Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice Dessert)
Local name: Halo-halo
In short: Shaved ice layered with sweet beans, jelly, tapioca pearls, jackfruit and banana, poured over with evaporated milk and topped with ube and leche flan. It takes about 20 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Halo-halo means mix-mix, and that is exactly how it is eaten. A tall glass is filled with sweet beans, jelly, tapioca pearls, fruit and coconut gel, covered in shaved ice, then topped with evaporated milk, purple yam jam, a slice of leche flan and a scoop of ice cream. Filipinos eat it on hot afternoons as merienda, stirring everything into a cold, creamy, chewy mess. There is no fixed recipe, so use whatever toppings you can find.
Instructions
- Put 4 tall glasses in the freezer for 15 minutes. Toss the sliced bananas with the sugar.
- Layer the beans, tapioca pearls, coconut gel, jackfruit, jelly cubes and bananas in the glasses, about 2 tablespoons of each per glass.
- Pack each glass to the top with shaved ice, mounding it high.
- Pour 60 ml (1/4 cup) of cold evaporated milk over each glass.
- Top each with a spoonful of ube jam, a slice of leche flan and a scoop of ice cream, then sprinkle with the rice flakes.
- Serve at once with a long spoon, and mix everything together before eating.
Tips
- Most toppings come in jars or cans from Asian grocery stores. Drain them well so the ice does not turn watery. No ice shaver? Pulse ice cubes in a strong blender or food processor in short bursts until fine and snowy.
- Make it your own with sweet corn, cooked sweet potato cubes or strings of sweet young coconut (macapuno). Keep the ice cream for the very top.
Questions and answers
What goes in halo-halo?
Typical toppings are sweet beans, jelly, tapioca pearls, coconut gel, jackfruit, bananas, ube jam, leche flan and ice cream. There are no strict rules.
Can I prepare halo-halo ahead of time?
Prepare the toppings a day ahead and keep them chilled. Assemble with the ice right before serving, because it melts quickly.
Can I make halo-halo dairy-free?
Use coconut milk instead of evaporated milk, a dairy-free ice cream, and skip the leche flan. The flavor will be lighter but still sweet and creamy.
How long does it take to make Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice Dessert)?
About 20 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 0 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice Dessert)?
About 540 kcal per serving, with 10 g of protein, 89 g of carbohydrates and 16 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 540 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 89 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 60 g |
| Sodium | 200 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
