Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Conkies
Spiced cornmeal, coconut, and pumpkin steamed in banana leaves, a Barbadian treat tied to Independence season.
Barbadian · medium · serves 10
prep 30 min · cook 60 min
~653 cal · 8g protein · 111g carbs · 23g fat · 12g fiber · 56g sugars · 18g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Conkies are a cornerstone of Barbadian tradition, made especially in November around Independence Day, when the smell of them steaming fills kitchens across the island. They descend from the West African tradition of steamed cornmeal parcels carried across the Atlantic.
The mixture is a fragrant blend of cornmeal, grated coconut, grated pumpkin and sweet potato, sugar, and warm spices, bound with a little fat and studded with raisins. Spoonfuls are wrapped in softened banana leaves and folded into neat parcels.
Steamed until firm, they are unwrapped to reveal a dense, moist, sweet cake with the faint perfume of the leaf. Once tied to Guy Fawkes Night under colonial rule, they are now a proud emblem of Barbadian heritage and its November celebrations.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 10
2 cups fine cornmeal
1/2 cup plain flour
2 cups grated coconut
1 cup grated pumpkin
1 cup grated sweet potato
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp almond essence
1 tsp each grated nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tsp salt
12 pieces banana leaves, softened
Hard to find? squares of parchment and foil - steams the parcels the same way; the leaf's gentle grassy scent is lost
Instructions
1
Mix the cornmeal, flour, coconut, pumpkin, and sweet potato with the sugar, spices, salt, and raisins.
2
Stir in the beaten egg, melted butter, almond essence, and enough milk to make a thick, dropping batter.
3
Warm the banana leaves over a flame until pliable, then spoon batter onto each and fold into sealed parcels.
✎ Chef’s note
Pass the banana leaves quickly over a flame first. It makes them supple so they fold without splitting.
4
Steam the parcels, stacked in a covered pot, until firm, about 1 hour.
5
Cool slightly, then unwrap and serve warm.
Barbadian Independence-season tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Bridgetown. Bridgetown is the Bajan capital, where flying fish and cou-cou, a cornmeal and okra mash, is the national plate. Barbadian cooking is sharp with the yellow scotch bonnet pepper sauce that sits on every table, and macaroni pie appears at every gathering.
🗺️
Barbados. Barbados calls cou-cou (cornmeal and okra) and flying fish its national dish, alongside crisp fish cakes and fiery Bajan pepper sauce. Rum, seafood, and a warm street-food culture define the island table.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Barbados
Cou-Cou & Flying FishSilky okra-studded cornmeal cou-cou beside flying fish steamed in a spicy Bajan tomato gravy, the national dish.
Bajan Saltfish CakesCrisp, fluffy fritters of salt cod, flour, and herbs fried golden and eaten hot with pepper sauce, a Bajan breakfast and street favorite.
Macaroni PieBaked macaroni bound in a sharp, mustardy cheese custard and cut into firm squares, the Bajan Sunday-lunch staple.
Browse all Barbados recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Steamer.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a Barbados meal
Cou-Cou & Flying FishDinner
Bajan Rum PunchDrink
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Frequently asked questions
What is Conkies?
Spiced cornmeal, coconut, and pumpkin steamed in banana leaves, a Barbadian treat tied to Independence season.
Where does Conkies come from?
Conkies is a Barbadian dish from Bridgetown, Barbados.
Can Conkies be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Conkies recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Conkies safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Conkies take to make?
About 90 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 10.
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