Filipino desserts are sweet, sticky, creamy and a little bit of everything. Many are built on three local staples: glutinous rice, coconut milk and brown sugar. Others came from Spanish kitchens and became our own, like leche flan and ensaymada. Here are 20 Filipino desserts worth trying, grouped by type, with notes on which ones work best on a party table.
AT A GLANCE
The most popular Filipino desserts are halo-halo, leche flan, ube halaya, biko, puto and bibingka. Filipino desserts fall into three groups: kakanin (rice cakes like biko, puto and kutsinta), chilled and creamy treats (halo-halo, leche flan, mango float), and baked or fried favorites (ensaymada, buko pie, turon). For parties, bite-sized kakanin and bars are the easiest to serve.
Kakanin: Filipino Rice Cakes
Kakanin comes from kanin, the Tagalog word for rice. It covers the rice cakes Filipinos bring to every fiesta, birthday and family reunion. Most kakanin are made with glutinous rice (malagkit) or rice flour, cooked with coconut milk and sugar, and often wrapped in banana leaves.
1. Biko
Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar until thick, glossy and chewy, then topped with latik (toasted coconut curds). In the Visayas it’s often made with black or purple sticky rice. It’s a must at Filipino gatherings, and it slices neatly into squares for a party tray.
Make it at home with our biko Bisaya recipe with latik.
Party pick: holds well for several hours at room temperature.
2. Puto
Soft, fluffy steamed rice cakes, a little sweet and often topped with a slice of cheese (puto cheese). They’re small, colorful and easy to grab, which is why puto shows up at nearly every Filipino party.
Photo: WikiTravel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
On our pica-pica station (Package E). See our dessert buffet packages.
3. Kutsinta
A chewy, jelly-like brown rice cake made with rice flour, brown sugar and lye water, usually served with grated coconut. It’s often paired with puto on the same tray: one soft and white, one chewy and brown.
On our pica-pica station (Package E). See our dessert buffet packages.
4. Moron
Leyte’s own kakanin: glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar, swirled with chocolate, then rolled in banana leaves. It looks like a striped log and tastes like chocolate suman. If you’re from Leyte or Samar, moron is part of every fiesta and pasalubong run.
Part of our pica-pica station (Package E). Not sold on its own.
5. Bibingka
A rice cake baked in a clay pot lined with banana leaves, with coals both under and on top. It’s topped with butter, sugar, grated coconut and sometimes salted egg and cheese. Bibingka is the classic Christmas dessert, eaten after Simbang Gabi with a cup of hot salabat (ginger tea).
Photo: Obsidian Soul via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (public domain)
6. Suman
Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in banana or coconut leaves, then steamed. It’s simple and not too sweet, and it’s best dipped in sugar or eaten with ripe mango. Almost every region has its own version.
7. Sapin-Sapin
A layered rice cake in bright stripes of purple (ube), yellow (jackfruit) and white, topped with latik. Sapin means “layer,” and the colors make it one of the prettiest kakanin on a table.
8. Cassava Cake
Grated cassava baked with coconut milk, condensed milk and eggs until dense and chewy, then topped with a golden custard layer. It’s easy to bake in a big pan and cut into squares, which makes it a party favorite.
Chilled and Creamy Filipino Desserts
These are the desserts Filipinos reach for when it’s hot outside, which is most of the year.
9. Halo-Halo
Halo-halo means “mix-mix,” and that’s exactly what you do: shaved ice, evaporated milk, sweetened beans, coconut strips, jellies, fruit, leche flan and ube halaya, topped with ube ice cream. Every spoonful tastes a little different.
Party tip: best made fresh. It doesn’t hold on a buffet table.
10. Leche Flan
A rich caramel custard made with egg yolks, condensed milk and evaporated milk, steamed in a llanera (oval tin). It’s smoother and denser than most custards, and it’s always on the table at Christmas and fiestas.
Photo: Jeanne Tiong via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
11. Ube Halaya
Purple yam cooked slowly with milk, butter and sugar into a thick, sweet jam. Eat it with a spoon, spread it on bread, or use it as a filling for cakes, ensaymada and halo-halo. It’s the reason half the desserts in the Philippines are purple.
Photo: Obsidian Soul via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
12. Mango Float
A no-bake icebox cake made with layers of graham crackers, sweetened cream and ripe Philippine mangoes, chilled until it sets. It’s easy, cheap to make and always the first dessert to run out.
