Native Desserts
in the Philippines
Introduction
The history of Philippine native desserts is a flavorful tapestry woven from a blend of indigenous ingredients, colonial
influences, and cultural exchanges. Indigenous communities across the archipelago crafted sweets from locally available
resources long before the arrival of Spanish colonizers. Ingredients like rice, coconut, and tropical fruits served as the
foundation for many early desserts.
The Spanish colonization in the 16th century introduced new ingredients such as sugar, eggs, and dairy products, transforming
the landscape of Filipino sweets. This period saw the emergence of desserts like leche flan, a rich caramel custard, and
ensaymada, a sweet pastry topped with butter and sugar.
Over time, Philippine desserts evolved through cross-cultural exchanges, incorporating Chinese, Malay, and American
influences. This culinary fusion gave rise to iconic treats such as halo-halo, a beloved shaved ice dessert layered with fruits,
beans, and jellies, reflecting the diversity of flavors and textures found across the islands.
Today, Philippine native desserts continue to evolve, blending tradition with innovation. They serve not only as delightful
treats but also as a testament to the country's vibrant culinary heritage and the enduring creativity of its people.
Characteristics of
Philippine Native
Desserts
Filipino sweets are like a special story of flavors that are really a big part of our
culture. We call them "pang himagas," and people enjoy them all day long as snacks or
desserts. These treats have been around for a long time, even though we didn't always
have a lot of different desserts. Now, we have all kinds, from frozen Halo-Halo to
warm Ginataang Bilo Bilo with bananas and coconut milk. These sweets are just right
in sweetness, like Leche Flan, Buco Pandan, and Sorbetes.
Filipinos used indigenous ingredients like coconuts, rice, and tropical fruits, showing
off what our country has. Making them is like a secret family recipe, with methods like
steaming and boiling, grilling, baking, frying, and freezing passed down through
generations.
The mix of flavors in these treats, sometimes a little salty or creamy, makes them really
tasty. And it's not just about eating something yummy; these desserts share stories,
traditions, and the happy feeling of being together. Every bite is like a trip through the
different tastes of the Philippines, leaving a happy memory for those who enjoy them.
Unique Components
of Philippine Native
Desserts
Coconut Milk
Coconut is a staple ingredient in many Philippine
desserts, appearing in various forms such as
coconut milk, grated coconut, or coconut cream.
It adds richness and flavor to dishes like
bibingka, buko pandan, and coconut macaroons.
Filipinos love desserts, which locals call
Kakanin. There are numerous coconut-based
confections that are traditionally enjoyed at
parties, served in specialty food outlets, or sold
on the streets.
Sticky Rice & Rice Flour
Rice is one of the food staple of the Filipinos,
creating a variety of desserts from it called
“kakanin”. The name kakaninis derived from two
Tagalog words: “kain” which means “to eat” and
“kanin” that translates to “rice”. It’s an umbrella
term for sweets made of glutinous rice and
coconut milk, two ingredients that tropical
countries like ours have in abundance.
Rice flour is a versatile ingredient in Philippine
desserts, used to make delicacies like puto
(steamed rice cakes), kutsinta (sticky rice cakes),
and bibingka (rice cake), each offering a unique
texture and taste.
Local Fruits
Philippine desserts often feature an array
of tropical fruits such as mangoes,
bananas, jackfruit, and ube (purple yam).
These fruits add natural sweetness and
vibrant colors to dishes like halo-halo,
mais con yelo, and fruit salad.
Beans and Legumes
Beans and legumes like mung beans, kidney
beans, and garbanzo beans are frequently
used in Philippine desserts. They are cooked,
sweetened, and added as toppings or fillings
in treats like halo-halo, ginataang monggo,
and turon.
Native Sweeteners
Traditional sweeteners such as muscovado
sugar, coconut sugar (panutsa), and molasses
are commonly used in Filipino desserts,
imparting a distinct caramel-like flavor and
depth to the sweetness.
Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is used in many
ways in the Filipino kitchen: it’s one of the
main ingredients of some of our favorite
desserts and sweet snacks including the
leche flan, the fruit salad, yema, and
pastillas.
It provides a concentrated creaminess and
sweet, milky flavor to whatever you put it in,
without all the excess moisture that you get
from regular old milk.
