Habichuelas con dulce

Name: Habichuelas con dulce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 8 cups
Cuisine: Dominican
Ingredients: 500 g Kidney beans, cooked, with 500 ml of their cooking liquid or water; 400 ml Coconut milk, one tin; 400 ml Evaporated milk, one tin; 200 g Sugar, to taste; 250 g Sweet potato, peeled, in 1 cm cubes; 2 piece Cinnamon stick; 6 piece Cloves; 0.25 tsp Nutmeg, grated; 0.5 tsp Salt; 60 g Raisins; 20 g Butter; 1 tsp Vanilla; 16 piece Digestive biscuits, or small plain milk biscuits, to float on top

Sweet red bean cream with coconut milk, cinnamon, clove, sweet potato and raisins — the Dominican Lenten dessert eaten cold.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Rest: 3 hr
Total: 4 hr
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Habichuelas con dulce is a sweet soup made from red beans. Cooked beans are blended smooth with their liquid, then simmered with coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and a little nutmeg until it is the thickness of pouring cream. Cubes of sweet potato are cooked in it and raisins go in near the end. It is chilled and served in cups or bowls with small milk biscuits floating on top, which soften into it. The idea of beans as dessert stops most outsiders for a second; one spoonful and the hesitation is over, because what you taste is coconut, cinnamon and cream with a soft, earthy body underneath.

What you'll need

13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 13 ready

8 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Kidney beans, cooked, with 500 ml of their cooking liquid or water500 g
Coconut milk, one tin400 ml
Evaporated milk, one tin400 ml
Sugar, to taste200 g
Sweet potato, peeled, in 1 cm cubes250 g
Cinnamon stick2
Cloves6
Nutmeg, grated1.2 ml
Salt2½ ml
Raisins60 g
Butter (optional)20 g
Vanilla4.9 ml
Digestive biscuits, or small plain milk biscuits, to float on top16

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Blend the beans with their liquid until completely smooth. Push through a sieve into a large saucepan if you want it silky, which most cooks do.
8 min
Step 2
Add the coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often.
8 min
Step 3
Add the sweet potato cubes and simmer 25 minutes, stirring from the bottom, until the sweet potato is tender and the mixture coats a spoon like pouring cream. It thickens more as it cools.
25 min
Watch: It catches easily. Low heat and a wooden spoon along the base every couple of minutes.
Step 4
Stir in the raisins, butter and vanilla and cook 5 minutes more. Taste for sugar. Fish out the cinnamon sticks and cloves.
5 min
Step 5
Cool, then chill at least 3 hours. Serve in cups with biscuits laid on top just before eating so they soften but do not dissolve.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 427 kcal
Protein: 11.3 g
Carbs: 60.2 g
Fat: 17.6 g
Saturated fat: 13.3 g
Fibre: 7.6 g
Sugar: 38.1 g
Sodium: 233 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Milk
Wheat

Vegetarian

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.

Substitutions

Evaporated milk → More coconut milk
Makes it dairy-free and more coconut-forward. Skip the butter too.

Tips

Dried small red beans cooked from scratch give the best colour and flavour. Tinned kidney beans, rinsed, work and cut an hour off.
Some families add a little whole milk at the end to loosen it. Judge by the spoon.
It keeps five days in the fridge and some people say day three is the best day.

History & culture

This is Easter food. Dominican families make habichuelas con dulce in big pots during Holy Week, when meat is set aside, and share it with neighbours in plastic containers. It appears at other times, but a pot in April is near obligatory. It is eaten cold, often for breakfast, often for days.

Sweet bean preparations exist across Africa and Asia, and the Dominican version is most often traced to a blend of African cooking and Spanish Lenten customs. The coconut and the spices point to the island's trade history. Tinned evaporated milk and milk biscuits were 20th-century additions that are now treated as original parts.

Traditional — Galletas de leche are the Dominican biscuit for floating on top. Any plain, barely sweet milk biscuit or a rich tea biscuit does the job.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Habichuelas con dulce take?

4 hr all in — 15 min prep, 45 min cook, 3 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 8 cups. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Milk, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Saucepan, Blender.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.

How much sugar?

200 g (to taste) of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Evaporated milk → More coconut milk. Makes it dairy-free and more coconut-forward. Skip the butter too.

What should I watch for?

It catches easily. Low heat and a wooden spoon along the base every couple of minutes.

Any tips from this recipe?

Dried small red beans cooked from scratch give the best colour and flavour. Tinned kidney beans, rinsed, work and cut an hour off. Some families add a little whole milk at the end to loosen it. Judge by the spoon. It keeps five days in the fridge and some people say day three is the best day.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.