Photo: Obsidian Soul via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
13. Buko Pandan
Young coconut strips and pandan-flavored gelatin cubes in sweet cream. It’s cold, light and fragrant, and it’s often served in small cups at parties.
14. Maja Blanca
A soft coconut pudding thickened with cornstarch, often studded with sweet corn and topped with toasted coconut. It’s wobbly, creamy and easy to slice into squares.
Photo: kawalingpinoy via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Baked, Fried and Pastry Favorites
15. Ensaymada
A soft, buttery brioche coiled into a spiral, brushed with butter, then topped with sugar and grated cheese. It’s a merienda classic, and the mini ones are made for party trays.
Mini ensaymada (4 flavors) is on our pica-pica station (Package E). See our dessert buffet packages.
16. Buko Pie
A flaky double-crust pie filled with tender young coconut in a creamy custard. It’s the famous pasalubong from Laguna, but you’ll find it all over the country.
Photo: Krista via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
17. Brazo de Mercedes
A soft meringue roll filled with rich custard made from egg yolks and condensed milk. It’s sweet, light and creamy all at once.
Photo: VirtualWolf via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
18. Silvanas
Frozen cookies made with layers of cashew meringue and buttercream, coated in cookie crumbs. They’re a Dumaguete specialty, and they’re best eaten straight from the freezer.
19. Turon
Ripe saba bananas and jackfruit wrapped in spring roll wrappers, fried and coated in caramelized brown sugar. It’s sold on almost every street corner as afternoon merienda.
Photo: Herbertkikoy via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
20. Sans Rival
Layers of crunchy cashew meringue and French buttercream, finished with chopped cashews. Sans rival means “without rival,” and it’s a celebration cake in many Filipino homes.
Filipino Desserts for Parties
Planning a birthday, christening or fiesta? These Filipino desserts are the easiest to serve on a party table:
- Bite-sized kakanin: puto, kutsinta, moron and biko squares. They’re easy to pick up and hold well at room temperature. A bilao (round woven tray) of assorted kakanin is a classic centerpiece.
- Bars and squares: cassava cake, maja blanca and cake bars cut into small pieces, so guests can try a little of everything.
- Mini merienda: mini ensaymada and puto cheese go well with coffee or juice for the afternoon crowd.
- Desserts in cups: buko pandan and cheesecake shooters stay cold and neat longer than a big dish.
How much to prepare: it depends on your guest count, whether there’s a full meal, and how long the party runs. Tell us your headcount and we’ll size the dessert table for you.
In Maasin City, we set up the whole table for you. Our dessert buffet packages include cake bars, cupcakes, cake balls and dessert shooters with a matching customized cake, and our pica-pica station (Package E) brings the Filipino merienda: puto cheese, kutchinta, moron or tres marias, mini ensaymada and more.
Filipino Desserts FAQs
What is the most popular Filipino dessert?
Halo-halo is the most famous Filipino dessert, especially in summer. Leche flan, ube halaya, biko, puto and bibingka are close behind, and you’ll find most of them at any Filipino celebration.
What is kakanin?
Kakanin is the Filipino term for native rice cakes. The name comes from kanin (rice). Most are made from glutinous rice or rice flour, coconut milk and sugar. Examples include biko, puto, kutsinta, suman, sapin-sapin and bibingka.
What is moron?
Moron is a kakanin from Leyte made from glutinous rice, coconut milk and sugar, swirled with chocolate and rolled in banana leaves. It’s a fiesta favorite and a popular pasalubong from Leyte and Samar.
What Filipino desserts are good for parties?
Bite-sized desserts that hold well at room temperature work best: puto, kutsinta, moron, biko, cassava cake, maja blanca and mini ensaymada. Desserts that melt or need ice, like halo-halo, are better made fresh.
What Filipino desserts are eaten at Christmas?
Bibingka and puto bumbong after Simbang Gabi, leche flan, fruit salad, ube halaya and sapin-sapin are the most common Christmas desserts on a Filipino Noche Buena table.
Where can I order Filipino desserts in Maasin City?
Sestra’s Cakes & Pastries Shop in Isagani, Maasin City offers a pica-pica station with puto cheese, kutchinta, moron or tres marias and mini ensaymada, plus full dessert buffets with a customized cake. Some Filipino desserts are also available in our shop from time to time, so message us on Facebook to ask what’s available, or see our dessert buffet packages.
Planning a party?
Let us handle the desserts. We bake everything in our kitchen in Maasin City and set up the table for you. Dessert buffet packages start at ₱5,000 with setup included.
