Homemade Pandan Kaya | Food-4Tots | Recipes for Toddlers (2024)

3 October 2013 | 30 comments
Posted in Chinese, Featured Articles, jam, Vegetarian

Kaya is a popular jam spread in both Malaysia and Singapore. It is a thick jam made from fresh coconut milk, eggs and sugar, infused with the scent of pandan leaves (screw pine leaves). It is often slathered together with a generous slab of butter in between two slices of crisp toast, hence named “kaya toast”.

When I was a child, I ate kaya made by my mom. But nowadays, I buy them. After trying out so many of the so called “homemade” kaya, I still couldn’t find one that I was really satisfied with. So, I told myself that I should stop this endless searching and make it myself.

As I love the green colour and scent of pandan leaves (screw pines), I decided to make pandan kaya instead of the traditional golden brown kaya.

I came across a recipe on Facebook which sounds very promising, along with some photos that look convincing too. This recipe claimed that all it takes is 10-15 minutes to produce a smooth-looking kaya. No gimmick but just constant stirring with the direct heat method.

By following this recipe with some slight modifications, I finally made my own pandan kaya – not once but four times over the past two months! This is really a record breaking feat for someone like me who has a phobia in making kaya all this while. Haha! Although I didn’t get the desired results within the said 10-15 minutes, I’m still proud that I have overcome my fear in making kaya. It’s not as scary as I had imagined. Nevertheless, it was only on my 4th attempt that I managed to make a perfect looking pandan kaya. The texture is SO smooth, shiny and creamy that no further blending is required. Besides its beautiful green hue, it tastes superb and bursts with the fragrant scent of pandan leaves.

I’m going to share all the tips and tricks that I learned from my past 4 attempts on the recipe. This method is easy-to-follow but may need a little patience, attention and arm muscles. Be prepared to spend around one and a half hour to make this kaya (**). But, I must say that it is definitely worth the effort to make this preservative-free, artificial colouring-free, starch-fre, ALL NATURAL homemade pandan kaya. I’m not sure about you but I am definitely not going to buy my kaya anymore.

** – I have revised my cooking method on 12 Nov 2013 and the kaya can be done in half an hour now! Please refer to my recipe at Page 2 below.

Note:
If you look at the photo below, you will see two different shades of green for my pandan kaya. The one on the left was taken in my kitchen during noon whereas the one on the right was taken in my living in the late evening. Due to the poor lighting in my living room, the photo didn’t do enough justice to the actual colour tone of my pandan kaya. In fact, the photo on the left is closer to the actual tone.

Get the recipe and step by step tutorial for Homemade Pandan Kaya at PAGE 2 BELOW.

