20 Delicious and Popular Filipino Desserts Everyone Must Try
Composed of thousands of islands, the Philippines boasts a ton of desserts. From famous Filipino summer desserts to all-season treats, this article lists 20 popular Filipino desserts.
The country’s love for desserts originates from its history with sugar. Over a century ago, sugar played a considerable role in the country’s economy.
Besides adobo and lechon, Filipinos love to make desserts. They love to use sugar in almost everything, including spaghetti. So, it’s not surprising that the Philippines boasts many sweet delicacies.
Top Filipino Desserts List
Speaking of sweet delicacies, here is the list of the top 20 best Pinoy desserts list you don’t want to miss out on:
1. Leche Flan
Leche flan tops the list of Filipino desserts because of its soft and rich texture. Interestingly, leche flan is the Filipino version of creme caramel. However, leche flan uses condensed and evaporated milk as its base.
In addition, leche flan is a big hit during the holiday season. During Christmas and New Year, Filipinos always look forward to seeing leche flan on their tables.
It’s no wonder why this is so. After all, with that divine caramel on top and a creamy base, who won’t look forward to it?
If you want to make the best version of this dessert, check out this leche flan recipe
2. Halo-Halo
Halo-halo means to mix. One of the best on our Filipino desserts list, consumers mix the ingredients using an elongated spoon.
We’re not talking about a few ingredients.
These ingredients include milk, sweetened banana, jackfruit, jelly, nata de coco, beans, ice cream, leche flan, and pinipig. Depending on one’s preference, people add cornflakes, corn, macapuno, and purple yam jam to it as well.
The combination of different textures and refreshing shaved ice explodes in your mouth. This makes halo-halo a Filipino favorite food. While halo-halo is best consumed during the summer, many eat it during any season.
3. Ginataang Halo-Halo
The halo-halo saga does not end there. There’s regular halo-halo, but there’s ginataang halo-halo as well. Ginataan means coconut milk.
Derived from one of the most loved Filipino desserts, ginataang halo-halo (halo-halo with coconut milk) is a warm version of halo-halo.
Originating from the central Philippines, ginataang halo-halo is made of chopped sweet potato or ube, banana, coconut, sago (small tapioca pearls), and chewy rice balls. People then cook these ingredients together with thickened coconut milk. Sometimes, cooks add jackfruit to their ginataang halo-halo for extra flavor.
4. Buko Salad
Buko stands for coconut. Hence, buko salad means fruit salad mixed with coconut. Despite having many fruits in the mix, coconut remains the highlight of this dessert. To make this delicious dessert, you must use tender and young coconut.
Like many desserts on this list, buko salad is a great holiday dessert. After all, almost everyone can make it.
Interestingly, you must gather the ingredients, mix them well, and put them in the fridge. You can have one of the best Pinoy desserts a few hours later.
5. Buko Pandan
The Philippines has a ton of coconut trees, so many Pinoy desserts are made with buko. We can’t help but include another buko dessert on the list.
Unlike buko salad, buko pandan is made of three simple ingredients: pandan-flavored jelly, young coconut, and milk. Some cooks add sago (small tapioca pearls) and fresh pandan leaves.
Those who use fresh pandan leaves boil them in water. Then, they add the solution to the mix.
Like buko salad, buko pandan is best served chilled. Both children and adults love this dessert, so you won’t regret making it.
6. Sorbetes
Sorbetes means ice cream. The name came from the Spanish word for sorbet, as Spain heavily influenced the Philippines.
Unlike regular ice cream that uses cow’s milk, sorbetes uses coconut or carabao milk instead. This sets sorbetes apart from many ice cream brands in the supermarket.
Since coconut or carabao milk is usually less expensive than cow’s, sorbetes can be cheap. Sold by sorbeteros (ice cream men), sorbetes remains affordable.
Served in deep cylindrical metal tubs, sorbetes remains a party favorite. Sorbetes also remains on top because of its wide variety of flavors. You can find it in ube, cheese, chocolate, pandan, and strawberry flavors.
Want to make your own mango sorbetes? Try this mango ice cream recipe.
