Pani Popo (Hawaiian Coconut Bread)

Pani Popo ((Samoan Coconut Bread)) the name Pani Popo is Samoan and this is a SAMOAN dessert!!! Never has & never will be a Hawaiian creation. Give credit where credit is due!

This dish is SUPPOSED to be soggy on the bottom! It's meant to be a sweet, sticky dessert - that's the beauty of it. I grew up in Hawaii and all the professionals' pani popo is wet and sticky. So enjoy and don't get discouraged!

This is so yummy! I agree that the amount of rolls called for is too few (or the pan should be smaller). I used 12 rolls in a 9" x 13" with the saucy mixture called for, and it turned out wonderfully; I can't imagine that much liquid for only 6 rolls. I will probably use a bit less sugar next time, but overall I loved it. Rich, but not overpowering.

We made these to cook like our homemade cinnamon rolls. Coat bottom of the pan with 1 stick of softened butter. We use 12 of the Rhodes frozen rolls. Use the sugar in the recipe to roll the dough in. Place them in the pan and let rise. Meanwhile mix the coconut milk with 4 TBS of the sweetened condensed milk, pour only half of the mix over the rolls and bake accordingly. When you take them out of the oven use a fork to seperate the rolls and flip them over, so that the tops are facedown in the sauce. Remove rolls from pan and pour remaining coconut milk into the pan to "deglaze it" pour this over the rolls and serve.

ONO! I am from Hawaii and my Samoan friend makes these for me a lot. I am going to give her THIS recipe because by far...it is better! I love Pani Popo. Mahalo!

I made this for a themed "Samoan" party we had last week and they were the best. If ever there was a more yummy, ultra simple bread to make, I don't know what it would be. I ended up making 36 and had to double all the ingredients and do two pans for obvious reasons. One of the other reviews said that the rolls should be "swimming" in the coconut mixture prior to baking so I made sure that they were. I did need to add a bit more regular milk to make sure I had enough liquid. It was perfect. One pan had coconut sprinkled on it, the other one didn't. The very few leftovers made a great breakfast with coffee the next morning. Will for sure make again.

This was unbelievably delicious! And SO easy! I agree with other reviewers, its much better when it's soggy on the bottom, which mine was. I keep eating the leftovers as they are good cold, or right out of the oven. I've even warmed them up and they are still tasty! Only one thing, I would really only serve these as desert and not with a meal, but that's just me.

My husband is Samoan and this recipe is actually a Samoan recipe not Hawaiian. I love Pani Popo as I am a coconut fanatic. Nice to see people posting Samoan recipes. Thanks for posting this recipe!

This is not Hawaiian. It is Samoan as are the words. Good recipe though.

We really enjoyed this sweet (but not too sweet to serve with dinner) roll recipe. One thing in the recipe that was confusing though-it calls for a 12 oz. bag of frozen bread dough rolls. I couldn't find this size at the grocery store, so I bought a 48 oz. bag and weighed 12 oz. on my kitchen scale to prepare the recipe. Well, 12 oz. is just 6 rolls. They were swimming in the coconut mixture. I will be sure to use 12 rolls next time despite what the recipe calls for. Thanks for a great recipe!

This is a great recipe, however... Pani popo is SAMOAN, not Hawaiian as suggested!

Deliciuos! Omitted the sugar as the condensed milk is sweet enough. Wish I could have remembered to top it with the coconut!

These are great! I made a few changes to fit what I had on hand. I used a hot roll mix instead of the frozen rolls. I used the bread machine to make the dough and then made different sized balls and put them in a 9x13 pan. I let them rise for probably an hour and a half. I didn't have any coconut milk but I had cream of coconut so I used that mixed with some vanilla cream and a little bit of coconut flakes.I Poured mixture over the rolls until they were just covered and still baked them at 350 for 30 min and they came out perfect! Glazed on top and just a little soggy on the bottom but not too much! I will definitley make these again.

This recipe was great. Just one thing, calling it Hawaiian is misleading. It's actually a SAMOAN dish...anyway to change that? That being said, growing up in Hawaii and marrying into a Samoan family, I've eaten plenty of Pani Popo over the years...your recipe for it is WONDERFUL! PLEASE, PLEASE don't let the soggy-ness turn you off. It is supposed to be that way. Infact, when we make it, we try to make sure that the coconut milk mixture is almost level with the rolls before we put it in the oven. You can't have too much of a good thing!