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30 Comments

Alice says:
3 October 2013 at 5:10 pm
Okay! Set! I couldn’t wait to give this a shot! Simply love the green hue of the kaya! 😀
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  5 October 2013 at 10:44 am
  Alice: Great!! Hope you will like it! 😉
  Reply
mycookinghut says:
4 October 2013 at 12:54 am
Kaya with pandan is my all time favourite!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  5 October 2013 at 10:57 am
  Lee Mei (MCH): I’m sure you ate kaya made by your mom too. Hehe! 😉
  Reply
tigerfish says:
4 October 2013 at 4:35 am
So vivid green and fresh! Amazing homemade kaya. The pandan and coconut aroma must be soooooo alluring! Thanks for sharing the tips.
Nowadays I eat my kaya toast with peanut butter. Quite nice too.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  5 October 2013 at 11:00 am
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  Tigerfish: Wow! Kaya + peanut butter! What a great combi! 😉
  Reply
Christine's Recipes says:
4 October 2013 at 9:20 pm
This is my favourite childhood “jam” for my toast. Really addictive.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  5 October 2013 at 11:01 am
  Christine: Yeah, it’s indeed very addictive. 🙂
  Reply
food-4tots says:
5 October 2013 at 10:56 am
ZZ: Yes, you can but I’m not sure how much the amount is required. 😉
Reply
Nami | Just One Cookbook says:
8 October 2013 at 3:26 pm
I’d love to try this! Pandan green is so beautiful!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  10 October 2013 at 9:15 pm
  Nami: Thank you! Hope it works for you too. 😉
  Reply
Sunny says:
7 November 2013 at 11:56 am
I love kaya jam! So im going to try this one…. Are u using the egg white too?
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  11 November 2013 at 10:44 pm
  Sunny: Yes, with egg white too. Hope this method works for you too. Happy trying! 😉
  Reply
ying says:
26 February 2014 at 2:58 pm
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Hi Ms Low, you mention in step 1 use 100ml coconut milk to blend with pandan leaves. In step 2, then add in remaining 200ml of coconut milk? Thank you
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  2 March 2014 at 9:23 pm
  Ying: Yes, add the coconut milk in 2 respective steps. 🙂
  Reply
Wendy says:
21 April 2014 at 11:00 pm
Can you substitute the sugar with honey? Thinking to make this for my in law who is diabetic so wonder if it will thicken if I use honey…
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  24 April 2014 at 2:56 pm
  Wendy: I don’t think this recipe will work with honey. Please note that this recipe is high in sugar (whether you use normal sugar or honey) and not recommended for people with diabetes. 🙂
  Reply
Meeks says:
28 August 2014 at 3:36 am
I fell in love with kaya pandan while visiting Malaysia. I heard there is a caramel kaya as well. Any idea how to make that? I had a delicious french toast made with peanut butter and kaya. After it was grilled to a golden brown ,it was topped with butter. Sinfully delicious!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  2 September 2014 at 10:48 am
  Meeks: I’m sorry that I haven’t tried it out myself. But, I’m sure you can easily find one from online. 🙂
  Reply
Mindy says:
7 November 2014 at 1:41 pm
Can I replace the coconut milk with fresh milk?
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  8 November 2014 at 9:41 pm
  Mindy: I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it before. I suggest that you follow this recipe exactly for best result. 🙂
  Reply
Pixie says:
24 January 2015 at 8:24 pm
have u made kaya using double boiler? I have seen people making kaya using double boiler, but as far as i understand, the top pot of the boiler should not touch the simmering water below. Is it right?
There are people who make kaya with the top pot placing inside a boiling pot of water. Which is correct? I am so confused. Hope you can explain, thanks
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  2 February 2015 at 11:22 am
  Pixie: Sorry, I haven’t used the double boiling method in making kaya. Maybe you can do a search on google. 🙂
  Reply
Homemade Pandan Kaya | Just Another Day In The City says:
31 January 2015 at 6:47 pm
[…] Recipe I used was adapted from here. https://food-4tots.com/2013/10/03/homemade-pandan-kaya/ […]
Reply
Azie says:
29 April 2015 at 12:31 pm
Hi,looks great! Just a question, for smoother kaya, do you blend before cooking or after cooking?
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  5 May 2015 at 9:36 pm
  Azie: You blend the kaya after cooking. Happy trying! 🙂
  Reply
Eve says:
24 August 2016 at 7:15 am
Hellos!
Do you buy freshly grated coconut and blend with water before straining to get the coconut milk? Because you mentioned best if undiluted but I was googling how to get coconut milk and it requires water.
Thanks!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  9 September 2016 at 2:31 pm
  Eve: I usually squeeze the freshly grated coconut to extract the milk without adding any water (with all my strength LOL).
  Reply
Lodye says:
20 May 2018 at 10:29 am
How many days is the jam consumable?
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  22 May 2018 at 10:40 am
  Lodye: It can last 1-2 weeks in the fridge. Make sure to use a clean spoon to scoop the kaya. 🙂
  Reply

Homemade Pandan Kaya | Food-4Tots | Recipes for Toddlers (2024)

FAQs

How long can homemade Kaya last? ›

As coconut milk tends to turn rancid quite easily, it is best to keep homemade kaya in the refrigerator and use it within two to three weeks at most.

What is the difference between pandan kaya and traditional kaya? ›

Green kaya, known as Nonya kaya, gets its light green hue from pandan leaves, whereas brown kaya or Hainanese kaya, is darker brown and made using caramelised sugar.

Discover More Details ›

What is pandan kaya made of? ›

Pandan kaya is a coconut egg jam, widely eaten as a spread over toasted bread, soft buns, and as a cake filling or topping. It has a smooth texture, is creamy and rich tasting, made primarily with coconut milk and eggs, subtly flavoured with pandan juices, and sweetened with sugar.

