Samoan desserts are built on three things: coconut cream, a starch, and sugar that is often taken all the way to caramel. The starch changes from dish to dish. It might be cassava, taro, flour, rice or tapioca. The ones every Samoan family knows are fa'ausi, puligi, paifala, panikeke, pani popo, koko alaisa, kopai koko, suafa'i, pisua, masi popo and keke saiga. Below is what each one is, how it is cooked, and which to make first.
In this article
- The 11 Samoan desserts at a glance
- Desserts made with koko
- Baked, fried, steamed or simmered
- What makes a dessert Samoan
- Where to start
- Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular Samoan desserts?
Here are the eleven that turn up at Sunday to'ona'i, birthdays, weddings and school fundraisers, grouped by what goes into them.
| Dessert | What it is | Made from |
|---|---|---|
| Fa'ausi | Dense, chewy pudding finished in caramel | Grated cassava, coconut cream, brown sugar |
| Puligi | Steamed pudding, moist and heavy | Flour, sugar, coconut cream, often banana |
| Paifala | Hand pies with a pineapple custard filling | Pastry, pineapple, coconut custard |
| Panikeke | Small round fritters, crisp outside and soft inside | Flour, sugar, oil for frying |
| Pani popo | Soft rolls baked in coconut cream | Bread dough, coconut cream, sugar |
| Koko alaisa | Cocoa rice pudding | Rice, koko Samoa, sugar, coconut cream |
| Kopai koko | Chewy dumplings in a koko caramel | Flour, koko Samoa, sugar, coconut cream |
| Suafa'i | Warm banana and tapioca porridge | Ripe banana, tapioca, coconut cream |
| Pisua | Thick, lightly sweet pudding | Taro or cassava, coconut cream, sugar |
| Masi popo | Coconut biscuits that crumble at the edge | Flour, coconut, sugar |
| Keke saiga | Two-tone flower biscuits, sweet and savoury | Two doughs, caramelised sugar, soy, onion |
Which Samoan desserts are made with koko?
Koko Samoa is roasted, ground cacao, the drink most Samoan households grew up on. Two desserts are built around it. Koko alaisa folds cooked rice into hot koko with sugar and coconut cream, so it sits somewhere between breakfast and dessert. Kopai koko drops chewy flour dumplings into a koko and coconut caramel. Both take around half an hour and both use what is already in the cupboard.
If you only make one Samoan dessert this year, make one of these. They are the taste most people describe when they talk about home.
How are Samoan desserts cooked?
Sorting them by method is the quickest way to pick one that suits your kitchen.
| Method | Desserts |
|---|---|
| Baked | Paifala, pani popo, masi popo, keke saiga |
| Fried | Panikeke |
| Steamed | Puligi |
| Simmered on the stove | Koko alaisa, kopai koko, suafa'i, pisua |
| Slow cooked, oven or umu | Fa'ausi |
Fa'ausi is the one that rewards patience. It can go in the umu, the oven or a slow cooker, and the caramel only gets better the longer it goes.
What makes a dessert Samoan?
Three habits run through almost every one of them.
- Coconut cream does the work butter and milk do elsewhere. It goes into the dough, the sauce and the topping.
- Sugar is cooked until it turns. Fa'ausi, kopai and keke saiga all lean on caramel rather than plain sweetness.
- The starch is local. Cassava, taro, banana and rice carry the dish, which is why so many Samoan desserts are filling enough to be a meal.
They are also made in quantity. A Samoan dessert is rarely one serve on a plate. It is a tray for the whole aiga, which is why so many of these recipes double without fuss.
Which Samoan dessert is easiest to make first?
Start with panikeke: one bowl, a spoon and a pot of oil. Next, koko alaisa or kopai koko, which are both done in about thirty minutes. When you are ready for an afternoon project, pani popo and fa'ausi are the two that make people ask who taught you.
Suafa'i, koko alaisa, kopai koko, fa'ausi, puligi and paifala, photographed and written for a home kitchen outside Samoa.
See the cookbooks →Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Samoan dessert?
Fa'ausi and pani popo are the two most people name first. Fa'ausi is the celebration dessert, a caramel cassava pudding. Pani popo is the everyday one, soft rolls baked in sweet coconut cream.
What is a traditional Samoan sweet?
The oldest Samoan sweets are built on local starches cooked in coconut cream, such as fa'ausi from cassava and pisua from taro or cassava. Baked sweets like masi popo and pani popo came later and are now just as Samoan.
What dessert is made with koko Samoa?
Koko alaisa, a cocoa rice pudding, and kopai koko, chewy dumplings in a koko caramel. Both use koko Samoa, the roasted ground cacao Samoan families drink every day.
Are Samoan desserts hard to make?
Most are not. Panikeke, koko alaisa and kopai koko are done in about half an hour with pantry ingredients. Fa'ausi and pani popo take longer but are not difficult.
Can you make Samoan desserts without fresh coconut?
Yes. Tinned full-fat coconut cream is what most Samoan cooks outside the islands use, and it works in every recipe on this page.
Cook the whole table
The Samoan cookbooks and recipe keepsakes, written for the kitchen you actually have.
See the cookbooks →Every book is printed to order and shipped to your door.
Read next: Traditional Samoan recipes · How to make fa'ausi · How to make pani popo
