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    Home » Desserts Recipes

    Buko Pandan Salad Recipe

    Published: Mar 17, 2022 by Nora Reyes · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. · 8 Comments

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    Buko Pandan Salad is a dessert made with young coconut, sago pearls, and pandan-infused agar-agar in a creamy sauce. It is delicious, easy to make, and not too sweet!

    Buko Pandan Salad topped with vanilla ice cream and pinipig in a cup.
    Jump to:
    • What is Buko Pandan Salad?
    • Ingredients you'll need
    • How to make this recipe
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Try these Filipino party desserts
    • More about buko pandan salad
    • Other dessert recipes you may like
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What is Buko Pandan Salad?

    Buko Pandan Salad is a creamy Filipino dessert made with young coconut strips (buko), green gulaman infused with pandan flavors, and a sweetened cream mixture. Some variations also include sago and nata de coco for added texture. Often served chilled, it's a refreshing treat especially popular during festive occasions and gatherings.

    Ingredients you'll need

    Individual ingredients for Buko Pandan Salad in individual containers.
    The ingredients shown are doubled in quantity.

    Notes and substitutions

    • Buko (or young coconut): It's the sweet, tender coconut meat from coconuts harvested before they mature.
    • Nata de Coco (or coconut gel): It is chewy and sweet made from fermented coconut water and also used in  Halo-Halo. You can also use kaong, a chewy fruit from sugar palm trees
    Frozen package of young coconut strips and a jar of nata de coco.
    • Pandan leaves (also called screwpine): It has no taste, but the aroma is like no other. It is overpowering in a good way — grassy, nutty, and floral. You can use fresh or frozen leaves, extract, or essence.
    • Agar-Agar (or gulaman): It is a plant-based gelatin from red seaweed extract. It comes in powder form, flakes, bars, and strands. Choose the green, unflavored variety or buko pandan-flavored, if available. You can substitute with unflavored green gelatin.
    Frozen package of pandan leaves and a box of agar-agar powder.
    • Sago: You can also use tapioca pearls which are similar and cooked the same way. Sago is the starch from tropical palm trees, while tapioca is from cassava roots. Choose white, small-size sago or tapioca pearls.
    Packages of tapioca pearls and sago pearls.
    • Cream cheese: It makes a thick and creamy sauce that balances the watery nature of coconut and nata de coco. You can also use all-purpose cream or table cream.
    • Sweetened condensed milk: It is thick, concentrated milk with sugar. Adjust the amount to your desired sweetness. Start with ½ cup and go from there.
    • Pinipig (Pounded Young Rice): These glutinous rice flakes get crunchy after being toasted.
    Toasting pounded young rice in a skillet using a rubber spatula.

    How to make this recipe

    I've doubled the recipe to feed a crowd, as shown in the photos.

    Step 1: Combine agar-agar powder and water or coconut juice in a saucepan. To make firm jelly cubes, reduce the amount of liquid called for in the package by ¼ cup.

    Step 2: Tie the pandan leaves and add them in. They have to be bruised or cooked to extract their flavor and light green hue. Let it boil for about a minute.

    Adding agar-agar powder to the water in a saucepan. Boiling agar-agar and pandan leaves in a saucepan.

    Step 3: Discard the leaves and strain the mixture into a dish or pan (approximately 8x4-inch or 8x8-inch for a double recipe, as shown in the photo). Refrigerate until set, about an hour.

    Straining agar-agar mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pan.

    Step 4: Boil 3 cups of water over medium-high heat. Add sago only when it starts boiling, so it does not disintegrate.

    Step 5: Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking together. Cover and lower to medium heat.

    Adding the sago into the boiling water. Stirring the sago in the water using a slotted spoon.

    Step 6: Cook until translucent, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to remove the residual starch.

    Draining the sago pearls using a strainer over a bowl.

    Step 7: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk.

    Step 8: Using a whisk or a hand mixer, mix them until smooth. Taste and add more condensed milk as desired.

    Adding condensed milk to the cream cheese in a bowl. Mixing the cream sauce with a whisk.

    Step 9: Combine young coconut, nata de coco, sago, and cream in a large bowl.

    Step 10: Mix them together.

    PRO TIP: Make sure all the ingredients are well-drained before combining them together. This prevents the salad from becoming watery and maintains its creamy consistency.

    Adding the cream sauce to the bowl coconut strips, nata de coco, and sago. Mixing the salad mixture in the bowl.

    Step 11: Cut agar-agar into small cubes.

    Step 12: Gently mix them in.

    Cutting agar-agar into small squares. Adding agar-agar cubes to the mixture.

    Cover and chill for a few hours before serving. Serve Buko Pandan Salad with toasted pinipig for extra crunch and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

    Buko Pandan Salad in a large bowl.

    Recipe FAQs

    Does pandan taste like vanilla?

    No. Both have no taste, though vanilla can be slightly bitter. Pandan is used in Asian cuisine, much like vanilla is used in the West. It has a unique flavor that tends to be overpowering in a good way. Its aroma is a combination of grassy, nutty, and floral.

    How do you use agar-agar bars?

    To hydrate the bars, cut them into small pieces and soak them in water. Boil them with water or another liquid until completely dissolved. Strain and let it set.

