Brazilian

Serving

Canjica (Sweet Corn and Coconut Pudding)

Name: Canjica (Sweet Corn and Coconut Pudding)
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 2 cups dried white hominy corn (canjica), soaked overnight; 4 cups whole milk; 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 whole cloves; 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk; Ground cinnamon, for garnish

A creamy, fragrant pudding of white hominy corn simmered in coconut milk and warm spices, traditionally served during Brazil's June festival season.

75 minutes

Serves 6

Dessert

26 min prep

41 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

7 steps

1
Drain the soaked hominy corn and place in a large pot with the whole milk, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
2
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes until the corn is very tender, adding more milk if it becomes too dry.
3
Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves.
4
Stir in the coconut milk and sugar, and continue simmering for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
5
Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and cook for another 5 minutes until creamy.
6
Ladle into bowls and let cool slightly; the pudding will continue to thicken as it cools.
7
Dust with ground cinnamon before serving warm or chilled.

Canjica (Sweet Corn and Coconut Pudding) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Canjica (Sweet Corn and Coconut Pudding) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

78/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 93

Pantry-friendly 58

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

270

Calories

7 g

Protein

51 g

Carbs

6 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Canjica is a June-festival, Festa Junina, staple across Brazil, served alongside pamonha and roasted corn on the cob during the harvest celebrations honoring rural traditions and saints' days. The dish reflects the blending of Indigenous corn cultivation with Portuguese dairy and African-influenced coconut and spice use that defines much of Brazilian home cooking. In parts of the country the same dish is called mungunza, and naming can vary by region even when the preparation is nearly identical.

Listahan note

This version simmers dried hominy corn low and slow in milk with cinnamon and cloves, then finishes it with coconut milk and condensed milk, the layered dairy-and-spice build typical of a home-cooked Festa Junina batch.

Technique cues

Simmering the soaked hominy gently rather than at a hard boil over the long 45 to 50 minutes is what softens the tough kernels evenly without scorching the milk on the bottom of the pot.
Adding the coconut milk and condensed milk only after the corn is already tender is deliberate, their sugars can slow down how quickly the corn softens if added too early.
The pudding continues to thicken noticeably as it cools, so pulling it off the heat while it still looks slightly thinner than the final texture you want prevents an overly stiff result once it sits.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Soak the corn the night before, so the next day is just simmering, no other prep needs to happen in parallel once it starts.
Make-ahead: Canjica can be made a day ahead and gently reheated with a splash of milk, since it thickens significantly once chilled.
Leftover move: Reheat leftovers gently on the stovetop with a little extra milk stirred in to loosen the pudding back to a creamy consistency.
Cleanup rhythm: Soak the pot promptly after cooking since the condensed and coconut milk sugars can bake onto the bottom if left to sit and cool.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

dried white hominy corn (canjica), soaked overnight

the dish's namesake base

Purpose: this specific dried corn variety, soaked to soften, is what gives canjica its chewy-tender bite once slow-simmered, distinct from a cornmeal-based pudding

Handling: soak overnight in plenty of water, then drain before simmering in milk

Adaptation: there is no substitute that preserves this dish's identity; canned hominy could be used to shortcut the soak but changes the texture and the dish's traditional character

coconut milk

rounds out the dairy with tropical depth

Purpose: coconut milk added toward the end layers in a distinct richness and flavor that plain dairy milk alone doesn't provide

Handling: stir in after the corn is already tender, then simmer to let the flavors meld

Adaptation: additional whole milk can replace it in a pinch, though the flavor will lean more purely dairy and less tropical

sweetened condensed milk

final sweetness and creamy thickening

Purpose: condensed milk added at the end both sweetens and thickens the pudding into its characteristic creamy consistency

Handling: stir in during the last few minutes of cooking so it doesn't scorch on prolonged high heat

Adaptation: there is no exact substitute; a sweetened dairy or coconut cream reduction comes closest but won't match the same texture

cinnamon stick and whole cloves

warm background spicing

Purpose: these whole spices infuse the simmering milk with warmth typical of Brazilian June-festival sweets without leaving bits of ground spice throughout the pudding

Handling: add whole at the start of simmering and remove before the final coconut and condensed milk additions

Adaptation: a small amount of ground cinnamon and allspice stirred in at the end can substitute if whole spices aren't available, though texture will differ slightly with visible specks

Technique notes

Stir occasionally rather than constantly during the long simmer, but check more frequently near the end as the mixture thickens and is more prone to sticking.
Add extra milk gradually if the corn looks dry before it's fully tender, rather than all at once, to avoid overshooting the intended final consistency.
Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before adding the coconut and condensed milk, leaving them in longer than needed can make the final flavor overly perfumed.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Replace the whole milk with a full-fat oat or additional coconut milk, and use a dairy-free condensed milk alternative to make this fully plant-based.
Lower-sugar direction: Reduce the condensed milk slightly and add a touch more plain milk to loosen the texture without losing the creamy consistency.
Stovetop-to-slow-cooker direction: The soaked corn and milk can simmer in a slow cooker on low for several hours instead of stovetop monitoring, stirring in the coconut and condensed milk during the last 30 minutes.

Serve alongside

pamonha
roasted corn on the cob (milho cozido)
pe-de-moleque (peanut brittle)
quentao (spiced mulled wine)
hot coffee

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of milk to loosen the thickened texture.
Freezing is not recommended, the corn's texture and creaminess suffer once thawed.

Equipment

large heavy pot
wooden spoon
ladle

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