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Pani Popo is a Samoan sweet roll baked in a delicious coconut sauce. One of my favorite Pacific-Island dishes from my bakery days in Hawaii.
A Sweet Island Treat
Oh, how I love Pani Popo. Even though it is a Samoan dish, I was first introduced to it when I lived in Hawaii. As I mentioned before, I worked at a bakery when I lived in Hawaii and was introduced to SO MANY amazing treats and recipes, this being one of my-all time favorites. I loved waking up early in the morning and making these delicious Samoan coconut buns. The smell is intoxicating!
🩷 Erica
Ingredients Needed for Pani Popo
Only three simple ingredients in this Pani Popo recipe. It doesn’t get any easier than this!
- Frozen Rolls: You can also make your own yeast rolls with our delicious Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe. It’s an easy recipe using ingredients like all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, butter, and salt mixed into a soft dough and baked into rolls. Or, you can use frozen rolls to cut your prep time way down.
- Coconut Milk: Full fat version is best.
- Sugar: To sweeten the coconut milk for the sauce.
What is Pani Popo?
This Samoan classic dish is so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Translated, pani popo quite literally means coconut buns. And that’s what they are! Light, fluffy yeast rolls soaked in a sweet coconut syrup mixture and baked until the top of the buns are golden brown. They are soft and fluffy on the inside, and the bottom is nice and gooey, like a sweet roll should be (but gooier). I love that I am able to make these at home for my family and that they LOVE them as much as I do. Seriously, my kids go nuts over these.
The Sweet Coconut Sauce
The sweet coconut milk sauce is what makes these rolls so incredibly good! The mixture comes together quickly using coconut milk and one cup sugar in a small saucepan. It’s cooked over medium-high heat until it’s nice and thick. Pour the delicious sauce over the raised rolls and bake.
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare the rolls: Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange frozen rolls evenly in the dish. (If using homemade dough, roll into golf-ball sized balls and arrange the same way.)
- Let the rolls rise: Cover loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Let the rolls rise until doubled in size, about 4-5 hours. For faster thawing, follow the quick-rise instructions on the frozen roll package.
- Make the coconut sauce: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce slightly thickens, about 5 minutes. (For a thinner sauce, simply whisk the coconut milk and sugar together in a bowl without heating.)
- Add sauce and bake: Pour about two-thirds of the coconut mixture evenly over the rolls. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and cooked through.
- Finish with remaining sauce: Remove from the oven and pour the remaining coconut mixture evenly over the top.
- Serve: The rolls should be soft, sticky, and gooey on the bottom. Serve warm, either right-side up or flipped over to show the coconut glaze.
More Hawaiian-Inspired Desserts
Many of our favorite family recipes are recipes I brought home after living in Hawaii. I love Hawaiian food! Here are a few more Hawaiian treats I make regularly:
Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Rolls)
Video
Ingredients
- 20 frozen dinner rolls, depending on size (see note above for homemade rolls)
- 10 ounces coconut milk
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Coat a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and arrange rolls evenly to thaw (if doing homemade rolls, roll dough into golf-ball size balls and arrange the same way).
- Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray (to keep dough from sticking to the plastic wrap). Allow to rise until doubled in size. This can take 4-5 hours. If you need the rolls to thaw quicker, follow the quick-rise instructions on the frozen roll packaging.
- Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees. In a small saucepan, combine coconut milk and sugar over medium heat and whisk until sugar is dissolved and sauce has thickened (about 5 minutes). If you want a thinner sauce, you can just whisk the sugar and coconut milk together in a bowl without heating.
- Pour about 2/3 of the coconut mixture over the rolls and bake for 20-30 minutes (or according to package/dough recipe instructions) or until golden brown and dough is baked through.
- Remove from oven and pour remaining coconut mixture evenly over the top of the rolls.
- The rolls should be sticky and gooey on the bottom (read notes above). Can be served upside down or right-side up.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi, can I use already made buns instead ?tks
It won’t taste quite the same because you won’t be cooking the rolls along with the coconut mixture. You may not get the gooey bottoms and the texture may not be the same. However pouring the mixture over top of hot rolls right after you bake them will still be delicious. I don’t think I would recommend making this recipe with rolls that have been pre-made and have already baked and cooled. It definitely won’t be the same. Hope this helps!
These are amazing my brother in law from New Zealand used to make us these when I was a kid. I added some fresh chopped peaches and some cinnamon to mine. My house smelled heavenly and everyone gave the a 10 out of 10!
I went to subscribe to Ma*Na*Ui and it did not come up! Is it me? I’d really like to subscribe.
Delicious and simple
I used Hawaiian sweet bread dinner roll and followed the directions. It was great.
She never said it was Hawaiian. Clearly states it’s a Samoan dish.