7. Maja Blanca
Just like sorbetes, coconut milk is maja blanca’s main ingredient.
Maja blanca means coconut pudding. However, Filipinos made this coconut pudding more exciting by adding corn. Some top it off with cheese or desiccated coconut.
Rich and creamy, maja blanca makes a mouth-watering dessert. Many enjoy this as a snack, too.
While officially translated as coconut pudding, maja blanca boasts a sweet, creamy, yet firmer texture than regular pudding. In addition, maja blanca’s rich corn and coconut flavor keep it on the ultimate Filipino desserts list
8. Egg Pie
Egg pie is a simple custard pie made with basic ingredients. While the ingredients are basic, Filipino egg pie is extraordinary.
Due to its wonderful flavor and texture, egg pie remains a popular dessert in the country. Interestingly, tons of bakeries, both small and big, sell egg pie.
In particular, egg pie boasts a sweet, creamy filling with a flaky, butter crust. It is also easy to make. Many bakers can cook it within an hour.
A common baking supplies store readily sells egg pie ingredients, so you won’t find it hard to buy them.
9. Suman
While most rice cakes are made of finely ground rice, suman is not.
Suman is made of sticky rice cooked in coconut milk. It can be topped with mango, sugar, and coconut.
Filipinos consider suman wrapping as unique art. Its origins can be traced to pre-colonial roots, characterized by Indian culture. Suman makers wrap the sticky rice using banana, palm, or coconut leaves.
In addition, suman comes in many shapes and sizes― rectangular, cylindrical, and triangular. Street vendors also sell them for an affordable price. Some go around the streets selling them. Others sell them via small stalls.
10. Puto Bumbong
Food stalls near churches characterize the yuletide season in the Philippines. The highlight of the season? Vendors selling delicious puto bumbong (purple rice cake).
The aroma of this famous dessert lures a lot of people in. Whether you’re familiar with this Filipino dessert or not, you won’t regret making it.
Just like suman, making puto bumbong is an art in itself. Cooks prepare it by steaming finely ground rice colored purple in a bamboo tube. An odd-shaped steamer is used to cook it.
Once cooked, puto bumbong is placed on top of banana leaf and topped with margarine, grated coconut, and dark brown sugar.
11. Turon
Turon (banana roll) is one of those Filipino desserts everyone in the country knows.
Made of thinly sliced bananas, turon remains an affordable yet delicious snack in the Philippines. Due to its easy-to-make nature, street vendors love to sell turon.
To give you an idea of how easy it is, thinly sliced bananas are first dusted with brown sugar. They are then rolled with a spring roll wrapper. Lastly, they are fried in hot oil with brown sugar.
While regular turon only contains bananas, other fruits can be included in it. These fruits include jackfruit, mango, coconut, and sweet potato. Some cooks also put cheese inside.
12. Banana Cue
Let us give you another popular banana dessert in the Philippines: banana cue.
Banana cue is a shortcut for banana barbecue. Instead of using spices, banana cue uses brown sugar. Just like turon, bananas are deep-fried in hot oil with brown sugar.
However, banana cue does not require spring roll wrappers. It does not call for thinly sliced bananas as well. So, it is easier to make compared to turon.
You simply have to peel the bananas and cook them. Then, arrange them on a stick. So easy to make, right?
13. Ube Cheese Pandesal
A recent craze in the Philippines, ube cheese pandesal includes creamy ube halaya or jam and cheese. Started just a little over two years ago, ube cheese pandesal remains a crowd favorite.
A variation of the popular pandesal, ube cheese pandesal also serves as a great snack.
Interestingly, ube cheese pandesal reached its peak during the pandemic. Many bakers sold it online. Sales skyrocketed, allowing ube cheese pandesal to leave its mark in the dessert industry.
Speaking of leaving marks, this ube cheese pandesal recipe will leave marks on your heart and tummy.
14. Sapin-Sapin
Another popular Filipino kakanin is the Sapin-sapin, it means layers. Known as one of the prettiest Filipino desserts, sapin-sapin easily fills a hungry stomach.
Aside from being filling, people love sapin-sapin for many reasons.
