Limber de Coco is a delicious cold treat, so creamy that it tastes like coconut ice cream. The best part is that you only need 4 ingredients to make!
A Limber de coco is not something that is served in any fancy restaurant. You will usually find it being sold by one or two people in a Puerto Rican neighborhood.
You’ll have to walk to the house and shout “¿Tiene limber?” Do you have any limber? They usually sell tropical fruity kinds like passion fruit limber, lemon, tamarind, or piña colada.
But they also sell creamy flavors like the cream cheese limber, the Nutella limber, the cheesecake limber, or peanut limber.
A coconut limber is very smooth and creamy just like a coconut sorbet.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Is the perfect frozen dessert to make year-round because is made with canned milk.
- This is a recipe that will taste just like the limbers made in Puerto Rico!
Recipe Ingredients
- Water- I used plain water in this recipe. Some people like to use coconut water instead, but I have never tried it.
- Coconut milk- I use canned coconut milk, usually by the brand Goya or Thai Kitchen. You can use fresh coconut milk also.
- Cream of coconut- The best cream of coconut you can use is by the brand Coco Lopez. I always find its taste consistent and delicious. You can use any brand you like but the Coco Lopez truly helps to give it a deep coconut flavor.
- Sugar- I used white granulated sugar. I have also used brown sugar.
- Ground cinnamon- The cinnamon is essential to completing the flavor in a good limber. Don’t leave it out!
How To Make A Coconut Limber
- Step 1: Pour everything into a blender and mix. Mixing everything in a blender will create a foam at the top of the mix. I like to add this to my cups but if you don’t like it, just scoop it out.
- Step 2: Pour equally into your disposable plastic cups. Freeze and enjoy.
Limber Tips
- You can use fresh or canned coconut milk. I am not going to lie, making limber from fresh coconuts is a lot of work. On the upside you have fresh milk and coconut pieces you can add to your mix.
- Don’t freeze your limber for a long time without covering it. To give you an example, all the people that sell limber have a freezer only for it. The reason for this is that they want to guarantee no other flavors get infused into the limber.
Frequently Asked Questions
A limber is a Puerto Rican icy treat, similar to a popsicle but in a cup. It is a frozen delicacy in my opinion. Usually sold by someone in a Puerto Rican neighborhood. Nowadays they are so popular that they can even be found at gas stations but not as good as the neighborhood lady.
The best way to eat a limber is to take a couple of licks off the top part. Then warm the cup with your hands to try to release the limber from it. Gently push the limber up. Be careful because you can easily drop the limber at this stage. Flip it over and enjoy. Or you can do what my baby does and eat it patiently with a spoon.
The traditional way of making a limber is to put it into a disposable plastic cup. But limber can be made in all different types of molds. You can make limber popsicles. Either by just inserting a stick in the middle of the limber or by using a popsicle mold. Simply make your mix, pour, and freeze. You can even make limber into ice cubes or frozen bites.
Some people wonder what is the history of the limber in Puerto Rico. Some say that the name Limber was given after a pilot’s last name after visiting the island. I don’t know if this is true. To my knowledge, the word limber came from the Spanish word lick “lamber”. Then that turned into the word limber. The true history is unknown.
Different Puerto Rican Desserts To Try
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Limber de Coco
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk
- 15 ounces cream of coconut
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- grated coconut (optional)
Instructions
- Blend water, coconut milk, coconut cream, sugar, and cinnamon together for about 2 minutes.
- Mix with a spoon and pour equally into disposable cups with lids (preferably). Top with grated coconut if you like. Freeze for 10 hours and enjoy.
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Recipe Notes
- Making- To make limber, it is best to use a blender. I advise you not to mix it by hand because you could leave fat lumps around. If you do mix it by hand just make sure everything is well incorporated.
- When using the blender- you will notice some foam on the top of the mix. Some people like to remove it but not in this recipe. Stir in the foam and once your limbers are done you’ll see how delicious the tops will be.
- Substitutions- You can use fresh coconut milk instead of the canned version for this recipe.
- Freezing- A Limber can take anywhere from 8-12 hours to set. This can depend on how cold your freezer gets.
- Storing- When storing limber, I like to cover each cup with a piece of plastic or foil. You can also buy the cups that come with lids. I do this because if there’s something smelly in my freezer, it won’t transfer into my limber.
- Yield- This recipe makes 6- 8 ounce cups.
Stephenie says
Hi Marguerite, happy to have you here trying the recipe. Let me know how it went.
Marguerite says
I came across this recipe today and just finished preparing it. And placed it in the freezer. Can’t wait until tomorrow to sample the results.
Thank you.
Stephenie says
Any better? Yesterday I made a batch to time exactly how long it will take me. By the 3rd hour they were set. Then after 4 hours and 45 minutes they were hard. Can I ask what brands are you using because thats the only thing I can image that is going wrong. Oh and I must add that I didn’t opened my freezer for at least 3 hours.
Diana says
Hi Stephenie . No luck there not fully frozen I’m going to try and make another batch and see what happens.
Stephenie says
Hi Diana, can you leave them a little longer and let me know how it went. Oh and yes, usually limber de coco takes longer than say cherry o parcha because is creamier. Thank you for trying the recipe. keep me updated on how it went.
Diana says
I followed this recipe and they feel as though they are not frozen all of the way it’s been over 6 hours since they were placed in freezer. I also made Cherry and had no issues.