    Why is my salad too watery?

    Make sure to drain the ingredients very well. Coconut and nata de coco tend to be watery.

    Try these Filipino party desserts

    • Leche Flan: A creamy caramel custard dessert.
    • Mango Float: A no-bake dessert with layers of graham crackers, whipped cream, and mango slices, chilled until set.
    • Maja Blanca: A coconut milk pudding with kernels of sweet corn, often topped with toasted coconut or latik (caramelized coconut curds).
    • Kutsinta: Chewy rice cakes with panutsa or brown sugar and lye water, served with grated mature coconut on top.
    • Mango Gelatin: A dessert with mango cubes set in a creamy gelatin base, chilled until firm.
    • Cassava Cake: A dense cake made with grated cassava, coconut milk, and condensed milk, topped with a caramelized milk layer.
    • Pichi-Pichi: Soft and chewy cakes made with cassava and sugar, rolled in grated coconut or cheese.
    • Mango Sago: A chilled blend of ripe mangoes, sago or tapioca pearls, and sweetened milk or cream.

    More about buko pandan salad

    Here are more frequently asked questions about Buko Pandan Salad, including extra tips, troubleshooting, and other information.

    Other dessert recipes you may like

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      No-Bake Crema de Fruta (Filipino Layered Fruit Cake)
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    Phone showing how to tag me on Instagram.

    Did you make this recipe? I would love to know! Your feedback helps me make better recipes.  Please rate, review, or comment below. Questions about this recipe are welcome, too!

    Let's connect on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, and Youtube. Be sure to tag me when you try any of my recipes @recipesbynora!

    📖 Recipe

    Buko Pandan on a glass dish cup topped with ice cream covered be rice crisps.

    Buko Pandan Salad

    A dessert made with young coconut, sago pearls, and pandan-infused agar-agar in a creamy sauce.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Filipino
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Refrigerate:: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 451kcal
    Author: Nora Rey
    Cost: $10-$12

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowls
    • Saucepan
    • Strainer
    • Whisk or hand mixer
    • 8x4-inch dish
    • Skillet (optional)

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound fresh or frozen shredded young coconut about 2 cups; drained
    • 16 ounce nata de coco or coconut gel drained
    • 1 3-ounce box unflavored green agar-agar powder sub:unflavored green gelatin
    • 4 fresh or frozen pandan leaves rinsed; sub:6 drops pandan extract
    • ¼ cup sago sub:tapioca pearls
    • 4 ounces cream cheese softened; sub:all-purpose cream or table cream
    • ½ cup condensed milk more to taste
    • toasted pinipig or pounded young rice (optional)
    • vanilla ice cream (optional)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Combine agar-agar powder and water or coconut juice. To make firm jelly cubes, reduce the amount of liquid called for in the package by ¼ cup.
    • Tie the pandan leaves and add them in. Let it boil for about a minute.
    • Discard the leaves and strain the mixture into a dish or pan. Refrigerate until set, about an hour.
    • Add sago to about 3 cups of boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking together. Cover and lower to medium heat.
    • Cook until translucent, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
    • In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Taste and add more condensed milk as desired.
    • Combine young coconut, nata de coco, sago, and cream in a large bowl. Mix them together.
    • Cut agar-agar into small cubes and gently mix them in.
    • Cover and chill for a few hours before serving.

    Notes

    Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and toasted pinipig for extra crunch. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 6gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 28gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 195mgPotassium: 580mgFiber: 8gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 322IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 2mg
    Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided here is solely for informational purposes. I am not a certified nutritionist, and this data hasn't been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or any other authority. It shouldn't be seen as health or nutrition advice. The figures are estimates calculated from various food composition databases and might vary based on product types, brands, natural variations in produce, and ingredient processing methods. Individual results may differ.
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @recipesbynora or tag #RecipesByNora!

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    About the author

    Hi, I'm Nora! 

    Whether you're new to Filipino food or have loved it for so long, I sure am happy you're here!  I hope you'll find useful recipes that you can enjoy and share with family and friends.

    Learn more about me →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joy

      October 10, 2023 at 8:35 am

      So yummy! Elevated a pinoy classic, love this!

      Reply
      • Nora Reyes

        October 11, 2023 at 12:31 am

        Hi Joy, Thank you so much!

        Reply
    2. Lorna

      November 16, 2022 at 11:02 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious!!!

      Reply
      • Nora Rey

        January 05, 2023 at 12:40 am

        Thank you, Lorna! =)

        Reply
    3. Jomelyn

      February 16, 2022 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      Mouth drolling dessert. Thanks for the idea of adding cream cheese, since I love cheese.

      https://curiousflavors.com/

      Reply
      • Nora

        March 10, 2022 at 1:08 am

        Hi Jomelyn, thank you! Love cream cheese in this recipe because it makes a thick, creamy sauce.

        Reply
    4. Bim

      November 13, 2021 at 3:21 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, one of my favorite dessert! Will surely make this for Thanksgiving. My family loves this. Thank you Nora!

      Reply
      • Nora Rey

        July 21, 2023 at 2:10 am

        Thank you so much! I hope you liked it!

        Reply
    5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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