Planning to host a Filipino-themed gathering? You’re in for a treat! Complete your party by serving some of these Filipino dessert recipes. Trust us—they taste as good as they look!
We all know that Filipinos are naturally hospitable and gentle people, but in case you don’t know—they’re certified food lovers, too.
In fact, food is always part of their social life. Whether it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and even merienda (afternoon snack), Filipinos are always up for a feast.
And it wouldn’t be a Filipino feast without mouthwatering, sweet treats, so serve up these popular desserts—remember, though, some Filipino desserts are heavier compared to those sweets you tried in the west.
From ultra-sweet Leche Flan and Mango Float to creamy Halo-Halo and Buko Salad, these sinfully scrumptious Filipino desserts are the ticket to sending your friends or guests home full and happy.
My favorite is #21!
1. Leche Flan
It’s velvety, creamy, and surprisingly rich in texture!
Leche flan is a crowd-pleasing Filipino dessert made from sugar, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.
However, other chefs include a splash of lemon zest for brightness.
The creamy dessert is traditionally cooked in a steamer, but you can also bake it in a water bath in case you don’t have the kitchen helper.
The texture of coconut milk is topnotch in this popular Filipino dessert, but I also believe the addition of cooked tapioca pearls adds a satisfying finish.
Apart from these ingredients, glutinous rice balls, plantain bananas, and sweet potatoes fuse together to complete the recipe.
Whether you serve this as a dessert or as an afternoon snack (merienda), it’s sure bound to impress!
3. Ube Halaya
If you’re unfamiliar with ube (purple yam), chances are you haven’t tried this creamy, sweet, and delicious dessert named ube halaya.
Ube halaya is another sought-after FIlipino jam consisting of a mix of ube, dairy, sugar, and vanilla, which enhances the floral taste of the yam.
In other parts of the Philippines, sweet rice cake or locally known as biko is often served during special occasions like holidays and family gatherings.
The classic dessert in the Philippines or snack isn’t hard to put together, however, making the recipe needs constant stirring, attention, and lots of patience.
It’s delicious on its own, but topping your biko with latik (or coconut curd) makes it extraordinary.
There’s something special about this classic Filipino sticky rice and a splash of a creamy sauce made from coconut milk and brown sugar makes it even more fun for your Filipino-inspired party.
Suman malagkit is also enjoyable alongside a cup of hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or juicy mangoes—yes, I know that last one may sound strange, but this combo is sooo good!
Ube (pronounced ooo-beh) is one of the well-known ingredients in Filipino cuisine, especially in making desserts from the Philippines.
You can often see this bright purple sweet potato in brownies, macarons, and even ice cream!
And making your ube ice cream recipe at home is surprisingly easy.
To create, combine grated ube, butter, coconut milk, brown sugar, and sweetener, then let your ice cream maker do the rest.
7. Cassava Cake
If you’re a Filipino and you’re reading this right now, you’re probably reminded of your childhood memories when thinking about cassava cake.
It’s sometimes sold near schools or streets.
The treat is wrapped in banana leaves and features a rich, creamy, custardy, and coconut mouthfeel.
Apart from being straightforward, cassava cake is also versatile as it can be baked, steamed, or broiled.
8. Maja Blanca
Maja or Maja Blanca is a traditional Filipino dessert composed of coconut pudding, sweet corn kernels, and toasted coconut topping.
Every bite of it is truly sweet, smooth, and milky!
The delight is always served as a dessert or snack on special occasions or holidays, especially during the Christmas season.
Light and airy, Filipino sponge cake, also referred to as mamon, is another dessert famed in the Philippines.
These classic snack cakes are found in most bakeries, but you can also make them at home by combining basic ingredients.
The secret ingredient to make the cake super light is adding a touch of lemon zest into the mix.
Kamote cue (pronounced like the letter Q) is a sweet Filipino merienda or sweet course made from skewered deep-fried sweet potatoes which are being sliced and coated with caramelized brown sugar.
It’s mostly seen along the busy streets alongside banana cue, another skewered treat packed with a coating of caramelized sugar.
11. Buko Pandan
You need to unite pandan-infused gelatin, coconut, and sweetened cream to make this sweet and refreshing Filipino sweet delight perfect for your upcoming event or summer season.
This dreamy traditional Filipino dessert recipe can be made in advance.
Just ensure to keep your buko pandan in the fridge overnight then serve it the next day or until the 3rd.
12. Mais Con Yelo
If you aren’t convinced with buko pandan, this next summer treat might be what you’re searching for—behold, mais con yelo.
It’s a Filipino dessert layered with sweet corn, sweetened shaved ice, corn flake cereal, and crowned with homemade corn ice cream.
