🍰 DESSERT
Kashata
Chewy-crisp coconut candy scented with cardamom, a sweet of the Swahili coast.
Tanzanian · easy · serves 12
prep 10 min · cook 20 min
~198 cal · 1g protein · 29g carbs · 10g fat · 2g fiber · 27g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kashata is a traditional coconut candy of Tanzania and the Swahili coast, a simple sweet sold from small stalls and made in home kitchens. Reflecting the region's abundance of coconut and its spice-trade heritage, it is fragrant, sweet, and satisfyingly chewy.
Freshly grated coconut is cooked with sugar and a generous amount of ground until the sugar caramelises and binds the coconut together, sometimes with a touch of colour. Pressed flat while warm and cut into squares or diamonds, it sets to a chewy, slightly crunchy candy. A peanut version is also popular, but the coconut kashata, warm with , is the classic of the islands.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg- 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
- 3 cups grated coconut
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp ground
- 1/2 cup
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- 1Toast the grated coconut lightly in a dry pan until fragrant.
- 2Put the sugar, coconut milk, cardamom and salt in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the mixture goes liquid, then stop stirring and swirl the pan instead.✎ Chef’s noteCoconut milk rather than water is what makes kashata rich instead of merely sweet, and the salt is not optional; without it the whole thing is cloying. Once the sugar has melted, swirl the pan rather than stirring, or it crystallises.
- 3The moment the sugar starts to caramelise, tip in the toasted coconut, stir once to coat it, and get it out of the pan fast.✎ Chef’s noteDo not walk away. There are only a few seconds between caramel and burnt, and kashata seizes in the pan if you hesitate. The peanut version, kashata ya karanga, is made exactly the same way with roasted chopped peanuts in place of the coconut, or with both.
- 4Press flat on an oiled surface and cut into squares while warm.
Swahili-coast sweet tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Zanzibar. Cloves only reached Zanzibar around 1812, carried from Reunion, and by the end of the nineteenth century the islands were growing something like nine tenths of the world supply. That is long finished: Indonesia now produces most of the world's cloves and the Zanzibari crop is a fraction of what it once was.
🗺️
Tanzania. Zanzibar's spice reputation has hard history behind it. The island was for a time the world's leading clove producer, planted under Omani rule, and the trade shaped what is cooked there: coconut, cardamom and cloves through rice and fish in a way the mainland does not do. Urojo, the Zanzibar mix soup, and mishkaki skewers are the street names worth knowing.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Tanzania
Zanzibar PilauRice simmered with whole spices from the island’s own groves, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, with beef and a kachumbari salad.
MaandaziLightly sweet East African fried dough triangles scented with cardamom and coconut.
Zanzibar UrojoA tangy turmeric-and-mango broth piled with fritters, potato, and crunchy toppings, Zanzibar's famous mix.
Browse all Tanzania recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Tanzania meal
Mchuzi wa Samaki (Coconut Fish Curry)Dinner
Kahawa ya TangawiziDrink
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Frequently asked questions
What is Kashata?
Chewy-crisp coconut candy scented with cardamom, a sweet of the Swahili coast.
Where does Kashata come from?
Kashata is a Tanzanian dish from Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Can Kashata be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kashata recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. It cannot be made nut-free without changing what the dish is, so the recipe does not offer that version. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kashata 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 still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), 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 Kashata take to make?
About 30 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 12.
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