This post is going to show you how to make Limber de Coco - a flavorful Puerto Rican coconut ice which makes a perfect refresher for a hot summer day! It takes only 10 minutes of your precious time while the end result is AMAZING!
Last summer, when we were at Ikea filling our cart up with tons of useless stuff, my wife suggested, or should I say insisted, to buy a colorful ice pop mold. "Because we need it", she said. Yeah, like all other things collecting dust in our drawers. Oh, well. Women. Now imagine for a second that you are a Sherlock and answer a question for me. A very very tough one. Did my wife use that mold? Don't rush to answer. Give it a good thinking. NOT EVEN ONCE.
When this happens, I try to use a thing myself. To at least justify a purchase, you know. And it doesn't even matter that it's February now and piles of snow outside. I bumped into this mold yesterday so I had to react somehow. I had to tell my wife something to make her feel guilty, ha! That's my job as a husband. The same way as her job is to criticize me when I'm driving even though she has no driver license. It kinda works for us. So I said... "OK, if you don't use this ice pop mold, I will. I am making a goddamn ice pop tomorrow." Like the expression we have here says: "A man said - a man did".
I started looking for a recipe right away. Not for a simple one from Pinterest, though. I hoped to find an interesting international recipe to kill two birds (or maybe even three) with one stone: to make my wife feel uncomfortable for her unnecessary purchases, to savor a good ice pop, and, finally, to publish it on the blog. And I made it! Oh, and for the record, it's my first homemade ice pop ever.
Ladies and gentlemen, Limber de Coco. Limber is a Puerto Rican version of ice pops and it comes in dozens of different flavors. Any fruit juice can be used to make this Caribbean treat. Coco stands for coconut. I've chosen this version because it's one of the most popular ones in Puerto Rico + it's something different. Everyone tried frozen fruit juice at least once in their life while not everyone tried frozen coconut milk, right?
Looking for more ways to quench your thirst? Check out more refreshing drinks from other countries!
I actually had to make Limber de Coco twice. The first time I added no sugar (the majority of online recipes don't include it) and I didn't like the result. I am not sure if a traditional version has sugar in it or not (if somebody from Puerto Rico will be reading this post please let me know in a comments section below) but I kinda want this ice pop to be sweeter. The easiest way is to taste the mixture before freezing it. If you feel that it lacks sweetness, add some sugar or any other sweetener, if not, leave as it is.
What can I say? Limber de Coco is divine. You can feel the taste of coconut really well and it's super delicious. I even forgot that it's winter outside and stuffed 3 ice pops into my face in a row. My wife also loved these and said that ice pop mold was a good purchase after all, ha! I am not mad, though, at all. Such small things as an ice pop mold are not worth arguing with your loved one. Plus, without it, maybe, I would have never tried this Puerto Rican creation. The ice pop mold is money well spent after all, huh?
I can't wait until summer to freshen myself up with these coconut flavored beauties. Do try them, guys, and come back to thank me later! 
Limber de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Ice) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can (12 oz or 360ml) evaporated milk
- 1 can (13.5 oz or 400ml) coconut milk
- 1 can (15 oz or 450ml) coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ cup sugar , or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds or disposable cups and place in a freezer. Let sit for at least 6 hours or overnight. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Ivette Figueroa
As a Puerto Rican, I am going to say, YES you add sugar and taste it before freezing, if it's too sweet that's good, bc when the limber freezes it looses some of the sugar...I agree with the other response, I have only seen them done in 5-7 ounce disposable cups, but this idea looks good, I will give it a try. Keep enjoying them.
Igor
Thanks for the comment, Ivette! Yes, I noticed that they lose some sugar during the freezing process 😉
Lourdes
Can I use leche condensada to make imperative de coco?
Lourdes
Sorry I meant to say...leche Condensada for limber de coco
Michelle Gonzalez
I was taught by my abuelita (nanny) and my great-titi's (aunt's) for sweetening we add sweetened condensed milk. As someone else said in their post...the sugar does dissipate alot when freezing. The beauty of this is that it's gets a little creamy. Limber de Coco, for me , represents Summer's spent in Puerto Rico running across the street to Don Carlos' little tiendita (store) that he had turned his marquesina into to make a little extra money. I hope this helps. ?
Igor
Sweetened condensed milk sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
Vanessa
I’ll have to try your recipe sounds delicious. But yeah we always used one can of condensed milk, minus the coconut cream. Disposable cups are a bonus for large gatherings. You can always freeze a little , then push popsicle sticks in the mixture , and freeze u til it’s completely solid. You have a popsicle to go. Our neighborhood always sold them that way. Then they had the red, blue, purple ones you name it. That was done with liquid flavor syrup. Thanks for sharing?
Igor
Sounds awesome, Vanessa! What a great idea to make these multi colored 🙂
Sheilla
Yes! In Puerto Rico we add sugar. At home, we like to add some cinnamon and unsweetened coconut flakes for texture.
Igor
Love the idea to add coconut flakes! Thank you for the comment, Sheilla!
Karmajaimariee EspinoNytmier
Mommi always would make limber in the ice cube tray and molds or in the to go containers as well as the ice popsicle trey my favorite is the oval shaped ones that are like the perfect tube like shape. She never really added sugar though just sweetened coconut milk and the coconut shavings which are sweet enough to taste so it replaced the sugar most people think to add. Limber de piña coco is also really good too. All that is though is piña coloda limber and you can add chopped cherries or not with coconut shavings she would make them with either pure coconut and coconut cream and pineapple juice from the dole can and even blend the chunks in the blender because I love pineapple and sometimes for a more citrus kind of taste shed use the Tropicana orange juice with pineapple already in it and in the summer shed make limber de Limon / lemon ice cream with coconut which is also so good and refreshing shed put a hint of mint and it would be so good she said she came up with it all on her own one day when her and my dad were bored in the kitchen he was a chef so he taught my mom to cook and she began to tinker around a ton when shed get bored of basic recipes.
Igor
Thank you for such a detailed response! From what I understood, the majority still add some sweetness, either with sugar or with sweetened condensed milk or with sweetened coconut milk, etc. It makes sense 🙂
Your mommi's variations with pineapple and orange juices sound so on point. I have to try them someday. Yum!
Liz Martinez
I do not use condensed milk, so I put a cup of sugar. When my country relatives from the island made Limbers,they never use condensed milk. I talking about the real mountain people when they made Limbers with white sugar.
Igor
Thank you for the information, Liz! Good to know!
Brandy
I add honey to mine all the time for sweetness?. Problem though, My popsicles seem to not wanna come out. Kinda stuck. Any ideas or answers for that by chance??
Kim
I Think the honey is why they’re Sticking..