Che Chuoi: Vietnamese Coconut Banana Pudding with Toasted Sesame

Name: Che Chuoi: Vietnamese Coconut Banana Pudding with Toasted Sesame
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: approximately 6 individual servings (about 3/4 cup each)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 120 g small white tapioca pearls (about 1/2 cup), NOT large boba pearls; 600 ml full-fat coconut milk (about 2 1/2 cups), from 1 1/2 standard 400ml cans; 240 ml water (about 1 cup), for the pudding base; 80 g granulated white sugar (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp), adjust to taste; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 0.25 tsp fine sea salt, for the pudding base; 500 g ripe but firm bananas, about 4 medium (see note on variety below); 160 ml full-fat coconut cream (about 2/3 cup), from the top of a chilled can or a separate can of coconut cream; 10 g cornstarch (about 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp), for the topping sauce; 2 tbsp water, for dissolving the cornstarch; 0.25 tsp fine sea salt, for the coconut cream topping; 1 tsp granulated white sugar, for the coconut cream topping; 30 g white sesame seeds (about 3 tbsp), toasted, for serving

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There is a particular kind of comfort in a bowl of che chuoi — warm, glossy, and smelling of coconut and ripe banana — that feels both humble and quietly luxurious. In Vietnam, this dessert is everywhere: ladled into small plastic cups by street vendors, served at the end of family meals, spooned out from big pots at temple gatherings. The base is almost laughably simple, just ripe bananas simmered in sweetened coconut milk until they turn soft and jammy, the whole thing thickened gently with tapioca pearls that turn translucent and bouncy like tiny pearls of glass. A drizzle of salted coconut cream on top ties every spoonful together with a rich, savory-sweet contrast that is genuinely addictive.

What sets this version apart is a two-part coconut approach borrowed from the most careful Vietnamese home cooks. The pudding base uses full-fat canned coconut milk for body and depth, but the topping is made with a separate, lightly salted coconut cream that is simmered with a small amount of cornstarch until it thickens into a pourable, velvety sauce. This distinction matters: pooling cold, thin coconut milk straight from the can over the top gives you something watery and flat, while this warm, thickened coconut cream sauce clings to every bite and delivers that signature layered richness you find in the best street-stall versions. Using ripe but still-firm bananas — the kind with plenty of yellow and just a few brown flecks — also keeps the fruit from dissolving into mush during cooking.

Che chuoi falls firmly in the easy category, and it is the perfect recipe for anyone who has never explored Vietnamese desserts before. You do not need any special equipment, and the ingredient list is short enough to memorize after one cook. It is equally lovely served warm on a cool evening or chilled and spooned cold straight from the fridge on a hot afternoon, making it one of the most versatile, lowest-effort puddings you will ever add to your rotation.

Prep: 10 minutesTotal: 30 minutesYield: approximately 6 individual servings (about 3/4 cup each)Difficulty: ★☆☆ EasyOccasion: Everyday Treat

✓ Vegetarian✓ Vegan✓ Dairy-Free✓ Gluten-Free

Servings:

6

servings

Ingredients

Pudding Base
120 gsmall white tapioca pearls (about 1/2 cup), NOT large boba pearls
600 mlfull-fat coconut milk (about 2 1/2 cups), from 1 1/2 standard 400ml cans
240 mlwater (about 1 cup)
80 ggranulated white sugar (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp), adjust to taste
1 tsppure vanilla extract
0.25 tspfine sea salt
500 gripe but firm bananas, about 4 medium (see note on variety below)
160 mlfull-fat coconut cream (about 2/3 cup), from the top of a chilled can or a separate can of coconut cream
Topping Sauce
10 gcornstarch (about 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp)
Dissolving The Cornstarch
2 tbspwater
Coconut Cream Topping
0.25 tspfine sea salt
1 tspgranulated white sugar
Serving
30 gwhite sesame seeds (about 3 tbsp), toasted

Ingredient Substitutions

small white tapioca pearls

Quick-cooking tapioca (such as Minute Tapioca): Use the same weight but reduce cooking time to 5 to 7 minutes and watch closely to avoid over-thickening.
Large boba tapioca pearls: Not ideal as they require 20 to 30 minutes of pre-boiling, but can work in a pinch — cook them separately until translucent, then stir into the finished pudding.

ripe but firm bananas

Thai finger bananas (chuoi su): The most authentic choice if you can find them at an Asian grocery store — smaller, starchier, and they hold their shape beautifully.
Plantains (semi-ripe, yellow): Cut into thin coins; they are starchier and less sweet, so increase sugar by 1 to 2 tablespoons and extend simmering time by 3 to 4 minutes.

