Halo Halo— a cold milky refreshing dessert made up of shaved ice combined with various sweet treats.
If you’re a Filipino, I’m sure you’re all very familiar with the gruelling heat of the sun shining down on us even when we are in a rainy season.
And of course, we think about ways to quench that thirst because of the heat, and what better way to do that other than having a piece of the sweet and delicious treat–Halo halo?
Once you learn how to make the best halo halo at home, you’ll never fight the heat of the sun again to go out just to get halo halo. You can just chill at home with your homemade halo halo!
Continue to read the recipe article below to learn how to make this special halo halo and see some tips and some trivia along the way.
What is Halo Halo?
Halo halo, or halo-halo, or haluhalo–whatever you may call it–is a well-known Filipino dessert which a jambalaya or mixture of ingredients composed of shaved ice with assorted ingredients.
The usual ingredients are ube or purple yam, sweetened bananas, sweetened jackfruit, grated coconut, sago or tapioca pearls, pinipig, nata de coco, among others.
This cold Filipino shaved ice dessert is believed to have been an influence from the Japanese with their kakigori dessert, which is made in a similar way–through the use of shaved ice and a sweetener syrup such as condensed milk.
It is believed to have started with one ingredient at first, and is adapted by the Filipinos. They added more common Filipino ingredients into the mix and have evolved into what it now called the modern Halo halo.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ice
Since this is a shaved ice dessert, you will be needing shaved or crushed ice. You can crush your ice yourself or use more advanced machines.
Milk
We will be using canned evaporated filled milk for this recipe. A common cheaper alternative people used today is the evaporada or evaporated creamer.
Mix-ins
Halo-halo is known for its mix-ins and toppings. Nowadays, there is no limit as to what you can put into this dessert, as long as you think it is something that will complement the whole thing.
But here in this recipe, we put in the most common ones you can find in a halo halo but feel free to add some more if you feel like it is still lacking your favorite ingredients. See the list below if you want to explore the different mix-ins you can use.
If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Ice shaver- For home use, you can use a simple manual ice shaver. In comes in many forms and types like this seated ice shaver.
- Ice crusher- For commercial use, you might need an ice crusher. There are many types of ice crusher that produce different types of volumes and qualities.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
Mix-ins List
- Leche Flan- It’s easy to make your own at home, try our recipe: Leche Flan Recipe
- Ube Halaya (Ube Jam)- We have a homemade recipe you can try here: Ube Halaya Recipe
- Sweetened Saba Bananas and Jackfruit (Langka)- To have this fruits sweetened at home, just pour in some water and bring it into a boil with a cooking pot, and then add-in the fruit of choice and some sugar as desired. Cook them until they are soft and lightly browned.
- Nata de coco (Coconut Gel)
- Kaong (Sugar Palms)
- Macapuno (Coconut Sport)
- Ripe mango slices
- Sweetened sweet potatoes (kamote)
- Sweetened beans such as garbanzos, red beans, or white beans
- Sweet corn kernels
- Gulaman made from agar-agar bars or powdered jelly mix
- Tapioca or sago pearls
- Young coconut meat (buko)
- Pinipig or rice crispies
- Ice cream- Ube, vanilla, or mango flavor
How to Make Halo Halo
Making the halo halo itself is easy, and your biggest trouble might be actually in finding the ingredients or making them on your own. But once you find all of your ingredients, it is as simple as arranging them in a glass and serving them topped with your favorite ice cream.
Finding the ingredients may be quite a task. Since the halo halo is a popular dessert, you can find jars of these ingredients in the supermarket which you can readily use.
The good thing about these jarred ingredients for a halo halo is that it can last you to 10 glasses at least, so it is not just a one time thing.
How to Serve Halo Halo
Halo-halo is usually served parfait style where the mix-ins start from the bottom and is covered with the shaved ice until it reaches the tip of the glass. It is then garnished with toppings like ube, leche flan, and ice cream.
When ready to eat, the evaporated milk is poured and you will begin to mix everything together. It is a perfect dessert or refreshing snack especially on hot days.
Other Dessert Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Special Halo Halo Recipe
Equipment
- Ice Shaver or Crusher
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup ice, shaved or crushed
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp sago (tapioca pearls)
- 1 tbsp nata de coco
- 1 tbsp saba banana, sweetened
- 1 tbsp jackfruit, sweetened
- 1 tbsp sugar palm (kaong)
- 1 tbsp pinipig (rice krispies)
- 1 tbsp macapuno
- 1 tbsp red mung beans
- sugar, as needed
Topping Ingredients
- 1 tbsp leche flan
- 1 tbsp purple yam jam
- 2 tbsp ice cream, optional
Instructions
- In a tall glass, add-in the sago, nata de coco, sweetened saba banana, sweetened jackfruit, sugar palm, pinipig, macapuno, and red mung beans.
- Add-in the shaved ice and pour-in the evaporated milk. Add-in sugar as desired.
- Add-in the topping ingredients. Serve, mix, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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