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    Home » Desserts

    Buko Pandan Salad

    Published: Mar 17, 2022 · Modified: Mar 17, 2022 by Nora Rey · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

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    Buko pandan salad is a Filipino dessert that is so easy to recreate. It consists of young coconut and pandan-infused agar-agar with a creamy sauce that isn't too sweet.

    Buko pandan salad topped with vanilla ice cream and pinipig in a cup.
    Jump to:
    • What makes a good buko pandan salad
    • Ingredients you'll need
    • How to make this recipe
    • How to serve
    • How to store
    • Frequently asked questions
    • More about buko pandan salad
    • Watch how I make it here
    • Other dessert recipes you may like
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What makes a good buko pandan salad

    Buko pandan salad should be light and refreshing. The coconut should be tender and almost jelly-like in texture. Sago pearls should be chewy and not clumped together.

    Cream cheese makes a thick and creamy sauce that balances the watery nature of coconut and nata de coco.

    Ingredients you'll need

    Assorted ingredients for buko pandan salad in individual containers.
    The ingredients shown are doubled in quantity.

    Notes and substitutions

    • Buko (or young coconut): a sweet, delicate coconut meat from coconuts harvested before they mature.
    Frozen package of young coconut strips and a jar of nata de coco.
    • Nata de coco (or coconut gel): sweetened cubes made from fermented coconut water. They are chewy and also used in  Halo-Halo. You can also use kaong, a chewy fruit from sugar palm trees
    • 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. They have to be bruised or cooked to extract their flavor and light green hue.
    • Agar-Agar (or gulaman): a plant-based gelatin from red seaweed extract. They come 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 plants. Choose white, small-size sago or tapioca pearls.
    Packages of tapioca pearls and sago pearls.
    • Cream cheese: It makes a thick and creamy sauce. You can also use all-purpose cream or table cream.
    • Sweetened condensed milk: thick, concentrated milk with sugar. Adjust the amount to your desired sweetness. Start with ½ cup and go from there.
    • Pinipig (or pounded young rice): These glutinous rice flakes are toasted, adding a lot of crunch.
    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.

    Make the agar-agar (gulaman)

    (1)In a saucepan, combine the agar-agar powder and water or coconut juice. Check package instructions for the amount of water.

    To make firm jelly cubes that don't break apart easily, reduce the liquid by ¼ cup. (2)Tie the pandan leaves and add them in. 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.

    (3)Discard the pandan leaves and strain the mixture into a dish or pan (approximately 8x4-inch or 8x8-inch for doubled recipe as shown in the photo). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until set.

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

    Make the sago

    (4)Boil about 3 cups of water over medium-high heat. Only add the sago when it starts to boil to prevent it from disintegrating.

    (5)Stir occasionally to avoid sticking on the bottom or clumping together. Cover and lower the heat to medium.

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

    (6)Cook until translucent for 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.

    Make the cream mixture

    (7)In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk. (8)Using a whisk or a hand mixer, mix them until smooth. Give it a 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.

    Combine and refrigerate

    (9)In a large bowl, combine the young coconut, nata de coco, sago, and add the cream mixture. (10)Mix them together.

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

    (11)Cut the agar-agar into small cubes. (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 until cold before serving.

    Buko pandan salad in a large bowl.

    How to serve

    You can serve buko pandan salad as a dessert or a snack. It's especially good with toasted pinipig for extra crunch. Many enjoy it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. 

    It is particularly good to serve buko pandan after lunch or dinner because it has a cooling effect from young coconut. Its other ingredients like agar-gar and nata de coco make for a good palate cleanser.

    Spooning buko pandan salad in a cup.

    How to store

    Buko pandan should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within three days to maintain its flavor and texture. I wouldn’t recommend freezing buko pandan salad.

    When thawed, it gets watery. The sago pearls will also lose their chewy texture. If you must freeze to extend its shelf life, mix it well after thawing.

    Frequently asked questions

    Does pandan taste like vanilla?

    No, they are very different. Both have no taste, though vanilla can be slightly bitter. Pandan is used in Asian cuisine, much like vanilla is used in the West.

    Pandan has a unique flavor that is hard to describe. It 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?

    Cut the bars into small pieces and soak them in water to hydrate them. Boil them in water or another liquid until they are dissolved completely. Strain into a dish 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.

    More about buko pandan salad

    Here are more frequently asked questions about buko pandan salad including extra tips, troubleshooting, and other information.

    Watch how I make it here

    Other dessert recipes you may like

    • Cheesecake Brownies from Brownie Mix
    • Brookie Bars from Brownie Mix
    • Oreo Brownies From Brownie Mix
    • Peanut Butter Brownies From Brownie Mix
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    📖 Recipe

    buko pandan salad served in a cup

    Buko Pandan Salad

    Buko pandan salad is a Filipino dessert that is so easy to recreate. It consists of young coconut and pandan-infused agar-agar with a creamy sauce that isn't too sweet.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Filipino
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Refrigerate:: 4 hours
    Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
    Servings: 6 cups
    Calories: 465kcal
    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 to room temperature; 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 the agar-agar powder and water or coconut juice. Check package instructions for the amount of water. To make firm jelly cubes that don't break apart easily, reduce the liquid by ¼ cup.
    • Tie the pandan leaves and add them in. Let it boil for about a minute.
    • Discard the pandan leaves and strain the mixture into a dish or pan (approximately 8x4-inch). Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until set.
    • Add the sago to about 3 cups of boiling water. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking on the bottom or clumping together. Cover and lower the heat to medium.
    • Cook until translucent for about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
    • In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Give it a taste and add more condensed milk as desired.
    • In a large bowl, combine the young coconut, nata de coco, sago, and add the cream mixture. Mix them together.
    • Cut the agar-agar into small cubes and gently mix them in.
    • Cover and chill for a few hours until cold before serving.

    Video

    Notes

    To serve: You can serve buko pandan with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and toasted pinipig for extra crunch. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6gCalories: 465kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 265mgPotassium: 575mgFiber: 8gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 322IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 202mgIron: 4mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. 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
    2. 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

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