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Malaysian

Cendol (Malaysian Coconut Pandan Dessert)

A Malaysian cendol dessert with pandan jelly, coconut milk, ice, and palm sugar syrup.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 6 September 2026Updated

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Cendol (Malaysian Coconut Pandan Dessert)

25 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
None
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

No inactive time is built in, but the palm sugar syrup has to cool to room temperature before it meets the ice, or it melts the glass as you pour.

Method

  1. Simmer palm sugar, water, and pandan leaf until the sugar dissolves and the syrup turns glossy.

  2. Remove the pandan leaf and let the syrup cool until warm or room temperature.

  3. Stir the pinch of salt into the chilled coconut milk.

  4. Divide crushed ice between serving bowls or glasses.

  5. Add cendol jelly over the ice, pour over coconut milk, and finish with palm sugar syrup.

  6. Serve immediately before the ice melts too much.

How to tell it's done

The dessert should be icy, creamy, and syrupy, with soft pandan jelly strands in every spoonful.

Getting it right

Tip

Add the syrup last so it streaks through the coconut milk instead of disappearing into the ice.

What to serve it with

Serve as a chilled dessert or evening snack, especially after a spicy Malaysian meal.

Common mistakes

The dessert is a watery mess within a minute.
Use crushed ice rather than cubes and assemble in the glass at the last second. Cendol is built and eaten immediately — every element is at a different temperature and the whole thing is a race against the ice.
It tastes flat and sweet without depth.
The pinch of salt in the coconut milk is not optional. Coconut milk without it reads as bland and the palm sugar has nothing to push against.

Substitutions

  • If palm sugar is unavailable, use jaggery syrup, but the flavor will be less distinctly Malaysian.
  • Use packaged cendol jelly only after checking the label for color, starch, and additive details.

Storing and reheating

The palm sugar syrup keeps two weeks in the fridge and the cendol jelly two days in water. Coconut milk keeps three days. Nothing is assembled in advance — build each glass as it is served.