Different Kinds of
Philippine Native
Desserts
Puto
One of the most famous dessert snacks in
the Philippines. It’s one of the most iconic
Filipino dishes you can think of and
something that’s enjoyed everywhere in the
country. Puto refers to small steamed rice
cakes made with slightly fermented
glutinous rice dough (galapong). It’s the
most popular form of kakanin – a family of
Filipino desserts or snacks made with
glutinous rice paste.
Kutsinta Suman
Flatter in shape and orange-ish in color, It refers to a type of Filipino rice cake
kutsinta may look very different from made from sticky rice cooked in
the classic version of the iconic rice coconut milk and steamed in banana
cake but it’s actually quite similar. It’s leaves. The most common varieties are
made with the same basic ingredients typically shaped like a cigar and served
but with the addition of lye which gives with a sprinkling of sugar on top or
it a much chewier and stickier texture. drizzled with latik, a type of dark
White sugar is substituted with brown coconut caramel sauce made with
sugar and anatto seeds (achuete) are coconut milk and brown sugar.
used for color.
Puto Bumbong
A festive Filipino dessert known for its deep
purple color. Traditionally associated with the
Christmas season, puto bumbong is one of
the prettiest types of kakanin in the
Philippines. Because of its rich purple color,
many people think that puto bumbong is
made with ube (purple yam) but it isn’t. It gets
its purple color from pirurutong which is a
unique heirloom variety of glutinous rice
that’s naturally deep purple to almost black in
color.
Sapin-Sapin Halo-Halo
The name literally means “layered” in This festive and colorful dish is one of
the most internationally well-known
Tagalog and refers to the brightly-
Filipino desserts. Meaning “mixed” in
colored layers that make up this classic
Filipino, halo-halo refers to a cold and
Filipino dessert. Sapin-sapin is made
refreshing dessert made with crushed or
with glutinous rice flour, coconut milk,
shaved ice, sweetened condensed milk,
and sugar.
and a plethora of additional ingredients
like sweetened beans, coconut strips,
ube (purple yam jam), sweet corn, kaong
(sugar palm fruit), leche flan, sweetened
bananas, and ice cream.
Turon
It refers to a popular Filipino snack or
dessert made with thin slices of plantain
dusted with brown sugar and deep-fried
in lumpia wrapper. This delicious treat
is commonly sold as street food in the
Philippines.
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo Sorbetes (Dirty Ice Cream)
Ginataan refers to a family of sweet and Sorbetes refers to the type of Filipino ice
savory Filipino dishes made with gata cream sold from these mobile street
carts. At the time of its invention, it was
or coconut milk. It can contain any
made with carabao’s milk which was
number of ingredients like sweet
cheaper than cow’s milk. Both types of
potato, tubers, sago (tapioca pearls),
milk are used to make sorbetes along
langka (jackfruit), and sweetened
with local ingredients like sweetened
bananas.
coconut milk and cassava flour. Some of
the most popular sorbetes ice cream
flavors include mango, ube (purple yam),
coconut, and our personal favorite –
queso (cheese).
Minatamis na Saging
Minatamis na saging literally means
“sweetened banana” and refers to a
simple but delicious dessert made with
chopped plantains cooked in arnibal
(brown sugar syrup). Depending on the
cook, other ingredients like sweet potato,
jackfruit, and sago may be added as well.
Taho Ube Halaya
It’s the Filipino version of douhua, the It is used as the main ingredient in
popular Chinese snack of silken tofu many desserts like ice cream, cakes,
served in many parts of Asia. It consists croissants, and cookies.
of three ingredients – silken tofu,
tapioca pearls, and arnibal (brown
sugar).
Some of the
Recipes of
Philippine Native
Desserts
Bibingka Recipe
INGREDIENTS
BATTER:
• 1 cup rice flour
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup fresh milk
• ¼ cup water
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
TOPPINGS:
• grated cheese
• grated coconut
• 1 salted egg - cut into 8 to 12 thin slices
• butter - melted at room temperature for brushing
Bibingka Recipe
INSTRUCTIONS
• Cut circles from the banana leaves for lining the pans. It should be double the
size in diameter of the pans/molds or enough to cover the bottom and sides
with a bit of excess as they tend to shrink when heated. Cut another batch of
banana leaves for the top cover. Rinse and pat dry the banana leaves. Run
each leaf quickly over the fire to make them limb and pliable.
• Line the pans/molds with banana leaves and brush them with butter. Set
aside.
• Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a bowl and mix well with a
spoon or whisk until mixture becomes smooth. The batter should normally be
runny.
