Do you want to make your own Cabello de Ángel? Check out this recipe!
“Cabello de Ángel” is a traditional sweet dessert in Spanish and Latin American cuisine. It is made from strands of cooked pumpkin that are mixed with sugar and sometimes flavored with lemon or other spices. The mixture is then cooked until it caramelizes and turns into a sweet, jam-like substance. “Cabello de Ángel” can be enjoyed on its own or as a filling for pastries, cakes, or other desserts. The name “Cabello de Ángel” translates to “Angel Hair” in English, referring to the thin, thread-like strands of pumpkin in the dessert.
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Ingredients:
- 1 kg of pumpkin ( not any pumpkin but cidra, or Cucurbita ficifolia is a species of squash) It has common names including Asian pumpkin, black seed squash, chilacayote, fig-leaf gourd, and Malabar gourd.)
- 500 g of sugar
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- Water
Instructions:
- Take a large pot, fill it halfway with water and bring it to a boil.
- Cut the pumpkin into four parts and add them to the boiling water. Cook the pumpkin for 30 to 40 minutes over medium heat until it becomes soft. You can check if it’s done by trying to bend the skin with tongs. If it gives, it’s ready, if not, it needs a bit more time.
- Once the pumpkin is cooked, drain it and let it cool down. Remove the seeds and separate the pulp from the skin using a spoon.
- Weigh the pulp and place it in a bowl. Add half its weight in sugar. For example, if you have 1 kg of pumpkin, add 500 g of sugar.
- Grate the zest of half a lemon and add it to a pot with the pulp and sugar. Squeeze in the juice of the same lemon, being careful not to let any seeds fall in.
- Cook everything over very low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking. The “Cabello de Ángel” will be ready when it has that dark caramelized color and the characteristic threads.
- Serve and enjoy! You can also preserve it in jars or freeze it for up to a year.
Tips for the perfect “Cabello de Ángel”:
- The cooking time of the pumpkin may vary depending on whether it’s hard or already ripe.
- You can add different flavors to the “Cabello de Ángel”, such as orange zest, vanilla extract or cinnamon, to suit your tastes.

Cabello de Ángel recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg of pumpkin not any pumpkin but cidra, or Cucurbita ficifolia is a species of squash It has common names including Asian pumpkin, black seed squash, chilacayote, fig-leaf gourd, and Malabar gourd.)
- 500 g of sugar
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- Water
Instructions
- Take a large pot, fill it halfway with water and bring it to a boil.
- Cut the pumpkin into four parts and add them to the boiling water. Cook the pumpkin for 30 to 40 minutes over medium heat until it becomes soft. You can check if it’s done by trying to bend the skin with tongs. If it gives, it’s ready, if not, it needs a bit more time.
- Once the pumpkin is cooked, drain it and let it cool down. Remove the seeds and separate the pulp from the skin using a spoon.
- Weigh the pulp and place it in a bowl. Add half its weight in sugar. For example, if you have 1 kg of pumpkin, add 500 g of sugar.
- Grate the zest of half a lemon and add it to a pot with the pulp and sugar. Squeeze in the juice of the same lemon, being careful not to let any seeds fall in.
- Cook everything over very low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking. The “Cabello de Ángel” will be ready when it has that dark caramelized color and the characteristic threads.
- Serve and enjoy! You can also preserve it in jars or freeze it for up to a year.
Notes
You can add different flavors to the “Cabello de Ángel”, such as orange zest, vanilla extract or cinnamon, to suit your tastes.