Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice Dessert)

Halo-Halo is a refreshing Filipino ice dessert made with various tropical ingredients topped with milk, leche flan, and ice cream. It’s the perfect sweet treat for the summer!

I’m currently writing this in the basement of my home as the summer heat has left my upstairs office a complete oven.

It’s peak summer season here in Canada, ranging up to 40 degrees celsius all week! It’s a huge deal, especially for us Canadians, since winters here can be absolutely brutal. I’m all for getting enough sun and heat, but the humidity and warm air seriously gets to you sometimes.

On the upside, the heat can make anything cool and refreshing 100 times better. The AC on full blast on the coldest setting? Yes. A glass of freshly shaved halo halo? Yes yes yes.

In truth, I never I actually crave Halo-Halo that much other than in the summer season, or when I’m visiting home in the Philippines. I’ve grown accustomed to associating the dessert with the summertime, and it’s become my go-to snack for when I want a nice treat to cool down.

My mom’s hometown had this carinderia (small Filipino eateries) tucked away in a corner that sold all kinds of cold treats. Things like sorbetes, slushy sodas, and of course, Halo-Halo. It was one of my favorite places to visit whenever I was home and I’d tried to finish the whole cup before the scorching sun had a chance to melt all the ice.

What is Halo-Halo?

Halo-Halo in Tagalog literally translates into “Mix-Mix”, which is the method by which you are supposed to eat the dessert.

Made up of shaved ice, evaporated milk, ube, and various other tropical add-ins, you mix all the ingredients together into an icy slush, ready to be devoured with a spoon.

Gaining more and more popularity in the West, it’s grown to become the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines.

Ingredients

Halo-Halo was never one to have a standard set of ingredients, as the variations of add-ins ultimately depended on the person making it. Of course, you’ll need the base of the dessert, which involves shaved ice and evaporated milk, but other than that, you’re free to mix in whatever you choose.

Technically you could make most of these from scratch, but for a quick refreshing fix, my family typically just tends to buy the pre-jarred ingredients.

I do have a recipe already up for my Leche Flan and mom’s Ube Halaya. If you had to make any of these from scratch, I’d highly recommend making the halaya from scratch (though be prepared for some work, if you choose to). Homemade halaya is so much deeper and richer in flavor compared to the jarred, store bought stuff.

Some of the most common and popular mix-ins included in any authentic Halo-Halo may include:

• Langka (jackfruit)
• Saba (Filipino banana)
• Kaong (sugar palm fruit)
• Macapuno (coconut sport strings)
• Nata de coco (coconut gel)
• Monggo (mung beans)
• Ube ice cream and Ube halaya
• Leche flan
• Pinipig (toasted glutinous rice)

Now it may seem overwhelming seeing all these ingredients at once, but trust me, go to most Filipino groceries and you’ll most likely find an aisle filled with jars of the mix-ins listed above.

Often times, you can find the ingredients jarred individually, soaking in a clear, sweetened syrup. For conveniency, you could also try to find “ready-made” Halo-Halo jars which contain most of the mix-ins all packaged into one jar.

Pinipig may be a bit harder to find, so poke around smaller Filipino convenience stores if they have any lying around (sometimes it’s in their frozen section). Otherwise, you can simply substitute with Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes cereal.

FAQs

Is Halo-Halo sweet?

Yes, Halo-Halo is a dessert/snack so it’s meant to be sweet! The addition of ube halaya, ube ice cream, and the various mix-ins preserved in sweet syrup provides ample amounts of sugar for this recipe.

If you have a sweet tooth, you could always adjust with more sugar/condensed milk if preferred.

Do I have to use shaved ice for Halo-Halo?

Yes, in order for Halo-Halo to be slushy and scoop-able, we need to shave ice fine enough to absorb the milk well.

You can use a machine, or you can manually crush the ice. Manual isn’t ideal, but so long as the ice is crushed enough that you won’t accidentally bite into a large piece, then you’re good.

If you’re looking for more refreshing recipes, you might love these:

• Buko Pandan
• Mango Sago
• Mango Ensalada
• Kinilaw (Filipino Ceviche)