Coconut sweet bread is a dessert bread enjoyed in the Caribbean, especially for Christmas. It is made with grated coconut, candied fruit peels, raisins and more.

My recipe is an eggless version that my mother-in-law usually makes. It’s more crumbly and a lot less cake-like, but the coconut and spice flavors shine through, making it so, so good!

Chill the bread before cutting so it won’t be as crumbly and fall apart when slicing. And if you enjoy holiday recipes like this, stop by my Trini black cake and sponge cake recipes.

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Coconut sweet bread ingredients

grated coconut: I used the flesh of a fresh, brown coconut here. You can actually get it on Amazon, but you can also substitute for frozen grated coconut or regular shredded coconut.
all purpose flour
baking powder
cinnamon powder: adds a mild, comforting flavor to the dessert.
nutmeg powder: also adds unique flavor.
butter: I used unsalted butter here.
condensed milk: this is the main sweetener for the bread.
essence: you can use regular vanilla essence or get fancy with coconut essence.
raisins
maraschino cherries: these cherries add pops of tart and sweetness.
mixed peel: this is made with candied citrus peels and also adds fun pops of sweetness and texture. You can find it on Amazon here.
sugar: only used to sprinkle on top
egg [optional]: this sweet bread is very crumbly when fresh but holds its structure well after a day or two. If you want it to hold its shape from the beginning, you can use an egg or egg substitute.

How to make coconut sweet bread

The recipe takes some effort and can get messy, but trust me it is worth it.

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Prep the coconut

Since I used a fresh brown coconut, the first step is to crack the nut and remove the white flesh. There is a rough, brown layer on the coconut meat that I remove. Then, I cut it into smaller pieces like this before adding to the food processor. The food processor grates the coconut quite effectively. Of course, you can use a hand grater to get the job done too.

coconut in food processor for sweet bread

Mix dry ingredients

With the coconut prepped, it’s time to get the dry ingredients together. To a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder.

Add in the grated coconut and raisins. You can add the cherries and mixed peel at this point too but I usually add it after the butter.

Add butter

It’s time to get your hands dirty and mix softened butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment to incorporate the butter, but it is not necessary. Your clean hands are perfect for this job.

I often add the cherries and mixed peel at this point.

Add condensed milk

Pour in the condensed milk and essence be sure to mix into a sticky dough. It really is a messy process but you want to get that sweetener well incorporated.

Bake

Divide the dough into two and place in buttered loaf pans. It is customary to sprinkle the top with a little brown sugar. The sugar stays crunchy and adds to the texture of the sweet bread. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Here’s one of the finished loaves. Since I didn’t use eggs in this recipe, the sweet bread is usually crumbly right out of the oven. But, the next day, the bread usually stiffens up nicely and maintains its shape. Enjoy the slices with the bursts of coconut pieces and lots of textured sweetness from the raisins, cherries and mixed peel.

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Sweet bread recipe

coconut sweet bread fresh out of the oven

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