• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Girl Meets Fire
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Collection
  • Puerto Rican Recipes
  • About me
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Collection
    • Puerto Rican Recipes
    • About me
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Desserts and Sweets

    Quick and Easy, Guilt-free Puerto Rican Tembleque

    Published: May 26, 2022 · Modified: Mar 7, 2023 by Zoe Morman

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The original tembleque is a mixture of coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Lots of cornstarch makes this dessert, not a keto-friendly dessert, and when you are trying to lose weight, this is not the dessert for you. But, I love it so much that I still had to find a way to enjoy it without the whopping 117 grams of carbs. So, I could recreate my version with only 6.8 grams of carbs.

    A close up of a piece of cake on a plate, with Tembleque and Coconut this Recipe!

    Table of contents

    • What does Tembleque mean?
    • What is Tembleque pudding, and how to serve it?
    • Meet your ingredients
    • Let's make this Quick and Easy Tembleque!

    What does Tembleque mean?

    The word tembleque derives from temblor (tehm-blurr), which means to shake or earthquake. The dessert is given this name because it jiggles when it is moved, like gelatin.

    What is Tembleque pudding, and how to serve it?

    A blue and white plate sitting on a table, with Tembleque

    Tembleque is a moldable dessert made with delicious coconut milk. We serve it during the holidays, but we like many delicious desserts, which can be found at many local restaurants. It can be poured into a large mold or fun individual molds. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon and a dab of whipped cream.

    Meet your ingredients

    1. Coconut milk. I could tell you how to milk a coconut, but we can so easily find a can or two in the supermarket.
    2. Monk Fruit Sweetener. I have found this sweetener to be just as delicious as regular sugar. I have tried Stevia and have found it leaves an aftertaste.
    3. Cinnamon Stick. You could use powdered cinnamon, but it does changes the color of the dessert slightly. The cinnamon stick adds the flavor of cinnamon in a more gentle way.
    4. Guar Gum. This is the way substitution for cornstarch. The beauty of guar gum is that you only need a fraction of guar gum in comparison to cornstarch.
    5. Vanilla. Not an original ingredient, but it goes well with coconut.
    6. Orange Blossom water. This is an original ingredient. I have made the dessert without it and it is still quite flavorful.
    7. Coconut oil. This helps dissolve the guar gum and eliminates clumping. Next, you can use an MCT oil. Web MD better explains like this; MCT oil is a supplement made from a type of fat called medium-chain triglycerides. MCT molecules are smaller than those in most of the fats you eat (long-chain triglycerides [LCT]). This makes them easier to digest. You can absorb MCT in your bloodstream quickly. This turns it into energy you can use. MCT oil is used when making a bulletproof coffee and could be used in dressing making and other cooking applications.

    Let's make this Quick and Easy Tembleque!

    Bring coconut milk, sweetener, vanilla, orange blossom water, and cinnamon to a boil.

    A sauce pot with sugar and cinnamon while adding coconut milk
    1. Bring coconut milk, sweetener, vanilla, orange blossom water, and cinnamon to a boil.
    A close up of a guar gum
    1. While milk mixtures heat up, mix coconut oil or MCT oil with one tablespoon of guar gum to create a slurry.
    Adding guar gum to tembleque mixture

    When the coconut milk is hot, pour a small amount of the hot milk into a small bowl. While continuously whisking, pour the slurry to begin to thicken the milk solution.

    A close up of a whisk whipping guar gum into milk mixture

    Once again, while whisking, poured thickened milk into the milk pot. Let cook for about a minute, then pour into mold(s).

    Pouring tembleque into mold

    Chill the dessert for a few hours until the mixture sets. It is better to make the day before serving, but a few hours ahead works. Place in the freezer for a few minutes (if your dish is freezer-safe).

    A piece of tembleque on a blue plate dusted with cinnamon

    Unmold, or service is small dishes. It serves well with a dollop of whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.

    📖 Recipe

    A close up of keto friendly tembleque

    Quick and Easy, Guilt-free Puerto Rican Tembleque

    Zoe Morman
    Tembleque is a moldable dessert made with delicious coconut milk.  We serve it during the holidays, but we like many delicious desserts, which can be found at many local restaurants.  It can be poured into a large mold or fun individual molds.  Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon and a dab of whipped cream.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • One can of Coconut milk.
    • Half a cup of Monk Fruit Sweetener.
    • One Cinnamon Stick.
    • One Tablespoon of Guar Gum.
    • One teaspoon Vanilla.
    • One Tablespoon of Orange Blossom water.
    • One Tablespoon of Liquid Coconut oi or MCT Oill.

    Instructions
     

    • Bring coconut milk, sweetener, vanilla, orange blossom water, and cinnamon to a boil.
    • While the milk mixture heats up, mix coconut oil or MCT oil with one tablespoon of guar gum to create a slurry.
    • When the coconut milk is hot, pour a small amount of the hot milk into a small bowl. While continuously whisking, pour the slurry to begin to thicken the milk solution.
    • Once again, while whisking, poured thickened milk into the milk pot.
    • Let cook for about a minute, then pour into mold(s).
    • Chill the dessert for a few hours until the mixture sets. Making the day before serving is better, but a few hours ahead works. Place in the freezer for a few minutes (if your dish is freezer-safe).
    • Unmold, or service is small dishes. It serves well with a dollop of whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Share this:

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    « Zucchini en Escabeche, Pickled Zucchini
    Basics of Puerto Rican Cooking Ebook »

    Comments

    No Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Zoe standin in the kitchen smiling

    Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

    About Zoe →

    Picnic and Barbecue

    • Oven roasted picnic pork shoulder
      Tender Pork Roast: A Puerto Rican Holiday Tradition Prepared in a Modern Way
    • two bowls of arroz con gandules.
      Easy and Delicious Arroz con Gandules
    • pestle and mortar filled with mofongo
      Cooking Up Mofongo
    • A bowl with guineos en escabeche
      Guineos en Escabeche
    • A bowl of Carne Frita with a side of cooked green bananas
      Carne Frita, Pork Version
    • a closeup of the Cochinita all shredded and bathing in its juices
      Cochinita Pibil. The Way This Puerto Rican Makes It.

    Popular Recipes

    • empanadas inside a paper towel lined bowl.
      Puerto Rican Empanadas
    • close-up-of-roasted-chicken-thighs-on-a-serving-platter
      Delicious Puerto Rican Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
    • A bowl of funche with shrimp and tomato sauce
      Funche, The simple recipe that became a Building block To Our Puerto Rican Ethnic Roots
    • Closeup of a slice of keto-friendly pecan crusted cheesecake.
      Keto Cheesecake with Pecan Almond Crust
    • A slice of bread pudding with raisins and caramel sauce on a white plate. the rest of the bread pudding is in a long white plate in the background.
      Budín de Pan (Puerto Rican Bread Pudding)
    • a spoon full of black beans
      Puerto Rican Black Beans. Frijoles Negros

    I want to know what you think! Did you make this recipe? Please, leave a review and a rating below. You can also find me on Instagram! Please sign up for my email list to receive my newest and latest recipe.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Cookies Policy

    Let's Connect!

    • Newsletter

    Contact

    • Contact

    I may earn from qualified purchases made through affiliate links on my website at no cost to you.

    Copyright © 2023 Girl Meets Fire LLC.