The moment you turn out the mold, a yellow gloss appears
Quindim is a small Brazilian sweet made by baking egg yolks, sugar and coconut in a water bath. Turn it out of its mold and the top is a smooth, glossy yolk custard, while below it a layer of coconut has settled. It is like a pudding, but richer; not as light as a macaron, and not as quiet as yokan. Take it out of the refrigerator and set it beside black coffee, and its yellow gloss alone changes the mood of the table.
What makes this sweet tricky at home is not the number of ingredients. It is how you strain the yolks, how far you rehydrate the coconut, how thoroughly you coat the molds with sugar, and how high the water in the bath should be. Brazilian home recipes share the same backbone: strain the yolks to tame their odor, coat the molds firmly with butter and sugar, and bake in a water bath.
In Brazil, the version baked in small molds is called quindim, and the one baked in a large ring mold is sometimes called quindão. This article makes 8 small ones, which are least likely to go wrong in a home oven. Unlike the Brazilian dishes and sweets (in Japanese) that close a churrasco with strong sweetness, this is a dish where the memory of a place comes through with only eggs and coconut.
The dish is called quindim in Portuguese. This article uses "quindim" throughout.
Ingredients (8 molds, 5 cm across)
This amount works in small pudding molds, aluminum cups or mini bundt molds. The larger the mold, the slower the heat reaches the center, and the more often you get a firm top with a runny middle, so for a first batch choose small molds about 5 cm across.
This recipe contains egg, dairy and coconut. Because it uses many yolks, it has a strong egg flavor. Cutting the sugar heavily ruins the gloss, the release and the keeping quality. Even if you want it less sweet, keep to 220 g of sugar at the lowest for a first batch.
Which ingredients you can swap and which you cannot
With so few ingredients, changing any of them easily makes a different sweet. Keep the yolks, sugar and coconut, and adjust only the supporting aromas to what is available to you.
| Role | Ingredient to keep | What you can swap | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow gloss | 12 egg yolks | Down to 10 yolks | Weaker color and richness; looser set |
| Sweetness and release | Granulated sugar | Soft white sugar | A little more moist, with less clarity on the surface |
| Layer of bits | Unsweetened fine coconut | Chopped long-cut coconut | Large pieces make the bottom layer coarse |
| Aroma | Coconut milk | Water or milk | Water is light but weak in aroma; milk leans toward pudding |
| Molds | Small metal molds | Pudding cups, heatproof ramekins | Glass or ceramic heat slowly; allow about 5 minutes longer |
The most worthwhile things to look for are unsweetened coconut milk, small metal molds and a deep heatproof dish for the water bath. Eggs, sugar, butter and lemon come from any grocery store. Fine coconut is sometimes in the baking aisle, but avoid sweetened coconut, which scorches easily.
Coconut milk is used by the tablespoon, so leftovers can go into curries or rice dishes. The molds and bath dish are also useful for pudding, baked cheesecake and South American corn sweets.
Method: strain the yolks and bake in a water bath
If you rush after cracking the eggs, the mold prep becomes careless and the quindim will not release. First preheat the oven to 180°C, boil the water, and butter and sugar the molds before moving to the batter. After mixing, the batter rests 30 minutes, so use that time to prepare the baking tray and bath dish.
Where it goes wrong and how to fix it
With such simple ingredients, the cause of a failure shows directly in the result. Egg odor, sticking, toughness, no layers: nearly all four come down to straining, molds, or when you stop baking.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Smells of egg | Yolk membranes not strained; mixture whipped | Strain through a fine sieve, and stir the sugar in without whipping |
| Will not release | Butter and sugar too thin; chilled completely | Run a knife around while warm, and hold the outside of the mold in 50°C water for 15 seconds |
| Surface cracks | Oven too hot; too little water in the bath | Keep to 180°C at most, and keep the water halfway up the molds |
| Firm and rubbery | Overbaked | Stop when the center still wobbles slightly, and let residual heat finish it |
| No coconut layer | Batter not rested; mixed too finely | Rest 30 minutes, and before filling just stir lightly from the bottom |
| Watery | Underbaked; molds too large | Bake 5 minutes more, and check that no liquid clings to the skewer |
Brazilian home recipes also often include straining the yolks to remove the membrane. It is fussy work, but skip it and egg odor comes forward once chilled. Do not hesitate to discard what stays in the sieve.