So good! I made a few changes: I added 5 tbsp sweetened condensed milk instead of three and used 3/4 cup sugar. I also used a 13.5oz can of coconut milk. I used 12 frozen dinner rolls to fill the 9x13 inch pan - 6 is too few. I also topped it with flaked coconut before baking. Very yummy! Thanks!

I made this for my mother's birthday (along with a Polynesian rib recipe I got from here)since she loves Polynesian food. It was a big hit and I make it all the time now. my mom will actually come over watch my kids and do my laundry if I promise to make it. I always make it before she gets here because if she sees how easy it is I will loose my laundry service:) I am going to try to make the dough out of a cinnamon roll recipe dough I got from Paula Deen ...I'll let you know how it goes.

We had a tiki party for our housewarming and I wanted to add a few "authentic" dishes to the mix and this was an absolute hit! All the guests loved it, despite me leaving them in too long!!! I used a whole can of coconut milk and about half a can of condensed milk then added shredded coconut on top of twelve risen dinner rolls. The only thing slightly misleading is the rising time of the rolls - check the packet as I was expecting them to take two hours and they took more like three! My fault for not checking!

I have rated this 5 stars because it is a great recipie...So, give credit to where credit is due. By the way wonderful recipe Kasey (:

I love this stuff!!! I got the recipe from a firend and I make it all the time! I actually just use cream of coconut and pour that over the rolls. It shortens the prep time a lot and is delicious. Cream of coconut is in the alcoholic mixes section, though I'm not sure why. Try it. you'll love it!!!

Delicious!! But instead of frozen dinner rolls we used King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. The tastes takes me back to when I was a little girl chasing after the samoan bakery truck to buy 1 pani popo bun for a quater. Those buns were so good and much bigger. Good Times. Thank you!!

Made this last night using quick rise method off the frozen dinner roll bag, its a super easy way to make a delicious favorite without all the work of traditional pani popo..came out sooo good, family wants me to make it again tonight!

My sister and I just made this and it was perfect! My hubby is Samoan and her boyfriend is Tongan so we've both grown accustomed to the Polynesian foods at family gatherings... but we've never tried to make it ourselves. Both my husband and her boyfriend were very pleased with the outcome. The only thing we changed was that we added some grated coconut to the sauce. Yummy!

PERFECT!! so delish. In the finished product, the bread will rise and the sauce will go beneath. The bottom portion of the bread will be bathed in sauce. So creamy. Best served warm. I shared with my coworker. I did not coat the rolls with anything. I used refrigerated biscuits because that was what I had. EITHER HAWAIIAN OR SAMOAN, WHATEVER THIS IS GOOD. Thanks friend.

My family loves this recipe!... I like to put about 5 tbsp of sweetened condensed milk instead of just 3... I have also tried this with thawed out frozen yeast roll dough and with frozen yeast rolls that were already cooked... both were yummy... definitely try this recipe if you like coconut.

This is a Samoan Dish, not Hawaiian.

Very good, I left out the sugar I thought it would be to sweet, just added a bit more of the sweetened condensed milk. Will make again.

OMG this is so freaking good! very sugary to, so delicious! i wish i could rate this 10 stars!! also i would suggust is drinking this with a nice cold glass of milk.

These are so delish but very naughty. Serve them right away and not often if you care about you waste line!

This was okay... the flavor of the "sauce" was good, but didn't like it mixed with bread. Half of us (6) liked it, the other half didn't. I won't make this again. Sorry, but thanks for the recipe.

Very good and delish! Easy as pie..not 5 stars, but something fun, different and yummers

I tried this recipe and it is a great! It is a delicious dessert, however Pani Popo is of Samoan origin which is another island in the South Pacific. I've also seen it listed as a Polynesian desert which is more broad but not inaccurate. So this is purely informational. Thank you for posting this recipe.

I absolutely LOVE this recipe! An old worker first made something similar to this and brought them to work, so I looked up a recipe to make them myself and found this one. This one is much better than the original recipe I tasted and I will definitely continue to make it.

Just okay

Yummy and easy! We actually wanted MORE milk in the pan! This Samoan dish is supposed to be wet and sticky. That's why it's so good. Great recipe.

Loved the flavor and my kids liked them, which they do not like coconut. The only thing I had trouble is the texture of the gooey part, wish I would have sprinkled coconut or toasted coconut on them after baking

I made these at least a year ago for the first time and forgot about them until this past week. My sweet tooth was vibrating so made them again. How could I have forgotten how good they are? A soggy mess on the bottom is heavy. Thank you for sharing this.

