Nigerians love their street foods! Sweet, savory, spicy, salty and even bitter, all can be found on the right street corner or roadside. This Nigerian coconut candy is one of popular street snacks enjoyed by people all over the country. It was common to have many of our visiting relatives bring this along as a treat whenever they stopped by our house, since it was likely to be one of the many snacks sold along the roads linking major Eastern cities in Nigeria with cities in the west like Ibadan and Lagos (where I grew up if you’re not already aware). On some of the family trips from Lagos to Benin along the Ore-Benin highways, I remember seeing bottles of coconut candy being sold usually beside the toll gates where hawkers would race and compete with each other in the sweltering sun to earn travellers’ attention and the possible promise of a sale. Families travelling with children like ours would be only too happy to silence the raucous cries of “I want! I want!!!” by excited kids once their curious little eyes spotted these candy snacks stacked beside other bottled staples like fried groundnut; a scenario the eagle-eyed hawkers were only too eager to take advantage of.
As you can probably tell by now, I love coconuts! Coconuts featured quite commonly as an ingredient in my home growing up so every now and again, usually after draining the coconut milk, my mum would use the coconut shreddings to whip up this coconut treat as a snack, which we would happily consume with some cold, soaked garri! Lol…Just thinking about it makes me hungry for some right now!
How to Make Toasted Coconut Candy
This recipe is quite simple especially since you will not need a lot of ingredients. All you will need are a single coconut, some salt and some sugar.
To extract the meat from the coconut, hit the coconut in the middle (between the eyes and the pointy tip) over a bowl preferably with a hammer, or with a blunt heavy object. Rotate the coconut making sure you are still hitting the middle until it cracks into halves.
You might be able to simply pry the flesh of the coconut off the hard shell with a butter knife. If this is somewhat difficult to do, simply place the coconut in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes, and the shell should come off easily with a butter knife once it is out of the oven.
Using the medium side of a box grater, shred the coconut meat
Set a large, dry pan on the cooker on medium heat and place the shredded coconut flakes with half a cup of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Stir continuously
Once the coconut begins to brown at the tip, turn the heat down to low, and continue to stir and toast until it turns golden brown. You will notice the coconut shreds begin to dry as the moisture is slowly absorbed. Once the shreds are no longer moist, your coconut candy is done!
If you do not have a pan large enough to fit in all the coconut, split the ingredients into three, and make the coconut candy in batches
Allow to cool before serving.
Nigerian coconut candy can be eaten by itself, or can be served as a topping for ice-cream, yogurt, and even with garri. It is also one of my staples to use as gifts during the holidays, especially when it is nicely packaged in a bottle stirring up the nice and nostalgic memories of home… Enjoy!
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Nigerian Coconut Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large old coconut
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- To extract the meat from the coconut, hit the coconut in the middle (between the eyes and the pointy tip) over a bowl preferably with a hammer, or with a blunt heavy object. Rotate the coconut making sure you are still hitting the middle until it cracks into halves.
- You might be able to simply pry the flesh of the coconut off the hard shell with a butter knife. If this is somewhat difficult to do, simply place the coconut in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes, and the shell should come off easily with a butter knife once it is out of the oven.
- Shred the coconut meat, using the medium side of a box grater.
- In a large dry pan on medium heat, place the shredded coconut with sugar and salt. Stir continuously
- Once the coconut begins to brown at the tip, turn the heat down to low, and continue to stir and toast until it turns golden brown. The coconut shreds should be no longer be moist once it is done
- If you do not have a pan large enough to fit in all the coconut, split the ingredients into three, and make the coconut candy in batches
- Allow to cool before serving.
7 Comments
Katie Simmons
July 8, 2020 at 10:19 amWhat a lovely story and a fun recipe! Thank you so much
Dezi
October 31, 2020 at 9:31 amWhat is the shelf live of the candy without being refrigerated ? Can it last up to two months?
Lois
November 13, 2020 at 12:53 pmHi Dezi, I usually don’t keep it outside the refrigerator for more than two weeks. I store mine in an air tight container.
Keira
August 23, 2021 at 9:19 pmDelightful! I had a coconut i didn’t know what to do with and I do not regret making this!
Tolu
November 20, 2020 at 7:51 amThanks for this recioie. Now i know wbat to use my cocnut pulp for after draining the milk. 👍
Betty
September 23, 2021 at 12:14 pmCan I use any pan or strictly non stick pan?
Bliss
June 5, 2024 at 4:33 amThank you for sharing, my husband asked that I made it for him, this was really helpful.