Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Dominica Guava Cheese
A firm, chewy guava paste cooked down and cut into sugared squares, a confection traditional to Dominica.
Dominica · medium · serves 12
prep 15 min · cook 45 min
~166 cal · 0g protein · 43g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 43g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Guava cheese, sometimes called guava paste, is a traditional confection across the Commonwealth of Dominica and the Caribbean, made when the guava trees are heavy with fruit. There is no cheese in it at all; the name refers to its firm, sliceable, cheese-like set.
It is made by cooking guava pulp with an equal weight of sugar and a squeeze of lime, stirring patiently over low heat until the mixture thickens, darkens, and pulls away from the pan in a glossy mass. It is a labour of love, and a test of the arm.
Poured out, cooled, cut into squares, and rolled in sugar, it keeps beautifully and travels well, which made it a classic homemade gift and lunch-pail treat. Intensely fruity and chewy, it is the taste of a good guava season preserved.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- 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 12
2 lb ripe guavas
2 cups sugar
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup sugar, for coating
Instructions
1
Simmer the guavas until soft, then push through a sieve to a smooth, seedless pulp.
2
Cook the pulp with the sugar and lime juice over low heat, stirring, until very thick.
3
Keep stirring until the paste darkens and pulls cleanly away from the bottom of the pan.
✎ Chef’s note
It is ready when a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a clean track that holds for a second. Stir constantly near the end, as it catches easily.
4
Spread into a greased tray, cool until firm, then cut into squares and roll in sugar.
Dominica preserving tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Roseau. Roseau is a rainforest capital where callaloo soup is thickened with dasheen leaf and coconut, and land crab is a delicacy in season. Dominica's cooking uses the island's abundant provisions: breadfruit, dasheen, plantain, and river fish.
🗺️
Dominica. Dominica, the 'Nature Isle,' cooks close to the land: crab callaloo, made the official national dish in 2013, and one-pot stews rich with root vegetables and coconut. Fresh, green, and Creole, its table reflects a lush volcanic island.
🌍
North America. The most consequential technique on this continent is nixtamalisation, cooking maize with lime or wood ash. It loosens the skins, makes the dough that becomes tortillas and tamales, and frees up niacin the body cannot otherwise absorb, which is why maize spread around the world without the technique and took pellagra with it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Dominica
Callaloo and CrabDasheen (taro) leaves simmered with coconut, aromatics, and land crab into a lush green one-pot.
Fried Bakes with ZabocaGolden fried bakes split and filled with seasoned mashed avocado (zaboca), a simple, satisfying vegan breakfast from the Nature Isle.
Dominica BouyonA thick one-pot of ground provisions, dumplings, dasheen leaves, and salt beef simmered with coconut and Caribbean herbs.
Browse all Dominica recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Dominica meal
Callaloo and CrabDinner
Bush TeaDrink
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Frequently asked questions
What is Dominica Guava Cheese?
A firm, chewy guava paste cooked down and cut into sugared squares, a confection traditional to Dominica.
Where does Dominica Guava Cheese come from?
Dominica Guava Cheese is a Dominica dish from Roseau, Dominica.
Can Dominica Guava Cheese be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Dominica Guava Cheese 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 Dominica Guava Cheese 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 Dominica Guava Cheese take to make?
About 60 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking), serving 12.
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