Halo-Halo
Shaved ice and milk layered with sweet beans, jellies and fruit, often topped with leche flan, ube ice cream and toasted rice flakes.
- prep
- 30 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total
- 30 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
"Halo-halo" means mix-mix, and that instruction is the entire point: shaved ice piled over sweet beans, jellies and fruit, topped with leche flan and ube ice cream, then stirred all together right before eating.
The specific mix-ins shift from region to region and household to household, which makes this less a fixed recipe and more a flexible, build-your-own Filipino summer dessert.
Part of our 20 best Filipino recipes list.
method
Prepare or open all the sweet mix-ins: red beans, white beans, nata de coco, kaong, jackfruit, banana and ube jam. Keep each in its own small bowl.
In each serving glass, start by layering a few spoonfuls of each sweet mix-in at the bottom.
Pile shaved ice generously on top, mounding it up high.
Top the ice with a slice of leche flan, a scoop of ube ice cream, a little more of the sweet mix-ins, and a sprinkle of toasted rice flakes.
Pour the evaporated or condensed milk over everything just before serving.
Serve immediately with a long spoon, and mix everything together at the table before eating; halo-halo means "mix-mix" for a reason.
chef's tips
- Layer the sweet mix-ins at the bottom of the glass, not just on top, so they're not just decoration, they're meant to be eaten in every spoonful once mixed.
- "Halo-halo" literally means mix-mix, and stirring it all together right before eating is not optional, it is the entire point of the dish.
- The specific mix-ins vary by region and household; this is a flexible, build-your-own dessert more than a fixed recipe.
- Pack the shaved ice loosely rather than tightly, so the milk can soak through evenly once poured.