Vegan Kaya (Eggless Pandan Coconut Jam)

A jar of vegan pandan kaya sits on a white table next to fresh pandan leaves and a loaf of pandan bread.

Vegan Kaya (Eggless Pandan Coconut Jam)

5 from 1 vote

Course: Spread, Topping, Dip

Cuisine: Asian, Malaysian, Singaporean

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings: 2 cups (16 fl oz)

Calories: 681kcal

Author: Kelly

Cost: $1.04 per cup

Nyonya kaya is a creamy coconut jam from Southeast Asia. This vegan pandan kaya is rich, sweet, and addictive. Spread it on toast, or eat by the spoonful!

Print Recipe

US Imperial (Cups) - Metric (Grams)

Equipment

High speed blender (such as Vitamix or Blendtec)
Small saucepan
Spatula

Ingredients

1 large pandan leaf, chopped into 1-inch segments
½ can coconut cream (see Note 1)
½ tube soft or silken tofu
¾ cup sugar (*can sub with sweetener of your choice)
1 tbsp tapioca starch
pinch of salt

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a powerful blender (see Note 2). Blend on high speed for 1 minute, or until extremely smooth with no flecks of green pandan visible. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.
Pour the blended mixture into a small saucepan and set it on medium heat.
Stir constantly for 25–35 minutes (shorter time for a thinner, syrupy consistency, longer time for more paste-like). As the kaya thickens, you need to gradually turn down the heat to prevent over-bubbling. I typically start on medium heat and end up on the lowest heat setting by the end of cooking.
Turn off the stove and transfer the kaya to a container. The kaya will thicken further as it cools. Chill fully before using.

Notes

If you don’t have coconut cream, you can refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight. The cream will accumulate to the top and solidify as it chills. The next day, scoop out the top half to use in this recipe.
For best results, use a powerful blender, something like a Blendtec or Vitamix, and blend for at least 1 minute to get it super suuuper smooth. Otherwise you might find stringy little pandan leaf fibers in your kaya. If you don’t have a strong blender, I recommend to first make Strained Pandan Extract (this involves an overnight wait), then use 2 tbsp of the concentrated extract in this recipe instead of whole pandan leaves.

Nutrition