No-Bake Hawaiian Dream Cups are a deliciously flavorful pineapple coconut dessert that is perfect to make ahead for your next family dinner. You’ll be delighted by the flavors and textures in every single layer.
Take me back!
I love to go on tropical vacations.
Hawaii is my absolute favorite.
I’ve only been there once, but I want to go back over and over and over again.
This dessert recipe reminds me of Hawaii.
Key to Success #1 – Pick The Right Cup
You’ll want to look for a 9-ounce clear plastic cup that is short and squatty in nature.
The short and wide cups are much easier to spoon your ingredients into as well as easier to spoon your dessert out of.
These days, they have all sorts of fancy cups with gold or silver rims that will add a fancy touch to your dessert.
You can also find some cups with cute designs on the sides if you’d prefer.
You can see from the pictures that I used taller cups, and they will definitely work in a pinch but they make it much harder to get multiple layers into a single bite.
I love how you can pile the topping high like a real regal Hawaiian dessert.
This dessert is great when made in a 9X13-inch baking dish as well.
Key to Success #2 – Evenly Layer the Ingredients Into Cups
If you’re having a hard time getting the layers into the cups evenly, I have some nifty tips for you!
For the cream cheese layer – You can spoon the cream cheese layer into a zip-top plastic baggie then snip the end and pipe it into each cup.
For the coconut pudding layer – You can use the plastic baggie trick for this layer as well. Take your time and it’s pretty easy to get a smooth layer.
For the crust – After you spoon the crust into each cup, you can use an extra plastic cup to press the crust into the bottom of each cup.
This will create a nice even layer for the crust.
Key to Success #3 – Top It Off in Style
When it’s time to serve your dessert, add a big dollop of Reddi Whip to each cup then sprinkle the top with toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts.
For the toasted coconut, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Sprinkle the sweetened flaked coconut onto the covered baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, open the oven door and stir the coconut around a bit.
Bake until coconut is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes more.
Be sure to stir often!
The coconut and macadamia nuts add a really nice texture and a beautiful presentation on the top of this dessert.
Don’t skip it!
No-Bake Hawaiian Dream Cups are a great dessert to make ahead.
You can add everything except for the Reddi Whip and the toasted coconut and macadamia nuts.
The reason for this is that the Reddi Whip has a tendency to lose its shape after a short amount of time.
You can certainly skip the Reddi Whip and make the entire dessert ahead of time if desired.
You can also make this dessert in a 9X13-inch baking dish.
Pin this No-Bake Hawaiian Dream Cups to your favorite Hawaiian Desserts board or your No-Bake Desserts board.
No-Bake Hawaiian Dream Cups
Ingredients
For the crust
- 12 graham crackers
- 1 cup macadamia nuts unsalted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup butter melted
For the cream cheese layer
- 2 pkgs 8 oz each cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp pineapple juice
- 4 Tbsp heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
For the coconut layer
- 12 tsp sweetened flaked coconut
For the pudding layer
- 1 box 3.4 oz instant coconut cream pudding mix, or 1 box instant vanilla pudding + 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 1 3/4 cups milk
For Pineapple Layer
- 1 can 20 oz crushed pineapple, drained
For the Topping
- 1 bowl 8 oz Cool Whip
- 1 can Reddi Whip
- 1/2 cup toasted sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts chopped
Instructions
- In food processor, add graham crackers, macadamia nuts, granulated sugar and salt. Process into fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process until smooth. Press into bottoms of cups.
- In medium bowl, whisk together instant coconut cream pudding mix (or vanilla pudding mix + 1/2 tsp coconut extract) and cold milk. Stir until thickened then refrigerate for at 15 minutes until set
- In medium mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in pineapple juice and heavy cream then mix well. Gently stir in flaked coconut. Spread cream cheese over the crust in each cup.
- Sprinkle 1 tsp flaked coconut over cream cheese layer in each cup.
- Spoon coconut pudding over flaked coconut and spread into an even layer.
- Spoon crushed pineapple over coconut pudding layer.
- Top pineapple with a layer of Cool Whip.
- When ready to serve, garnish with a dollop of Reddi-whip then sprinkle with toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts.