Nearly as famous as Brigadeiros, these beijinhos de coco are an easy 4-ingredient Brazilian coconut balls recipe your familia and amigos will LOVE. They’re essentially coconut fudge, rolled into bite-sized balls that are sinfully sweet and delicious, cute as buttons and great for parties and holidays year round. They’re even great to make as a gift!

If you love Brazilian sweets, don’t forget to try: Brigadeiro Recipe – Brazilian Fudge Balls, Brigadeiro Cake Recipe, Brazilian Flan Recipe.

Close up of Brazilian coconut balls on a platter and garnished with whole cloves

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Beijinho de Coco – A Classic Brazilian Sweet

Oi gente!

This Brazilian coconut balls recipe called beijinho de coco in Portuguese, is another Brazilian party classic we cannot forget about, especially if you or a loved one is a coconut lover. And speaking of love, beijinho de coco, literally translates to coconut kiss, which makes total sense, because, what better way to tell someone you love them than with sweet coconut kisses?

Like the good Brazilian gal that I am, I grew up eating these at almost every birthday or holiday. This coconut balls recipe is one of the many sweets we love to use as edible decorations around a pretty Brigadeiro cake table, along with brigadeiros, and other docinhos because we don’t fear a sugar rush! We’re stronger than that, haha.

Besides, a table with edible cutesey sweets is way better than one full of things I cannot eat, like fake plants and candles, so there…

A person holds a scalloped gray dish holding shredded coconut fudge balls with whole cloves

These are a childhood treat that I love to not only enjoy, but also make as a homemade gift to friends, neighbors, co-workers and anyone else who might need a boost! I sometimes make a mixed box with brigadeiro so they can have both to enjoy.

This is a great make ahead dessert recipe, too. I love that you can make the mixture the night before, then just roll the balls in the morning — and, if you’re a parent, you can have the kids help roll and decorate with you. It’s so fun!

Turn your next celebration into a real Brazilian festa with these coconutty treats.

Beijinhos xx

Brazilian Coconut Balls Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients for coconut balls recipe in bowls on marble

Beijinho de coco in a scalloped gray bowl before serving

14 oz. sweet condensed milk
Unsweetened, shredded coconut or coconut flakes
Unsalted butter
Heavy cream
Whole cloves for decorating (optional)

OK, so we’re clear, do not eat the cloves! If you choose to use them, make sure to remove them before eating the coconut balls.

Then, why do we use cloves in beijinho de coco?

They add aroma.
They infuse their aroma into the coconut balls recipe and that aroma cuts through some of the sweetness of the beijinhos.
If this is some nonsense you can’t fully commit to, you can add cloves to just a few of the coconut balls, or none at all—it’s up to you!

And speaking of things that are up to you, while it’s not traditional, you can also use toasted coconut on the outside of the coconut fudge balls. OR you can dye the coconut and make them the color you want to create your own little festive look.

Other Coconut Recipes you’ll love: Batida de Coco – Brazilian Coconut Cocktail / Canjica – Brazilian Corn and Coconut Porridge / Pudim de Tapioca – Brazilian Tapioca Pudding

Tools you need to make coconut fudge balls with condensed milk:

2 quart heavy bottomed saucepan – I use the one from this Calphalon set
Silicone spatula
Candy thermometer
1 tablespoon scoop
Cute candy cups for serving

How to make this Brazilian Coconut Balls Recipe

A collage of two images showing a woman holding long strands of shredded coconut on the lefthand image and the same woman holding finely shredded coconut in her hand on the right

Before you get started on cooking these coconut fudge balls, get your ingredients in order. And if your shredded coconut is in long strands, like the photo above (on the left), throw it into your food processor and pulse a few times to make it smaller and more consistent (like in the image on the right).

A collage of four images showing how to make Beijinho de coco recipe by adding ingredients to a saucepan, adding coconut, stirring and then pouring the ingredients into a bowl

Then, just add the condensed milk, the butter, and the cream to a medium saucepan and heat it up until the butter melts.

After the butter has melted, add half of the shredded coconut to the pan and stir until combined. And keep cooking over medium heat, stirring continually and scraping the sides and the bottom of the pan with a spatula. We need to do this to avoid burning the mixture and having to start over again.

It’ll take about 10 or so minutes for our beijinho mixture to get to the consistency that we want, which is when we scrape the bottom of the pan, and the mixture takes 2-3 seconds to come back to its place, or when the mixture reaches 210F-220F. (You can use a candy thermometer or just a regular food thermometer to check.)

A note about the consistency of the Beijinho de Coco Mixture:

We Brazilians were born wired to make condensed milk rolled desserts, like this coconut balls recipe. We’ve watched our moms and grandmas make them our whole lives, so we’ve experienced the making process from an early age.

If you’ve never made a condensed milk fudge ball dessert before, the secret is practice, trial and sometimes error.

And hey, even if the coconut balls don’t roll properly, you can still eat them with a spoon, which is a special kind of fun, too!

A collage of two images showing the coconut fudge in a white bowl after coming out of the saucepan and a green spatula spreading it out evenly before cooling

After you’re done cooking, pour the hot coconut mixture into a dish, or plate, cover with plastic wrap to contact (so a film doesn’t form over the top of the coconut fudge) and let it cool completely.

This should take about 2 hours, but you can let it cool overnight in the fridge, too!

How to Roll Your Coconut Balls

A collage of four images showing how to form the coconut fudge balls in four steps with a cookie scoop and buttered hands

Pour the remaining shredded coconut into a deep plate or bowl. You want there to be some depth here because you need some room to roll the coconut fudge balls around in the coconut.

When the beijinho mixture has cooled completely, lightly butter your hands and the scoop or spoon you’re using. This will prevent the fudge mixture from sticking everywhere.

Using a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, or a spoon, scoop out the coconut fudge, and roll between your hands into little balls.

A collage of two images showing a Beijinho de coco in a bowl of shredded coconut to the left and the same ball being rolled in coconut in the image on the right

Then just roll the little balls in the shredded coconut, and push a whole clove into each little coconut ball to decorate, if desired.

Don’t push it too far in because you’ll need to remove it before eating!

A collage of two images shows a coconut fudge ball in the palm of a person's hand to the left and the same fudge ball in the palm of a hand with a whole clove in it as decoration

Store the coconut fudge balls in a cool place or in the refrigerator until serving time.

We can serve these coconut fudge balls with condensed milk in a tray or you can put them in cute candy cups like this that match the theme of your party and make everything so much cuter and happier.

A note on storing this coconut balls recipe:

When you store these coconut fudge balls, if you store some with cloves alongside ones without, they’ll all will soak in the aroma of the cloves!

If you don’t want any trace of cloves in your coconut balls, store them in separate containers.

Overhead image of coconut fudge balls in a scalloped light gray dish garnished with coconut on marble

More Brazilian Recipes Perfect for a Party:

Along with this Coconut Balls recipe, we’ve got a lot of other fun party treats! Here are a few of them:

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