Halo-halo

Halo-halo is a Filipino dessert that is naturally gluten free. This is a very popular dessert in the Philippines with a base of shaved ice and various sweet and textural toppings. Filipinos argue that the correct spelling is Halu-halo, so you’ll see it spelled both ways.

This dessert could be traced back to Japanese-style kakigori desserts. Halo-halo is said to have first been popularized in the 1920s-30s during the Japanese occupation of Manila in WWII, and has morphed over time into a more elaborate treat that uses a larger variety of local ingredients than the original style.

The usual toppings for this shaved ice dessert include:

Evaporated or condensed milk

Sweetened beans or bean paste

Taro, yams, or banana

Coconut strips or nata de coco

Fruit slices

Agar, tapioca, or sago

Flan

Ube ice cream and ube halaya

While this dessert isn’t usually dairy free or vegan, this can be easily remedied by using coconut-based sweetened condensed milk and a vegan ice cream. The mixture of bright fruit and chewy toppings with the ube ice cream creates a beautiful dessert with a wide range of textures and colors. This is a lighter dessert, which is refreshing for the hot climate.

Vegan toppings:

• Coconut condensed milk recipe Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen

• Vegan evaporated milk from Namely Marly

• Vegan ube halaya from Jeanelle Eats

• Vegan ube ice cream from Wallflower Kitchen

• Vegan leche flan from Ai Made It For You

Halo-halo recipes:

• Halo-halo from Pilipinas Recipes

• Vegan halo-halo from Astig Vegan

• Vegan halo-halo chia pudding from Rezel Kealoha

• Halo-halo from The Little Epicurean

• Halo-halo from Foxy Folksy