Where it says prep time it says Hawaiian side dish
If you live in Hawai’i it is a common side dish, many Samoans live there
This is a samoan dish I am hawaiian and samoan decent. Mmkay bye
Just a comment for coconut milk. I love making Thai curry and have found through trial and error that Chaokoh coconut milk is the best. I’d actually be interested in trying their coconut cream in this because it’s richer.
Can I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk ?
If I used the cream instead, would I still add sugar in the same amount?
Coconut cream is much thicker, so it would be a thicker sauce. You shouldn’t have to change the amount of sugar.
As a Samoan woman, I must say that this is not the traditional way we make panipopo. We would NEVER use frozen dinner rolls for panipopo. I suggest always making it from scratch if you can.
Many Samoans (actually a lot of people) don’t have time to make their own rolls from scratch. Traditional is always nice, but bless her for loving & sharing her recipe/shortcut
How you get 12 rolls after starting with 20 rolls in the photos? How did the 20 rolls turn out in a 9×13 pan? It seems too crowded.. rolls are supposed to double in size so the pan size is probably too small and all the rolls won’t bake evenly..especially when adding the sauce.. suggest starting with 12 rolls instead of 20.
The pan we used for the pictures wasn’t a 9×13, it was smaller. You can fit 20 rolls in a 9×13 pan, but this one was more like 11×7.
Followed the recipe exactly. Tops of rolls were turning brown so took them out. Bottom of rolls still dough. Baked regular rolls (same exact rolls but without the coconut syrup sauce). immediately afterwards in same oven, same temp, same time length and they turned out perfect. So something about adding the sauce made the bottom doughy, I’m assuming because it was sitting in liquid during baking. I’m sure these are delicious if done right, but this recipe wasn’t the right method for me
I am sorry this recipe didn’t work for you. In the future, if the tops are browning before the bottoms are done, you can cover the pan with tin foil. This allows the bottom to continue baking, but slows down the cooking at the top.
The recipe calls for 20 frozen rolls. In some of the photos it shows 20 rolls but in the finished product photos there are only 12 rolls in the pan. Where did the other 8 rolls go to?
Oops you caught us haha. The cute pan we used for pictures was too small for all 20 rolls, but a regular 9×13 should fit all the rolls. Hope this helps!
I might need to try this for my birthday!
This seems like an easy winner ! Any suggestions for a chicken dish to serve this with ? What about a vegetable choice ? I’m planning on making a double batch of them for dinner next week ( I already know they will be a hit for my family so I’m going to be smart and double up from the start ) 😊😊
Thanks for sharing this gem ! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Any of our Hawaiian recipes will go great with this… Teriyaki chicken, huli huli chicken, grilled coconut curry chicken… etc… as far as vegetables go, lightly seasoned grilled or steamed vegetables always go well with Hawaiian food. Grilled potatoes or sweet potatoes will also go well. Hope this helps!
I’m a bit confused. The article above explaining what pani popo is says “The sweet coconut milk mixture comes together quickly using coconut milk and one cup sugar in a small saucepan cooked over medium-high heat until it’s nice and thick.” But the recipe instructions just say to whisk the sugar and the coconut milk in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Which way is correct? I haven’t tried it yet, but think I would prefer cooking the coconut milk and sugar first as that would probably create a more gooey sauce. Also seems that pouring part of the whisked mixture over the rolls after they bake would make the rolls pretty soggy, vs pouring a cooked mixture.
It is correct to heat the sauce in the saucepan. However, you can whisk it in a bowl until the sugar dissolves also. I have made it both ways. When you heat it, you will get a thicker sauce (that I think tastes better) I will fix it on the recipe so they are consistent. Sorry about that!
So glad you included this!
Whaaaaaat?!?! How have i never heard of these?!?! They look AMAZING!
Pani Popo is probably my favorite dish I brought home with me after 3 years at BYU-Hawaii. Super simple to make but tastes like a much more complicated dish. I sometimes toast some coconut to sprinkle on top and if I’m wanting the Coconut milk to be a bit thicker like a pudding I just add a little bit of cornstarch to some of the Coconut milk to thicken it. I also sometimes use 2 cans of Coconut milk for more topping! I have yet to meet anyone who tries this and doesn’t love it! Enjoy!
Shelli
the rolls in the middle always seem to sink, any suggestions?
This looks so delicious and yummy! I can’t wait to give this a try!
Working in a Hawaiian bakery sounds like a dream job with a lot of yummy perks! I can’t wait to try these.
Just tried this today and its so0o good! I’m so glad I found your page! Its quick easy and DELICIOUS!
Has anyone tried Hawaiian Bread Rolls? Since they are sweet rolls & quite soft – I’m wondering if you could fry the outside little or bake in the oven a little, then poke with small sticks (like what is used for Shish-Kabob)? Then cool, and continue with the recipe. Gotta give 5 stars, even though I haven’t made them yet!!! But they SOUND SOO GOOD!
