Fa’ausi (Samoan Coconut Caramel Bread)

A recipe for Fa’ausi (Samoan Coconut Caramel Bread)! Homemade coconut bread is cut into cubes and coated in a sweet coconut caramel sauce.

Foodie Extravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food!

Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme from The Nibble into recipes to share with you. This time, we are celebrating National Caramel Day.

Other foods celebrated in April include Grilled Cheese, Soft Pretzel, Chocolate Mousse, Garlic, Cheese Fondue, and Coffee Cake.

Fa’ausi

For today’s caramel event, I was looking for a recipe to really highlight a notable caramel flavor and came across Fa’ausi over on 196 Flavors!

Fa’ausi is a Samoan dessert made with a coconut caramel sauce. There are multiple variations from Fa’ausi Maukegi (pumpkin) and Fa’ausi Talo (taro) to Fa’ausi Esi (papaya).

The recipe I am sharing pairs the coconut caramel with Fa’apapa, a dense coconut bread perfect for holding up to the caramel coating without falling completely apart.

Traditionally the bread is wrapped in leaves and baked in an umu (Samoan oven). In this version, the leaves are replaced with greased parchment paper (you can also use banana leaves). After folding up the dough, it is baked in a 400˚F (200˚C) oven until golden.

Once cooled, the Fa’apapa is cut into cubes and gently tossed with the decadent coconut caramel sauce until evenly coated.

Serve the Fa’ausi at room temperature or refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days.

Making the caramel

The coating comes together with simply granulated sugar and coconut milk (I have also seen coconut cream), but does take some time and constant watching to get right.

For best results, use a wide, heavy-bottomed pan and slowly melt the sugar over medium low heat. Don’t try to rush the process by increasing the heat. This may cause darkened edges while the center still isn’t caramelized.

Keep an eye on the caramel as it becomes golden. The perfect deep amber color can quickly become burnt. If the caramel does burn, discard and start over. It can’t be saved at this point.

Take care when slowly whisking in the coconut milk. The mixture will bubble, steam, and splatter at first.

Once all the coconut milk has been stirred in, place the pan back over low heat while whisking to blend everything together and melt any solid pieces that may have formed. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. If it thickens too much, whisk in a little more coconut milk over low heat.

Looking for more caramel recipes?

Try my:

• Caramel Apple Empanadas
• Salted Caramel Affogato
• Caramel Simple Syrup

A Few More Fa’ausi Tips

For the coconut milk, I used canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk for both the bread and the caramel.

Add just enough coconut milk to bring together the dough with no crumbly pieces remaining. You may not need the full 1 cup (240 milliliters) or you may need a little more depending on how you measured the flour.

I used unsweetened, dried fine coconut flakes (desiccated coconut) in the bread. Some recipes use moist, grated coconut. If using freshly grated coconut, you may need only 1/2 cup and the amount of coconut milk may need to be adjusted.

The baking powder is optional. It adds a slight lightness to the dense bread.

For a vegan version, use a vegan granulated sugar and grease the parchment paper with vegan butter or margarine.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Easter Coconut Bird’s Egg Nests – Palatable Pastime
• Ooey Gooey Salted Caramel Cake – A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caramel Apple Dip – Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Affogato – Vanilla Ice Cream With Espresso, Caramel Sauce And Salted Almonds – Sneha’s Recipes
• Fa’ausi (Samoan Coconut Caramel Bread) – Tara’s Multicultural Table

This recipe was originally posted in April 2017 and updated in February 2026.

Fa’ausi (Samoan Coconut Caramel Bread) Recipe

Adapted from 196 Flavors and Samoa Food

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Fa’ausi (Samoan Coconut Caramel Bread)

A recipe for Fa'ausi (Samoan Coconut Caramel Bread)! Homemade coconut bread is cut into cubes and coated in a sweet coconut caramel sauce.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Samoan

Keyword bread, caramel, coconut, coconut milk, Samoa, Samoan

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

Fa'apapa (Coconut Bread):

• 1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter or margarine for greasing
• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (75 grams) unsweetened, dried fine coconut flakes desiccated coconut
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch fine salt
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) unsweetened, canned coconut milk full fat

Coconut Caramel:

• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (177 milliliters) unsweetened, canned coconut milk full fat

Instructions

To make the Fa'apapa (coconut bread):

• Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Grease two sheets of parchment paper (about 12 x 16 inches/30.5 x 40.5 centimeters each) with butter or margarine.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, coconut flakes, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Slowly mix in the coconut milk to form a dense dough with no crumbly pieces remaining. You may not need the full 1 cup (240 milliliters) coconut milk or you may need slightly more.
• Divide the dough into two equal pieces.
• Place one piece on a greased sheet of parchment and form into a rectangle about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) thick.
• Fold up the parchment over the dough to cover, starting with opposite ends, then the other opposite ends. Place the parchment-wrapped dough on a rimmed baking sheet, folded side down.
• Place the other piece of dough on the other sheet of greased parchment, also 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) thick. Fold the edges in to cover and place on the rimmed baking sheet next to the other wrapped dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the bread is lightly puffed and golden around the edges, 30-40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, unwrap, and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the coconut caramel:

• While the bread is cooling, make the coconut caramel.
• Pour the sugar into an even layer in a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Place the saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar melts and caramelizes with an amber color. Do not increase the heat to speed up the process. If the caramel does burn, discard and start over.
• Once the sugar has fully melted and developed an amber color, remove the pan from heat and slowly, but very carefully, pour in the coconut milk, whisking to combine. The caramel will bubble and start to solidify.
• Place the pan back over low heat and continue to whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and any solid pieces have melted. It will continue to thicken as the caramel cools.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

To assemble:

• Cut the cooled coconut bread into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) cubes.
• Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the slightly cooled caramel over the top.
• Use a spatula to gently toss the bread with the caramel until evenly coated.
• Serve the Fa'ausi at room temperature and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two days.