• Divide the mixture into the pans/molds. Be sure not to fill more than half of
each pan/mold with the mixture as it will rise while baking. Add 2-3 slices of
salted egg on each. Arrange them on the baking sheet and bake at
200°C/390°F in the middle rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sheet from the
oven. Place prepared banana sheets brushed with butter on top of each
pan/mold with the buttered part facing down. Put them back in the oven but
this time on the top rack. If using a gas oven, turn on the top heat (grill/broil
function). Bake for another 5 minutes or until nicely charred.
• Once done, remove from oven and brush each Bibingka with butter. Then top
them with grated cheese and grated coconut. Serve while warm!
Puto Bumbong Recipe
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup glutinous flour
• 6 tablespoon water
• ¼ teaspoon violet liquid food color
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 1 tablespoon Butter or margarine for brushing
• 3 tablespoon Brown sugar or muscovado
• Grated cheese optional
INSTRUCTIONS
• Shape cuts of foil into thin long containers, about 4 inches long and ¾ inch
thick and high. Make about 8-10.
• In a small bowl, combine water and food color and mix.
• Place glutinous rice flour on a separate bowl. Add colored water 2 tablespoon
at a time and mix it well using a spoon after every addition.
• Once all liquid is added, mix using hand while breaking clumps with your
fingers into tiny crumbs or grains.
• Brush the shaped foils with butter or margarine generously. Fill each container
with the glutinous rice mix.
• Steam for 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and let them cool down a bit.
• Invert each piece on a banana leaf brushed with butter or margarine upto 4-5
logs per leaf.
• Brush the top and sides with butter or margarine, then top with grated coconut
and brown sugar or muscovado. Add grated cheese or roasted sesame seeds if
desired.
References
(n.d.). Panlasang Pinoy.
https://panlasangpinoy.com/glutinous-rice/?fbclid=IwAR2DRe8gWCQWmmiM0ig75BjA8f99sD5ut7-OjPKyIHLKYdHWGXRmDiHZhNk
B. (2020, December 23). Bibingka Recipe. Foxy Folksy. https://www.foxyfolksy.com/bibingka-recipe/
(2023, June 23). Filipino Desserts: 25 Traditional Sweets You Need to Try in the Philippines. Will Fly For Food. https://www.willflyforfood.net/filipino-desserts/?
fbclid=IwAR1rkw6p6vu3tJFT0m4ZQfXh9AHY_wkdcUGSZh8of4L5YAxDXh_7Wg9dehw
B. (2020, December 22). Puto Bumbong. Foxy Folksy. https://www.foxyfolksy.com/puto-bumbong/
Newman, Y. (2020, March 2). How Filipino desserts are stealing the sweet spotlight. SBS FOOD. https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/how-filipino-desserts-are-st
ealing-the-sweet-spotlight/rpdi190gr?fbclid=IwAR09eB28YlcDN3sEMxGXuCvcywkJuJ71v1-W9rnxyn0do88kTBuNcVqwo_E
Tee, S. (n.d.
). Guide to Desserts in the Philippines: Must-Try Filipino Sweets. Guide to the Philippines. https://guidetothephilippines.ph/articles/ultimate-guides/desserts-phili
ppines-guide?fbclid=IwAR15l2wsYkrPSa75ck6EppB0QTF4Y-aQbAPiphEy73BY0QaP2U0bvVg8338
Question #1
What Filipino term refers to the
sweet treat usually enjoyed after a
meal?
Question #2
The name _________ derived from two
Tagalog words: “kain” which means “to
eat” and “kanin” that translates to
“rice”.
Question #3
It is a versatile ingredient in Philippine
desserts, used to make delicacies like
puto.
Question #4
What ingredient, commonly used in
native Filipino desserts like biko, adds
richness and flavor with its milk, flesh,
and oil?
Question #5
What type of sweet treats, deeply
rooted in Filipino culinary tradition and
often made with local ingredients, are
referred to as "kakanin"?
Question #6
It is the main ingredient in the popular
Filipino dessert such as ice cream
known for its vibrant purple color and
sweet flavor?
Question #7
What traditional cooking method is
typically used to prepare bibingka, a
popular Filipino rice cake?
Question #8
What is the English translation
of ube?
Question #9
The bibingka is traditionally baked in a
special clay pot called a ________or a
similar oven-safe dish.
Question #10
The name literally means “layered”
in Tagalog and refers to the
brightly-colored layers that make
up this classic Filipino dessert.