Good recipe. This is in fact a Samoan recipe and for it to be authentic the rolls are usually made with flour, sugar, water, and yeast. The frozen rolls are a good alternative.

Easy and really tasty! Everyone I've made them for has loved them, even quite a few who don't like coconut.

Unbelievably good. This was so easy and good that it leaves you 'CRAVING' more. I made this for a hawaiian party and everyone loved it. The only change I made was to double the amount of rolls and use less sugar.

this is wonderful... im definitely making this every week... i used 1/4 cup sugar as was suggested and low fat condensed milk... it made it out to 150 calories per serving instead of 190. edit: i made this again, but with frozen dough i let rise on its own instead of pre-fromed frozen rolls and it turned out a million times better. i made 8 HUGE rolls and it was great.

The recipe is great

I wanted to make something different to eat, with bread. This is fantastic! I used my own dinner roll recipe, but I used this sauce! It's amazing. Thank you.

These were amazing! I used Rhodes white rolls and just let them thaw and rise according to the package - I also used 20 rolls in a 9x13 pan. To make them a little more figure friendly I used light coconut milk, the fat free condensed milk and only 1/2 C of sugar. We had a luau this weekend and these were an awesome finish.

My mom and I made this recipe for my new sister-in-law's wedding shower (Hawaiian theme). It was a hit! Everyone raved. They ate every last one! Awesome!

I had trouble with the recipe so I wasn't impressed. Probably won't make it again.

If you have never tried Pani Popo, you are in for a treat! It is a Samoan recipe, but it reminds me of Hawaii. So, good that you will be craving them a week later.

Just want to let you know that this is a Samoan recipe.

Gosh darn it I really wanted this to work for me but I wasn't impressed. The rolls were kind of mushy at the bottom. I will try again though because I want to like this because it combines 2 of my favorite things bread and coconut.

This is excellent the bresd is so sweet! so full of rich flavor!!

mmmmm sweet but not too sweet

After reading the reviews I wasn't sure if I should use coconut milk or cream of coconut. Hmmm. Ended up using cream of coconut and Bridgeford frozen dough (do not use canned biscuits). Didn't want to waste a whole can of condensed milk so I just added some corn syrup and maybe a tablespoon of sugar to a half a can of cream of coconut. Made a smaller pan with 8 rolls just in case we didn't care for these. Wish they had a bit more coconut flavor but they are really good and soooo easy. They are gooey on the bottom and kind of crunchy chewy on the top. Will be making a full batch for Mother's Day dinner. I know I didn't follow the recipe exactly but if you love bread, donuts, etc you will love pani popo.

I followed the recipe exactly and it was wonderful! Gooey on the bottom as it is supposed to be!

This recipe is wonderful!

So good. It was unlike any roll I have ever had but in a great way. One of my absolute favorites now. This recipe is exceptional. Everyone at my luau was raving about these. I agree less sugar though.

Don't waste your time looking for another recipe. This is it! Someone at work asked what are you eating, the person replied, "A little bit of heaven!"

Gooooooood and easy! It is sticky on the bottom and tastes very good if you drizzle a bit onto the roll before serving. I used light coconut milk and since the only can of coconut milk available was 13.5 oz., I used that, increased the condensed milk to about 4 TBS and decreased the sugar a tad below 3/4 of a cup. I used 12 rolls and that seems like a good amount.

I am so happy I found this recipe. I had poynesian friends growing up and their mom would make this. These rolls have definitely satisfied my years of cravings thank you so much for sharing it!

I read all the reviews and was hopeful this was going to be amazing. It tasted alright I guess. It WAS edible. I made accordingly to the directions. Lets just say it tasted like dinner rolls with a soggy coconut milk bottom. Its not something I will make again. I can find a better use for a can of coconut milk. Besides...dinner rolls taste better to me with butter.

This recipe was VERY good. I made this for a Hawaiian themed party and they went over great. I used "Bridgeford" frozen dinner rolls and it came out perfect. They were also great the next few days. You might want to warn your guests though because they are a little sticky and at first glance they look like normal dinner rolls but of course they are a little sticky on the bottom but thats what makes these SO good.

Very tasty. Yes the bottoms are soggy, but they are meant to be. These are delicious. Made them for Easter and all 12 got gobbled up by 6 people!

This is so good, I had a hard time finding the recipe.

These have a wonderful flavor. I can't rate it to a full five because my silly grocery store didn't have the frozen yeast rolls, so I used frozen bread and just cut it into 12 pieces and rolled it into rolls. I used the same amount of everything else and had a lot on the bottom of the pan, so next time I'll go to a different store and get the right rolls to try again. If I can't I'll just cut down on the liquid. My 2 year old didn't like it but I think that she was expecting a regular roll, not something sweet.

