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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Published: Oct 27, 2010 · Modified: Mar 23, 2023 by Nisha · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments

    Coconut Barfi (gluten-free, 5 ingredients)

    21 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Coconut Burfi is a simple Indian dessert that's perfect around the holidays.

    Coconut Burfi is one of my favorite Indian desserts. When I was younger, my cousin, Ajay, would drizzle chocolate syrup all over it, and then microwave the burfi for 20 seconds. He named his creation, Almond Joy chocolate without the almonds. Brilliant right? At that age, I thought anything Ajay did was brilliant. 🙂

    Recently, Aarti Sequeira of Food Network’s Aarti Party made a Coconut Toffee on her show.  She named this dish Coconut Toffee, but it really is Coconut Burfi.  I loved how she added red food color to this decadent dessert which transforms the burfi into a gorgeous pink color.  Remember, people eat with their eyes! Based on the reviews for Aarti’s Coconut Toffee, many complained the burfi was too sweet.  Note, this dessert is supposed to be sweet, however I wasn’t looking for a toothache either so I reduced the sugar from 1 ½ cups to 1 cup.  This is a quick dessert that literally takes about 20 minutes to put together. Enjoy!

    This Coconut Burfi is:

    gluten-free
    slightly lightened up
    perfect for Diwali, or any Indian festival
    simple & easy
    delicious

     

    Recipe Card

    Coconut Barfi

    Coconut Barfi

    Eggless, Gluten-free
    5 from 1 vote
    By: Nisha
    Coconut Burfi is a simple Indian dessert that's perfect around the holidays.
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Servings 12 pieces
    Calories 118 kcal
    SaveSaved! Pin Print

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups coconut desiccated
    • ½ cup low-fat 1% milk
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 cup sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
    • 2 drops red food color
    • cashews for garnish optional

    Instructions
     

    • Grease a round baking tray or plate with butter.
    • On medium heat in a nonstick pot, add coconut.
    • Dry roast until you smell the aroma, should be a couple minutes, and then lower the heat to low-medium.
    • Add milk to the coconut and keep stirring for a few minutes until the milk is absorbed. Turn off the stove and set aside.
    • Now make the simple syrup or chashni. In a separate pot on medium heat, add water and sugar.
    • Combine. This will form a simple syrup.
    • You want the syrup to form a thread like consistency… should look as follows, and be sticky.
    • At this point add the coconut to the syrup.
    • Keep stirring until all the syrup is absorbed. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
    • It's a process.. it will take a little effort, around 10 minutes.
    • Now add the cardamom powder. Keep stirring making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan..
    • Add just 2 drops of food color, literally!
    • Combine. Soooooooo pretty.
    • Once the coconut starts to form into clumps, you are done. Also, stirring won't be as effortless which is a good sign, hence you are done. Turn off the stove.
    • Transfer the coconut mixture onto a plate or baking tray.
    • Spread the mixture evenly. If the mixture isn’t hot, you can use your hands too.
    • Place the plate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This will help the sweet solidify.
    • After refrigerating, this is what you should have.
    • Cut into diamonds.
    • OPTIONAL: for garnish, I chopped up a few cashews. Almonds would work well too.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 118kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.4mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Indian
    Tried this recipe?Mention @honeywhatscooking or tag #honeywhatscooking!

     

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
    Tag @honeywhatscooking on Instagram and hashtag it #honeywhatscooking.
    I love seeing your creations!

     

    Pin Coconut Barfi

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Spiced Paneer Naan Sandwich says

      January 14, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      Thanks for sharing. It seems like a very simple dish and you can actually choose the color. Good post.

      Reply
      • honeywhatscooking says

        January 14, 2014 at 8:47 pm

        Thanks... glad you like it.

        Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      January 06, 2011 at 7:03 am

      Hey everyone just a quick tip after the barfi is done try putting it into a baking pan with walls. I think the reason it doesn't hold up is because it isn't tight enough when packed. Hope this works!

      Reply
    3. honeywhatscooking says

      November 11, 2010 at 5:47 am

      @Nandini - I'm glad Ajay was reminded of his youth, hopefully he didn't start acting that way. 🙂 Just kidding! Stay away from the Bully!

      Reply
    4. Nandini says

      November 10, 2010 at 7:27 pm

      This turned out amazing. Ajay said it reminded him of his youth! It is so shockingly easy to make too. I will definitely be making this again soon!

      Reply
    5. Quay Po Cooks says

      November 09, 2010 at 4:37 pm

      Maybe I should surprise my family with this on Christmas.

      Reply
    6. honeywhatscooking says

      November 01, 2010 at 4:06 am

      @Nandini - I'm glad you are considering these dishes for Diwali. I really hope the Coconut Burfi works out for you. Suggestion is to make burfi in 2 pots using pink food color and perhaps, green. It would make it very festive for Diwali! Good luck and let me know!

      Reply
    7. Nandini says

      November 01, 2010 at 12:07 am

      I"m making this, your aloo gobi, and your egg curry for Diwali on Friday! Crossing my fingers it all turns out well!!!! I'm counting on your perfect recipes 🙂

      Reply
    8. bakeolicious says

      October 28, 2010 at 11:22 pm

      Beautiful story behind this celebration. I'd never heard of it before.The burfi looks fantastic too.I’d love for you to submit one of your beautiful photos, and a link to your post, to my new baking photo gallery showcasing the best baking, sweets and desserts on the web.

      Reply
    9. honeywhatscooking says

      October 29, 2010 at 5:59 am

      @bakeolicious.. thanks! Glad you enjoyed the story. Photo submitted! Thanks.

      Reply
    10. honeywhatscooking says

      October 28, 2010 at 7:11 am

      @Cakelicious - thanks for the tip.

      @Enchanted Cook - The dessert is pretty simple to make, but go with 1 cup of sugar, I think any more will be too much. Thanks for the compliment. 🙂 Let me know how it goes.

      Reply
    11. The Enchanted Cook says

      October 28, 2010 at 2:26 am

      This is so cool! I saw the Aarti Party episode you mentioned and at first wasn't sure what to think about this dessert. By the end of the episode I was thinking I should try it. Love your photos and all the history behind this celebration.

      Best,
      Veronica

      Reply
    12. Cakelicious says

      October 27, 2010 at 7:02 pm

      The mithai looks lovely, wanted to give u a quick & easy way to make the syrup. Put 1/2 cup wanter & the sugar in a microwave safe bowl. microwave for 2 mins, stir and microwave for another 2 mins, u'll have the syrup (chashini) ready for use.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Nisha! I'm a foodie who is passionate about healthy-ish living and mindful eating. You'll find a little bit of everything here. I use mostly organic real ingredients and incorporate seasonal produce in my cooking. I believe food is medicine. Come join me on this soul-searching journey as I share my love for good food, and I hope somewhere along the way, I inspire you to eat better.

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