For additional mix-ins, try adding a slice of leche flan, sweet beans, and creamed corn.
Then drizzle a little sweetened condensed milk over the ice cream for a sweet, finishing touch.
Also dubbed as icebox cake, mango float is a no-bake dessert made by creating layers of graham crackers, all-purpose or whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, and ripe mangoes in a big square or rectangle-shaped dish.
It’s normally served chilled or frozen then enjoyed with dessert wine, cocktail, coffee, and even tea!
Before putting them together, be sure to chill all the ingredients as this can help everything come together during assembly.
14. Filipino Carioca
Carioca is a sweet and chewy ball-shaped treat that’s often enjoyed as a dessert or snack.
You can’t go wrong with this one!
The recipe calls for sweet rice flour, shredded coconut, milk, and cream—all combined and formed into balls.
These adorable balls are fried and threaded onto a wooden skewer then drizzled with luscious caramel sauce.
15. Buko Salad
The Filipino version of fruit salad, buko salad is always present during special celebrations like fiesta and birthday parties and is served chilled.
The key ingredients of this salad are mixed fruits, nata de coco, kaong (sugar palm), coconut, thickened cream, and condensed milk, giving the fruits that creamy and dreamy textural nuance.
Ube puto or also called steamed rice cake is a simple Filipino dessert made from a mix of all-purpose flour, sweetener, dairy, and cheese as a topping.
It’s known for its vibrant purple color, which comes from its main ingredient, ube or purple yam.
This slightly sweet rice cake is sometimes served alone or alongside savory dishes.
What I like about this dessert is that it’s full of simplicity.
All you need is ripe bananas, sugar, vanilla extract, and that’s it!
To make, start by preparing the syrup.
Add in the vanilla extract and sliced bananas into the mix.
Cook the fruits until tender or they’re deep amber in color.
Sorbetes or commonly referred to as dirty ice cream is a Filipino version of the ice cream sold along the streets in the Philippines.
They’re usually served with small wafers or sugar cones, but some Filipinos enjoy eating the ice cream with bread buns.
Sorbets’ flavor varies, however, the most popular among masses are mango, ube, strawberry, and avocado.
19. Bukayo
If you always have unripe coconut on hand, this recipe is what you’ll need to create something great and delicious out of the ingredient.
Combine young coconut strips with brown and muscovado sugar to give the treat that sweet, chewy, and caramel-like consistency.
To store, ensure that your bukayo is completely dry before putting it in a jar.
Sapin-sapin is another easy Filipino dessert you can make at home.
The word sapin means layers as this colorful sweet treat only requires glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, condensed milk, sugar, and turning them into a smooth batter.
The batter is then layered into three portions then steamed one on top of the other and finished latik on top.
21. Halo-Halo
Halo-halo is a Pinoy dessert that features shaved ice, evaporated milk, syrup, sweet beans, banana, nata de coco, garbanzos, jelly, macapuno (coconut sport), sago (edible starch), gulaman (Filipino version of gelatin), jackfruit, ube halaya, and leche flan.
Halo-halo is a Filipino word that translates to mix or stir as the summer dessert features ingredients that are mixed together in a tall glass.
It’s finished with a scoop of ube ice cream, nuts, and rice crispies.
The bottom line
If you noticed, most Filipino desserts use coconut, fresh fruit, sugar, cream, and rice.
In case you find yourself having some extra of these ingredients, consider making one of these desserts!
To beat the summer heat, you can opt for sorbetes, buko pandan, or mais con yelo.
For sweet potato lovers, ginataang bilo bilo and kamote cue are best for you.
And come on, who doesn’t like the famous halo-halo?
21 TOP Filipino Dessert Recipe Assortment
Planning to host a Filipino-themed gathering? Complete your party with these sinfully delicious Filipino desserts.
Ingredients
- Leche Flan
- Ginataang Bilo Bilo (Filipino Coconut Rice Pudding)
- Ube Halaya
- Biko (Filipino Sweet Rice Cake)
- Suman Malagkit
- Ube Ice Cream (Purple Yam Ice Cream)
- Cassava Cake
- Maja Blanca
- Mamon (Filipino Sponge Cake)
- Kamote Cue (Deep-Fried Caramelized Sweet Potato)
- Buko Pandan
- Mais Con Yelo
- Mango Float
- Filipino Carioca
- Buko Salad
- Ube Puto (Steamed Rice Cake)
- Minatamis Na Saging (Bananas In Sweet Syrup)
- Sorbetes (Dirty Ice Cream)
- Bukayo
- Sapin Sapin
- Halo-Halo
Instructions
- Plan out your Filipino menu!
- Choose from this list of Filipino desserts!
- Make and enjoy at home!