Pumpkin Coconut Buns – Soft Baked Bread with Coconut Filling

These pumpkin buns are soft, fluffy yeast breads filled with a sweet coconut center. Pumpkin gives the dough a beautiful golden color and tender texture, while the fragrant coconut filling makes every bite extra comforting.

Pumpkin buns with coconut filling are a delicious way to enjoy pumpkin in Asian-style baking. Unlike Western pumpkin bread, which is usually baked as a loaf or quick bread, these buns are soft, yeasted, and shaped into individual portions with a sweet filling tucked inside. The result is a light, fluffy bread that’s gently sweet rather than cake-like.

These pumpkin buns are filled with a rich coconut center that pairs beautifully with the naturally sweet pumpkin dough. You can also swap the coconut filling for my homemade custard filling for a creamy bakery-style version or ube halaya for a fragrant purple yam variation.

I love using pumpkin in both sweet and savory recipes, from pumpkin mantou to pumpkin chiffon cake. Unlike pumpkin mantou, which is steamed, these pumpkin buns are baked until golden and have a soft, fluffy bread-like crumb. If you enjoy Asian-style breads like this, you can find more ideas in my Asian Bread Recipes collection.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Pumpkin puree – steam the pumpkin and puree it well.

Sweetener for the coconut – you can use regular sugar or coconut sugar to make it more nutty.

Egg – I add one egg to make the bread more fluffy. However, if you would like it eggless, just omit it and substitute with milk or water.

Unsalted butter – I put butter to make the bread more fragrant. Substitute with coconut oil for vegan version.

Freshly grated coconut – I highly recommend you use freshly grated coconut, but if you can’t find any in your area, you may substitute it with desiccated coconut. Hydrate it by steaming it.

Pandan leaves and cinnamon stick – Pandan leaves and cinnamon stick will add aromatic flavor to the filling.

How to Make Pumpkin Bun

STEP 1. In a mixing bowl, combine bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, milk powder, milk, egg, and pumpkin purée (Image 1). Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Add the butter and salt (Image 2), then continue mixing until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky (Images 3, 4).

STEP 2. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for at least 1 hour (Image 5). While the dough is proofing, make the coconut filling: In a pan, combine grated coconut, sugar, salt, water, pandan leaves, and a cinnamon stick (Image 6). Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed (Image 7). Set aside to cool (Image 8).

STEP 3. Once the dough has doubled in size (Image 9), punch it down to release the air (Image 10). Divide into 16 equal pieces (Image 11). Take one piece and gently flatten it with your fingers (Image 12).

STEP 4. Roll it out lightly with a rolling pin, then flip it so the smooth side faces down (Images 13, 14). Place 1 teaspoon of coconut filling in the center (Image 15), then seal the edges tightly (Image 16).

STEP 5. Shape the dough into a smooth ball (Image 17) and arrange them on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Lightly brush the tops with evaporated milk (Image 18) and decorate with pumpkin seeds (Image 19). Bake in a preheated oven at 320°F (160°C) for 16 minutes, or until golden brown. For a glossy finish, brush the tops again with milk right after baking (Image 20).

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy this Pumpkin Bun with Coconut warm or at room temperature. Both ways are delightful! The soft, fluffy bread with its sweet coconut center pairs beautifully with a glass of Rose Milk Tea, Earl Grey Milk Tea, or Assam Milk Tea. The floral or bold tea notes balance the richness of the filling perfectly.

For a complete Southeast Asian-inspired treat, serve it alongside a bowl of Pulut Hitam. The creamy, chewy black glutinous rice dessert adds a lovely contrast in texture and flavor.

Pumpkin Coconut Bun FAQs

Storage

Keep the pumpkin bun in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic to maintain its freshness. If you keep it in the refrigerator, it can stay fresh up to one week.

Reheat the bread with microwave or oven a few minutes before serving. Or just take it out from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, you can just eat it straight away afterwards.

More Bread Recipes

• Japanese Milk Bread
• Korean Sausage Bread
• Roti Sisir
• Pandan Milk Bread
• Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread

Pumpkin Coconut Buns

Pumpkin bread with beautiful yellow color and soft texture, filled with coconut filling is an exotic fusion bread in Asia.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Bread and Buns, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Indonesian

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 pcs

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Claudia

Equipment

• ▢
  1 baking pan 8×8 inch baking pan

Ingredients

Dough

• ▢ 250 gr bread flour
• ▢ 10 gr milk powder
• ▢ 50 gr sugar
• ▢ 4 gr instant yeast
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 65 gr pumpkin puree
• ▢ 40 gr milk
• ▢ 30 gr unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 gr salt

Coconut Filling

• ▢ 300 gr grated coconut
• ▢ 60 gr sugar
• ▢ 2 pandan leaves
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 50 ml of water

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, combine bread flour, sugar, instant yeast, milk powder, milk, egg, and pumpkin purée. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Add the butter and salt, then continue mixing until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for at least 1 hour. While the dough is proofing, make the coconut filling: In a pan, combine grated coconut, sugar, salt, water, pandan leaves, and a cinnamon stick. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release the air. Divide into 16 equal pieces. Take one piece and gently flatten it with your fingers.
• Roll it out lightly with a rolling pin, then flip it so the smooth side faces down. Place 1 teaspoon of coconut filling in the center, then seal the edges tightly.
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball and arrange them on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Lightly brush the tops with evaporated milk and decorate with pumpkin seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 320°F (160°C) for 16 minutes, or until golden brown. For a glossy finish, brush the tops again with milk right after baking.

Video

Notes

• Use Bread Flour for the Best Texture. Bread flour gives the dough that soft, chewy bite. All-purpose flour works in a pinch, but the bread may turn out a bit less fluffy.
• Drain Pumpkin Purée if Too Wet. If your pumpkin purée looks watery, drain it with a fine mesh sieve or blot gently with paper towel. Too much moisture can affect the dough’s texture.
• Don’t Skip the Salt in the Dough. Salt balances the sweetness and helps develop flavor—it’s essential, even in sweet breads!
• Make Sure the Dough is Smooth & Elastic. Mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl and feels tacky but not sticky. A proper gluten window = soft, pillowy bread.
• Use Fresh Grated Coconut for Best Flavor. Fresh or frozen grated coconut will give you the most aromatic, juicy filling. Desiccated coconut can work, but add extra water to hydrate it.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

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