Tahitian Banana Po'e

Easy·20 min active + 30 min resting

Tahitian baked banana pudding: ripe bananas mashed with cassava starch, sugar, and vanilla into a thick batter, then baked in coconut milk until the bananas caramelize into a soft, sticky pudding. Served with coconut cream poured on top.

Po'e is a traditional Tahitian pudding made from various fruits — banana po'e is the most common, but mango, papaya, and pumpkin versions also exist. The dish uses starch (taro, cassava, or arrowroot) to thicken the fruit into a pudding-like consistency. Served at every Tahitian meal's end and at festive gatherings.

Spoon up Tahitian banana po'e — bottom is rich coconut milk soaked into the pudding, middle is dense banana-pudding with caramelized banana sweetness, top is a darkly-golden caramelized crust. The coconut cream on top adds a fresh dairy-like richness; rum (if added) provides adult complexity. The Tahitian family dessert.

Cassava starch (or tapioca/arrowroot) gelatinizes when heated with the banana's water content, creating the pudding-like consistency. Banana's natural sugars caramelize on top during baking. Coconut milk poured first creates a layered structure — the bottom stays moist while the top becomes a darker crust.

Variations

Pumpkin po'e uses pumpkin instead of banana. Papaya po'e uses ripe papaya. Mango po'e uses ripe mango. Vanilla-and-rum version adds vanilla bean and rum.

On the Palate

Where Tahitian Banana Po'e sits in the Tahitian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

6 very ripeBanana

100 gCassava Flour

200 mlCoconut Milk

for servingCoconut Cream

100 gBrown Sugar

1/2 tsp groundCinnamon

1/2 tspSalt

1 tsp extractVanilla

How it's made

9 steps · 20 min active + 30 min waiting

1
4 min
Mash 6 very ripe bananas in a bowl until smooth.
2
6 min
Add 100 g cassava starch (or arrowroot, tapioca starch) + 100 g brown sugar + 1 tsp vanilla extract + ½ tsp salt + ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional). Mix to a thick batter.
3
3 min
Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.
4
1 min
Pour 200 ml coconut milk into the dish.
5
3 min
Spoon the banana batter on top of the coconut milk (it will sink in). Smooth the top with a wet spatula.
Watch out
Spoon the banana batter straight onto the poured coconut milk and let it settle in — that milk underneath keeps the bottom moist while the top bakes to a crust.
6
32 min
Bake 30-35 min until the top is deeply golden-brown and the pudding has set.
Watch out
Bake until the top is a deep golden-brown and the middle no longer jiggles loose — pull it pale and the starch won't have set into pudding.
7
16 min
Cool 15 min in the dish (pudding firms up further).
8
3 min
Slice into squares. Top each serving with 2 tbsp coconut cream, optionally a drizzle of dark rum.
9
1 min
Serve warm or chilled.