full-fat coconut milk

Light coconut milk: The pudding will be thinner and less rich. Reduce the added water by half (use 120ml instead of 240ml) to compensate.
Homemade coconut milk: Works beautifully for a fresher, more fragrant result — use the same quantity.

full-fat coconut cream

The thick cream from the top of a chilled, unshaken can of full-fat coconut milk: Scoop off the solidified cream layer — this is the most common household substitute and works perfectly.
Canned coconut cream (sold separately): The easiest swap, used 1:1.

white sesame seeds

Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped: A common Vietnamese variation that adds a nuttier, more substantial crunch.
Black sesame seeds: Visually striking and slightly more bitter, but work well in the same quantity.

granulated white sugar

Palm sugar or coconut sugar: Use the same weight for a more caramel-like, less sweet result — this is closer to traditional Vietnamese versions and adds a lovely depth.
Cane sugar: A direct 1:1 swap with no noticeable difference in this recipe.

Instructions

🔧 Equipment

🥣medium saucepan (at least 2.5 litre capacity)

🥣small saucepan

🍴silicone spatula or wooden spoon

🌀whisk

🥣small mixing bowl (for cornstarch slurry)

🍳dry skillet or small frying pan (for toasting sesame seeds)

🔵fine mesh strainer (for straining topping if needed)

🧁ladle

🐢slow cooker (optional, for slow cooker method)

📡large microwave-safe bowl or mug with at least 3x liquid volume capacity (for microwave method)

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: None
Total: 30 minutes

Toast the sesame seeds first: Place a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and shake the pan gently for 2 to 3 minutes until they are golden and fragrant. Immediately tip them onto a plate to cool — they will continue to darken if left in the hot pan. Set aside.
Pre-soak the tapioca: Place the tapioca pearls in a small bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for 10 minutes while you prepare everything else. Drain before using. This softens the outer layer and ensures they cook evenly without turning gluey on the outside before the center is done.
Make the coconut pudding base: In a medium saucepan, combine the 600ml coconut milk, 240ml water, 80g sugar, vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Do not let it come to a rolling boil, as hard boiling can cause the coconut milk to separate and turn grainy.
Cook the tapioca: Once the coconut mixture is simmering, drain the soaked tapioca pearls and add them to the pot. Stir well and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pearls are almost entirely translucent with just a tiny white dot remaining at the center. They will finish cooking in the residual heat.
Add the bananas: Peel the bananas and cut them into coins about 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Add them to the simmering pudding and gently stir to coat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes only, until the bananas are heated through and just beginning to soften at the edges but still holding their shape. Remove from heat immediately.
Make the salted coconut cream topping: In a small saucepan, whisk together the 160ml coconut cream, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water until completely smooth, then whisk this slurry into the coconut cream. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and turns glossy. Remove from heat.
Serve and garnish: Ladle the warm pudding into bowls. Spoon a generous tablespoon or two of the salted coconut cream topping over each portion, then finish with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately while warm, or let cool and refrigerate for a chilled version — both are wonderful.

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 1.5 to 2 hours on Low
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes

This method is ideal for making a larger batch or for keeping the pudding warm for a gathering. The gentle, even heat of the slow cooker is actually very kind to coconut milk and prevents it from scorching or separating. The texture of the tapioca pearls turns out beautifully soft and almost custardy. The coconut cream topping is still best made on the stovetop just before serving.

Toast the sesame seeds using the stovetop method: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, add sesame seeds, and shake for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Tip onto a plate and set aside.
Pre-soak the tapioca: Soak the tapioca pearls in cold water for 15 minutes (slightly longer than the stovetop method to give them a head start). Drain well.
Combine ingredients in the slow cooker: Add the drained tapioca pearls, 600ml coconut milk, 240ml water, 80g sugar, vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp salt to the slow cooker insert. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on Low for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through if possible, until the tapioca pearls are mostly translucent.
Add the bananas: Peel and slice the bananas into 1.5 cm coins. Stir them gently into the pudding. Replace the lid and cook on Low for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the bananas are heated through and just tender. Switch the slow cooker to Warm if serving at a gathering.
Make the salted coconut cream topping on the stovetop: Whisk together the coconut cream, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water and whisk into the cream. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened and glossy.
Serve: Ladle into bowls, spoon the warm coconut cream topping over each portion, and scatter with toasted sesame seeds. The slow cooker pudding is particularly good served warm directly from the pot.

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 8 to 10 minutes total cook time
Total: 25 minutes

This method is best when you want one or two quick servings without heating a full pot. It works well with quick-cook tapioca (such as Minute Tapioca) rather than standard small tapioca pearls, which require longer hydration than a microwave easily provides. Expect a slightly thicker, stickier texture compared to the stovetop version.

