The ultimate Filipino treat, vegan halo-halo is a delicious way to cool down. This refreshing, multi-layered shaved-ice dessert packs fun flavors and textures. From icy, creamy, chewy, crunchy, and syrupy — you’ll get it all! If you haven’t tried this famous Filipino dessert, then what are you waiting for?
What is Halo-Halo?
Filipino halo-halo is a popular and colorful dessert that combines a variety of ingredients. So, it ends up being a really cool and refreshing treat. Also, "halo-halo" means "mix-mix" in English, showing how much people love this dessert.
The ingredients will vary depending on who is making your halo-halo, so no two halo-halos are the same. So some typical ingredients, just to name a few, include shaved ice, evaporated milk, sweetened fruits or beans, leche flan, ube halaya, or ube ice cream. Then they're layered in a glass or bowl and mixed for a delightful blend of textures and flavors.
Halo-halo is my favorite childhood summertime treat. Although I did spend many hot summers in the Philippines, my grandma bought halo-halo for us, almost daily! In fact, the best halo-halo is often found at street stands.
✨Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Variety of flavors. Halo-halo combines a wide range of ingredients from sweet fruits to creamy leche flan, thus offering a delightful mix of flavors in every bite!
- Easy to make. The great thing about halo-halo is that it requires zero cooking. So all you have to do is combine all the ingredients into one glass or bowl!
- Easy to customize. Additionally, you can tailor each halo-halo to your preference by adding or skipping ingredients you love.
- Cultural Experience. Enjoying halo-halo provides a taste of Filipino culture and tradition, offering a connection to the rich culinary heritage of the Philippines.
✏️Ingredient Notes
There are no written rules on what ingredients you can put in halo-halo. Here are a few ingredients I enjoy in halo-halo, which can serve as inspiration. So, please, use whatever ingredients you like!
- Shaved Ice
- Non-dairy evaporated milk
- Sweetened munggo (red bean)
- Sweetened langka (jackfruit)
- Nata de Coco (coconut gel)
- Sweetened macapuno (coconut strips)
- Tapioca pearls
- Gulaman
- Pinipig
- Leche flan
- Ube Ice cream
- Ube Halaya
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
📝Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have a shave ice machine, you can make a milk shave ice hack. Freeze milk sugar and condensed milk in a freezer-safe bag, then crushed. It won’t be the same as shaved ice, but it’s a good alternative.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
🍴How to Make Vegan Halo-Halo
Step 1: Firstly, in a tall serving glass, layer your sweetened munggo, sweetened langka, nata de coco, macapuno, and gulaman.
Step 2: Then, add the shaved ice.
Step 3: Drizzle about 3-4 tablespoons of non-dairy evaporated milk. Add more shaved ice if needed.
Step 4: Lastly, top it off with ube ice cream, leche flan, and pinipig.
⭐Expert Tips
- If you’re planning to make my leche flan, ube halaya, ube ice cream, or gulaman - make these a day or two ahead.
💭Common Questions
You can find most of these at your local Asian supermarket, like 99 Ranch or H-Mart. But if you have a Filipino store near you, they will definitely carry these products.
Unfortunately, no. Halo-halo is best served as soon as it’s assembled.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ rating and comment below! Tag @flouredframe on Instagram & Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice Dessert)
Equipment
Ingredients
- Shaved Ice
- Non-dairy evaporated milk
- Sweetened munggo (red bean)
- Sweetened langka (jackfruit)
- Nata de Coco (coconut gel)
- Sweetened macapuno (coconut strips)
- Gulaman (agar jelly)
- Tapioca pearls
- Vegan ube Halaya (ube jam)
- Vegan leche flan (Filipino creme caramel)
- Vegan ube Ice cream
- Pinipig (toasted young rice)
Instructions
A day or two before:
- Make the vegan leche flan, ube ice cream, ube halaya, and gulamanLinks to the recipes above.
Assemble:
- In a serving glass, layer your sweetened munggo, sweetened langka, nata de coco, macapuno, gulaman, tapioca pearls, and ube halaya.
- Drizzle about 3-4 tablespoons of non-dairy evaporated milk. Add more shaved ice if needed.
- Top it off with ube ice cream (or ube halaya), leche flan, and pinipig.
Notes
- The serving size will depend on the size of the cup you use and how you layer your ingredients. Feel free to add more or less of certain ingredients.
- Where can I find most of these ingredients?
You can find most of these at your local Asian supermarket, like 99 Ranch or H-Mart. If you have a Filipino store near you, they will definitely carry these products.
- If you don’t have a shave ice machine, you can make try this frozen milk hack. Freeze 1 cup of non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of condensed milk in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze overnight. When you’re ready to use, use a wooden spoon to crush the frozen milk. It won’t be the same as shaved ice, but it’s a good alternative.
Freija says
I really want to try this! I just had a drink with nata de coco for the first time and I loved it so I was googleing some info and then learned about Halo-Halo.