I use them all the time because I’m too lazy to make the dough from scratch! I lessen the bake time let them heat up for maybe 5-10 minutes in the oven then add my coconut sauce then throw them back in the oven for 10 minutes to soak! They come out super good in half the time!
I’ve tried 2 other brands than Rhodes, and they don’t get as big. It’s usually down in the frozen section by the Texas toast. Rhodes makes a Texas size roll too. But if you want to try a faster way, because you added the corn starch to thicken the sauce ( the coconut milk is important, don’t get the less expensive brand- look in the Asian Section of the store).. Head down to Golden Corral type Restaurant and buy 2 dozen of the rolls pre-baked.. Then follow the steps..( make sure you spray the GLASS cookware)… Utah-Chuck-o-Rama has the best! And I live in California!! I’ve even gone Rogue and put Pineapple rings on the bottom of the glassware and the dough in the holes..
I had Pani Popo frequently while living in SoCal years ago because I had a lot of Samoan friends there. I made these today and they were perfect! I used Sister Schubert’s dinner yeast rolls because you don’t have to thaw them first, and it only takes 10 minutes in the oven.
So glad you these turned out so well for you! I bet they were even more delicious with homemade rolls!
How long does it take for this to go bad after baking and does it need to be refrigerated?
If you decided to store them, I wouldn’t let them go for more than a day. They will get soggy and probably not taste so great. I would probably refrigerate them and then reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds. Hope this helps.
Do u remove the plastic wrap before baking?
YES. You definitely want to remove the plastic wrap before baking. Hope this helps!
These melt in your mouth!
Delicious
This is a Samoan Dish. It comes from Samoa.
The one thing you don’t mention is the time it will take to thaw/double in size.
Can’t wait to try these…I hope I give them enough time to rise. The turkey does not wait for rolls.
Thank you for pointing this out. I made some adjustments to the recipe. It does take 4-5 hours for the rolls to thaw and rise. Most frozen rolls packaging gives instructions for speed-rising that takes about 2 hours. I hope you enjoy the rolls!
Do you have a good recipe for peanut butter bars?
You bet! https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/peanut-butter-bars/
How do you store these and for how long?
They don’t stay great for way long– I would say a day or two at most. They will get too soggy. Definitely the best fresh.
recipe for homemade rolls for the Pani Popo rolls are on a broken link. where to find it??
Thank you for letting us know the link is broken! It is now fixed. You can find the recipe here:
https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/moms-homemade-rolls/
All your recipes you post look scrumptious. This one I could do looks pretty easy.
Thank you so much! You will love the Pani Popo rolls. They are delicious!
I was SUPER excited to try this :I LOVE anything coconut . What I ended up with were rolls where the tops were beautiful golden brown and the bottoms were very slimy and beyond soggy. The texture was SO disgusting I cannot see how anyone would like this. I must have done something wrong as the recipe was SUPER simple. What did I do wrong??
The texture is supposed to be very wet.. the bottoms are supposed to be drenched in the coconut milk. That is how they are in Hawaii. Sorry it didn’t turn out the way you had expected!
Just get past the texture and try it and you’ll be a fan! It’s a bit of a messy eating but worth it!
Did you spray your pan with cooking spray or did you maybe substitute the cooking spray with oil or margarine or butter I’m thinking that probably has something to do with the chemical reaction that takes place so that it comes out gooey and not soggy yes it was a very simple recipe I don’t see how you messed it up either
What brand of frozen dinner rolls you like to use?
Typically we will use Rhoades rolls.
What grocery store do you find Rhoades rolls in typically. ..I have looked around my area aND can’t find them? Thanks
We have found them at almost any grocery store in the U.S. Did you look in the frozen section?
I have not found frozen buns in my Safeway or Foodland in Hi. I have to make my own sweet bread
Homemade is definitely the best. I bet your pani popo is amazing! 🙂
Walmart sells the Rhodes frozen dinner rolls
use whatever brand you have. They are in the freezer section
My neighbor makes something like this only she leaves out the sugar and uses 2 T. Corn starch and 2 T. water to the coconut milk.
Sugar is relative. Some people use only 1/2 cup. Some use cornstarch and some do not. Corn starch makes the sauce a little thicker is all. Some even use half coconut milk and half water with the cornstarch.
Could this be adapted to use in a Dutch oven? I wanted to make them at a family reunion.
Possibly…? Dutch ovens (I’m assuming you mean cast iron) can be tricky especially when doing them over coals because it is so hard to regulate the temperature. If you are doing it in an oven, it might be easier. Keep a close eye on them and make sure they don’t heat up too quickly and burn. Hope this helps!
I love it
My friend makes these. They are so good!
Like belly stickers…sort of…