Use quick-cook tapioca for this method: Standard small tapioca pearls do not hydrate reliably in the microwave. Use 20g (about 2 tablespoons) of quick-cook tapioca per serving. No pre-soaking is needed.
Combine for one serving: In a large microwave-safe bowl or mug (it will bubble up), combine 100ml full-fat coconut milk, 40ml water, 1 tablespoon sugar, a tiny pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of quick-cook tapioca. Stir well. The bowl should be at least 3 times the volume of the liquid to prevent boilovers.
Microwave in short bursts: Microwave on Medium power (50%) for 3 minutes. Stir thoroughly. Microwave again on Medium for 2 minutes. Stir again — the tapioca should be mostly clear and the mixture should be thickening. If the center of the tapioca is still very white, microwave in 1-minute increments on Medium, stirring between each, until the pearls are nearly translucent.
Add the banana: Slice half a ripe banana into coins and stir gently into the hot pudding. Microwave on Medium for 1 minute more, until the banana is just warmed through. Let stand for 2 minutes — the mixture will thicken further as it rests.
Make a quick coconut cream topping: In a small microwave-safe cup, whisk together 2 tablespoons coconut cream, a tiny pinch of salt, and 1/4 tsp sugar. Microwave on High for 30 seconds, stir, and pour over the pudding. Top with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds (toast them quickly in a dry skillet or in the microwave on High for 60 to 90 seconds, watching carefully). Serve immediately.

Nutrition Per Serving

Per 1 serving (makes approximately 6 individual servings (about 3/4 cup each))

310Calories

41gCarbs

22gSugar

16gFat

3gProtein

Why This Recipe Works

The magic of che chuoi lies almost entirely in understanding tapioca starch and what it does in a warm liquid. Tapioca pearls are made from cassava root starch that has been formed into small spheres. When submerged in a hot, sweetened liquid, the starch granules within each pearl absorb water and swell through a process called gelatinization. As they swell, they transition from opaque white to translucent, which is your visual cue that the starch has fully hydrated. A small white dot remaining at the center means the pearl is almost done but not quite — remove the pot from the heat at this point and the residual warmth will finish the job without overcooking. Overcooked tapioca goes from pleasantly chewy to completely dissolved and gluey, which is why careful monitoring in the last few minutes matters more than any other step here.

The choice to simmer the coconut milk rather than boil it hard is not just caution — it is chemistry. Coconut milk is an emulsion of fat, water, and proteins. When it hits a vigorous boil and stays there, the emulsion destabilizes: the fat separates out as oily yellow pools and the proteins clump into grainy white specks. A steady, gentle simmer keeps the emulsion intact, maintaining that creamy, uniform white color and smooth texture throughout. The same principle applies to the coconut cream topping: cooking it over medium-low heat with constant whisking keeps the fat and water bonded together, while the small amount of cornstarch acts as an additional stabilizer, binding water molecules and giving the sauce a satin-like, glossy body that pours beautifully rather than breaking into oil and liquid.

Adding the banana at the very end of cooking is intentional and important. Bananas contain a high proportion of pectin (a natural thickening carbohydrate in cell walls) that breaks down rapidly with heat. A ripe banana cooked for too long turns to mush that disintegrates into the pudding, making it taste more like banana-flavored starch than a dessert with distinct, tender fruit pieces. Three to four minutes of gentle simmering is enough to warm the banana through, allow the pectin at the cut surfaces to soften slightly and thicken the surrounding liquid a little, and infuse the pudding with sweet banana flavor without sacrificing texture. If your bananas are very ripe (mostly yellow with significant browning), reduce the cooking time to two minutes maximum.

Baker’s Tips

Choose bananas that are ripe but firm for the best texture. The skin should be fully yellow with just a few brown speckles. Bananas that are mostly brown or very soft will dissolve during cooking and turn the pudding starchy and indistinct in flavor.
Pre-soaking the tapioca pearls is a step you should not skip. Even 10 minutes of cold-water soaking softens the outer layer, which means the pearls hydrate more evenly from the inside out during cooking instead of becoming gummy on the outside before the center is done.
Stir the pudding frequently while the tapioca is cooking. Tapioca pearls sink and stick to the bottom of the pot readily, and scorching at the base will give the whole pudding an off flavor. A silicone spatula that can scrape the bottom of the pan is your best tool here.
The salted coconut cream topping is best made just before serving. Once it cools and is refrigerated, it thickens considerably. If reheating, add a teaspoon of water and whisk over low heat until smooth and pourable again.
For a perfectly smooth coconut cream topping, whisk the cornstarch slurry into the cold coconut cream before applying any heat. Adding cornstarch to a hot liquid can cause it to clump instantly.
If your pudding seems too thin after cooling, do not panic. Tapioca pudding thickens dramatically as it cools and rests. What looks almost soupy at serving temperature will be quite thick and set after an hour in the fridge. Taste and adjust sweetness before serving, as chilling mutes sweetness slightly.