How it is eaten locally and how to serve it
Quindim is a sweet eaten in small amounts after a meal. Many Brazilian sweets use plenty of condensed milk or egg yolk, and quindim also tastes much sweeter than a Japanese pudding. That is why bitter or clean drinks go with it: strong coffee, unsweetened tea, cold sparkling water.
At the table, it is easier to eat after beans or salty dishes than after grilled meat or fried food. After a bean stew such as feijoada or the seafood-scented moqueca (in Japanese), a small chilled quindim gives the end of the meal a clear outline.
For the large ring-mold quindão, put the same batter in a mold about 15 cm across and bake 50–60 minutes in a water bath. Baking big on your first try makes it hard to judge the center, so it is safer to get a feel for when to stop with small molds first.
Storage and making ahead
Quindim keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. When fully cooled, wrap each one in plastic wrap or arrange them in a lidded container without overlapping. A dry surface loses its gloss, so do not put them in the refrigerator uncovered on a plate.
Take them out of the refrigerator 5–10 minutes before eating. Too cold, and the aroma of butter and coconut stays closed so only sweetness stands out. I do not recommend reheating: in a microwave the yolk tightens and the surface loses its gloss.
You can freeze it, but the texture suffers a little. Wrap each in plastic, put them in a storage bag, and keep up to about 2 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator for half a day, and blot any droplets gently with a paper towel. For guests, where looks matter, do not freeze; baking the day before and refrigerating is the most beautiful.
More dishes to cook alongside
- How to make pudim - Another sweet egg dessert from Brazil. With condensed milk and caramel, it offers a different richness from quindim.
- How to make guagua de pan (in Japanese) - Shares ingredients and aromas with this region.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What do I do with the egg whites?
Use them in meringue sweets, financiers, as a garnish for soup, or in an egg-white omelet. They keep about 2 days in the refrigerator and about 1 month in the freezer. Freeze them in portions of one egg white each for easy use later.
Q. Can I make it without coconut milk?
Yes, but the aroma is weaker. If you rehydrate with 80 ml water, increase the lemon zest a little and cut the fine coconut by 10 g so it does not turn heavy. 80 ml milk also sets, but the taste moves closer to an egg pudding than a Brazilian sweet.
Q. Can I use silicone molds?
You can, but metal molds give a better gloss and color. Silicone heats more gently, so bake 5 minutes longer at the same 180°C and watch the wobble of the center. They release well, but a thin film of sugar is less likely to cling to the sides, so the glossy outline typical of quindim is a little weaker.
Q. Can I halve the sugar?
I do not recommend it. The sugar in quindim supports not only sweetness but gloss, release, keeping quality and the set of the yolks. Halved, it has a texture closer to steamed egg and is harder to unmold. If you must cut it, stay at 220 g and serve it with an unsweetened drink to keep it satisfying.
Q. What if I want to bake one big one?
Put the same batter in a ring mold about 15 cm across and bake 50–60 minutes in a water bath. Stop when the center wobbles lightly and no liquid clings to the skewer. Cool longer than for the small ones, about 30 minutes, before flipping. Baked big, it takes the shape of a quindão suited to a shared table.
Sources
- Panelinha, "Quindim", accessed 2026-05-21, https://panelinha.com.br/receita/quindim
- Sococo, "Quindim", accessed 2026-05-21, https://www.sococo.com.br/receitas/quindim/
- Wikipedia contributors, "Quindim", accessed 2026-05-21, https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quindim
