3-Ingredient Chestnut Puree With Whipped Coconut Cream (Kesten Pire)

This chestnut puree dessert recipe (also known as kesten pire) would have to be my favourite way to enjoy chestnuts. It’s easy to make, requires only three ingredients and a great unique dessert to make for friends and family when they’re in season.

Chestnuts would have to be one of my all-time favourites foods. I love them roasted, pureed, in any which way. I like to keep them simple as they are just divine on their own.

I know that many people in Australia have never tried chestnuts, but where I grew up in Slovenia, I have many fond memories of them.

One was the little side of the street pop-up stalls where they roasted and sold them in newspaper rolled up shaped like a cone.

It was one of the things I always used to beg mum and dad for in Autumn. The smell catches you from a mile away!

As it’s the last few weeks of chestnuts at the markets here in Canberra, I wanted to share a simple yet delicious chestnut puree dessert recipe with you! All you need is three ingredients.

The above is how you’ll find chestnuts when they come off the tree. They are in a prickly pouch nestled with about 2-4 other chestnuts. The pouch splits open naturally, and you pick out the chestnuts using gloves, of course!

Roasting chestnuts

If you’re interested in keeping it even more simple than this recipe, you can roast them. Use your oven, barbecue, or frying pan. Cut/score the top in an ‘X’ shape and place on heat single layered for around 20-25 minutes.

You’ll notice that they’re ready when the shell starts to peel back and the flesh goes a darker brown. If you’re unsure, try one. It shouldn’t be hard to bite into. Quite soft but firm.

They are the easiest to peel while they are still pretty hot. Just try not to burn your fingers like I do every time!

Vegan and healthy chestnut puree dessert recipe

Chestnuts are quite versatile, but I normally have them in the most natural form. They can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. I’ve never had them savoury myself, but they make a great addition as a stuffing ingredient or added to a salad. 

They’re not, howevere, to be confused with water chestnuts! Water chestnuts are aquatic vegetables that grow in marshes under the water in the mud, unlike normal chestnuts that are grown on trees.

There are also many different varieties of tree chestnuts, and not all are edible.

What do you use chestnut puree for?

Chestnut puree can be used in many different ways. However, this is the simplest (and my favourite) way to have them. You can add it to muffins, cakes, create a spread out of it, in a tart or a mousse. There are so many options, and that’s only the sweet way! 

You can use this recipe as a base to start experimenting with it if you wish. They go really well with chocolate and other nuts like almonds and walnuts.

Other sweets, you’ll love:

1. Easy Vegan Apple Burek (Posna Pita Sa Jabukama)
2. Rose and Pistachio Vegan Rice Pudding
3. Vegan Semolina Cake with Lemon Syrup
4. Easy Vegan Tiramisu (Gluten-Free)
5. Baked Apples with Dates and Nuts (Tufahije)

If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest. 

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