Variations

Pandan-scented version: Add 2 fresh or frozen pandan leaves (tied in a knot) to the coconut milk as it heats, and remove before adding the tapioca. This gives the pudding a floral, grassy fragrance that is quintessentially Southeast Asian and pairs beautifully with banana.
Taro and banana combination: Replace half the banana with an equal weight of steamed taro, cut into 1.5 cm cubes. Add the taro at the same time as the banana. This is a popular Vietnamese variation called che chuoi khoai mon.
Jackfruit variation: Add 80g of ripe jackfruit (fresh or canned and drained), torn into strips, along with the banana for a tropical, honey-like sweetness that complements the coconut beautifully.
Warm spiced version: Add a 5 cm cinnamon stick and 2 whole star anise to the coconut milk while it heats. Remove before serving. This adds a gently warming note that makes the pudding feel especially cozy in cooler months.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

My tapioca pearls are still hard and white in the center after 15 minutes of simmering. What is wrong?

This usually means either the heat was too low or the pearls were not soaked beforehand. Make sure the liquid is at a steady, visible simmer (small bubbles breaking the surface continuously) rather than just warmed through. Cover the pot with a lid for the first 8 minutes to trap steam and speed up hydration, then uncover and stir frequently for the remainder. If they are still not translucent after 18 minutes, add 60ml more hot water, stir well, and continue simmering. Very old tapioca pearls that have been stored for more than a year can also resist hydration.

My coconut milk looks curdled and oily. Did I ruin the pudding?

This is coconut milk separation, caused by too much heat too fast. It is more of an aesthetic issue than a flavor problem, but it does affect the texture. To help it come back together, reduce the heat immediately to the lowest setting, add a splash of cold water (about 3 tablespoons), and whisk vigorously. In mild cases the emulsion will re-form. If you are starting fresh, always begin over medium heat and let the coconut milk come up to temperature gradually, stirring as it heats, and never let it boil hard.

My banana pieces completely fell apart and dissolved into the pudding.

The bananas were either too ripe or cooked for too long. Very ripe bananas (mostly brown skin) have already lost much of their structural pectin and will break down in under 2 minutes of heat. Next time, choose bananas at the bright yellow stage with minimal brown spotting, and cut them slightly thicker (closer to 2 cm coins rather than 1.5 cm). Add them only in the final 3 minutes of cooking and stir very gently. If your bananas are already very ripe, add them after removing the pot from the heat entirely and let the residual warmth cook them.

The coconut cream topping went lumpy when I added the cornstarch. How do I fix it?

Lumps in the topping almost always mean the cornstarch was added to hot liquid rather than cold, or the slurry was not mixed smooth enough first. Cornstarch granules seize and form lumps instantly when they hit hot liquid. To fix an already-lumpy sauce, press it through a fine mesh strainer and return it to low heat, whisking constantly. To prevent it next time, whisk the cornstarch into the cold water in a separate small bowl until completely liquid and smooth (no white sediment at the bottom) before adding it to the cold coconut cream, and only then apply heat.

My pudding is much too thick after refrigerating. Can I still serve it?

Yes, absolutely. Tapioca pudding sets firmly when chilled because the gelatinized starch continues to absorb liquid and the whole mixture gels further at cold temperatures. To serve it warm, transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring in coconut milk or water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a consistency you like. To serve it cold, stir in a few tablespoons of coconut milk directly and mix well — it will loosen slightly. The pudding is genuinely delicious eaten cold and thick, almost like a spoonable coconut banana gel.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Storage: Store leftover pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The tapioca pearls will absorb more liquid as it sits and the pudding will thicken considerably when cold. To serve warm, reheat gently in a small saucepan over low heat with a splash of coconut milk or water stirred in to loosen it back to a pourable consistency. The coconut cream topping can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 3 days and rewarmed gently before serving.
Make-Ahead: The pudding base (without the banana) can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently over medium-low heat with a splash of coconut milk, then stir in freshly sliced banana and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes just before serving. This keeps the banana from over-softening. The salted coconut cream topping keeps in the fridge for 3 days and reheats beautifully in 2 to 3 minutes on the stovetop.