Read The Full Story ›

Why is Pandan Kaya not smooth? ›

If your kaya is lumpy and custardy, it means the heat is too hot or not well distributed. Hence, certain part got cooked faster and solidify (or you did not stir properly, exposing certain parts to high heat). Making kaya is rather straightforward. All you have to do is mix everything up and stir.

Find Out More ›

Does kaya go bad? ›

How long does kaya last? This kaya can last for at least 1 to 2 months if kept refrigerated.

Discover More Details ›

How much pandan extract to use? ›

A 1:1 substitute of pandan extract or paste for vanilla extract is usually appropriate, but when using pandan for the first time you may want to halve the amount of pandan to test the color and flavor that results.

Show Me More ›

Why is my kaya so watery? ›

The eggs and sugar need to be cooked for 25mins first and once the coconut is added, you need to cook it for another 35mins. The minimum cooking time is 1 hour. Anything less and the kaya may turn watery in the fridge.

How do you eat pandan kaya? ›

In Malaysia and Singapore, kaya, a sweet coconut jam, is most commonly slathered on crustless white toast, sandwiched in with a thick slab of cold salted butter, and eaten for breakfast alongside a big mug of strong black coffee with evaporated milk and sugar.

Do you refrigerate kaya? ›

Once opened, keep refrigerated at 5°C or can be frozen up to 3 months. The kaya does not freeze solid and its gooey texture remains even when “frozen”! The Hainanese kaya is best before 5 months from date of production or thawing whereas the Nyonya Pandan kaya has a home-tested shelf life of 4 months.

Read The Full Story ›

What does pandan kaya taste like? ›

This is the original recipe pandan kaya, with its distinctive green hue and pandan flavour. Pandan has often been described as the Asian vanilla, but with a fresher, slightly grassier flavour. This kaya was awarded a coveted 3 stars at the Guild of Fine Food's Great Taste Awards 2021.

Show Me More ›

Is pandan Filipino or Thai? ›

Thailand isn't the only country that utilizes pandan in desserts; Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and several other Southeast Asian countries incorporate it as an extract in sweet treats, often combining it with other popular Asian ingredients like jackfruit, durian, coconut, and taro.

See Details ›

What is the origin of kaya pandan? ›

There are differing accounts on the origins of kaya or serikaya. Some state that it is a Eurasian jam unique to Singapore and Malaysia, and was originally adapted from a Portuguese egg jam. In this adaptation, coconut milk and pandan leaves were used in place of milk and vanilla pods respectively.

Get More Info Here ›

What are the two types of kaya? ›

There are two main types: Hainanese kaya made with caramelised or brown sugar, which has a rich caramel colour, and Nyonya kaya, tinted green by the pandan that flavours it.

Show Me More ›

Why does pandan taste so good? ›

Like vanilla, pandan doesn't have any particular taste (it's neither sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami). What it brings is its unique aroma like no other. You can't mistake it when you smell it. It's been described as a floral scent, but not in a soapy type of way.

Learn More ›

Can I keep kaya in room temperature? ›

DO NOT cook over high heat or the mixture will curdle. If that happens, use a handheld mixer or blender and pulse until smooth. Transfer into sterilized glass jar or containers and cool completely before refrigerating. The kaya could be kept at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to a month.

Learn More ›

How long does fresh coconut butter last? ›

Coconut butter is naturally stable and lasts for about 1 year to 15 months depending on the brand and if it contains preservatives or not.

See Details ›

How long does coconut paste last? ›

Once opened, coconut cream will last around 4-7 days in the refrigerator provided it's stored correctly. If you've canned the coconut cream yourself, ensure to consume it within 1-2 weeks. Alternatively, you can freeze coconut cream for up to 3 months without losing its texture and flavor.

Know More ›

How long does coconut rice last? ›

Let coconut milk rice cool to room temperature then transfer to a tightly covered airtight container or to several small containers for meal prep. Store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

Read On ›

Homemade Pandan Kaya | Food-4Tots | Recipes for Toddlers (2024)

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FAQs

How long can homemade Kaya last? ›

Is pandan Filipino or Thai? ›

References