I made these to taste test, and also to take to a couple from Sunday School. They were fabulous! I used 13.5 ounces of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of sugar and five tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. Yum! The "sauce" is almost like haupia (Hawaiian coconut pudding).

Made this and added shredded coconut to the recipe. So easy when using Rhodes Frozen Rolls. Yummy!

This bread is off the hook!!!! I messed up because I bought bread that was already cooked, so the bottoms came out soggy. STILL! It was amazing. Will make again and again.

This is easy and it's always a hit. They're good both warm out of the oven and also after being refrigerated.

The recipe is better when you make the rolls yourself instead of using frozen rolls. That's why it came out soggy.

These are good, although I was taken aback a little by the pudding-like texture of the glaze when the rolls came out of the oven. Still, they taste yummy and I will serve them with Easter dinner.

Definitely tasty and super easy, but the bottoms were soggy . If you can get over the texture then it's worth a try.

I made it for Sunday dinner with some Goulash. It was delicious. Everyone loved them. They reminded my daughter in law of rolls the had when she lived in Samoa. I will be making these again for sure. I will probably just leave out the sweetened condensed milk because you use very little of it and now have an almost fun can left over.

I made these for my daughter's luau/ 5th bday party. Everyone loved them especially the guests who came a day early on accident and ate while I was prepping them and ate some more the next day as well. My friends husband immediately asked me for the recipe. I baked them ahead of time and put them in the fridge for a quick reheat. (Perfect for an indoor BBQ) I also used regular 2 % milk for some of the milk instead of the sweetened condensed milk an added a tad more sugar (@ 2tsp). They were a little crisp on the top and a little soggy on the bottom. I can't wait to my nexr chance to make this easy make ahead bread!

I love this recipe - I don't change a thing! It's great for breakfast potlucks. The one thing that all of my friends and I do is use the layered type refrigerator biscuits. The texture is much softer (soaks up a lot of good stuff) and who doesn't like layers? ;) Enjoy!

I was a bit disappointed with these because I was expecting something like a coconut flavored sticky bun. Instead, it was just a dinner roll soaked in coconut milk. The bottom of the roll was so soaked that it was just a soggy, sloppy, mushy mess. Thinking that I must have made an error, I began reading through the reviews and discovered that is exactly how they are supposed to turn out. Now that I know that, I really can’t give them a bad review because they did taste like a coconut flavored roll. Not something I would have made or would ever make again due to the texture.

Beyond decadent and yummy - ours didn't even make it out of the pan! We kept walking by and taking more. Don't need to have more than a few times a year, though - seriously rich and delicious.

Have made this several times and the only thing I do differently is I used coconut oil rather than cooking spray, but if use that use a Misto and use EVOO. I made 2 pans for a Valentine dinner at our condo yesterday. Got rave reviews and request from many for the recipe. I make probably once a month would do more often but would gain way to much weight. Thanks Kasey for sharing the recipe and the heads up by others that is really Samoan, I do like Islander type of food.

I made 16 rolls as I was having 8 people over and wanted everyone to have seconds. Did not double the coconut sauce and it was perfect. These are fantastic, everyone loved them!

Easy and Delicious

I made a bread machine dinner roll recipe and used that instead of frozen dough. I also sprinkled coconut on top of the rolls before baking. Rave reviews from my Sunday morning coffee guests!

Good recipe but it's not Hawaiian it's SAMOAN

Made these from scratch once. Didn't go by fast. Won't make again coconut milk will mold bread fast.

Samoan or Hawaiian this was a good and easy recipe. Although I did double the coconut mix because we love to eat a lot of it. It reminds of home(A.S.) every time I make it. Thanks for the recipe.......

add 2 table spoons corn starch

This is a great recipe. I made my own roll dough & I thought the flavor of the rolls w/the coconut sauce was great. I am Samoan & I never really knew how to make these b/c all my family just throws it together w/out measurements- and I prefer measurements! Next time I may cut out the condensed milk, I've never seen it used in a pani popo recipe. Not sure if it's even necessary. Still yummy nonetheless!

Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Bun) You can use cinnamon rolls if you want, just make sure not too much cinnamon, or just brush the top with a sweet glaze when it comes out the oven.

Made this last night using quick rise method off the frozen dinner roll bag, its a super easy way to make a delicious favorite without all the work of traditional pani popo..came out sooo good, family wants me to make it again tonight!