010 at 9:32 pmReally enjoyed my visit to your site and the Coconut candy. It's brilliant! Your presentation was wonderful and I shall return for another visit. Thank you for sharing,
Cheers, PT
You can visit me at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com
Cookin' Canuck says
January 16, 2010 at 10:30 pmWhat a fun, easy recipe. This would be a treat that my family would definitely enjoy.
MaryMoh says
January 18, 2010 at 2:14 pmWow…with condensed milk. Must be very delicious. Hope to try soon.
Biren says
January 18, 2010 at 3:38 pmThis was a childhood treat and fun recipe to recreate. There were so few ingredients and it took just 10 to 15 minutes to make. The last time I had this was way back when. Mary's condensed milk recipe reminded me of this 🙂
Miguel says
April 15, 2018 at 11:35 pmDoes that mean I have to wait 3wks to enjoy them,or that it’s good for 3ks?
Linda says
April 18, 2018 at 12:09 amIt is good for 3 weeks.
pegasuslegend says
January 19, 2010 at 1:03 amThis looks so much like the candy we had in Puerto Rico which we absolutely love, the ingredients sound like its the same one! Cant wait to try thanks for sharing part of your childhood memories!
Biren says
January 20, 2010 at 2:12 pmPegasuslegend – Thanks! It brought back good memories 🙂
DongXing says
January 22, 2010 at 11:16 pmTried this recipe after taking my daughter (6-1/2 years old) home from school. She is absolutely impressed and awarded me with top marks for such an "excellent" treat for a Friday afternoon. This brings back wonderful memories and taste of my childhood. Many many thanks for the recipes. Even my husband who doesn't like anything sweet, but loves coconut, can't stop eating, or sampling as he calls it!!!
Biren says
January 23, 2010 at 3:28 pmI am so glad your daughter and husband enjoyed the treat. It is a fast and easy one to make.
DongXing says
January 28, 2010 at 1:08 pmThe coconut candies which I made on Jan 22 are all gone, much to my daughter's dismay. They were all eaten by my French sister-in-law and her family. I made another batch, pink this time, to appease my daughter. She is now in control of who gets them, making sure the father stays out too. Thank you, this is an easy teat to make.
Biren says
January 28, 2010 at 1:59 pmI am glad your daughter likes the candy. It is good to know that the recipe is well received 🙂
subhie says
April 11, 2010 at 6:53 pmhey biren…i lov this candy ad back home..r u frm malaysia?
Biren says
April 12, 2010 at 7:09 pmsubhie – I am glad that the recipe resonates with you. I have received similar remarks from other people of that region 🙂
ang says
April 22, 2010 at 5:29 ambiren, do you have a good recipe for sugee cake? and keep up the great job, always such a pleasure visiting this site, reminds me of home!
Biren says
April 23, 2010 at 3:54 pm@ang – Thanks for visiting! Actually I might have one somewhere. I have been thinking of making a sugee cake for sometime but I have to search for the sugee. Don't know where to get it. BTW, where is home for you?
Kathy Gori says
August 22, 2012 at 1:10 amThis looks fabulous. Can’t wait to try this
Violet says
January 10, 2013 at 11:47 pmThis coconut candy reminds me so much of childhood days. I used to like them a lot. I heard that coconut candy with butter doesn’t last as long as those without. IS it true? Can I omit the butter and replace it with vegetable shortening ie Crisco or Copha (Australia)?
Biren says
January 12, 2013 at 6:25 pmThese turned out well with the butter and since it is not a big batch, they were gone pretty fast. I guess you could omit it or use Crisco but it will not have the fragrance of butter.
Li @ Words and Cake says
February 3, 2013 at 9:45 pmI would love to try this as Chinese New Year gifts this year, but would just like to know how long these can keep unrefridgerated?
Biren says
February 3, 2013 at 11:49 pmIt should be able to keep for 3 to 4 days without refrigeration.
Sasha Lane says
May 27, 2013 at 6:15 pmHi Biren. I love your website and being a born and bred Asian myself living in Washington State State now, I feel very close to home with all your wonderful blogs 🙂 Thank you. Coconut Candy is one of my favourite snacks and I am going to try this. I have a question though, can I use coconut milk instead of regular milk?
Thank you
🙂 Sasha
Biren says
May 27, 2013 at 7:36 pmThanks Sasha for the compliments. I am happy to hear you enjoy both my blogs. 🙂 Please go ahead and use coconut milk if you wish. Just make sure you cook until the coconut clumps together and is quite dry so that the candy will harden and set.
Leslie says
July 21, 2013 at 10:40 pmMy son is getting married 8/31/13. Would love to make this, but am wondering, can I make ahead and freeze?
Biren says
September 18, 2013 at 7:26 amCongratulations on your son’s marriage, Leslie. Sorry I missed your comment and now the event is over. I was actually in Europe at that time and it somehow slipped my mind until now. Anyway, yes, I think you should be able to freeze these candies and put them out to thaw for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Jin Zi Flower says
April 26, 2014 at 4:54 ammy husband loves to eat this… thank you for sharing!
Sharen kaur says
October 19, 2014 at 9:47 pmHi Biren, I tried out this receipe last night and I must say it tasted amazing!:) however, I allowed it to set overnight in the refrigerator but the candy isn’t hard.. It still has a very soft texture.
Linda says
October 22, 2014 at 7:03 pmIt could be that your coconut is more moist. If that is the case, you will have to cook it for a longer period of time.
Shuchi says
February 8, 2015 at 3:15 pmLooks very attractive!! I am going to try it tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe.
Yasmine says
August 25, 2015 at 6:28 amHello
I found your web site searching for a net bread description. I’m French and a Malaysian friend of mine told me about those. But the amazing surprise was to find those coconut candies. My family is from the Caribbean and we do have the same candies there?. The world is a tiny place! I’ll try that recipe soon!!!!
Linda says
August 26, 2015 at 12:19 amI have many visitors from the Caribbean checking out this recipe. I was a little surprised initially because I always thought Coconut Candy is a Malaysian dessert. It was very popular during my school days. Yes, the world is a small place. Glad you found my blog. 🙂
Cherry | Makan with Cherry says
September 16, 2015 at 6:03 amOne of my favourite candies! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Linda says
September 19, 2015 at 8:16 amYou are welcome, Cherry! 🙂
Padmani says
March 12, 2018 at 6:04 amAwesome recipes …everyone love it at home..will do again.tqvm
Linda says
March 17, 2018 at 5:41 pmYou are welcome! Glad you all enjoyed it.
Angie T says
December 1, 2018 at 12:07 amYou can get frozen grated coconut in Asian Grocery Store. Once defrost it is moist like fresh.