
<strong>How to make Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding </strong>
Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding is a moist dense Jamaican dessert that’s loved by so many. One popular dessert that embodies the essence of Jamaican cooking is cornmeal pudding. These are some main ingredients that you can always find in any Jamaican household. So it made sense that we would make a dessert from cornmeal, Flour, Sugar, Coconut Milk, Butter, and Spices just to name a few. This delectable treat combines the sweetness of coconut milk, the warmth of spices, and the heartiness of cornmeal. Cornmeal pudding is a staple dessert in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean.

What is cornmeal pudding made of?
Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding also called cornmeal pone is a flavorful Jamaican dessert made from cornmeal, coconut milk, raisins, and spices. It is firm pudding consistency with a sweet and creamy coconut custard topping.
How to Make Coconut Milk
The traditional method for making coconut milk involves breaking it into a coconut grating coconut meat, mixing it with hot water, and pressing the liquid through a cheesecloth. This process produces a rich, fatty liquid known as coconut cream simply dice the coconut meat into cubes add it, and warm water to a blender, blend it strain it and you have yourself fresh coconut milk.
Is Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding of African Roots?
Cornmeal pudding traces its roots back to West Africa, where cornmeal-based dishes have been prepared for centuries. During the transatlantic slave trade, African slaves brought their culinary traditions to Jamaica, including their expertise in working with cornmeal. This laid the foundation for the development of Jamaican cornmeal pudding.
Colonial Influence
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Jamaica was a British colony, and this period saw the introduction of new ingredients and culinary techniques. Cornmeal, which was an easily accessible and affordable staple, became a key ingredient in Jamaican cuisine. The colonizers’ influence, combined with the African culinary traditions, led to the creation of unique dishes like cornmeal pudding.

Cultural Significance
Cornmeal pudding became an integral part of Jamaican culture and heritage. It is often associated with special occasions and celebrations, such as weddings, and birthdays, and holidays like Christmas and Easter. Families would gather to share this traditional dessert, passing down recipes from generation to generation.
Traditional Ingredients and Preparation
Jamaican cornmeal pudding typically includes ingredients like cornmeal, coconut milk, brown sugar, spices (such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice), vanilla extract, and raisins (optional). The ingredients are combined and baked to perfection, resulting in a creamy, flavorful pudding with a golden-brown crust.
Jamaican cornmeal pudding ingredients
- Cornmeal- It’s best to use fine cornmeal because it cooks faster and it’s easier on the stomach. Course or Fine it’s your preference.
- Flour– Acks as a binding agent in the pudding.
- Sugar- Sweetens the pudding.
- Coconut milk fresh is best but canned works great.
- Raisins is optional, some people don’t like it but soak it in rum and it will make a big difference.
- Water– Used to blend the raw coconut.
- Butter- helps in moisture.
- Nutmeg– Enhances Flavor!
- Allspice- Boost Taste!
- Vanilla- Because vanilla goes into everything!!
Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding with Soft Top (Custard)
- Coconut milk
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon-Enhance taste.
- Rum- Optional

How to make Jamaican cornmeal pudding
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 10-inch-inch spring form baking pan or a regular baking pan with butter. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add the coconut milk, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until the sugar is fully disclosed.
- Sift all the dry ingredients: flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together, until combined evenly.
- Add the rum to the warm liquid and stir. Pour a little by little the warm liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Continue to whisk for a few minutes to make sure there are no lumps and it is smooth.
- Save some of the coconut mixtures for the custard
- Pour the mixture into the greased spring from the baking pan. If you are adding raisins drain off excess rum in the extra coconut milk save for the custard and dust raisins with flour.
- Bake for 30 minutes first. Remove from the oven. Pour the soft top mixture over the batter and bake for another hour. The top of the pudding will be soft, while the bottom will be firm.
- Allow it to cool for about an hour and 10 minutes. Remove the outer rim of the spring from the baking pan. Slice and enjoy.










Tips for Success
- Use fine-grain cornmeal for a smoother consistency.
- If you can use fresh coconut milk use it. It’s more tedious work but the taste is way better.
- Soak your raisins in white rum and red wine if you hate them you might have a change of heart.
- Save a cup of your coconut milk mixture to pour on top of your pudding for a soft top.
- If you’re using a spring form pan place a large baking sheet at the bottom of the oven to catch any drippings.
Regional Variations
While the basic recipe remains consistent, there are regional variations of cornmeal pudding across Jamaica. In some areas, grated sweet potatoes or pumpkins are added to enhance the texture and flavor. Each variation adds its unique twist to this beloved dessert, showcasing the diversity of Jamaican culinary traditions.
Modern Adaptations
Over time, cornmeal pudding has evolved to incorporate modern ingredients and cooking techniques. Some variations include adding fruits like mango or pineapple, or even experimenting with vegan or gluten-free versions. These adaptations keep the tradition alive while catering to changing dietary preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Pan should I bake the pudding in?
For this Cornmeal Pudding recipe, we chose to use a spring-form baking pan. It didn’t leak out the batter too much while it was baking. Once we put the spring form with the batter in the oven, place a large baking sheet at the bottom of the oven to catch any drippings.
How to store the Cornmeal Pudding?
After the first day of baking it, I always put it in the fridge, to avoid it from spoiling. Because it is baked with coconut milk, you have to store it in a fridge.
More Jamaican Desserts You’ll Love
How to make Jamaican Grape-Nuts Ice Cream
Hummingbird Cake Recipe aka Doctor Bird Cake

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like, unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 KJV
Wisdom
As believers in Jesus Christ, we must keep the commandments. A lawyer tried to tempt Jesus by asking Him what the greatest commandment in the law was. Jesus seeing through his deception gave him this answer.
Matthew 22:37-40. So how do you love the LORD thy God with all your heart, soul, and mind? And how do you love your neighbor as yourself? Well, Jesus pretty much summed up the 10 commandments. The two tablets of stone that Yah gave to Moses. The first tablet which has the first 4 commandments is about how we love our God with all our heart soul and mind.
The next tablet with the remaining 6 teaches us how to love our neighbors the way we love ourselves. But we must love God first, then we have to love ourselves to be able to love others. Jesus pretty much told him all 10 commandments are great.
We must keep all 10. On these 10 commandments hang all the law and prophets. We know we cannot keep them by ourselves but we have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to help us. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments, His commandments are not grievous, they are not a burden to keep. As it says in Ecclesiastes, Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of Man.
How to make Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 cups of cornmeal
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
- 4-5 cups of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 2 cups of water
- 1 stick of room temp butter
- 1 tsp of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice spice
- 2 tsp of vanilla
- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 10-inch-inch spring form baking pan or a regular baking pan with butter. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add the coconut milk, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until the sugar is fully disclosed.
- Sift all the dry ingredients: flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together, until combined evenly.
- Add the rum to the warm liquid and stir. Pour a little by little the warm liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Continue to whisk for a few minutes to make sure there are no lumps and it is smooth.
- Save some of the coconut mixtures for the custard
- Pour the mixture into the greased spring from the baking pan. If you are adding raisins drain off excess rum in the extra coconut milk save for the custard and dust raisins with flour.
- Bake for 30 minutes first. Remove from the oven. Pour the soft top mixture over the batter and bake for another hour and 10 minutes. The top of the pudding will be soft, while the bottom will be firm.
- Allow it cool for about an hour. Remove the outer rim of the spring from the baking pan. Slice and enjoy.
- Custard
- Save a cup of your coconut milk mixture to pour on top of your pudding for the soft top.
Video
Comments (1)
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March 27, 2023 at 1:12 am
Amazing recipe 🥰
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