For one, sapin-sapin is one of the easiest Filipino dessert recipes one can make. Just mix sticky rice flour, condensed milk, coconut milk, and sugar. Make sure the batter ends up smooth.
Then, divide the batter into three parts and color each differently. Steam the layers on top of each other and voila! You make your own attractive sapin-sapin.
If you want to take things up a notch, top it off with latik (toasted coconut cream).
15. Butterscotch
People in the west know butterscotch as candy made of butter and brown sugar. In the Philippines, butterscotch is not candy. It is like a brownie, but with butter and brown sugar as its main ingredients. In a sense, butterscotch in the Philippines can be synonymous with blondies.
Names aside, chewy, delicious butterscotch in the Philippines is a big hit. People sell them in big and small bakeries. They are also sold in many supermarkets.
In the Philippines, bakers make chewy butterscotch using butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, and milk. If you want to make things easier, you can use a butterscotch mix.
Want to take your butterscotch bars to the next level? Try this special butterscotch recipe.
16. Cassava Cake
As its name implies, cassava cake is made of cassava. Tapioca pearls are made using cassava starch. Hence, cassava cake does not have the same texture as regular cake.
With Latin American roots, the Philippines welcomed cassava sometime in the 16th century.
Often sold in boxes, cassava cake makes every meal more wonderful. Many like it mainly because of its texture and flavor.
In particular, cassava cake is one of those desserts with a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors. The amazing blend of butter, cheese, and cassava melts in your mouth.
Just in case you’re in Laguna, maybe you should try the best cassava cake in town, Mitz Bakeshop in Los Baños.
Cassava cake is indeed a delightful way to end every meal. Plus, you can bring it to parties, too!
17. Kutsinta
As you may well know, a lot of Filipino desserts are made with glutinous rice.
Kutsinta is a sticky rice cake with a jelly texture. This famous Filipino kakanin is made using rice flour, lye water, and sugar, grated coconut tops off this amazing dessert.
Kutsinta (lye water rice cake) got its name from the Chinese word ‘kueh tsin tao’ which means a bite-sized cake, snack, or dessert. This concept was brought to the Philippines in the 9th century when the Chinese began trading with Filipinos.
18. Puto
We have another steamed rice cake on our Filipino desserts list.
Puto is made of rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk. Many Filipinos love the basic version. However, more variations popped out over the years.
The most famous out of these variations is this puto with cheese recipe.
19. Taho
Often sold by vendors carrying big metal tubs, taho is another dessert to reckon with. Dubbed as the masses’ dessert, many, if not all Filipinos love taho (soy caramel pudding).
Composed of soft tofu, caramel, and tapioca pearls, many see taho as comfort food. Not only is it delicious, but taho is packed with nutrients as well.
The main ingredient, soft tofu, is processed to have a texture similar to fine custard. To make arnibal (Filipino caramel), taho makers mix brown sugar with water. They then boil sago (small tapioca pearls). After preparing the ingredients, vendors mix them to make taho.
20. Dream Cake
The term dream cake usually describes a Danish dessert characterized by a soft, airy sponge topped with caramelized coconut topping.
Well, the Philippines has its own version of the dream cake. In the country, dream cakes are made of luscious chocolate layers. Discovered in 2018, the Filipino dream cake quickly gained popularity.
If you’re interested in it, this no-bake dream cake recipe guides you through the step-by-step process of making one.
Trivia
What is Cake in Tagalog or Filipino? To know the answer, read our article about cake in tagalog.
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- Top 20 Cereal Dishes You Shouldn’t Miss
- The Only Kakanin List You’ll Ever Need
- 15 Christmas Food for Noche Buena That You Will Love
Conclusion
Filipino desserts are not just loved by Filipinos, but foreigners as well. People from other countries who get to taste them fall in love in no time. If you want to impress your loved ones, try making any of the Filipino desserts lists now!
When you visit our country, check out the many popular festivals in the Philippines. You will love and enjoy them too. For your convenience, we have prepared a list of “Famous Philippine Festivals: Highlights and Pasalubong.”
About HICAPS
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